A new Lone Sailor memorial in Orlando is honoring service men and women, a reminder of the Navy’s presence in Central Florida.
With eyes on the horizon, a lone sailor looks ahead to where Orlando’s Naval Training Center once stood.
“I am just glad this field is left cause I marched on this field," said Dale Dunn, a veteran who trained at the center. "And I am glad that I can run on it today, one more time.”
And while now it’s the Blue Jacket Park, a new Lone Sailor monument serves as a reminder of what it once was.
“Orlando was such a big navy town, especially back in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s, and people don’t realize that a lot because we built the great community of Baldwin Park,” said Bill Reuter, the president of Central Florida Navy League.
Orlando’s Naval Training Center also served as the first co-ed bootcamp. This is why there’s a goal to add another sailor, a female one on the other side of the pier and a history wall behind the monument.
Richard Roberts, 102, came out to see the dedication. Roberts served a quarter of his life in the Navy and spent three years on an aircraft carrier during World War II.
While some memories aren’t the best - “World War II…that was pretty terrible, really" - Roberts says he wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.
“To be a part of the USA is the best,” Roberts said, adding that he's glad that another fellow sailor now keeps watch over Orlando.
The next Lone Sailor monument will be the 15th in the country and will be placed in Pearl Harbor.