Paying Patriotism Forward
Patriotism was instilled in Oliver Aspinwall at an early age. He recalls paying close attention to his grandfather as he shared photographs from his collection and talked about a favorite brother who had an illustrious Naval career.
Yancey Sullivan Williams, Aspinwall’s great uncle, attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis and rose to the rank of rear admiral. He received the Navy Cross and was something of a legend in the family. Aspinwall remembers as a young man accompanying his grandfather to a family cemetery in South Carolina where his very patriotic great aunt erected monuments to her brother, Yancey, and other family members who served in the military. Aspinwall, who had joined the Florida National Guard at age 17, was surprised to find his name inscribed on the monument. “I remember seeing my name etched in stone and I asked my grandfather, ‘What is my name doing there?’“ But he already knew the answer to his question and later took his children to the site in hopes of continuing his family’s strong tradition of patriotism. Still in high school when he entered the Florida National Guard, Aspinwall joined the U.S. Army just three days after receiving his high school diploma. His 20 years of military service took him to Korea, Vietnam, Hawaii and Germany. He retired as a major and afterward pursued a career with the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Defense. He performed the same job for both agencies—serving as a special agent performing background investigations for security clearances. Aspinwall and his wife, the former Mellie Elizabeth Thomas who is a native of Wheeler County, were living in Florida when they purchased property in Wheeler County in the early 1980s. Later, he and his wife moved to Wheeler County full-time.
As a member of the Military Officers Association of America, Aspinwall is involved in activities which promote patriotism and recognition of American military veterans. In the past few months he attended a Wheeler County Chamber of Commerce meeting where he shared his desire to place flags on the graves of every military veteran in the county on Memorial Day.
With scores of cemeteries in the mostly rural county, which range from municipal and church cemeteries to small family burial grounds, the project seemed overwhelming to those who heard Aspinwall’s proposal.
When Aspinwall met with Robert Hendrix, a retired school teacher and historian who is singlehandedly locating and recording every grave he can find in Wheeler County, the enormity of the undertaking came clearly into focus. Aspinwall admitted, “Gosh, I didn’t know whether I could handle that.” But he reasoned that there would be a way to make sure most, if not all, Wheeler County cemeteries are served after Hendrix completes his survey. Aspinwall decided to scale back his plan for the time being and chose a location in which to begin the project. He decided that he would keep reaching out to others who might want to join his campaign, and in future years the project might grow. In his inaugural effort, Aspinwall will place miniature American flags on the graves of veterans interred at Alamo’s City Cemetery. He has hopes that others in the community will join him early on May 31, Memorial Day. Aspinwall will also place flags on two graves in a cemetery near the home of his wife’s parents, Clarence and Annie Thomas. Aspinwall has always embraced a respect for the military, the flag and this county. “I grew up around patriots. My father was career man,” Aspinwall shared. In fact, several members of his maternal and fraternal families served in various branches of the military. Aspinwall believes that military service is a duty and a privilege. When people thank him for his service, he often responds, “It was not always pleasant but it was indeed an honor.” Those interested in assisting Aspinwall with the Memorial Day project can call the Wheeler County Chamber of Commerce at 912-568-5800 or Alamo City Hall at 912-568-7153 for information.
