OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Veterans Cafe at the Elliott Center offered more than breakfast on March 18, 2025. It provided camaraderie, connection, and recognition ahead of National Vietnam War Veterans Day, observed March 29.

Hosted by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPO), the event honored veterans in a space where they could share stories, laugh, and reflect. From deployment experiences to the food they ate and the weather they endured, veterans recounted a wide range of memories – some humorous, others heartfelt – all tied together by a deep bond of service and sacrifice.

Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today
Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today

The featured speaker was U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Petty, a decorated Vietnam War helicopter pilot and recipient of the Silver Star and Bronze Star. With 1,261 combat flight hours and more than 1,000 missions – over 100 of which involved being fired upon – Petty stated that he was the luckiest guy in the whole world.

He shared how his journey began after his father received a call from the draft board. “At the Federal building in Dallas, it was sort of a cross and on each corner, was each one of the services and their intake post,” Petty recalled. “I wanted to be a Marine. I walked up to the Marine who was standing by his door. He looked at me and said, ‘The Marines want a few good men, not a boy like you.’ So, that took me down a couple of feet, and I was already short.”

After the Air Force and Navy offered delayed responses, Petty approached the Army. “[The sergeant] looked at me and said, ‘You know something that we don’t know, don’t you son? Come on in here.’ I did and they signed me up.”

Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today
Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today

Petty entered the Army in 1964, attending every school he could to delay deployment before being accepted into helicopter flight school, joking that he was the worst helicopter student in the world.  “Part of it was because I was a Texas boy, and my feet never got this far off the ground unless it was the stirrup of a horse,” he added.

Despite setbacks, the Army kept him in aviation due to a need for officer pilots. “Now, [they have an aviation branch],” Petty explained. “But back then, you had to be branch qualified, and then you could become a pilot.”

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