Florida's 'most distinguished soldier' ineligible for Veteran's Hall of Fame nomination

Service during Civil War does not qualify someone to be vet of U.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.The president of Florida State University, a retired Air Force colonel and a deceased WWII gunner on a B-52 are the top three nominees this year for the Veteran’s Hall of Fame. But the man labeled Florida’s most distinguished soldier isn’t even eligible for the honor.

The nominating panel selected 20 of the 29 people nominated. That is the most allowed by law.

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Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith is one of two statues representing Florida in the U.S. Capitol. He has been relegated to the basement of the Capitol’s Visitor’s Center, where he goes unnoticed by most during cocktail or dinner receptions. The base of his stature calls him “Florida’s most distinguished soldier.”

On Tuesday, a committee nominated a new crop of vets for inclusion into the state Veterans Hall of Fame. Ironically, Smith is not eligible for inclusion.

"We had a legal opinion that service during the Civil War would not qualify someone to be a veteran of the United States, so he would not qualify,” Rep. Larry Metz said.

Smith’s statue remains in Washington, D.C., after state lawmakers agreed he should be replaced, but couldn’t agree on a replacement.

Even Florida’s Veteran’s Affairs secretary disputes the 1922 statue's claim that Smith is the state's most distinguished soldier.

“There are so many distinguished soldiers and Marines and Airmen who come from Florida that have been in Florida," Col. Glenn Sutphin said. "I'm an apolitical creature. I’m an old military guy. You know how it is. You can’t have politics and you can’t have religion, but I’ve never heard a wounded man that didn’t call out for his mom and God.”

There are 30 names on the nomination list now. There could be 20 more added by the end of September.

FSU president John Thrasher is the most prominent name on the list. The nominating chairman, Sgt. Maj. Ray Quinn, said what matters as much as heroism is what a vet did after leaving the service.

“What did they do for their county?" Quinn said. "What did they do for their state?”

 

That alone disqualifies Smith, because while he was born in Florida, it was not where he lived.