2005 Veterans Day Parade - Honorees

This years honorees are the seven Vila brothers of Tampa. All seven brothers have served this country in the armed forces. They are:

• Joe Vila, 82. He served with the Marine Corps during World War II. He was involved in battles in Guadalcanal, where the soldiers were attacked by Japanese fighter planes. A bomb exploded next to Vila, and he spent months in hospitals with back, leg and shoulder injuries. He received a Purple Heart. He lives in West Tampa.

• Willie Vila, 81. He also served with the Marines during World War II and was deployed to Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Peleliu Island, New Caledonia and Okinawa. In Okinawa, a mortar shell hit him, and he suffered a chest wound and temporarily lost his sight. He received three Purple Hearts, the Navy Cross and the French Heart. He lives in West Tampa.

• Wilfred Vila, 79. He served with the Army during World War II and parachuted for the 82nd Airborne. He was later assigned to retrieve prisoners of war. He lives in Sun City Center.

• Hector Vila, 74. He served in the Marines during the Korean War and fought on the front lines as a machine gunner. He lives in West Tampa.

• Robert Vila, 73. He served in the Navy during the Korean War. He was on a battleship that fired against enemy railroads, harbors and positions. He lives in Carrollwood.

• Denio Vila, 67. He served in the Army from 1960-62 and in the reserves from 1962-66. He was a medical specialist. He lives in Land O' Lakes.

• Tony Vila, 61. He served in the Navy from 1962-66 and was in active reserves from 1975-95. His ship was sent to Cuba as part of the blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis in November 1962. He later served as a hospital corpsman and Spanish translator. In 1965, he was sent to Vietnam, and in 1991 he served in Operation Desert Storm. He lives in Carrollwood.