Dr. Harold “Hal” Silberman had a speech ready for Coral Gables’ first Salute to Veterans. When his turn came Wednesday morning, the 101-year-old World War II Navy veteran set it aside.
Instead, he spoke from memory about enlisting at 19, the pride he felt serving his country in the Pacific and the islands he saw from aboard his ship, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Then he told the crowd that he did not consider himself a hero.
His unscripted remarks became the defining moment of the city’s inaugural Veterans Day ceremony, which brought residents, veterans, Scouts and elected officials to Giralda Plaza beneath hundreds of American flags.
The gathering marked the beginning of what city officials hope will become an annual tradition, honoring military service while giving younger generations an opportunity to meet veterans and hear their stories.
A city and a veteran, both 101
Silberman shares a birth year with Coral Gables. He was born May 1, 1925, the year the city was incorporated, and celebrated his 101st birthday this spring.
During World War II, he served as a communications and decoding officer aboard the battleship USS Arkansas.
The battleship supported the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 before moving to the Pacific. There, it bombarded Japanese positions during the battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945.
After the war, Silberman completed his medical education with help from the GI Bill and moved to Miami in 1951. He practiced medicine in Coral Gables for decades, founding PrimeCare and Clinical Research of South Florida.
Today, he lives at The Palace in Coral Gables with his wife, Susan. He remains active in the retirement community, editing its Residents’ Gazette newsletter, organizing medical lectures and participating in a range of activities.
His family joined him Wednesday, including his daughter, granddaughter and great-grandson. A large contingent of residents and staff from The Palace also attended.
For a city marking its 101st year, the presence of a veteran born the same year offered a connection between Coral Gables’ early history and the generation that fought World War II.
An idea becomes a city tradition
The ceremony grew out of an initiative by Commissioner Richard Lara, whom Mayor Vince Lago credited during Wednesday’s program.
Lara’s prepared remarks described a goal of giving veterans a lasting place in the civic life of Coral Gables while creating opportunities for young people to meet them and learn about their service.
The city chose Giralda Plaza for the inaugural gathering, beneath an overhead installation of American flags commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence.
The flags, installed earlier this month, replaced the colorful seasonal decorations that have become a familiar feature of the downtown pedestrian promenade.
The event brought the city’s semiquincentennial observances together with its first dedicated Veterans Day ceremony.
Six military branches recognized
The program opened with the presentation of the colors by the Coral Gables Senior High School Army JROTC Cavalier Battalion.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis led the Pledge of Allegiance, joined onstage by members of Girl Scout Troop 718 and Boy Scout Troop 7 of Coral Gables.
Coral Gables Police Officer Christian Ochoa sang the national anthem. Capt. Jeff Sullivan, a chaplain with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 724th Military Police Battalion, pastor of Granada Presbyterian Church and chaplain to the Coral Gables Police Department, delivered the invocation.
Lara then invited representatives of the six branches of the armed forces to receive commemorative challenge coins.
Former Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served as mayor from 2001 to 2011, represented the Army and briefly addressed the gathering.
Silberman represented the Navy. Sgt. Edwin Rivera represented the Marine Corps; Cliff Van Allen, the Air Force; David B. Mitchell, the Coast Guard; and Lt. Col. Robert Molineros, the Space Force.
The ceremony also included a moment of silence for veterans who have died, followed by trumpeter Andrew Amengor’s performance of “Taps.”
Veterans, families and community groups gather
The morning brought together several generations of Coral Gables residents.
Members of the American Legion and Daughters of the American Revolution joined veterans and their families, Scouts, city employees and representatives of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
Officials attending included former Mayor Jim Cason, Deputy Police Chief Tom Hanlon and Mia DeVane, representing the office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The program concluded with Lucy Grau and the Miami Elite performing Neil Diamond’s “America.”
Afterward, visitors remained on Giralda Plaza to meet Officer Ashley Sheran of the police department’s mounted patrol and her horse, Merrick, and to examine one of the city’s antique fire trucks.
The gathering also gave veterans and their families time to reconnect outside the formal ceremony.
For Silberman, whose wartime service took him from the Atlantic to the Pacific more than eight decades ago, the occasion was an opportunity to speak about experiences that few living Americans can still recount firsthand.
He arrived with prepared remarks but chose to speak in his own words. His recollections and his refusal to describe himself as a hero gave the morning a personal dimension beyond the formal tributes.
City officials said they intend to bring the Salute to Veterans back next year.
The first ceremony established a place for that tradition on the Coral Gables calendar, with a 101-year-old veteran helping the city begin it.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
