CFK President Gueverra honors service members, late U.S. Navy Veteran Raymond Blazevic at Memorial Day ceremony

“A 250-Year Salute to American Heroes” ceremony marks Memorial Day, America’s 250th Anniversary, and National Military Appreciation Month

Members of the CFK Family raise an American flag over the Key West Campus that was flown over the U.S. Capitol. L to R: Christina McMahon, CFK alumna and daughter of Raymond Blazevic; Ed Coy, Army veteran, alumnus, and CFK Marine Engineering instructor; Dr. Jonathan Gueverra, CFK President; Terry Varney, Army veteran, alumnus, and CFK Dive Facilities Manager; Eddie Kertis, Army veteran, alumnus, and member of the College’s Board of Trustees; and John Parce Navy veteran, scholarship supporter, and member of the CFK Foundation Board of Directors.

Raymond Blazevic, Navy veteran, CFK alumnus and instructor, and Memorial Day honoree.

KEY WEST, FL, May 21, 2026— The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) honored the lives and legacy of fallen heroes, veterans, and active-duty military service members and their families with a ceremony on Thursday, May 21 on the Key West Campus. The event, “A 250-Year Salute to American Heroes,” was held in observance of National Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day. The ceremony opened with an invocation by Army veteran, former chaplain, and CFK Marine Engineering instructor Ed Coy, followed by the national anthem, performed by Maceya Carey, a CFK Academy high school student. CFK President and CEO Dr. Jonathan Gueverra then delivered his annual Memorial Day Salute, honoring the late Raymond Blazevic—Navy veteran, prisoner of war, alumnus, historian, and beloved “Citizen Ray” of Key West. The ceremony concluded with Christina McMahon, daughter of the honoree and a CFK alumna, raising an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of CFK’s 60th Anniversary. She was assisted by veterans with close ties to the College: John Parce, Navy veteran, scholarship supporter, and member of the CFK Foundation Board of Directors; Terrance Varney, Army veteran, alumnus, and CFK Dive Facilities Manager; and Eddie Kertis, Army veteran, alumnus, and member of the College’s Board of Trustees.

CFK President Dr. Jonathan Gueverra’s 2026 Memorial Day Salute

“As we gather to honor the 250th anniversary of this great nation, and as we observe both Memorial Day and National Military Appreciation Month, I invite the community to join the CFK Family in reflecting on the courage and sacrifices that made America and our freedom possible. On this day - Memorial Day – and every day that we have consciousness we must remember those who gave everything for our freedom.  We must recognize that heroes do not often come from those who seek glory, but from those who simply do their duty with quiet resolve.
This Memorial Day, I salute the late Raymond Blazevic—known throughout Key West as ‘Citizen Ray’—a Navy veteran, a prisoner of war, a historian, a teacher, a father, and a devoted member of this community and the CFK Family.

Born in 1924, the Minnesota native graduated high school in 1942 with plans to attend college but was inducted into the United States Navy during World War II, and served as an Aircraft Electronics Technician—a role that drew on a natural aptitude for electronics. He spent much of the war patrolling the Northern Pacific near the Aleutian Islands. When the war ended, advances in radar and reconnaissance technology kept him in uniform.

In 1951, Raymond deployed to the Korean War theater aboard the USS Princeton as a combat air crewman. During a night mission over North Korea, his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. With the aircraft ablaze and communications with the pilot lost, Raymond held his post as long as he could—until the flames reached the soles of his boots. He went to the hatch and was propelled clear when the plane inverted and exploded. Initial military reports listed him as killed in action - a letter to his mother later confirmed that he had survived.

Raymond spent the next 27 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea. He later recalled that one of his greatest sorrows during captivity was not yet having children. His daughter Christina reflects that her father never called himself a hero—he simply said he did what he was supposed to do. ‘I have heard stories,’ she says, ‘that make me know he was brave, but he never said as much.’

After his release, Raymond continued his service, transferred to NAS Key West in 1958, and was later deployed to Vietnam aboard the USS Constellation. In Key West, he met and married Shirley Jordan, and together they raised four daughters: Cynthia, Christina, Michele, and Melissa. He would later say that his family—the one he had longed for in that POW camp—was what he was most proud of.

Raymond retired from the Navy in 1970 and at long last fulfilled his dream of a college education. He enrolled at Florida Keys Community College, now The College of the Florida Keys, earning an Associate in Science in Electronics and an Associate in Arts in 1972. He went on to teach history at the College—a role he came to after challenging his history professor in class. Impressed by his depth of knowledge, the professor invited Raymond to teach the course himself, and he did so with the same hands-on spirit that defined his life, taking students on field trips, helping excavate Fort Zachary Taylor, and documenting the history of this island community through thousands of photographs, many preserved in the Monroe County Library.

For 66 years, Key West was Raymond’s home, and he gave back to it without reservation. A familiar face at city and county commission meetings, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a presence on countless community committees, he earned the name ‘Citizen Ray’ many times over. Christina puts it simply: ‘He left things better than he found them whenever he could. He served his country, his city, his church, and his family. He cared about people and taught kindness. That is his legacy.’
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Raymond passed away on November 28, 2024, in the 100th year of his very full life. On behalf of the CFK Family, I salute U.S. Navy Veteran Raymond Leonard Blazevic this Memorial Day. His story is one of duty, resilience, humility, and love—for country, for community, and for the family he treasured above all. As we mark the 250th anniversary of the nation he served, we are grateful for people like him. His service is an inspiration to all.”