Retired military paratrooper carries patriotism on his shoulder

LUTZ, Fla. - Steve Beinert bleeds red, white and blue, and the former military paratrooper is proud of his service. He carries his patriotism on his shoulder. 

"I do it mainly for people in the Military, law enforcement and everybody who's going to work and making America work," Beinert said. 

Every Monday-Friday you can find him walking in his Lutz neighborhood with the American flag in tow. 

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"I'm a patriot, and I like to see people that feel the same way," he explained. 

Beinert's patriotism runs deep. The Chamberlain High School graduate joined the Army at 19 years old to become a paratrooper in 1961. 

"I left home and I got on a bus and wound up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a paratrooper walked in with jumpsuits on his uniform," he said. "I looked at him. I said, ‘Well, what are you?’ He said, 'I'm a paratrooper.' And I said, 'That's what I want to be.' So I signed up for the military, went to jump school, became a paratrooper." 

In his 20 years of service, Beinert did more than 3,000 jumps. 

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"It's just a good feeling, you know, It's just like you understand why the Eagles, they say, fly like an eagle. I mean, you're out there just flying, you know, just it's just a great experience," he said. 

After he retired, Beinert wanted to help his Band of Brothers, so he became a nurses aide at the VA Hospital in Tampa. 

"I really took care of them, because, you know, these guys took care of somebody while they were in the military," he added. 

Beinert enjoyed helping his comrades so much that in 20 years of working for the VA, he never took a sick day. 

"I've always taken care of myself about my shots and all that stuff and, you know, done what I had to do. Because by being sick, I, you know, I can't help these guys if I'm not there to help them," he said. 

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Beinert is now 83 and proud of his military career and his service to the country. 

"I never regret every moment, all the moves I've made in life, you know, from the military to the VA. If I had to do over again, I'd go right back and do it," he said.