About Us - About Our History
Founded in Service. Named in Honor. Rooted in St. Augustine.
Bryan Tutten Memorial Post No. 2391 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States was established in 1968, born from the same spirit of duty and sacrifice that has defined the VFW since its founding in 1899. Chartered in St. Augustine, Florida, our Post has spent more than five decades as a cornerstone of the St. Johns County veterans community — advocating for those who served, welcoming those who return, and honoring those who gave everything.
The VFW was built on a simple but enduring premise: that the men and women who answered their nation's call deserve more than gratitude — they deserve action. From securing veterans' pensions and medical care in the early 20th century to fighting for Agent Orange compensation, Gulf War Syndrome recognition, and the post-9/11 GI Bill, the VFW has been the voice of America's combat veterans for over 125 years. Post 2391 carries that mission forward every day in the streets, neighborhoods, and homes of St. Johns County.
A Name That Carries Weight
Our Post bears the name of Sergeant Bryan Joseph Tutten — a St. Augustine native, a soldier, a husband, a father, and a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice on Christmas Day, December 25, 2007, in Balad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during combat operations. He was 33 years old and was due home in just 45 days. Sergeant Tutten was the first St. Johns County native to die in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Bryan was born on October 8, 1974, in St. Augustine and spent the majority of his life calling this city home. He attended St. Joseph Academy, graduated from St. Augustine High School, and attended St. Johns River Community College. He was a devoted member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in St. Augustine. An avid sportsman who loved to fish and cook, Bryan was known for his enormous heart — a dedicated husband to his high school sweetheart, Constandina Peterson Tutten, and a loving father to his daughter Catherine Anastasia and his infant son Gareth Thomas, born just months before Bryan's death.
Inspired by generations of military service in his family and driven by a sense of duty sharpened after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bryan enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked toward his lifelong dream of earning the green beret of the Special Forces. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina — a rifleman and squad leader known by his father-in-law, retired Lt. Col. Gary Peterson, as someone who "went out to clear out the insurgents — it was a very dangerous job, but he was very good at it."
His second tour in Iraq began in November 2006. In May of that year, the Red Cross helped arrange emergency leave so Bryan could return to Fort Bragg when his son Gareth was born — he had missed the birth of his daughter during his first tour. He last spoke with his family by video conference on December 11, 2007. Fourteen days later, he was gone.
Sergeant Tutten's awards and decorations speak to the depth of his service: the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, and the Parachutist's Badge. He was laid to rest with full military honors at San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine on January 4, 2008. On January 15, 2008, Congressman John L. Mica honored Sergeant Tutten on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, asking all Members of Congress to recognize his service and remember him as "a great American hero."
In June 2008, St. Johns County renamed a roadway in his honor — Sgt. Tutten Drive — a permanent reminder to all who pass by of the sacrifice he made. His father, the late Thomas "Tommy" Tutten, was himself a beloved St. Augustine guitarist and folk singer who died heroically in 2001 at Vilano Beach, drowning after swimming out to rescue children who had lost an inflatable raft at sea. Heroism, it seems, ran deep in the Tutten family.
When our Post took his name, it was not a formality. It was a promise — to be worthy of it.
A Living Legacy in St. Johns County
Today, Post 2391 is home to over 900 active members and remains one of the most active veteran posts in Northeast Florida. Our First City Honor Guard — named for St. Augustine's distinction as America's oldest city — conducts military honors at funerals, community ceremonies, and flag retirement events throughout the county, retiring tens of thousands of flags each year with the dignity they deserve. Our new pentagon-shaped flag retirement site, dedicated on Labor Day 2023, stands as a symbol of our commitment to all five service branches and to the flags that flew above those who served.
Out front of our Post stands an M60-A3 Patton Tank, on loan from the United States government — a Vietnam-era sentinel that greets every member and visitor and reminds the community that Post 2391 is a place where the weight of service is never forgotten.
We are St. Augustine's Friendly Post. We serve veterans, we serve families, and we serve our community — because Sergeant Bryan Tutten and every man and woman whose name could have been on that wall deserves nothing less.
Post 2391 — 6184 U.S. Highway 1 South, St. Augustine, Florida 32086 | 904-797-5267
