Legislative Affairs
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CHAPTER Legislative Chairs
Fran Hendricks
Mike Griffith
Northwest Florida Military Officers Association
The NWFMOA
Congressman Jimmy Patronis proposes national cemetery in Okaloosa County, forms steering committee
Photo courtesy of Okaloosa County
Congressman Jimmy Patronis on Thursday announced a proposal to study the establishment of a new National Veterans Cemetery in Okaloosa County, citing the region’s large and growing military and veteran population and limited burial space at Arlington National Cemetery.
The proposal calls for roughly 200 acres of land for the cemetery. An advisory committee will review possible site locations, including orphan parcels located on Eglin Air Force Base.
“Northwest Florida has a long history of answering our nation’s call to serve,” Patronis said. “Our veterans deserve a final resting place that reflects the honor and sacrifice of their service. A national cemetery in Okaloosa County would ensure those who wore the uniform can be laid to rest with the dignity they’ve earned.”
A newly formed National Veterans Cemetery Steering Committee will begin its work in September and engage stakeholders to provide input and support for the project, according to the release.
The committee will be co-chaired by NWFMOA President Brigadier General Fran Hendricks, USAF (Ret.), and Graham W. Fountain, a retired Okaloosa County commissioner, state police colonel and honorary commander of the 492nd Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field.
The other committee members are:
*** Rear Admiral Philip Dur, US Navy (Ret.)
*** State Rep. T. Patterson Maney, retired judge and brigadier general
Dr. Paul Hsu, founder of the Hsu Educational Foundation
Colonel Pat Colleton, US Army Special Forces Green Beret (Ret.)
Colonel Alison Black, USAF (Ret.)
Colonel Howard Hill, USAF (Ret.), Vietnam-era POW
Tom Rice, US Army first sergeant (Ret.) and local veterans and military families advocate
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden
J.D. Peacock, retired Clerk of Court and US Army veteran
Niceville Mayor Dan Henkel, USAF (Ret.)
*** Niceville City Councilman Dr. Douglas Stauffer
Crestview Mayor J.B. Whitten, USAF (Ret.)
*** Rev. David Butler
Shalimar Mayor Mark Franks
*** Fort Walton Beach Mayor Emeritus Dick Rynearson, USAF (Ret.)
Benard Johnson, FPL executive and honorary commander of USAF Eglin 96th Test Wing
Barbara Slocum, family services director at Watkins-Davis Funeral Home
Major Don Pardue, USMC (Ret.)
Major Lisa Jo Spencer, USAF (Ret.), attorney
Okaloosa County Commissioner Drew Palmer
Okaloosa County Commissioner Paul Mixon, who will serve as alternating advisors
(Names with “***” are NWFMOA members)
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The NWFMOA
Fort Walton Beach Honors Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day
NWFMOA Member Patt Maney Among Featured Dignitaries
Hundreds gathered for a Memorial Day ceremony at the American Legion Post 235 in Fort Walton Beach on May 25 to remember those military members who died in service to their country.
The event, organized by The Beal Memorial Veterans Tribute Tower committee, was moved from Beal Memorial Cemetery to the American Legion because of inclement weather.
Despite Monday’s rain, cadets from Fort Walton Beach High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program, along with volunteers from the Boy Scouts and Air Force Enlisted Village, placed flags at the graves of more than 2,000 veterans at Beal Memorial Cemetery.
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Representative Maney Welcomes Acting Navy Secretary Cao
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao paused before Saturday night’s EOD Memorial Ball to visit a statue of Lenah Higbee, the first female recipient of the Navy Cross, at the Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans’ Park on Okaloosa Island.
Cao, dressed for the ball at the adjacent Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, stopped at the park with state Rep. Patt Maney, a retired Army brigadier general, NWFMOA member and personal friend, and Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who spearheaded the effort to create the park. Ketchel said Cao had just learned of the Higbee statue.
The Lenah Higbee statue stands among 12 bronze sculptures honoring women who have served in the U.S. military in heroic ways. Cao, a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal diving officer, had returned to Eglin Air Force Base earlier that day to deliver the keynote at the 57th annual EOD Memorial Ceremony, the same school he graduated from on Sept. 13, 2001. He also keynoted the 58th EOD Memorial Ball that evening.
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