Ernest Ward Honors Veterans, Presents $2,580 To Honor Flight
November 14, 2009
A tearful service honored veterans Friday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School, as the school presented $2,580 to Emerald Coast Honor Flight.
“Today we honor you for the sacrifices you have given for our country,” Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry told the dozens of veterans in attendance at the annual program.
Walnut Hill resident Billy G. Ward, who recently took an Emerald Coast Honor Flight to the World War II Memorial in Washington, told the students that the Honor Flight was an experience that he will never forget.
“There was a fountain out there; that was beautiful,” Ward said about the World War II Memorial. He also related the experience of returning to the Pensacola airport to see hundreds of people providing a hero’s welcome for the 102 veterans on the recent honor flight.
The two words he will most remember about the entire Honor Flight, he said, were “mail call”.
“It was two words that I had not heard in such a long time,” Ward (pictured left) said of the mail call aboard the flight bound for Washington. “Every soldier knows those two words.”
During the mail call aboard the honor flight, the veterans were presented with letters and cards from area schoolchildren, thanking the men for their service to our country.
Gindl-Perry announced Friday that Ernest Ward take part in “Penny Wars” again this year with goal of sending at least two more veterans on an upcoming Honor Flight next April.
When Ward took the Honor Flight to Washington, he had a NorthEscambia.com camera with him. To read about his trip and see his pictures, click here.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward Middle School Drama Club members reenact a scene from the Vietnam Ward. Pictured top inset: Students portray an modern-day scene from Iraq. Pictured bottom inset: Veteran Billy G. Ward recently took an Emerald Coast Honor Flight to Washington. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
700 Flags: Bratt Elementary Holds Honor Walk
November 13, 2009
One by one, students at Bratt Elementary School placed about 700 small American flags in front of the school Thursday morning. Each flag carried a handwritten tag in honor or in memory of a man or woman that has or is serving our country in the military.
“I honored my dad,” said Colton Dockens, a second grader, after he completed the Honor Walk, placing his flag among the hundreds of others. His father recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It means a lot to me.”
Students contributed at least $1 for each flag, with all proceeds going toward sending a veteran on an upcoming Emerald Coast Honor Flight. Bratt’s goal was $800, but they surpassed that — raising over $1,200 to help send veterans to the World Ward II Memorial in Washington.
The flags will be displayed in front of the school until November 20.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured above: Savannah Spence places an American flag Thursday morning during Bratt Elementary School’s Honor Walk. Pictured below: Nona Wilson places on of about 700 small American flags to honor a military member in front of the school. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Parade Honors Area Veterans
November 12, 2009
The skies were gray, but the red, white and blue were shining brightly Wednesday afternoon as people from Atmore, North Escambia and surrounding areas honored veterans with a parade.
National Guard units, floats with veterans, a band, beauty queens, fire trucks, a congressman and more took part in the annual event.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Atmore Veterans Day Parade, click here.
Pictured above: A group of veterans ride in this afternoon’s Veterans Day parade in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Retiring Veteran Honored
November 12, 2009
Rickie Bonner never expected anything out of the ordinary when he headed out to raise the flag at Alto Products on Veteran’s Day. It had been taken down on Monday because of Tropical Storm Ida. With the storm gone, it was being put back to fly at half-staff to honor the fallen at Fort Hood. What he found brought a tear to his eye.
Rickie Bonner, who is Alto’s senior director of operations, was doing something he has done for ten years at Alto. Among his other, more demanding job duties, he took responsibility for flying the American flag at the Atmore plant many years ago. On Wednesday morning he found a plaque on the flag pole in his honor. Rickie is retiring from Alto soon and this was a way his fellow employees choose to honor him. His co-workers had hoped to surprise him with a small gathering as the plaque was presented, but things didn’t go exactly as planned.
“I wondered what was under the white sheet of paper taped to the pole”, said Bonner. “I was very surprised when I found the plaque.”
“I appreciate Rickie’s ten years of dedicated service to Alto,” said David Landa, president of Alto Products in Atmore. “We could always count on Rickie to be responsible for our flag. We wish him well in his retirement”.
Perhaps being responsible for the flag is just a part of who he is. Bonner served in the US Army. He served in the Vietnam conflict for one year and is a combat wounded veteran. Among the honors he earned for his service to his country are two Bronze Stars with Valor, an Army commendation, the Purple Heart and one Air Medal for combat air time.
“I served a lot of air hours in a helicopter to earn that medal,” Bonner said.
When he speaks of his time at Alto, he has good things to say. “I’m very grateful to have worked for a fine company, outstanding managers and David (Landa),” he said. “I appreciate the team atmosphere and have enjoyed the ten years I’ve worked at Alto.”
“I’ve enjoyed working with Rickie over the years and thank him for his service to Alto,” said Bill Busch, Chief Operating Officer of Alto Products. “He is really a great guy who will truly be missed.”
Pictured top: Retiring Rickie Bonner was honored Wednesday for ten years of service at Alto Products in Atmore. Pictured inset: The plaque on the company’s flag pole honors Bonner. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fort Hood Shootings: Local Mom’s Son ‘Was Close’
November 12, 2009
When tragedy struck at Fort Hood last week, one area mother spent several anxious hours waiting to hear from her son.
Bobbie Hobbs of Pollard, a small community east of Flomaton, could not understand how 11 people could be killed and 31 could be wounded by an gunman on an American military base.
She received a phone call from her son-in-law in Ohio. He had seen the events unfolding on television. Her thoughts immediately turned to her son, Sgt. Joseph Johnson, his wife and young child.
“We went around the world trying to get him. We did manage to get his wife and one-year old child,” Hobbs said. They were at a daycare off the base.
“It was scary,” she added. It was four or five hours before she could confirm that her son was uninjured. Sgt. Johnson would not tell his mom exactly where he was or what he was doing during the shootings at the Fort Hood’s “Soldier Readiness Center”.
“All he would say was that he was close,” Hobbs, who works at Alto Products in Atmore, said.
“It was a long scary day,” she said. “He has been to Iraq twice. I can understand that he was in danger over there, not here in the States.”
Pictured top: Jamie Anderson holds a candle for her daughter, Solana, 4, as her grandmother, Jo Ellen Freleigh, of New York, protects her candle from the wind at Fort Hood during candlelight prayer vigil to honor those who were killed and wounded. Pictured inset: Soldiers attend a chemical light vigil held in remembrance of comrades and loved ones who were killed and wounded in the shooting tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas. Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Defense for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Veterans Day: Three North Escambia Memorials Honor Those That Served
November 11, 2009
Three memorial walls in North Escambia — in Century, Barrineau Park and Molino — stand as tributes to veterans from across the area.
Century
About thirty of those that served from the Century area are now honored on the Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor that was unveiled in a 2008 Fourth of July ceremony at Century’s Roadside Park on Highway 29. For more information about adding a name to the wall, call the Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Barrineau Park
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the Wall of Honor inside the Barrineau Park Community Center, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
In all, over 100 Barrineau Park area veterans are honored on the Wall of Honor.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at (850) 587-2266.
For a photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Walnut Hill
The largest such memorial in the North Escambia area, the Veteran’s Honor Wall has stood in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center since its dedication in 2003. There are about 275 names on the wall, including 13 names of soldiers killed in action. The wall honors those from the Walnut Hill area that have served in the nation’s military.
The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club began planning the wall in late 2001, and they decided that it would be a community project at no cost to the veterans listed.
“If you are a veteran, you deserve to be there,” Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Past-President Billy R. Ward said. “You’ve already paid your debt; we wanted this wall to honor the veterans.”
On the Walnut Hill Veteran’s Honor Wall, everyone is equal. It was decided that no service rank would be included on the name plaques, just the branch and years of service.
The Walnut Hill Veteran’s Wall is located in front of the community center at 7850 Highway 97.
If you know a veteran from the Walnut Hill area (including Bratt, Davisville, Oak Grove and Enon) that should be included on the honor wall, call Billy R. Ward at (850) 256-2907. Or mail the veteran’s name, address, city, state, phone, branch of service, dates of service and your name and phone number to: Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, P.O. Box 35, Walnut Hill, FL 32568.
For photographs that include most names on the Walnut Hill Veterans Honor Wall, click here.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Work Must Go On: Working During Ida
November 10, 2009
A few dozen people in North Escambia were hard at work Monday night and Tuesday morning during Tropical Storm Ida.
At Century Care Center, one of North Ecambia’s largest overnight employers, it was an ordinary night at work as the storm passed.
For more photos from Century Care Center, click here.
Pictured above and below: It was work as usual at the Century Care Center overnight as Tropical Storm Ida made landfall. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Fire Honors Firemen, Community Members During Fish Fry
November 8, 2009
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department honored members of the community and the department during their annual fish fry Saturday.
Royce Ward was recognized for his part in forming the fire department in 1965. The fire department was organized by the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, under the leadership of Ward who served as the group’s president.
The WHVFD presented their Community Service Award to Escambia Grain Manager Ed Nowlin for his long-time service to the Walnut Hill community.
The Officer of the Year Award was presented to Deputy Chief Kevin Mininger. Mininger joined the department in 1987, advancing to deputy chief by 2008.
Jonathan Koehn was named Firefighter of the Year. Koehn joined the fire department in early 2008 and completed his state Firefighter I certification by the end of the year.
Saturday’s fish fry marked the 40th annual event for the department, with over 550 fish and chicken plates sold.
“I would like to thank the department for all they do,” Escambia County Fire Chief Frank Edwards said. “We could not do what we do without the volunteer departments, especially up here.”
For more photos from the 40th annual Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department fish fry, click here.
Pictured top: Andrew Peters (left) takes fish out of a fryer with the help of Chad Rigby Saturday at the annual Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department fish fry. Pictured inset: Community Service Ward winner Ed Nowlin. Pictured below: The department sold over 550 plates of chicken or fish. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Church Holds Byrneville Carnival; Century Care Residents Visit
November 8, 2009
The Mt. Zion Chapel held a fall carnival Saturday, and some of the residents from Century Care Center were their special guests.
The carnival, at the Byrneville Community Center, featured a variety of fun games and food.
Pictured above and below: Residents from Century Care Center enjoyed a fall carnival sponsored by Mt. Zion Chapel Saturday at the Byrneville Community Center. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival
November 7, 2009
Hundreds of people attended the annual Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival Friday evening. Carnival games, food, vendors, a basket auction, horse rides and pies in the face were all part of the fun.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: Pie in the face. Pictured below: Face painting Friday night at the annual Molino Park Elementary Schol Fall Carnival. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
