CBTR

March 3, 2015

Reading is Fundamental Presidents Day Event

Reading is Fundamental and Local Officials Honor Past Presidents

Reading is Fundamental and Barnes & Noble booksellers featured a Presidents Day event in Pensacola. During this event local officials, including Mayor Ashton Hayward, Assistant Superintendent of Escambia County Schools, Steve Marcanio, and the co-president of the Pensacola Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Mike Clapsadl, shared fun facts about past United States Presidents.

Students from local Middle Schools, dressed as their favorite U.S. Presidents, competed in a costume contest. The winners were rewarded with their choice of featured President books from Barnes & Noble.

In addition, retired Washington, D.C. police officer and U.S. Deputy Federal Marshall, Robert Nicholson discussed the protective detail for U.S. Presidents and included facts about legal currency, one of the original reasons for the creation of the Secret Service.

Bugler Scotty Mills, sounded "Attention to Colors" and a closing "Taps." — Bugler Scotty Mills, sounded “Attention to Colors” and closed the program with “Taps.”

Boy Scout Troop 628 and Bugler, Scotty Mills, added patriotic touches providing the presentation of colors and “Taps.”

Reading is Fundamental, Pensacola Chapter, is the longest functioning literacy chapter in the state of Florida. Their program is strongly endorsed by the Escambia County School system. “Putting a book in the hands of a child means transforming the life of that child and everyone around them,” said Escambia Co. Superintendent of Schools, Malcolm Thomas. Federal funding for this program, designed to provide free books to the economically disadvantaged, was eliminated during 2011 budget cuts. All funds for these programs are collected on a local basis. If you would like to donate to this program, contact: rifofPensacola@gmail.com.

January 21, 2015

Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and It’s Heroes

Pearl Harbor Survivors Honored

Hundreds turned out at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida on Saturday morning, January 17, 2015, to pay an emotional tribute and farewell to the remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors from the Pensacola area. Local authors and Pearl Harbor historians, Billie and Robert Nicholson, who chronicled the survivors’ return to Pearl Harbor in 2011, were also honored.

As part of the Museum’s Discovery Saturday series, called Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and Its Heroes, the program opened with an Invocation offered by retired Navy pilot, Christopher Robinson, Pastor of Deliverance Tabernacle Church in Milton, Florida, followed by the singing of The National Anthem by gospel singer Richard Long, Pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Pensacola.

There was standing room only in the Museum’s Blue Angels atrium hanger as a rapt audience listened to tributes and presentations by Lt. Gen Duane D. Thiessen, USMC (Ret), President and CEO of the Museum’s Foundation, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward and Pensacola NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN.

Surrounded by the Museum’s vintage aircraft hanging overhead, the actual morning of the attack was described in vivid eyewitness accounts by remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors, William Braddock, 92, Cass Phillips, 94, Frank Emond, 96, and Jay Carraway, 92.

Survivor Cass Phillips said when he first noticed the “meatballs” painted on the side of the airplanes flying in, he thought it was just another Sunday morning exercise and commented about how realistic they were – until they started dropping bombs. Over two thousand four hundred Americans lost their lives in the attack.

WCOA 1370 Talk Radio Host Don Parker’s talk, Attack on Battleship Row, December 7^th, 1941, included original archival footage and a description of the Japanese high command.

Publicist and emcee Dianna Roberts read the national winning Pearl Harbor essay by 7^th grader, Jenny Anderson from Camano Island, WA entitled, Ingenuity, Sacrifice and Teamwork.

Pensacola Naval Air Station commanding officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN, spoke about NAS Pensacola during WW II just after the attack when Pensacola NAS mobilized to become the world’s foremost military aviation training center. Hoskins, a former lead solo pilot with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, called the men, “heroes”, and admitted he was “humbled to be on the same stage as them.”

Pearl Harbor Survivors Receive Proclamations from Mayor

Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward read a city proclamation honoring the men for their bravery and courage under fire and how they had all sacrificed and fought “so we can sleep well every night.” Recently deceased Pearl Harbor survivors Jim Landis and George Mills were honored posthumously with the sounding of Taps by veteran bugler, Scotty Mills.

Boy Scout Troop Read Survivors Stories

The highlight for the men was the reading of their stories from the Nicholson’s book, Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye, by Pensacola honor scouts from Boy Scout Troop 628 and Venture Crew 628 while standing on the stage next to the survivors. “We should remember the motto of these Boy Scouts – ‘Be Prepared’, said survivor Cass Phillips. “We were not prepared for what happened that day. People need to hear these stories and remember our history and learn from it.”

Story Credit: Dianna Roberts

January 14, 2015

Naval Aviation Museum to Honor Pearl Harbor Survivors at Discovery Event

Pensacola, FL – Pensacola’s Pearl Harbor Survivors and local authors Billie and Robert Nicholson will be honored by the National Naval Aviation Museum and the City of Pensacola with a special program to be held at the Museum next Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 10:00 am.

Pearl Harbor Survivor Tributes

The program will include tributes and presentations by Lt Gen Duane D. Thiessen, USMC (Ret), President and CEO of the Museum, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Keith Hoskins, USN, and WCOA 1340 Talk Radio Host Don Parker.

As part of the Museum’s Discovery Saturday series, this much anticipated event, Remembering Pearl Harbor, the Day and Its Heroes, will feature the stories and eyewitness accounts of the actual morning of the attack by Pensacola’s remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors, William Braddock, Cass Phillips, Frank Emond and Jay Carraway. Recently deceased Pearl Harbor Survivors Jim Landis and George Mills will be honored posthumously.

Selected excerpts from the Nicholson’s book, Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye, will be read by Pensacola Honor Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 628 and Venture Crew 628 together with the Pearl Harbor Survivors. “Since most of the survivors are now in their mid ’90’s, events like this one where our young people can actually meet these famous World War II heroes in person is a piece of history just by itself.”, says author Billie Nicholson.

Pearl Harbor Survivor Memorabilia

Immediately following the program, Museum Curator Dina Linn will give a tour of the Pearl Harbor memorabilia, and both the Pearl Harbor Survivors and the authors will be available to sign books. Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye by Billie and Robert Nicholson may be purchased the day of the event in the Flight Deck Store located in the Museum. The Cubi Bar Café, also located in the Museum, will be open for lunch following the program. “Taps” will be played by Scotty Mills.

Families are welcome to attend the FREE event which begins at 10:00 am at the National Naval Aviation Museum located at 1750 Radford Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32506 at NAS Pensacola. For directions www.navalaviationmuseum.org

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December 24, 2014

Rotary Tree of Remembrance

Pensacola Cordova Rotary, Rotary E-Club of the Southeast USA & Caribbean, and Combined Rotary Clubs of Greater Pensacola are sponsoring a Rotary Tree of Remembrance at Cordova Mall. Beneficiaries include Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Simon Youth Foundation, ARC Gateway, Rotary’s Camp Florida and Covenant Hospice.

A big hit with holiday shoppers and out of town visitors alike, this annual community giving project invites shoppers to make a donation and place yellow ribbons on the Tree in honor or remembrance of a loved one. The popular tree is on display at the Dillard’s entrance of Cordova Mall, located at 5100 N. 9th Avenue in Pensacola, FL. Nearly $6,000 has been collected at this posting.

Tree of Remembrance Opening Ceremony December 7, 2014

This year, the Rotary Tree of Remembrance project kicked off on Sunday, December 7, 2014, with a special program held in the Cordova Mall in conjunction with Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Special guests included Bill Braddock, Cass Phillips and Frank Edmond, all local World War II Pearl Harbor Survivors of our Greatest Generation.

Other guests included Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola Cordova Rotary President, Dr. Carl Backman, and local Pearl Harbor historians, Billie and Robert Nicholson, authors of Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye. Escambia County’s Fire Rescue Color Guard trooped the colors and holiday music was provided by the Sacred Heart Singers

Tree of Remembrance Closing Ceremony December 28, 2014

To conclude this year’s 2^nd Annual Rotary Tree of Remembrance project, a non-denominational service was held on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Tree. This year the final figure for donations was $7,001.00. Following the service, checks were presented to the charities.

Rotary members will then gather the ribbons and, during the flag retirement ceremonies on Flag Day, local Boy Scouts will place them on a bed of embers.

As part of the closing ceremony, Dianna Roberts of CBTR, Inc. and Billie and Robert Nicholson of Rusty Buggy Enterprises received Vocational Service Awards for assistance promoting this event.

Rotary Clubs of Pensacola Thank the Community for their Support of the Charities Represented by the 2014 Tree of Remembrance.

[Updated: 1/08/15]

December 8, 2014

Military Authors Salute Veterans

Veterans Day Salute

Pensacola Military Authors provided a waffle brunch to feed Veterans following the 2014 Veterans Day Parade along with book signings featuring some of our local military writers.

Student Ambassadors from the Newpoint Pensacola Academy served brunch to over 500 veterans. Thanks to Robert Nicholson and Shauna Taylor for preparing 505 waffles, Polina, Vlad and Igor Mokrenko for preparing the hash browns with sausage and Dianna Roberts of CBTR for organizing the event in collaboration with Billie and Robert Nicholson of Rusty Buggy Enterprises and Jim Sanborne of Cumulus Radio.

Military fiction writer, Kevin Miller, Nelson Ottenhausen (also publisher at Patriot Media, Inc.), Gulf Coast Authors: Dr. Sandra Davis and her husband, author, Charlie Davis; Ernie Webb, Norman Meeker and Billie and Robert Nicholson donated a portion of their book sales to veteran groups.

In addition, under our tents were the Pensacola Young Marines and the Escambia Chapter of Reading is Fundamental, a children’s literacy program.

Pearl Harbor Veterans Feted

Special guests included Pearl Harbor Survivor, Frank Emond, who we learned has a grand son who teaches world culture to some of the students helping out at the food kiosk. In addition, Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima survivor, William Braddock was thrilled to keep company with student escorts as they toured the tents following the parade. He told his student ambassadors with a grin, “My favorite part in Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye is page 20 – my story, and where my sister comments about how my mother prayed for me every day.”