Naval Aviation Museum to Honor Pearl Harbor Survivors at Discovery Event

Pearl Harbor Survivors

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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Rotary Tree of Remembrance

Rotary Tree of Remembrance

Tree of Remembrance
Photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

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.

Tree of Remembrance
Photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

 

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 2nd 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.

Tree of Remembrance
photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

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.

Tree of Remembrance
Photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

 

 

Tree of Remembrance
Photo by Rusty Buggy Enterprises

 

 

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

[Updated: 1/08/15]