The University of West Florida held its annual Memorial Day ceremony Thursday. The event, presented by the UWF Military and Veterans Resource Center, honored and recognized the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military.
Capt. Chandra Newman, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola, was the featured speaker. She assumed command in November of last year.
In observance of this national holiday, she said it’s important to focus on its true meaning.
“I would say that the thing we have to remember is the remembrance,” Newman stated. “Memorial Day is not about the Veteran. It’s not about those who serve in uniform today. It’s about those that served in uniform, whether in peacetime or in war, that didn’t come home and that gave the ultimate sacrifice in uniform.”
While the primary reason for Memorial Day is to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices of American military personnel who died in service to the country, Capt. Newman pointed out that remembrances don’t always have to be solemn.
She said it’s OK to celebrate our heroes and those that sacrificed by remembering the good stories about them, their commitment, and that they gave everything.
“But, for me, personally, and I think for many, especially those that have lost those in uniform that have served, our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, it’s all about making sure that we remember what Memorial Day is truly all about,” she said. “So, please celebrate, but always remember.”
With more than 40,000 graves and over 50,000 internments, many of the nation’s fallen heroes are buried at Barrancas National Cemetery aboard NAS Pensacola.
“There’s something unique that happens by having the national cemetery on the installation is that our young sailors, soldiers, marines, airmen, coastguardsmen and a few guardians out there that we have, get to see that every single day and they start learning the customs and courtesies organically by stopping, pulling their car over, turning on those headlights,” she said. “It really provides an opportunity for our young service members that are coming here to take that minute and understand their service, when they see that funeral procession come by.”
A helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy, callsign “Mamasan,” Capt. Newman confirms she, too, will be remembering some of her own comrades lost on this Memorial Day.
“As a young aviator, they kind of drive it home about the risk in the profession that we have and the dangers that come with flying, particularly off of a pitching and rolling ship dark at night,” she said, emphasizing that it’s not a matter of if, but when.
“Whether that’s somebody you served along with from a vehicle crash to an aircraft mishap, it is inevitable. And certainly, in my years of service, I joined before 9-11 and then we were involved with everything, in the 5th Fleet in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so absolutely, colleagues that I earned my wings with are not here today.”
The UWF Memorial Day observance was held in the Commons Auditorium, which was decorated with enlarged photos to represent the occasion. Also, the front of the stage was lined with small, framed photos of individuals — mostly loved ones of UWF students and staff — who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The event also included a memorial wreath laying and a Missing Man Table ceremony honoring Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action.
Other Memorial Day Observances in the area:
Pensacola
Veterans Memorial Park of Pensacola will host its annual Memorial Day Service on Sunday, May 25, at 1 p.m. This year’s ceremony will include music by McGuire’s Pipe Band and Pensacola Opera Chorus, along with a presentation of wreaths by local civic organizations. Captain Tim “Lucky” Kinsella, Jr, (USN, Ret), former Commanding Officer at NAS Pensacola, will be the keynote speaker.
NAS Pensacola
NAS Pensacola’s annual Memorial Day Service, hosted by the Gulf Coast Veterans Advocacy Council, will be held Monday, May 26, 9 a.m., at Barrancas National Cemetery. Capt. Doug White, commodore of Training Wing Six, will deliver the keynote address. Members of the public who would like to attend are encouraged to go to the base visitor center at the front gate to get passes for base access. Passes can be acquired any day this Memorial Day weekend or early on the morning of the event.
Milton
The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Milton will be held Monday, May 26 at 10 a.m., at 5191 Willing Street. The event will include proclamations from City of Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay and Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Kerry Smith. The guest speaker is Col. Andrew Kellner, Deputy Commodore, Training Air Wing Five, NAS Whiting Field.
Navarre
The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Navarre Park will be held Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m., at 8513 Navarre Parkway in Navarre. Following open ceremonies, Ryan Blackwell, survivor of the 2019 Pensacola NAS terrorist attack and awardee of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Heroism & Purple Heart, will deliver the keynote address. Various local organizations will lay wreaths in memoriam. The Navarre American Legion Post 382 will serve lunch following the ceremony.
Fort Walton Beach
The annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Beal Memorial Cemetery will be held Monday, May 26, 10 a.m. Guest speaker for the ceremony will be Brigadier General Mark A. Massaro who will be joined by representatives from the 7th Special Forces Group and Air Force Special Operations Command and local and civic leaders. Guests are encouraged to participate by placing floral bouquets in the Community Wreath during the remembrance of our Veterans. The inclement weather fallback site will be the American Legion Post 235 on Hollywood Boulevard.
