Pensacola Beach salutes our military

Veterans Day Parade - 2011

2011-11-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

Pensacola Beach salutes our military and honors our veterans who give so much for our country! Photos from our Pensacola Beach Veterans Day Parade!

Military Fishing Expedition - May 17, 2011

2011-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Pensacola Beach Marina shortly after sunrise. The group of military men and women going out today will be arriving soon. This fishing trip is an annual event as part of the Military Appreciation Month.

The Entertainer! It's a great charter boat used for our trip.

Our group is comprised of young men and women from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy.

Captain Jerry Andrews watches everyone filing aboard.

Major James Knell (USMC, ret.) works very hard on this event: "I expect to see fish this long when you get back this afternoon!"

Everyone gets a laugh when they read the sign above the door (See photo below)!

Alicia Boswell caught this beauty and claimed title to 'Biggest Fish' for a shore while.

Oh yeah....

Teodor Barbakov holding up one of the first fish he reeled in.

I really thought Ruby Mullins (Coast Guard) was going to end the day with the 'Most Caught' prize, but Rebecca Kieke (Navy) managed to beat her out by a fin.

Jose Barrientos admiring his beautiful Amberjack which eventually won him the 'Biggest Fish' trophy and prize.

Incredible as it sounds, we frequently had an escort of lively porpoises who've gotten very adept at snatching our fish right off the hook!

SPC Zachary Broz with one of the many Mingo snapper he reeled in.

The dock was full of people waving flags and cheering as our boat pulled into the marina.

Dozens of Mingo snapper, some Amberjack, and Triggerfish will supply a late lunch for the crowd.

All dressed up and we know where they'll go!

Right into the cornmeal!

A beautiful cake was donated to the event by the Publix in Gulf Breeze.

A group of ladies from the Pensacola Beach Woman's Club serve up the fish and sides. Corporal Dick Burnett (USMC, ret.) is ready to taste some of the great-looking fish he caught today.

Thanksgivine 2010 at the Elks Lodge

2010-11-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

The Elks Lodge is a dedicated sponsor of military outings/events on the island. This year once again on Thanksgiving Day the Elks showed their gratitude to a group of young marines who left their homes to train as Marines and put themselves in harm's way to protect our country.

Turkey, dressing, ham....oh my!

Pvt. Qu paces himself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots of dessert!

PFC Brandon Thomas might find room for a couple more items on that plate!

Chowing down!

Dakesian and Brause chill out.

Pvt. Fleek enjoys a slice of chocolate pie.

Pvt. Shafi enjoying Thanksgiving at the Elks Lodge.

Jim Kettle, a member of the Elks Lodge, finds out more about the young marines.

Lance Corporals Sarah Rydzynski (Fredericksburg, VA) and Jayne Simko (Poquoson, VA)

Pvt. Darlene Quint - Michigan City, Indiana

Pvt. Crystal Haddock - Groves, Texas

PFC Michael Perez - Wildomar, California

Pvt. Sarmed Shafi - Binghamton, NY

PFC Spencer Moore - Albany, NY

Pvt. Lonnell Butler - Chicago, IL

Pvt. Jordon Gilligan - West Richland, WA

PFC Ruslan Kolb - Rock Springs, WY

PFC Kristian Nemec - Gillette, WY

Pvt. Benjamin Enwright - Syracuse, NY

Pvt. Zachary Ward - Parish, NY

Pvt. Erinne McGlothlin - Kirksville, MO

PFC Vanessa Ayala - Pico Rivera, CA

PFC Dwayne Hubbard - Tampa, FL

Pvt. Daniel Campos - Pompano, FL

PFC Brandon Thomas - Inglewood, CA

Pvt. Dylan McEwen - Andover, KS

PFC Patrick Sinclair - Arlington, TX

Pvt. John Riggin - Glen Burnie, MD

Pvt. Michael Dakesian - Grand Rapids, MI

PFC Mathias Brause - Astoria, OR

Pvt. Haolun Qu - Queens, NY

Pvt. Tyler Snow - New Gloucester, ME

Sgt. Blake Chaffin - Nashville, TN

Pvt. Kenneth Munyer - McKinney, TX

PFC Jaime Mendez - San Diego, CA

PFC Connor Borshard - Hopatcong, NJ

PFC Juan Garza - San Antonio, TX

Lance Corporal Angelina Sanfilippo - Mukwonago, WI

Sgt. Blake Chaffin

PFC Josh Hicks - Plattsmouth, NE

Pvt. Michael Fleek - Coquille, OR

Pvt Benjamin Enwright - Syracuse, NY

Cigars were available on the back deck of the Lodge, which overlooks Little Sabine Bay.

PFC Octavio Cortes.

PFC Patrick Sinclair

PFC David Twidwell - Pittsburgh, PA

Lance Corporal Katie Driver - Dayton, OH

Pvt. Jacob Brissett - Henryetta, OK

Pvt. Nicholas Rhanor - Justice, IL

Lance Corporal Sarah Rydzynski assisted Jim Kettle during the 50-50 cash drawing.

Thanks go to retired Marine Corps Major Jim Knell for once again organizing this special Thanksgiving event! Pensacola Beach salutes our military!

Military Fishing Expedition 2010 - Part IV

2010-05-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hinton, Trussville, AL, relaxes while the fish fry begins. How on earth did he stay that neat during a fishing trip!!

SPC DeMarla Barbee. Barbee has one of the most beautiful smiles you'll ever see and a personality to match. And, having caught nine fish on the trip, she was doing a lot of smiling!

Kevin Butler, Tampa, Florida looks like he had a good time out on the boat.

Niedzielski had a great day on the boat. I could see he was reeling them in, but didn't have a chance to find out how many he caught.

Znak, coming from Brooklyn, New York, probably hasn't experienced many fishing trips.

But Sumic is from Waikoloa, Hawaii, so he may be a pro at catching some big fish.

Tacazon - Waipahu, Hawaii.

Aaron Collar, one of our Navy guys - Norwich, NY & Redmond, Oregon.

Blaine Grandfield - Merit, Texas

James Thompson - Boise City, OK

Kevin Butler (Tampa) and Kenneth Burris (San Antonio).

Margarita Martinez, Pleasanton, Texas, was surprised to discover she had two Mingo on her line at one point.

Marcus DePriest, Newport News, Virginia, rests up while waiting for the first batch of fish to be fried.

Daniel Bush, Ft. Worth, Texas.

J.D. Irion, Goddard, Kansas, doesn't realize yet that he's going to get a trophy!

Kacey Gallope, Peyton, Colorado, got pretty well drenched on the boat, but look at that smile!

Romanowski , Cincinnati, Ohio, was an elusive subject to photograph, but I managed to get most of them that day.

Dale Anderson, Great Falls, Montana, was one of the Air Force guys on the boat. (Montana in on my bucket list to visit someday.)

James Thompson, Boise City, OK.

Cooney, Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Go Longhorns!

Pete Frishmann from Beaufort, SC, which was once named 'Best Small Southern Town' by Southern Living.

Awards table! Bet most of those on the trip didn't realize there would be awards.

Fresh from the Gulf, the guys and gals caught their own dinner and ours too! I can attest that it was moist and delicious!

Niedzielski agreed the fish was great!

Somebody is going to be hurting tomorrow. Look at those red arms.

It amazes me to see such tiny girls holding their own with the big guys. They are amazing.

Romanowski better go back for seconds, is all I can say -- speaking as a mom, of course.

Jason Anderson, Corinth, MS, and Jerin Burgan, Roseville, CA. I'm sorry I didn't find out how many fish Anderson reeled in, but he sure had the technique down.

Daron Nicasio, Los Angeles, CA.

Michael Walker, San Antonio, Texas.

Tacazon

Ryan Porter, Fayetteville, NC

Anderson is still chowing down!

Marcus DePriest finally had a chance to chow down on some of the fish he caught.

DeMarla Barbee

Hinsley, Montclair, CA.

Bogdan Znak

Plenty to go around.

Andrew Charron, Orlando, FL

Peter Fonda, Hudson, NY.

Johnathon Reger, Corpus Christi, TX.

Ah ha! The Hooters girls showed up and suddenly the guys seemed to pep right up and that long fishing trip. Burgen was the first up to get his photo made with them.

Danny Bush was happy to take advantage of the photo op.

Kacey was even tiny next to the Hooters' girls!

Dick Burnett decided this was one photo op he wanted in on also!

Jim Knell does an incredible job of pulling this great event together every year to show these young people how much we appreciate them.

Trisha Lopata, Pittsburgh, PA

Even a cake for dessert.

Mr. Morrie Drees presents the first award to Jason Anderson.

I'm still checking facts on the awards, but I believe Jason won "Most Fish" and perhaps even "Biggest Fish".

Marcus DePriest took away a trophy also. Marcus, let me know which trophy you won.

Comedian and Pensacola Beach resident, T. Bubba Bechtol, asks Marcus about the trip.

Znak and Nieldzielski chill out before time to head back.

Who will win the smallest fish trophy???

Might have been Niedzielski, but technically I think he reeled in half a fish. A barracuda took the other half.

Nope, that really was the smallest fish! Click the photo to see T. Bubba holding it up to show the attendees. Sandi Johnson from the Woman's Club presented Niedzielski's prize and trophy.

Mary Claus presented one more trophy to J.D. Irion

CTRI Aaron Collar with our boat captain, Jerry Andrews.

Everyone came away a winner on this trip.

Richard Burnett had a very special person waiting for him at the dock. His mom!

Military Fishing Expedition 2010 - Part III

2010-05-16T20:03:00.001-07:00

HEADING IN

This is what happens after a day of sun and fishing!

Everyone crashes.

I have to confess that I was in a similar 'sleep-slump' just minutes before I took this photo, except I'm sure my mouth was hanging open.

Amazingly, some of the group managed to stay awake on the trip back.

And even look bright-eyed.

Perhaps an iPod helps.

Chillin' out.

Beautiful Pensacola Pass.

It was nice that everyone was able to see Ft. Pickens from this perspective. After 176 years and countless hurricanes and battles, the fort still stands.

Bob Sikes bridge.

Welcome home!

Folks were gathering at the marina to welcome home the young men and women who participated in the Military Fishing Expedition.

Captain Jerry Andrews pitches right in and starts fileting the fish.

There will be a lot of people to feed.

That looks like Vargas (Chicago, IL) checking out the fish, but I can't see if it's a Cubbies cap he's wearing.

Trevino gets ready to take some photos of the Mingo.

Wow!

Hinton (Trussville, AL) is snapping Snappers too.

Mingo (Vermillion Snapper).

Military Fishing Expedition 2010 - Part I

2010-05-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Departure

Our Military Fishing Expedition 2010 getting ready to head out on the Entertainer!

The Entertainer

Fishing poles are set and ready

Kacey Gallope, E-2, Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), from Peyton, Colorado!

Znak (Brooklyn, NY) and Niedzielski (Monroe Township, NJ), also represent NATTC.

A1C Tacazon (Waipahu, HI); AB Charron (Orlando, FL); and AMN Sumic (Waikoala, HI), USAF

Carlsen (Denver, CO) and Fales (Clear Spring, MD) from NATTC.

Gallope (Peyton, CO) and Reger (Corpus Christi, TX),

SSGT Burris (San Antonio, TX) with the USMC.

SPC Barbee (Little Rock, AR) with the US Army.

Irion (Goddard, KS) from NATTC.

Hey, Carlsen and Fales are getting in the swing of things!

Almost 7:00 a.m. - everyone is ready to go. Or is it just the sausage biscuits they saw taken on board.

Boarding begins.

Head 'em up...

Move 'em out!

{{{Hurry back}}}

Military Fishing Expedition 2010 - Part II

2010-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Reelin' 'em in

Pulling away from the Pensacola Beach Marina, our group quickly grab some biscuits and stake out their spots onboard.

Heading through Pensacola Pass and looking back at the Pensacola lighthouse in the distance.

Butler (Tampa, FL) finishes off his biscuit while thinking of the fish he plans to catch.

Ladies and gentlemen - assume the position.

Carlsen (Denver, CO) looks a bit tenative when he sees the bait.

Chop, chop.

LCpl Burgan (Roseville, CA), USMC.

Captain Jerry Andrews looks over the charts as we head out toward the USS Oriskany.

What a view from the top deck!

Time to drop the lines.

Fishing at the site of the USS Oriskany, which is also a popular dive spot. There were two boats of divers in the area that day.

DeMarla Barbee (Little Rock, AR) quickly hooked a Mingo, also known as a Vermillion Snapper. By the end of the day, Barbee reeled in nine!

Now this is just sad. Click on the picture and see the Red Snapper that Tarsha Bechtol reeled in. The sad part is that we were a week away from Red Snapper season, so that beautiful fish went back into the Gulf of Mexico instead of the frying pan.

Cpl. Trisha Lopata (Ambridge, PA), USMC, hooked a nice Mingo.

And from the look on her face, I think Lopata is now hooked on fishing!

LCpl. Jason Anderson brings in a Mingo. Looks like we're going to have a nice fish fry later!

Captain Rusty Smith unhooks a catch.

Another sad, sad tale...Dick Burnett, retired military (light-colored shorts and dark top), hooked a big one. After struggling with it for some time, his line snapped. But I can attest he hooked a big one!

Romanowski (Cincinnati, OH) heads to the rear of the boat to put his fish on ice.

Sgt. Margarita Martinez (Pleasanton, TX) hooked a White Snapper as well as several Mingo.

Cpl Marcus DePriest (Newport News, VA) shows off just one of the fish he reeled in.

Poor Dick Burnett is still upset about the one that got away.

Okay, who gets to claim that fish!

This is the life!

Getting a helping hand.

Hooked...

LCpl Cooney (Mt. Pleasant, TX) managed to snag this Mingo in its gill.

What a way to spend the day.

It was a gorgeous day on the Gulf and the military group obviously had a great time.

Captain Rusty Smith shows off a Triggerfish someone reeled in.

Uh oh...Dick's hooked another one. Let's hope it doesn't get away.

Click on the photo to see this fish in more detail. It is called a Sea Robin. When threatened or just gliding across the sea floor, the Sea Robin spreads out its fins which look like wings. Incredible looking fish, but back it went into the Gulf.

That's the way to do it! Niedzielski brought in two at a time.

Rough seas don't always make for a fun trip, but these two were troupers even though they may not want to look at fish for a while.

Handing over the fish.

Nice one!

WOW!!! Great catch, Anderson!

Gorgeous fish...and in a couple of hours we'll be having a great dinner.

Thanksgiving Dinner on Pensacola Beach - 2009

2009-11-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

The Elks Lodge #497 hosted Thanksgiving Day dinner for a group of young marines on Pensacola Beach this year. As you can see from the photos below, they finally succumbed to my persuasive powers about being photographed! Click on the photos to enlarge and you'll see some great smiles.

I want to thank each and every one of these beautiful young people for making the choice to help protect our nation. Most of them were far away from home on this holiday which is all about family and they are true heroes to me for the sacrifices they are making! I hope we have been able to show them in some small way how much we appreciate them.

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Thanksgiving dinner at the Elks Lodge

2009-11-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

"M'am, you know this blinking pink flamingo pen you are asking us to use is not regulation, correct?"

"I'll take one of these...and one of those..."

Slim pickings...

In fact, it's pretty much skin and bones at this point.

Hamming it up...

And, oh, that pie...

The back deck of the Elks Lodge overlooks Little Sabine Bay and the marina. It's a beautiful spot to relax.

It was a bit nippy with a north wind coming over the water, but the sun was gorgeous as it sparkled on the water.

Thought he could elude me, but I saw that sly hoodie action.

Writing out their names and e-mail addresses so that I can send them a link to photos later.

Gulf Breeze elementary students worked very hard to make these adorable Thanksgiving decorations for the tables. They wanted to do their part for our marines today. Great job!

Everyone involved tried to make sure our military guests knew how much we appreciate them.

Everyone was stuffed, but go-boxes were available to make sure these young men and women got plenty to eat today.

Relaxing and watching a little football before time to head out.

The Elks Lodge did an excellent job, serving turkey with all the trimming for this group of young marines.

The back story on this photo is how the guy standing thought he was going to avoid my camera. NOT!

If we don't look, will she go away?

I had a great time meeting these young marines and wish them all the best. They were outgoing and fun to be around.

One last pass....

Departure time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thanksgiving on Pensacola Beach!

2009-11-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

A super group of young marines arrived at the Elks Lodge on Pensacola Beach today for a great Thanksgiving Day dinner. Photos will be up as soon as possible, but right now there is a turkey downstairs waiting to be carved and a family with a big appetite!

On this beautiful Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for my family, but also for the incredible bravery of these young marines who have made a commitment to defend our nation. It was an honor to meet and spend time with them.

Military Fishing Expedition - More photos

2009-06-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Great photos of the Military Fishing Expedition, taken by Mr. Walt Lumpkin!

The Entertainer coming back to dock.

Commander Tom Fitzgerald

Sgt. Major Leon Thorton, USMC

Morris C. Drees, Cdr. USN (ret), in the blue shirt.

Past Commander Bill Greene.

Busy Weekend on Pensacola Beach

2009-06-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of things going on at the beach this weekend. On Saturday we have:

The Fiesta Boat Parade

The DeLuna Landing Ceremony

And on Sunday we have one of my favorite events, the Beach Community Bank Sand Sculpture Contest! Both amateurs and professionals show up for this event. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. at Casino Beach and judging takes place at 2:00 p.m.

You may click HERE to see what a great job they did last year.

In between all this fun on the beach, you may want to take a quick drive over to Pensacola to get a closer look at the Juan Sebastian de Elcano tall ship while it is here. You may click HERE for more information about the tour schedule and maps.

Military Fishing Expedition

2009-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

RICHARD BURNETT

Corporal Dick Burnett, USMC (ret.) - a happy man this day...

Commander Tom Fitzgerald, Post 379, pins the Navy Achievement Medal on Corporal Burnett.

Major James Knell, USMC (ret.) spent nearly three years working to get Cpl. Burnett's lost medal replaced. Jim is the founder of the Military Fishing Expedition and spends many hours working with local businesses organizing this event which an important part of our May Military Appreciation Month on Pensacola Beach.

Sgt. Major Leon Thorton, Major James Knell, Cpl. Richard Burnett, Commander Tom Fitzgerald.

Military Fishing Expedition

2009-06-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

TELEVISION INTERVIEW WITH SECOND LT. ROB PHILLIPS

Here is a link to the WEAR-TV interview with Second Lt. Rob Phillips regarding the Military Fishing Expedition. The segment was aired on Friday, May 29. Click HERE.

[After a 15-second advertisement, the video of Lt. Phillips will begin.]

Military Fishing Expedition

2009-06-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

BIG SMILES

My thanks to Shelley Johnson of the Island Times for this photo! As she said, your smiles were worth a million to us!

Military Fishing Expedition - Part I

2009-05-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

RETURNING TO SHORE

Pensacola Beach Marina

The charter boat Entertainer.

Return to shore!

Ready for a fish fry?

W.O.W. - look at those Mingo!

Time to disembark.

Now this is a serious fisherman. He brought his own gear.

Eatin' will be good today!

Look at the color of those Mingo.

Military Fishing Expedition - Part II

2009-05-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

CHECKING OUT THE FISH...

"Come to papa."

"Wow. Is this the one I caught?"

"Look at that beauty."

"Oh yeah."

"Just me and you and a frying pan, baby."

Checking out the cobia she caught...

Getting a grip...

Holy moly, the fish just keeps coming. How much does it weigh?

It's almost as big as she is!

Wait til they see this back home!

Fun day, good memories.

Alright, let's count 'em.

Hooking the fish to be weighed.

Lots of Mingo. Looks like seconds and thirds for everyone today.

The crowd admiring the catch.

Hey there, Walt! We've got dueling cameras going!

Watching the experts fillet the fish.

In forty-five minutes, this will be lunch.

Military Fishing Expedition - Part III

2009-05-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

LUNCH!!!

An hour after docking, all that fish was ready to be served.

Before and after -- with a couple of bottles of hot sauce in between.

Military Fishing Expedition - Part IV

2009-05-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

TIME FOR TROPHIES!

The smallest fish!

And the Smallest Fish Award goes to.....

Military Fishing Expedition - Part V

2009-05-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

CLOSE-UPS!

The Entertainer