Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 11-7-17

Our Military Men & Women
Tampa VA Hospital Hosts Veterans' Day Parade Nov. 10
The James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics is honor- ing Veterans Friday, November 10, 2017 at 10 a. m. with a cere- mony and parade at 13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612 at the Fisher House. Free and open to the public, the event begins with a brief ceremony with the parade following directly after.
On the parade's 10th year, the hospital will commemorate its treasured relationship with U. S. Central Command and U. S. Special Operations Command, which is celebrating 30 years of protecting and advancing our nation's interests. More than 40 veteran and civic groups are scheduled to march in the parade.
After the parade, Operation Helping Hand and Lupton's is sponsoring a cookout, and USF is donating desserts. Veterans, service members and their families can also enjoy a classic car show or register for benefits at the JAHVH Welcome Home event both before and after the parade.
53rd Veterans’ Day Tribute
Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County will host the 53rd an- nual Veterans Day Tribute on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 11 a. m. The event will take place at Veterans Memorial Park and LeRoy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum, 3602 U.S. Highway 301 N. in Tampa.
The tribute will honor active and former U. S. military service members from all branches of service. Admission and parking for the event, museum, and memorials are free. Visitors may bring lawn chairs, enjoy patriotic music, and stay for refresh- ments following the ceremony.
This year’s observance comes with a special honor: the Veter- ans Day National Committee of the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs has named Hillsborough County’s Veterans Memorial Park and LeRoy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum to its official list of Regional Veterans Day Sites.
With a theme of “Honoring America’s Veterans,” the Veterans Day Tribute will feature a variety of speakers and presentations. For more information about the 53rd annual Veterans Day Tribute or Veterans Memorial Park, visit HCFLGov.net, or call
(813) 744-5349.
HCC Celebrates Veterans’ Day With Campus Events
Hillsborough Community College (HCC) will be celebrating Veterans Day and honoring those who have served in the United States military with events across its five campuses. The events will be held on November 8-10. All events are open to the HCC community and the general public.
Lutz Native Serves Aboard Ship That Honors World War II Admiral
SAN DIEGO – A native of Lutz is currently assigned to serve aboard the WWII name- sake warship, the USS Spru- ance. Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler See graduated from Freedom High School in 2011.
Petty Officer See is a Lo- gistics Specialist aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer. As a Logis- tics Specialist, he is responsi- ble for providing customer service to boost the morale of the crew and managing sup- plies to keep the ship mission ready at all times.
“My family instilled a good work ethic, morals and values and in high school I went into Junior RTOC where I learned leadership skills. These traits and experiences definitely helped my decision to join the military,” he said.
PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS TYLER SEE
The USS Spruance is armed with long range missiles intended for air defense to counter threats to friendly forces posed by manned air- craft, anti-ship, cruise and bal- listic missiles. It was commissioned in 2011 and named after Admiral Ray- mond A. Spruance. He was a key naval commander during
WWII, leading U.S. naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific The- atre: Battle of Midway and Battle of the Philippine Sea. He later served as the U.S. Ambas- sador to the Philippines.
Petty Officer See has mil- itary ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition. “Both of my grandfathers served in the mil- itary. It’s nice because a lot of people say that I have a lot of similarities as my grandfathers and I feel honored to carry on the family name serving my country.”
Petty Officer See’s
proudest accomplishment was receiving the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a plaque for his end of tour award.
Veterans Day Events
Clearwater Resident Serves Aboard Warship
SAN DIEGO – Petty Offi- cer 3rd Class Randy Dam is currently serving aboard the USS Carl Vinson, one of the world’s largest warships. He is a native of Clearwater and graduated from Clearwater High School in 2011.
Petty Officer Dam is a Machinist’s Mate aboard the San-Diego based ship, the third Nimitz-class nuclear- powered aircraft carrier and one of only 11 operational air- craft carriers in the Navy today.
As a Machinist’s Mate, Petty Officer Dam is re- sponsible for the overall elec- tricity throughout the ship, making clean water, hot show- ers for the crew and steam for ship’s laundry.
“For me it's learning from experiences, learning from
PETTY OFFICER
3RD CLASS RANDY DAM
others and learning new things while you travel,” he said.
The ship was commis- sioned in 1982 and named after former Georgia Congress- man, Carl Vinson. A mem- ber of the United States House of Representatives for 50 years, he was, for 29 years, the Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services
Committee. Vinson was the principal sponsor of the so- called "Vinson Acts," culminat- ing in the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940, which provided for the massive naval ship- building effort in World War II.
Petty Officer Dam’s
proudest accomplishment was being on deployments making friends and being there for each other to ensure they all came back to their families safe and sound.
“Nothing can be put down on paper that can really ex- plain to others how much the Navy or being in certain situa- tions can affect people. Just being able to see people happy in overcoming adversities and getting through bad circum- stances with a positive attitude is amazing,” he said.
School News
All About You!
Florida Virtual School Accepting Mid-Year Transfers
Florida Virtual School Full Time (FLVS Full Time), is currently enrolling students who are inter- ested in making a mid-year schooling switch. Parents with students in grades Kindergarten–2 and 6–8 can begin the enrollment process online at flvsft.com.
As a fully accredited public school with a traditional academic calendar from August to June, FLVS Full Time offers a comprehensive, tuition-free online learning option for all Florida students.
Families interested in learning more about online schooling can visit flvsft.com for more informa- tion.
Second semester enrollment for FLVS Full Time is currently open for students in grades Kinder- garten–2 and 6–8. Grades 3-5 and 9-12 are closed for the 2017-18 school year.
Tribute To Veterans
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History is presenting a celebration in honor of American Vet- erans, with a special tribute to African-American Veterans.
All veterans are invited to be a part of this celebration on Saturday, November 18, 2017, 1 p. m., at the Robert W. Saun- ders Branch Library, 1505 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa 33602.
Veterans are invited to call and reserve your VIP seat, (813) 985-5213.
The public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.
PAGE 8 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017