EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — These establishments are now off-limits to all Armed Forces personnel:

●Psychedelic Shack, which has three locations in Pensacola, remains off limits due to the sale of narcotic analogues and drug paraphernalia.

●Harry Heady’s, 196 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach, remains off limits due to the sale of narcotic analogues and drug paraphernalia.

●Skunk’s Smoke Shop, 1097 Navy Blvd., Pensacola, remains off limits due to the sale of narcotic analogues and drug paraphernalia.

●The Mansion Club, 125 1st St. SE, Fort Walton Beach, has been added to the off-limits list due to drug use and shootings in and around the club that have resulted in injuries.

●Babe’s Show Club, 4024 N. Davis Highway, Pensacola, has been added to the off-limits list due to employees' sale of narcotics to military members.

Armed Forces personnel — whether in uniform or civilian clothing — found entering, leaving or conducting business with any of these establishments may be subject to disciplinary actions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 Northwest Florida establishments military personnel must avoid

PENSACOLA — The Blue Angels, the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, will close the 2015 season Nov. 6-7 at their annual Homecoming Air Show aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. Gates open at 8 a.m. both days.

Before the Blue Angels F/A 18 Hornet performances, the Blues’ C-130 Hercules transport, or “Fat Albert,” will present a short-field take-off and low-level passes.

Tentatively scheduled are aerobatics by Screamin’ Sasquatch-Jet Waco, a plane with a 1920s “Barnstormers” Taperwing body and jet engine, flown by John Klatt; the Geico Skytypers, flying six World War II aircraft; the Goodyear Extra 300SC, which performs aerobatics with tumbles and rolls, flown by Michael Goulian; the Vertigo Air Shows Jet Glider, the world’s only jet-launched sail plane, flown by Bob Carlton; and Otto the Helicopter, performing stunts unusual for a helicopter.

In addition, more than 50 military and civilian aircraft will be on display, including an E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning platform; C-5 Galaxy, one of the largest heavy-lift military transport aircraft; German Tornado; Fouke Wulf 149D; and T-28, Stearman, L-1, L-2 and L-3 warbirds.

From 4:30-7  p.m. Nov. 6, aircraft will light up the sky with full afterburning and pyrotechnics, and will end with one of the Pensacola area's largest fireworks shows.

Admission and parking for all shows are free.  Food and memorabilia will be available at numerous concession stands. Pets and coolers are not permitted.

See www.NASPensacolaAirShow.com/ for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Blue Angels air show in Pensacola features more performers

PENSACOLA — In commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001, Naval Air Station Pensacola will hold a ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 at the National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd. The public may attend.

NAS Pensacola's commanding officer, Capt. Keith Hoskins, will provide opening remarks for the event, which includes a "Where Were You" tribute, a traditional "two-bell ceremony," and the playing of "Taps" by the NASP Honor Guard.

The two-bell ceremonies  a tradition in naval history. A bell would toll twice to signify the day's end aboard ship, and this same toll is also played in honor of crew members who have died.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Naval Air Station Pensacola hosting 9/11 commemoration ceremony

CRESTVIEW — Memories of an Okaloosa County aviation and business leader will live on with the dedication of a memorial at Bob Sikes Airport.

“We wanted to make a memorial for people to remember our friend, Hervis Ward, the aviation pioneer, the patriot, the gentleman,” Maj. Gen. Chedister (ret.) said during the Emerald Coast Military Affairs Council’s Aug. 7 dedication. “He was the first guy to land here when it was just a taxiway constructed here in 1964."

The memorial was erected at Crestview Technology Air Park's entrance, at the suggestion of park owners Paul Hsu and Bob Keller.

A LEGEND

“Mr. Ward is really a legend to our area,” Hsu said. “We really wanted to remember him for what he has done for our community. We erected this for him.”

Chedister credited his wife, Trecia; Hsu’s wife, Maggie; and Hsu’s executive administrator, Amanda Negron, for dressing up the granite-encased obelisk, which is topped by an aircraft propeller.

The Military Affairs Council also dedicated a memorial plaque to Ward at his deer ranch near Crestview, a gathering spot for retired and active duty military members, Chedister said.

“He supported the military including our MAC,” Emerald Coast Military Affairs Council executive assistant Col. Doug Hardin (ret.) said. “He was a good friend.”

YOUNG FLYER

Ward’s daughter-in-law, Cathy Ward, remembered the Okaloosa native — who was born on today's Eglin Air Force Base — as a kindly man “who always made me laugh.”

He was a descendant of Elijah Ward, one of the first settlers of today's Crestview and Okaloosa County.

“Hervis got his first job at age 10, driving a (hazardous materials) truck for his dad’s oil delivery company,” Cathy Ward said, adding a wooden block had to be strapped to the accelerator so the boy’s foot could reach it.

Ward’s son, Burt, was his father’s passenger when he touched down at Crestview’s new airport in 1964. He said his father started flying in his mid-teens, at which time he bought his first airplane. However, Hervis Ward made a tremendous sacrifice just a few years later: He sold the plane to buy furniture to set up housekeeping with his bride, Lucy.

“His family knew he was serious about her when he sold that plane,” Cathy Ward said.

WORLD WAR II HERO

Hervis Ward served in World War II as a seaman in the United States Merchant Marine, an unusual choice for a young man keen on flying.

“He was drafted and he wanted to get into the Air Force, but they were full,” Lucy Ward said. “He talked to the Navy, but they were full, too. He didn’t want to go into the Army, so the Merchant Marine was all that was left.”

After the war, he took over his father, Henson Ward’s, American Oil Company franchise, ultimately owning a chain of more than 20 Amoco stations with Nugget convenience stores, which he sold in the 1990s.

Hervis Ward garnered more than 14,000 flying hours, often flying friends and family members on hunting and fishing trips around the country, Burt Ward said.

But he’ll never forget the excitement as a young boy as his father touched down in 1964 on a dirt taxiway that today is the region’s longest runway.

WANT TO GO?

The Hervis Ward memorial may be viewed at the entrance to the Crestview Technology Air Park, 3164 Airport Road.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview aviation 'legend' remembered with memorial

PENSACOLA — An event honoring U.S. military who have served in Japan will take place 2-4:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

Featured speakers will include Lt. Gen. Duane Thiessen, past commander of the United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific and current president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, and Shinji Nagashima, consul general of the Consulate-General of Japan in Miami. A reception will follow the program.

The Japan U.S. Military Program connects past and present service members, families and government civilians who have served in Japan. JUMP, sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, is an effort with the Embassy of Japan in the United States and the National Association of Japan-America Societies. The Pensacola event is being organized by the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, and local sponsors include the Pensacola Council Navy League and the Cpl. J.R. Spears Det. Marine Corps League.

Email info@jasnwfl.org or call 361-8750 to reserve seats.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pensacola event to honor US military who have served in Japan

CRESTVIEW — The City Council will continue discussion on the Confederate battle flag during its regular meeting, 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at city hall.

Council members set the continuation Thursday after an almost four-hour public hearing on the flag, which flutters above Confederate Park on East First Avenue. The site — which the Crestview Lions Club established in 1958 — includes a memorial to William "Bill" Lundy, considered Florida's last living Confederate veteran. Critics questioned the flag's presence on public property after Dylann Roof, a white man, admitted to fatally shooting nine black people at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. Before those shootings, the issue had been debated in Crestview since 1996.

On Thursday, people from Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Escambia, Walton and Bay counties — many wearing T-shirts bearing the Confederate flag or displaying support for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — packed Warriors Hall to standing room only. More than 60 people — mostly flag supporters — addressed the council.

Here are some of the comments:

●Martha Lundy, Laurel Hill: "If you take this flag down in Crestview, what's it gonna change? It's not gonna change the budget deficit; it's not gonna change the infrastructure problems that we have … it's not gonna change that we have an influx of drugs into our neighborhood; we have a child that got murdered in January from gang violence … we've got other things to worry about in Crestview, Florida, besides a flag — a 150-year-old flag, I might add — that flies over a memorial dedicated to soldiers of Florida …"

●Jesse Ladner, Crestview veteran: "This memorial is no less important than the memorial that sits in front of the Okaloosa County Courthouse … to remove the flag from the memorial would be desecration of the whole memorial. I do not want to live in a place where we desecrate memorials of United States veterans."

●Jerry Barnett, Crestview: "Because of one deranged mind in the state of South Carolina, now we have a big problem. How could something from another state cause such a big problem in a nice little city like Crestview?"

●John Menck, Heritage Not Hate, Panama City: "I don't believe that due to other people's lack of knowledge, and their ignorance of the flag, that that flag nor the monument should be removed … let's say your tie offends me, your hair offends me. Should you cut your hair? Should he remove his tie?"

●Lewis Jennings, with the Florida State Congress NAACP: "Remove the flag — not lower it — but remove it once and for all. It is time to acknowledge our past, atone our sins and work toward a better future."

●Ray Nelson, Crestview resident and NAACP Okaloosa president: "Should the city, the municipal entity, embrace a symbol that tore our country apart and killed tens of thousands? Your actions this evening will show if our city has matured and embraces all of our residents, or you continue like your predecessors — underestimating, undervaluing and marginalizing a segment of your taxpaying population who find the symbol an offense to true patriotism and inclusiveness."

●Edward Wallace Dawkins, Crestview: "I say to all who pass through the city of Crestview: White privilege is alive and well here. If you are a person of color, (the flag) says to them, 'You better know your place."

"There is only one flag that represents all Americans — and that's Old Glory."

●Scott Conrad, Fort Walton Beach: "We can talk about history all day but there are evil groups that are using this flag now, and really I don't want to see it anywhere. I don't want to see it on private land. I don't want to see it on public land."

For the most part, white people spoke in favor of the flag and black people spoke against the flag.

Then Theodore Rivers, a black man from Crestview, approached the podium.

"History is bleak on a lot of people's sides," he said. "But unfortunately, some people don't want to remember that part of their own history. They want to keep the positive," he said. "No one has the right to (avoid) the negative and only shine the light on the positive. We do it as African Americans all the time and try to shame white people. … this flag represents what America started from."

His comments drew applause, and one man said, "Somebody gets it."  

Before Councilman Joe Blocker motioned to continue the discussion at a later date, city leaders shared their thoughts.

"Anything that becomes so divisive within a group of people within a certain radius — there's something wrong somewhere," Hayes said.

"I'm sorry that it appears a bunch of you people are still fighting the Civil War 150 years later," Councilman Bill Cox said.

"We love to see civic involvement and you need to understand that it's not easy for us up here … we owe it to you to make a decision; rather than do that this evening, we want to take the time to make the right decision," Councilman JB Whitten said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's Confederate flag discussion to continue next month

CRESTVIEW — Air Force Airman 1st Class Jeremy J. Maradik graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Maradik — the son of Chris J. and Lisa M. Maradik of Baker — is a 2010 Baker School graduate. He earned an associate degree in 2013 from Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

Correction made Aug. 11, 2015: A previous version of this story listed Lisa Maradik as a Crestview resident. She and her husband, Chris, live in Baker.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker graduate completes military training

PENSACOLA — The Blue Angels, the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, will close the 2015 season Nov. 6-7 during their annual Homecoming Air Show aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Before the world-famous Blue Angels F/A 18 Hornet performances, the Blues’ C-130 Hercules transport known as “Fat Albert” will present a short field take-off and low-level passes.

Tentatively scheduled will be aerobatics by performers such as Screamin’ Sasquatch-Jet Waco, a 1920s “Barnstormers” Taperwing body with a jet engine flown by John Klatt; the GEICO Skytypers, flying six vintage World War II aircraft in precision maneuvers; the Goodyear Extra 300SC, which performs aerobatics with tumbles and rolls, flown by Michael Goulian; the Vertigo Air Shows Jet Glider, purportedly the world’s only jet-launched sail plane, flown by Bob Carlton; and Otto the Helicopter, performing stunts highly unusual for a helicopter.

In addition, more than 50 military and civilian aircraft will be on display. Tentatively scheduled for viewing is an E-2 Hawkeye, airborne early warning platform; and a C-5 Galaxy, one of the world's largest heavy-lift military transport aircraft.

There also will be a show from 4:30-7  p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Aircraft will light up the sky with full afterburner and pyrotechnics; the night will end with one of the area's largest fireworks shows.

Admission and parking for all shows are free.  Food and memorabilia will be available at numerous concession stands. Pets and coolers are not permitted.

See www.naspairshow.com for additional information on the show and reserved seating.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Blue Angels set homecoming air show in Pensacola

CRESTVIEW — Linda Smith has heard it all before.

"… You hear people say they (will) leave Crestview and never go back," she said.

The Hub City's heavy traffic, along with a perceived need for more recreational opportunities and shopping choices, is among critics' concerns.

But many members of the military have different values — or, at least, one overriding one — Linda said.

"They left from here, (and returned to)  find love and support here," the Crestview native said. "My hometown is not falling down like people are thinking; (we're) still striving to rise to the top."

Linda — who lives in Valdosta, Ga., with her husband, Mark — shared the story July 18 during Concerned Citizens of Crestview's Military Appreciation Day, held at the Carver-Hill School Center.

Pearl Bess, Linda's sister, and a member of the outreach group, helped organize the event, which extended beyond Carver-Hill's grounds.

"She was instrumental in organizing it, and had meals delivered to homebound area residents and others," Linda said. "(She) was a go getter to make sure that veterans were taken care of.

"We came from Valdosta to … assist her because of the heart she has for the people."

The outreach group's recognition ceremony is just one way that Crestview residents support the military.

HOMETOWN SUPPORT

Active-duty service members and veterans have abundant support in the Crestview community.

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Military Appreciation Recognition Ceremony; the city of Crestview and the Crestview Veterans Affairs Committee's annual Veterans Day parade; and Helen Back Again's Military Mondays — free pizza for service members and veterans — are just a few local events to support our troops.  

Facilities include Okaloosa County Veterans Services, 601 Pearl St. N. #A; the American Legion, 898 James Lee Blvd. E.; Amvets Post 35, 105 John King Road; the VFW, 2240 James Lee Blvd. W.; and Disabled American Veterans, 5296 Hare St.

The Scars Remain, a support group for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, just announced new hours and another location (see Page A6 for more information).

In Laurel Hill, Safe Haven Horse Rescue's Haven for Heroes program pairs veterans with horses as therapy.

Such events, organizations and nearby facilities mean much to service members stationed at Duke Field and Eglin Air Force Base; those who live in Crestview, Baker or Laurel Hill.

And such military-friendly amenities leave a lasting impression.

"Many of the veterans were not originally from Crestview, but they ended up retired there because of the community," Mark Smith, Linda's husband, said.

'THAT'S THE BEGINNING'

As for Military Appreciation Day, Bess said the event didn't attract "a house full, but it was a nice gathering.

"Attendees thanked organizers for just thinking about them and doing it for them."

Linda was glad that children could hear from veterans with diverse experiences.

"It was really nice because you heard from (veterans of) World War II, Korean War and Vietnam," she said. "They were able to see and hear what things were like and compare it to what we're doing today."

Veterans who'd served in the Gulf War, in Iraq and Iran also attended, so most wars and conflicts were represented.

Linda wished more people could attend, but there's always next time — and there will be a next time, she said.

"Pearl was thinking this would be the first and last one," Linda said. "We told her, 'No, that's the beginning.

"You could see how it touched the military attendees. They were really touched by it. You could see it on their faces.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Despite local challenges, Hub City's military support lures service members

CRESTVIEW — Ten local veterans won't have to worry about homelessness.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $60,331 to the local HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.

Under the HUD-VASH initiative, the Crestview Housing Authority works with the VA to house homeless veterans.

"It is a collaboration nationally with the VA and HUD, and it gets down to the local level," said Eric Oleson, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System's Biloxi-based homeless veteran program manager. The system serves eligible veterans in the Florida Panhandle, and in the Mobile, Ala., and Biloxi areas.

Under Crestview's HUD-VASH program, "We could house 10 more veterans (individuals or families)" with the approved funding, Lynda Carmical, CHA's senior housing manager, said.

That's a boost compared to the CHA's last HUD-VASH award, which in 2012 covered 15 households, she said.

Veterans can rent a home within 10 miles of the Crestview jurisdiction, she said.

Here's how the program works:

•Interested veterans apply to the VA to qualify for a voucher, which pays a portion or all of their rent, depending on income.

In addition, Oleson said, "We do outreach at food pantries, camps (and) shelters on a weekly basis. If someone says they're a veteran, we will verify that, do the assessment and, if they're not enrolled in health care at the VA, we will get them enrolled."

•The VA checks the applicant's income. "If you make more than $1,500 a month (in a one-person household) you would not be eligible for HUD-VASH," Oleson said. "That's gonna go up if you're married, if you have children — it's gonna slightly go up." 

•The VA checks the applicant's criminal history. Sex offenders are not eligible for the program.

•The VA prioritizes the case. Combat veterans, families and disabled veterans are among top priorities, Oleson said.

In addition: "Are they chronically homeless?" he said. "That's someone who's been living on the street, in a shelter, in and out of housing, never had a permanent address; they're living in the car or woods for one year, consecutively, or they have four episodes in three years."

•Voucher recipients pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.

•Social workers help voucher recipients stay in their housing. That means assisting veterans with obtaining Social Security and disability benefits, or helping them find jobs.

"I think it's a wonderful program for veterans," Carmical said. "It's a great thing to see families get housed."

In addition to the Crestview program's allocation, federal funding will benefit HUD-VASH programs in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to a media release.

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NEED HELP?

Homeless veterans who need help paying for rental housing under the HUD-VASH program can call 609-2604

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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article included some incorrect information. The Okaloosa County Veterans Center is in Shalimar. The only outpatient clinic is just outside the Eglin west gate. The Okaloosa County Vet Center is a federal VA facility, but it’s not part of the VA's health care system nor is it considered a medical facility.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's veterans housing program gets $60K boost