Watch the 2015 Fort Walton Beach Christmas Parade, entitled “A Star Spangled Christmas”, which took place on December 7, 2015 on Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
The parade was put on by the City of Fort Walton Beach, and sponsored by Santa Rosa Mall.
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Inaugural ODA 595 Horse Soldiers Reunion 2022
On October 22, 2022, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted the Inaugural ODA 595 Horse Soldiers Reunion at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds. Ted Corcoran, CEO of the FWB Chamber, was Master of Ceremony.
Below is a replay video of the event. If you have a Smart TV, search for and install the VidFlow app to watch this video on your big screen TV. This video player also also you to select chapter points to specific speakers and presentations.
Ten of the original 12 members of ODA 595 were in attendance for this inaugural reunion event.
Captain Mark Nutsch – Detachment Commander
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bob Pennington – Assistant Detachment Commander
Master Sergeant Paul Evans – Team and Operations Sergeant
Sergeant First Class Andy Marchal – Intelligence Sergeant
Sergeant First Class Steve Kofron. – Weapons Sergeant
Staff Sergeant Mike Elmore – Weapons Sergeant
Staff Sergeant Chad Jacklet– Engineer Sergeant
Sergeant First Class Steve Bleigh—Medical Sergeant
Sergeant First Class Vince Makela – Communications Sergeant
Staff Sergeant Will Summers– Communications Sergeant
Not in Attendance:
- Staff Sergeant USAF Steve E. Tomat – Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)
- Staff Sergeant USAF Joseph Matt Lienhard– Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller from Special Tactics Squadron
Several prominent guest speakers included Florida House District #4 representative Patt Maney, former CIA Directorate of Operations officer Alex Hernandez, former USAF Chief of Staff for a Theater Special, retired Col Glenn Thomas, and the son of Doolittle Raiders Col Dick Cole, Richard Cole.
A special commemorative canteen cup was created by the Bohlin Company and presented to each member of ODA 595 in honor and recognition of their heroic actions in America’s first response against the Taliban after the 911 attack.
This event was made possible through the support of several local community sponsors.
If you are interested in learning more about ODA 595 as well as other stories about America’s 1st response to the 911 attacks, check out these sources:
First Casualty by Toby Harnden
Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton
Swords of Lightning – Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America’s Response to 911
12 Strong – The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
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Our Emerald Coast Community – Arc of the Emerald Coast
Erin Thatcher is both our special guest representing the Arc of the Emerald Coast as well as our new show co-host. She interview Tracy Fitzgerald with the Emerald Coast Parrotheads about their organization and it’s non-profit fundraising motto of “Party with a Purpose” as well as talk about the upcoming “Chilli Cookoff” fundraiser for the Arc of the Emerald Coast. An RJ Murdock introduces a video produced by his Leadership Okaloosa Class of 2019 for his team’s project about what they learned about the Town of Shalimar.
Produced in the Emerald Coast TV Studios at the Landmark Center in downtown Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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Official 2019 Billy Bowlegs Torchlight Parade
The 64th Billy Bowlegs Festival closes it’s celebration with it’s Torchlight Parade on Monday night on Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The parade took place on June 3, 2019.
It is hosted by the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce (Ted Corcoran) and this year’s parade sponsor, Step One Automotive (Maureen Bierman).
This 60 minute video airs on ox Cable Channel 6 at various times and dates throughout the month of June. It was produced by EmeraldCoastTV.com .
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Billy Bowlegs Torchlight Parade! Here are the 1st Place winners in each category:
Float
1st Place: AJ’s Krewe of LegendsKrewe
1st Place: Emerald Coast Krewe of Airship PiratesMarching/Walking
1st Place: Studio FitTruck/Car/Van
1st Place: Cumulus Media and Bank of England Mortgage
