Photo By Jason Bortz | Master-at-Arms 1st Class Dennis Holloway with Naval Hospital Pensacola hands NHP...... read more read more
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Naval Hospital Pensacola participated in the Pensacola Veterans Day Parade to honor the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces or are currently serving.
The hospital was invited to walk in the parade by the Marine Corps League in Pensacola.
“Veterans Day is a day to honor not only those Veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country, but to also honor the Veterans of today,” said Capt. Sarah Martin, commanding officer, NHP. “It’s important we stop and honor all Veterans.”
Representing NHP at the parade were Martin, Command Master Chief Mike Hinkle, a dozen corpsmen and NHP’s three Sailors of the Year: Hospital Corpsman 1st Class George Morrison, Senior Sailor of the Year; Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kaleesha Ramos, Junior Sailor of the Year; and Hospitalman Branden Beasley, Bluejacket of the Year. Participating in the parade was not only opportunity to highlight the Sailors at NHP, but it also allowed the Sailors of NHP to thank the Veterans in attendance and the local community that supports the thousands of Veterans that call Pensacola home.
“It is an honor to be a Veteran and to be in the parade,” said Morrison, who is the leading petty officer for the Directorate of Medical Services. “It’s a time for fellow Veterans and the community to show their appreciation for our service members of today and the past.”
Walking in the parade with the Marines of the Marine Corps League demonstrated the special relationship that exists between Marines and corpsmen, a relationship that extends across generations. Corpsmen are assigned to Marine Corps to provide medical care to Marines, often in the worst of conditions.
“Marines know that don’t survive without their corpsmen,” said George “Doc” Dodge, who served as a corpsmen from 1963 – 1967 and is now a member of the Marine Corps League. “Corpsmen support the Marines and Marines support corpsmen. We are like brothers.”
Dodge led the initiative to invite NHP to this year’s parade and was a principal part of growing the Pensacola Veterans Day Parade to the size it is today. In 2010, Dodge attended the parade while his son was serving in the Marine Corps overseas. That year, only 128 participants walked in the parade. The parade now has over 2,000 participants.
Pensacola is a community rich in military history and has always supported Veterans, whether they are here for a few years on orders or call Pensacola home.
Participating in the parade was an opportunity for NHP to not only honor the Veterans of Pensacola, but to thank the local community for the support it gives to Veterans.
“Veterans Day is a celebration of the sacrifices made by so many of our Americans over generations of the history of our great country,” said retired Marine Corps Col. Chris Holzworth, commandant of the Marine Corps League in Pensacola. “It’s an opportunity to show Veterans that we will never forget them and their sacrifices.”
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2015 14:53 |
| Story ID: | 182056 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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