Bay Pines Annual Veterans Day Ceremony

General News

BAY PINES, FL – The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) will host its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place in the courtyard positioned between buildings 2 and 37 on the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center campus located at 10,000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, Fla. 33744.  The event is open to all Veterans, their family and friends, and the general public.

Highlights of the ceremony will include speakers from the Bay Pines VAHCS, St. Petersburg VA Regional Office, Bay Pines National Cemetery and U.S. Rep. David W. Jolly, 13th Congressional District of Florida. Keynote speaker for the event will by U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. (retired) Arnold Fields.  Maj. Gen. Fields serves on the staff of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration.

During his 34-year career as an active duty officer, he held numerous military commands to include Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa; Director of the Marine Corps Headquarters Staff at the Pentagon; Commanding General of all Marine Corps Bases in Hawaii, with dual responsibilities as Deputy Commanding General 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force; Commander of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters in the Middle East; and Inspector General of U.S. Central Command.

The event will also include musical performances by the Keswick Christian School Choir; a special parade of colors provided by local Veteran Service Organizations; and traditional military presentations to include the posting and retiring of the U.S. Flag, a firing salute, and a taps performance. Emmy award-winning local evening news anchor Mark Wilson, Fox 13, will be the master of ceremonies for the event.

Vietnam Veterans who attend the ceremony will receive a special lapel pin and other special items as part of the Bay Pines VA’s continued commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.  For more information about the commemorative lapel pin, click here.

Signage will be posted on the medical center campus to direct visitors to the venue.  Reserved and general parking will be available nearby.  A shuttle service will also be available to provide transportation for guests from parking lots to the ceremony area. The event will take place outdoors. The Bay Pines VAHCS encourages all attendees to dress appropriately in the event of inclement weather.  For driving directions, campus maps and more please visit: www.baypines.va.gov/locations/directions.asp.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jason W. Dangel Public Affairs Officer Bay Pines VA Healthcare System 727.398.9531 | jason.dangel@va.gov

About Jeff Cavanagh

Jeff Cavanagh spent his freshman year at St. Petersburg Junior College back in the early 70s before enlisting in the United States Navy. Soon after, he attended Jacksonville University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. After college, he was commissioned and became a qualified Surface Warfare Officer spending the next 22 years honing his skills as a ship-handler and expert recruiter before retiring in 1994. Jeff expresses a deep sense of pride in St. Petersburg College due to connections that go back many years. His father, Tom Cavanagh, was a career Air Force fighter pilot and combat veteran who taught Geography and Western Civilization at St. Petersburg Junior College in the 60’s and 70’s.