A Community Shaken, Navarre Residents React And Help
By Jennie McKeon, Northwest Florida Daily News, March 12, 2015
NAVARRE BEACH, Fla.—To the outsider, it would seem that the Navarre community had gone back to normal after hearing of the crashed Black Hawk helicopter.
But at work, at lunch, at home, residents haven’t forgotten.
Wednesday night, while much of the community met at churches and the fishing pier for vigils, 17-year-old Jacob Feltman, a senior a Navarre High School came up with his own moving tribute.
VIDEO: Officials try to recover crashed helicopter
Outside, in the driveway of his Holley by the Sea home he spelled out USA in tea light candles, placing a total of eleven candles on each side. He wanted to go to one of the vigils, but had to report to work at the Slippery Mermaid.
“I just went to WalMart and got the candles,” he said. “I wanted to show my support.”
“We wouldn’t be here without them (military).”
Feltman comes from an Air Force family, his dad is retired U.S. Air Force, his 21-year-old brother is currently serving and in July, he’ll be signing up.
Watching the news unfold on TV and just down the road, has been a little surreal for his mom, Traci.
“It’s scary,” she said. “But I’m proud of my husband and children.”
Outside the East River Smoke House Thursday afternoon, where yellow police tap prohibits individuals from getting close to the sound, one Navarre resident walked out with a Marine baseball cap on.
“One a marine, always a marine,” he said.
The man served for six years, fought in Vietnam and earned a brown star for his service. The news of losing 11 military men is “horrible,” he said.
Steve Hogan just retired from the Air Force in August after 52 years. The Black Hawk crash is the “most agonizing and depressing thing” he’s come across in some time, he said.
Watching the cars pass by from the Waffle House parking lot, he noted it’s surreal to see life continue as usual.
“I bet 90 percent of the world doesn’t even know what happened,” he said.
‘A common courtesy’
James Dabney, owner of the East River Smoke House, was contacted early Wednesday morning by Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office and advised to keep patrons off his back deck over looking the sound.
“I had heard reports of remains being brought in around the restaurant early that morning,” he said. “I knew there was an important reason.”
Located just west of the Navarre Park, which was closed all of Wednesday for search and rescue crews, the restaurant was one of the spots where wreckage and remains washed ashore.
Even as news media tried to use the restaurant as access for photo and video coverage, Dabney eschewed from his 15 minutes and closed the outdoor portion of his restaurant.
“If that were my son or daughter, I would hope somebody else would do the same thing,” he said. “It’s a common courtesy.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Jennie McKeon at 850-315-4432 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @JennieMnwfdn.
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