A Thank You for Honoring the Military

The members of Cedar Key Volunteer Fire & Rescue would like to send a big "thank you" to all who helped make our military recognition project a huge success. When we set out to do this project, we wanted to make an impact on the community as they crossed the Number 4 Bridge. We had no idea just how big of an impact it would have.

First, we would like to say thank you to the men and women of the Cedar Key area who have enlisted in the military to help protect our freedom. We are extremely proud of you all.

This project would not have been possible without the contributions of those behind the scenes. There is one anonymous contributor who funded the biggest part of this project. I`ve been told he is not a resident of Cedar Key but a frequent visitor. He is a military and special service veteran. Other contributors include Don and Carol Joyce of Haven Isle, Ronnie Taylor of Marina Hardware, Bill Campbell and all of the members of the fire department who are always willing to contribute their time for the community. Without these individuals this project would not have been possible.

We tried very hard to make sure everyone currently serving from the Cedar Key area was honored. We advertised in both local papers, worked of off prayer lists from local churches, mentioned it on Facebook, put flyers up at the Jiffy store, post office and city hall, and had it on our website. We apologize if anyone was missed, we did the best we could with the information we were given. If all goes well, we would like to make this an annual event. Please notify the fire department of anyone local departing for the military and we will keep an up-to-date list for next year.

Many of you are aware of the hit we took Friday night. After 2 -3 days of putting up flags, the strong winds broke around 100 of our flag brackets sending flags to the ground. Some went into the marsh and others into the gulf. This was a devastating blow but with everyone`s help we had the flags back up in less than 24 hours. We want to thank everyone who found and returned the flags to the fire department. Several were lost, and anyone wishing to make a donation to help replace these losses, can make a contribution to the fire department specifically for this project. We hope to make it bigger and better next year, and again, any help will be greatly appreciated. Once again, thanks to all and God bless our troops..