Dave Butler & Skip Overdier
Riz & Jon Howard
D
estin Executive Airport was the
chosen venue for Trees on the
C
oast’s Honoring Ceremony.
The event, held on October
20, was a dedication ceremony honoring the
servicemen who tragically perished in the
Black Hawk helicopter crash 2 years ago.
Families and friends of the fallen servicemen
were present to be a part of the event and to
honor their loved ones.
Trees on the Coast donated and planted 49
Sand Live Oaks and 1,400 African Irises on
Airport Road, with eleven of the trees being
dedicated to the servicemen who tragically
perished. The fallen servicemen honored
were Chief Warrant Offi cer 4 George Wayne
Griffi n, Jr., Chief Warrant Offi cer 4 George
David Strother, Staff Sgt. Lance Bergeron,
Staff Sgt. Thomas Florich, Capt. Stanford
Henry Shaw III, Master Sgt. Thomas
Saunders, Staff Sgt. Liam Flynn, Staff Sgt.
Trevor P. Blaylock, Staff Sgt. Kerry Michael
Kemp, Staff Sgt. Andrew Self, and Staff Sgt.
Marcus Bawol.
Trees on the Coast was founded in 2015 is
a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization working
on enhancing the beauty of Walton and
Okaloosa counties by planting, preserving,
and educating the public on the importance
of trees on the coast.
photos & story by
Zhalman Harris
Heather McNamara & Kelly Harrell
VIP Destin at Destin Executive Airport
DJ & Sarah Strother
Myra Williams, Kathy Whidden, Lynn Wesson & Lisa Firth
Kevin McDonald, Jorge Romero, Donnie Watson, Reese Swartz & Jeff Anderson
Fallen Warrior
Tree Plant
Ceremony
76 | VIPDestinMagazine.com
76-77 Event Trees on the Coast Fallen Warrior Tree Plant.indd 1
10/28/18 11:53 AM