The 2014 Military Appreciation Banquet tonight will honor the Tampa Bay community’s military personnel. Awards will be presented to Officers of the Year, both commissioned and non-commissioned, for each branch of service, to civilians as well as recognizing the ROTC Cadet of the Year for the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa.
The U.S. Central Command deputy commander, Vice Admiral Mark Fox, is the scheduled keynote speaker. Fox was commissioned in June 1978 upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy and designated a Naval Aviator in March 1980.
The vice admiral has flown more than 100 combat sorties, logged more than 4,900 flight hours and landed 1,348 times on 15 different aircraft carriers, according to his CENTCOM biography.
Fox has served in Iraq and throughout the CENTCOM area of responsibility in several different capacities. Here’s a Youtube video of Vice-Admiral Fox giving a special lecture where he highlighted several threats facing ships in the high seas off Somalia, including threats from terrorism and piracy, as well as the problems that have faced maritime law enforcement efforts.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will also participate in the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Military Appreciation Banquet at the Marriott Waterside, Tampa, starting with a 6 p.m. reception.
