Tampa, FL - Army Master Sergeant Golan Perry remembers the moment his last name was called during the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Military Appreciation Event. It was a year ago, on May 4th. Standing next to his wife during the raffle he heard four magic words: “Amanda Perry” and “That’s me!”
“The moment when I heard my wife’s name get called, we were shocked. We have a history of not being lucky,” explained Perry. “But once we got over the shock, it felt like a couple of minutes as we looked at each other in disbelief… she yelled out ‘That’s me!!’ We had so many destinations in our heads at that moment; Vegas, Puerto Rico, Colorado!”
Perry and his wife were one of 300+ service members who attended the Military Appreciation event at the Florida Aquarium last year. His family’s win of airline tickets donated by Southwest Airlines illustrates the impact participating businesses have on the annual salute to all branches of the military serving in the Tampa Bay region. Perry and his 11-year-old, Vinny, shared a father-son trip they will never forget, thanks to the airline’s donation.
Las Vegas in lights, the beaches of Puerto Rico and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado that husband and wife had initially dreamed of, were replaced by a one-of-a-kind father and son vacation to the seaside town of Holden Beach in North Carolina. Using the Southwest Airlines plane tickets he’d won during the Chamber’s Military Appreciation event, the Army Dad flew his son to the fishing town that sits on an 8-mile-long barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean. “My son caught his first big fish!” explained the proud Army Dad. “It was nothing at all like our initial thoughts, but the trip was great! Vinny survived the boating experience. We thought for sure he would get seasick.” He didn’t and the memories they made together were priceless.
Perry was kind enough to share his story and pictures with us, in advance of the Chamber's 25th Annual Miliary Appreciation Event on May 16th at Armature Works. With event registration just opened to the public and discounted tickets available for Chamber Members, it’s a window in time that determines how the event will pay for 300+ service members & a guest to attend for free. Each year, the support of the business community provides all the prizes and vacation packages in the event raffle that is just for service members. The Southwest Airlines tickets won by the Perry family were one of 20+ prizes donated by local businesses – including staycations, autographed sports memorabilia, tickets to the zoo, and more. Non-military guests don’t just buy a ticket to attend the salute, their purchase and sponsorships make it possible to host service members for free. Each year, the Chamber works with Mac Dill Air Force Base and the U.S. Coast Guard Station to invite each service member and their “plus one” to the salute.
These photos side by side help tell the story of community support for the annual Military Appreciation Event. The photo of Army Master Sergeant Perry's son on the day he caught his first fish would not have happened without the generous support of Southwest Airlines at the 2023 event!
If you’ve ever thought of showing your support for military families in the Tampa Bay region, Master Sergeant Golan Perry says this is one way to do it. “My message to the reader would be to take advantage of these opportunities as much as possible… Often times service members feel a certain way about attending some of these events, I was one of them for a long time,” said Perry. “After our first marriage retreat, I realized that these opportunities are some of the best and the fact that I was able to bring my family along made it 100x better!” said Perry, adding that businesses involved in the Chamber’s annual Military Appreciation event helped him realize there are those in the business community who “genuinely care and want to give back to us.”
For more information on sponsorship opportunities and engagement with the 25th Annual Military Appreciation event, contact Staci Fraser, Senior Director of Investor Relations at the Tampa Bay Chamber.
Photos of 2023 Military Appreciation Event at the Florida Aquarium. This year, the salute to the military moves to Armature Works in Tampa.
To see Highlight Video of 2023 Military Appreciation at the Florida Aquarium, click here: https://youtu.be/syl6rPfKAIU