Winter Park will honor the men and women who serve our country on Friday, Nov. 8, during the city’s 14th Annual Veterans Day Celebration. Ruby Ball Amphitheater at Winter Park Community Center will host the event, and all veterans who served in any military campaign or branch in honor of our nation’s freedom are welcome.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the public can visit with organizations offering veterans’ resources. VFW Post 2093 Community Band will kick off the morning’s events and the program will begin at 10 a.m. with remarks from three guest speakers who each have a connection to the military that has guided their own paths.
Pamela Russell
Before Pamela Russell began her career in human resources, she served 10 years in the United States Army. “I went into the Army about two weeks after turning 18,” she said. “I initially joined for the college tuition and travel.”
She was first active from October 1981 thru January 1990. Her Military Occupational Specialty was as an administrative assistant and she served with stateside units at Ft. Lewis, Washington and Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. Russell also served abroad in Germany and Korea, but her final tour of duty was in Iraq during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. She served with the 401st Military Police Unit from December 1990 thru June 1991.
Russell credits her military service for her professional success. Before joining the City of Winter Park as human resources director in October of 2021, she held roles at Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Gateway, and with the City of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “The military taught me discipline, a strong work ethic, and how to lead and to follow,” she said. “I learned the benefits of working on diverse teams and how we accomplish more when we bring our unique backgrounds and experiences together for a common goal.”
Mel Jenner
World War II veteran, Mel Jenner, will also take part in the ceremony. He completed his training in Biloxi, Mississippi and served as a gunner in the Army Air Corps 452nd Operations Group. On June 6, 1944, he document the Allied invasion during a photo reconnaissance mission in a B-17 bomber over Normandy, France.
During a 2022 interview for the Kessler Air Force Base newsletter, Jenner recalled the day he visited his local recruiting station in 1940. “I lied to them when I went in,” he said. “I told them I was 18 when I was really only 17.”
He left the Army Air Corps in 1944 and re-enlisted not long after the Air Force was formed in 1947. In 1949, he was sent to West Germany and flew 25 Berlin Airlift missions as a flight engineer. He also served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, retiring in 1968 after 26 years of service.
Among his awarded honors are the Distinguished Flying Cross, Oak Leaf Cluster, and Air Force Commendation Medal. On May 31st of this year, Jenner was among 69 World War II veterans to return as honored guests to Normandy in observance of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Benjamin Mack-Jackson
Benjamin Mack-Jackson has not served in the military, but spent more than 10 years interviewing and sharing the stories of those who have. While studying international relations at Rollins College, Mack-Jackson visited the beaches of Normandy and the battlefields of Ukraine on a personal mission to document living history.
He began interviewing veterans at age 13, and over the years has collected more than 200 conversations, Mel Jenner being one of them. The source material inspired a book, World War II History for Teens, and helped create the WWII Veterans History Project; a nonprofit with the purpose of educating future generations on the importance of remembering the past.
“I’m a big advocate for reform in the history curriculum of our education system,” he previously told the32789. “Making it more interesting, more exciting, and more accessible for students to learn in an interactive way. That’s kind of what I’m aiming for with the different aspects of the nonprofit; to find ways that my generation and future generations can connect to history and learn from history in a meaningful way.”
Mack-Jackson is currently continuing his work and has made several trips into Ukraine to document the war and personal struggles of its people. He believes the historical context of the conflict is crucial to illustrating how the lessons of the past can save the future. “It’s the largest European war since WWII,” he said, “which is mind-boggling to someone who studies history with the hopes of preventing future wars.”
The Winter Park Veterans Day Celebration will continue after the event with a Veterans Golf Play Day at Winter Park Golf Course (WP 9) and at Winter Park Pines Golf Club (WP 18). Tee times begin at 12:30 p.m. and veterans play for free. Tee times must be reserved by Friday, Nov. 1, by calling 407-599-3419 (WP 9) or 407-671-3172 (WP 18). For more information about the 14th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, call 407-599-3506.