OKALOOSA ISLAND — A week of activities celebrating the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) culminated Friday with a family day at the beach.
About 1,500 soldiers and their families showed up at Eglin Beach Club with umbrellas, beach toys and sunscreen for one of the first events of its kind since the group moved to the Emerald Coast.
“We have right now more folks home than we will any other time of the year,” Lt. Col James Brownlee said. “(And) we have a saying in the 7th Group: ‘It’s a family business.’ We’re just bringing the family together.”
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In addition to the normal beach activities, free food and drinks were provided along with competitions from volleyball to weightlifting.
“It’s nice to get all the families together and introduce the kids to each other,” Staff Sgt. Lucas Ponsler said.
He attended the event with his wife Augusta and their 1-year-old son, Xander. Their two older children weren’t able to come because they were taking tests at school.
“I wish we could have kept them home,” Augusta said with a smile. “They would have loved it. We don’t often get to hang out with military families with kids.”
Although the couple’s two older children weren’t alone in missing the fun, many students in Okaloosa County were given excused absences to attend, Deputy Superintendent of Schools Kaye McKinley said.
“The reason we’re doing it is to support the military child and support them in the reintegration of their family,” she said.
Any student who didn’t have a test scheduled for Friday was given an absence, she said.
Many soldiers said they recently had returned from long deployments, so they were grateful for the time to hang out with their families at the beach.
Col. Antonio Fletcher, commander of the 7th Group, said while the day was intended to be fun, it also served an important purpose.
“Really, it was an opportunity to give back to the families,” he said.
Friday’s event was part of a weeklong celebration by the 7th Special Forces Group. It will wrap up today with a formal ball.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.