Local group nominated for Department of Defense award

PANAMA CITY — The U.S. Navy is honoring local supporters by nominating the Bay Defense Alliance for a national award that recognizes civilian groups or individuals who contribute to military causes.

As the official nominee for the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award, which was established in 1996 by the Department of Defense, the BDA will compete against the nominees from the Army, Air Force and Marines.

“They are really a role model for almost all other communities that have military related installations around the country,” said Jeff Prater, public affairs officer for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, one of 18 tenants at Naval Support Activity Panama City.

Cmdr. Hung Cao, commanding officer of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, submitted the nomination to the chief of naval personnel. The nomination lists several successful BDA projects and even includes an endorsement from the commanding officer at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Cao said he sought Col. David Graff’s endorsement to show how BDA works the military community of Bay County as a whole.

“Bay County really is the most welcoming place for military members, and Bay Defense is really an extension of that,” Cao said.

The BDA secured grant funding for sidewalks along Thomas Drive, which will allow students at the dive school to more safely run the Hathaway Bridge during physical training, Cao said. Many of his students don’t have cars and walk when they leave base, Cao said.

“Every day I cringe because I’m afraid someone’s going to get hit by a car,” Cao said.

The sidewalk also benefits the community as a whole, Prater said. A current BDA project to bring LambdaRail, an extremely fast broadband Internet network, will also have benefits that extend beyond the bases, Prater said. And the new gate that allows direct access to U.S. 98 from the north side of the Navy base, which was paid for with grants secured by the BDA, will relieve traffic congestion for everyone, Cao said.

But the most important BDA contribution to the Navy base has been BDA efforts on encroachment, Cao said. When developers wanted to build a pier that would have restricted naval vessels and swimmers, the BDA stepped in and stopped it.

The acquisition of land next to the base gives the base a flexibility that should be appealing to Department of Defense officials when they evaluate whether a base should be closed or realigned, Prater said.

“They make sure the bases … have what we need to make sure we complete our mission,” Prater said.

The nomination caught BDA President Tom Neubauer by surprise when it was announced in late June. The behind-the-scenes nature of the group often means the BDA doesn’t get public recognition, he said.

“We’re pretty surprised by it,” he said. “We’re the kind of organization that works quietly in the background.”

A date has not been set when the Department of Defense will name the winner of the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award.