Three former governors and a highly-decorated Jacksonville Navy veteran will be among the 11 veterans Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet will consider for induction into the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame next week.
Gov. Reubin Askew, a U.S. Army paratrooper; Gov. LeRoy Collins, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; and Gov. Spessard Holland, who served with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War I, are on the list of inductees scheduled to be considered Tuesday.
Nominees also include the late Kevin Delaney, who was commanding officer of Jacksonville Naval Air Station and commander of Navy Region Southeast. Delaney retired as a rear admiral and lived in Jacksonville.
The Florida Times-Union said Delaney flew 686 combat missions in Vietnam and retired as the most decorated officer in the Navy. He died in April 2015 at age 68.
Other nominees are William Proctor of the U.S. Army; John Corbett, U.S. Army; Washington Sanchez, U.S. Army; John Stewart, U.S. Air Force; Dennis Freytes, U.S. Army; Frederick Taylor, U.S. Army; and David Goetsch, U.S. Marine Corps.
The nominees were recommended by the seven-member Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Council, which selects those who served in the military but who also made a significant contribution to Florida in their post-military careers, including political, business and civic contributions.
The 2016 nominees are the fourth annual class and, if approved by the governor and Cabinet, will have their names commemorated on a plaque in the Capitol building.
Since 2013, 19 veterans have been inducted into the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame.