Okaloosa County BOCC — June 16, 2015 — ProposedMemorialReefRequest

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA 32542 18 May 2015 MEMORANDUM FOR OKALOOSA COUNTY, FLORIDA BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ATTN: NATHAN BOYLES, CHAIRMAN FROM: AFRL/RW Subject: Proposed Memorial Reef in honor of Charles H. McClenahan The Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) wishes to propose to the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners that the artificial reef site that will be created in the center of Fish Haven 13 using concrete donated by AFRL/RW be named the Charles H. McClenahan Memorial Reef, colloquially “Mac’s Reef”, in honor of our recently departed friend and colleague Mac who served his country honorably for 50 years. Mac’s career serving his County started when he joined the Air Force in 1964 as we were entering the Vietnam War. Mac spent 20 of his 22 years in the Air Force in the highly dangerous Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) career field. During his tour at Eglin AFB, Mac was commended for his heroism saving people’s lives on more than one occasion. Mac continued to faithfully serve his Country as a Federal Civil Service employee for the next 28 years, and was widely recognized as a foremost expert on gun and munition systems. Mac’s work involved defeating concrete structures, which directly contributed to the generation of the material that will be used to construct the reef in the center of Fish Haven 13. It’s difficult to cover in just a few short words everything that Mac has done for the Air Force, the Warfighter, and team Eglin across over a half of a century in dedicated service. The significance of Mac’s contributions to the Air Force is evident in that fact that he briefed countless 3 and 4 Star General Officers and Air Force Chiefs of Staff. Mac is and will always be a legend to many of us in the Air Force, and so we graciously ask that the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners consider naming the reef site in the center of Fish Haven 13 in his honor. sl J WILCOX, SES, PhD r, Munitions Directorate