On WCOA this morning, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said the planned Gen. Chappie James memorial tribute- which will include a jet and statue – will be relocated north of the bridge named in his honor.
“There wasn’t enough room on the waterside to be able to do this, so it is going to be on the north side right there by the visitor center,” said the mayor. “When you come down 17th ramp, you’ll look right to your right and it’ll be right there along with some other things on the 17th. You’ll see it. It’ll be very nice tribute.”
Robinson said he will ask the Pensacola City Council this week to accept an Air Force jet similar to one flown by Gen. James.
“The Air Force won’t give it to anybody else but will give it to municipalities,” he said. “We are going to step up to make it happen. They want to have it with some kind of a tribute to Chappie James.”
The jet will need some restoration work and will be repainted as it was when it was in service.
For more on the memorial, visit generalchappiejamesmemorial.org.
Mayor Robinson, thank you for stepping in and advocating for an aircraft closer to what General James would have actually flown.
We were really scratching our heads on the previous model that was getting bandied about. Only thing we could figure out, is that maybe that model was closer to what one of the retired pilots associated with this project flew?
:)
Grateful to you for seeing the need for something more historically and personally appropriate. And really hope you can get it accomplished. General James deserves that this memorial finally gets to a place where it’s actually about him.