Roberto Shares His Wife’s Inspiration To Join The Air Force
Roberto shares his wife’s inspiration to join the Air Force for Military Monday this week. Deborah is Roberto’s wife and she works in logistics for the Air Force. She also is in the Booster Club, which is a morale building group.
Deborah got airman of the quarter, airman of the year in 2022. Recently, she won Champion of the Week. Roberto tells us his wife’s inspiration to join the Air Force. He says, “She was struggling to find, like, a decent career, and she wanted something that gave her more purpose. And my family is military. I’m also prior military. I’m a disabled veteran…It took her about three years to make the decision to do it, but she did it, and she’s been doing great. She excelled at it, and she’s been taking it head on.”
Deborah has only been in the Air Force for 3 years and Roberto is so proud of her and wanted to highlight her for Military Monday.
Congrats to Deborah as she receives a $100 Tampa Premium Outlets gift card.
Every Monday we honor a member of the military in Tampa Bay. Do you have someone in your life that is or has been in the military? Someone that you admire, a relative, a friend? Whoever it is that you want to spotlight. We want to hear from you and you can nominate someone right now by doing so HERE. The nomination process takes about five minutes. Once you nominate someone we will be in touch with you to schedule a call with you.
Tampa Stores Where You Can Find The Perfect Pirate Costume For Gasparilla
Arrgghhh matey’s! Gasparilla is right around the corner and before you know it, you’ll be scrambling to make the perfect pirate costume. We’re here to make your search easy by listing the best 10 stores in Tampa where you can find the perfect Gasparilla gear! The invasion of pirates will take place on January 27. Here’s more info on this year’s parade.
Whether you’re looking for some authentic pirate costumes or just need some accessories, head to these stores for all your Gaspy needs! 10 Tampa Bay (WTSP) made a great list with some good starter places. But if you don’t want to rely on Amazon or Etsy to get your stuff on time, there are plenty of local places to try! It’s still too early to tell what the weather will be like on the day of the Children’s and adult parades. It’s normally around the mid-60s to high 70s, so you may need to dress warm!
History of the Gasparilla Parade
Tampa has been celebrating Gasparilla since 1904. Each year, a merry band of pirates invades the city, with a parade down Tampa’s famous Bayshore Blvd. What originally started as a spring festival for the “May Day” celebration. Tampa Tribune Society Editor Mary Louise Dodge was helping plan the multiple-day event when George Hardee suggested including the legend of Gasparilla. Then the Tampa Tribune began publishing letters from the Ye Mystic Krewe, detailing the invasion. Read more of the history here.
The legend of Gasparilla
Gasparilla is inspired by true events. Jose Gaspar, or Jose Gasparilla was a famous Spanish pirate who earned a fortune by capturing ships and treasure. In 1821 the US Navy launched a disguised attack on Jose’s ship. Admitting defeat, he tied himself to an anchor and jumped into the ocean, never seen again.
[Source: 10 Tampa Bay]
Here’s our list of 10 stores in Tampa where you can find the perfect pirate costume:
Kevin is a member of Tampa Bay‘s Hometown Morning Krewe on 995 QYK. He has been with the station for 25 years, is a Tampa native, and went to Jesuit High School and USF. Go Bulls!. He is passionate about all things Tampa Bay. Kevin writes articles on the ongoing road projects around the Tampa Bay area, awards that Tampa Bay cities and businesses have won and country music happenings around the Bay area. He is always doing many things with his wife and kids. He loves to read books and play video games in his spare time.
