Rear Adm. Gary Mayes, commander, Navy Region Southeast, helped The Player’s Championship golf tournament kick off its week-long appreciation of military personnel by serving as the key speaker for the annual ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the event’s Patriot Outpost.

The Patriot Outpost is a hospitality venue on the Jacksonville-based PGA golf tournament that is specifically set aside for active duty, retired military, and their family members. The 16,000 square foot facility provides free food, drinks, and other amenities. More than 25,000 service members and their family members enjoyed using the Outpost last year.

Mayes referred to the appreciation the military feels for communities that embrace service personnel in his remarks during the ceremony that preceded the ribbon cutting.

“I am willing to bet, that every veteran here will admit to standing a little taller, and walking a little prouder knowing that people respect their choice to serve our nation,” he said. “What you do here today, and really, every day, eases our minds and enables service men and women to focus on their missions. It matters.”

While Mayes was the primary speaker for the ceremony, the event also highlighted other local military-related people and organizations. The ceremony honored the service of a 101-year-old service member, Sollie Mitchell; local Gold Star families; the efforts of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation – a group which provides for the families of fallen special operations personnel and saluted graduating seniors from a local high school NJROTC who are pursuing careers in the military.

In addition to the Patriot’s Outpost, the tournament also offers free admission to military and retired personnel throughout the whole week of the tournament, a military appreciation ceremony highlighted by a free concert and hosts a military job fair.

Mayes concluded his remarks by emphasizing his appreciation for the tournament’s and the PGA tour’s generosity.

“Thank you for supporting our military families,” he stated. “Thank you for recognizing the important role our military men and women perform in the defense of the nation, and thank you most of all for being a welcoming community the embraces us and that we are proud to call home.”

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