Brevard never fails to support veterans, military causes

Veterans can count on so many individuals, companies and organizations in Brevard County. I say this because I have been seeing it firsthand during my many years of writing about veterans on the Space Coast.

The Marine Corps League was holding its National Convention earlier this year in Daytona Beach when it ran into a glitch. The primary sponsor could not provide some necessary supplies, so BAC stepped in to help.

That help came on short notice after Vincent Howard, the past commander of Marine Corps League Detachment 513 in Brevard County, approached his employer, BAC, for help to fill the need.

BAC, which already has strong ties to the military because of its work with the Federal AbilityOne contracts, assembled a team that worked to secure the supplies, allowing the convention to go on as planned.

This is the kind of cooperation and support for the military and veterans in Brevard County that leads me to think that this kind of relationship is the best. The Space Coast truly supports the troops.

The AbilityOne program network provides employment opportunities for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.

The Marine Corps State Commandant of the Department of Florida, retired Lt. Col. Scott Westervelt, later recognized BAC and Howard for the generous support for the 2022 Marine Corps League National Convention, presenting the organization with a certificate.

This is just one or many instances of veterans’ support playing out all the time in Brevard County. There is a lot more.

I attended a recent AVET Project event celebrating National Military Child Month. I was expecting a few people to attend the event at the Cocoa Beach Country Club. Not so. It was packed. Each table had a card recognizing the sponsors of the event. The celebration included a lot of activities, games, prizes and food for the military children and their families.

When events like Memorial Day or Veterans Day ceremonies are held at the Brevard Veterans Center, area residents show up to support and honor veterans. SL

Ship to shore, veteran brings art to life through paintings

BY MARIA SONNENBERG

Tom Busby has documented life realistically as well as in the abstract in a journey that has taken him from the deck of the legendary aircraft carrier Forrestal to the Eau Gallie Arts District. That’s where in April, Fifth Avenue Art Gallery hosted a retrospective of the artist’s colorful acrylic paintings.

Photography was the first passion for the Army brat who joined the Navy because he wanted to be on a boat. He began life in Germany, where he graduated from high school and studied art before military service.

“I was the artsy type and had gotten introduced to photography by a friend, and when I went into the service I had my choice, so I became a photographer’s mate,” he said.

Serving aboard the Forrestal provided Busby with a never-ending supply of subject matter during the six or so months at sea of each assignment.

“I was able to go everywhere to document life on the ship,” he said.

For a young photographer, the deck held special appeal. Busby admits he spent so much time there that the roar of the jet engines later impacted his hearing.

“It was like living at an airport,” he said.

While the work primarily involved chronicling the day-to-day life on the massive ship, it also involved recording the inevitable, tragic accidents that are part of life aboard a fighting ship.

“We would have two or three crashes every cruise and lose about four to seven crew members,” Busby said.

From 1980 until 1985, Busby’s camera captured life at sea. Newly married, he then opted out of the Navy for a more land-bound career, trying the life of a civilian photographer before pivoting to computer technology.

“I decided it was not easy to support a family on a photographer’s salary,” he said.

Busby also segued into participating in street art festivals and gallery art shows, as his work transitioned from photography to acrylics.

The universe of his boldly drawn cartoons, as he calls his semi-abstract compositions, is populated with spacemen, dinosaurs and, in particular, an endearingly naughty-looking little dog.

“I call him the Devil Dog,” because he is a bad dog who wants to be good,” explained Busby.

While at first glance his style is reminiscent of outsider art, a closer look reveals the work of a mature artist who connects with viewers through his upbeat compositions.

“Tom’s work definitely matches his personality, original and quirky, and always makes me smile,” said Renee Decator, a spokesperson for Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. SL