3rd Annual Awards Ceremony Honors Veterans for Wartime Service and Peacetime Community Involvement
16th District Home to Over 64,000 Veterans
View photos from the ceremony here.
SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan announced the honorees of the 3rd Annual Congressional Veteran Commendation ceremony. Buchanan established the awards to honor the wartime sacrifices and peacetime community involvement of veterans residing in Florida’s 16th Congressional District
“I established these awards to recognize our local heroes who have valiantly served both our country in uniform and our community,” said Buchanan. “While we will never be able to fully repay the honorees for their selfless sacrifices, I hope the Congressional Veteran Commendation helps express how grateful our community truly is for their service.”
An independent panel of veterans reviewed nominations and chose the following 19 veterans for their wartime and post-military service:
- Nelson Betancourt of Valrico who served in the U.S. Army outside of war time
- Benny Blackshire of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War
- Jeffery Camp of Parrish who served in the U.S. Army & Army National Guard during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
- Jack Carter of Lakewood Ranch who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars
- Charles Conover Jr. of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army outside of war time
- Ronald Cousineau of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Air Force outside of war time
- Emily Farkas of Brandon who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
- Ferris Garrett Jr. of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War
- William Greer of Wimauma who served in the U.S. Air Force outside of war time
- Brian Hammer of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
- Nathaniel Hawthorne of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Navy during the Iraq War
- Roberta Jordan of Riverview who served in the U.A. Army outside of war time
- Robert Lucas II of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army outside of war time
- Danny Melton of Riverview who served in the U.S. Marine Corps outside of war time
- MaryAnn Rowe of Sun City Center who served in the Michigan Army National Guard during the Iraq War
- Richard Steinestel of Valrico who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War
- Roland Tiso Jr. of Valrico who served in the U.S. Army during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
- Paul Wheat Jr. of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War
- Edward Wudarsky Jr. of Sun City Center who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War
Buchanan has a strong record of fighting for veterans and military families. In December 2021, a Buchanan measure to reduce military training accidents following the death of Bradenton soldier Nicolas Panipinto was enacted into law. In February 2025, Buchanan introduced the Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act (H.R. 1290), which directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a three-year pilot program to refer veterans experiencing mental health crises to approved non-Veterans Affairs mental health care providers, ensuring timely access to competent care. Buchanan also reintroduced the Veterans Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 136) this Congress, which requires the VA to study the link between addictive opioids and the alarmingly high rate of suicides among veterans.
