TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two men from the Tampa Bay area are about to join a small club of distinguished Florida veterans.
On Tuesday, retired Army Combat Veteran Ellsworth "Tony" Williams and retired Marine Corps Captain Walter Raysick will join the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame.
Each year, roughly a dozen people are selected for the honor based on their contributions to veterans across the state. For Williams and Raysick, public service is at the core of who they are.
"As an army brat, it’s in my bones to take care of veterans and their families," Williams said. Williams wears many hats as a local veteran leader and lives to serve what he calls his veteran "tribe."
"If they need an honor guard, I’ll be out there, it doesn’t matter! Taking care of veterans and their families is what matters," Williams said.
But his primary mission is to curb veteran suicide as the president of Tampa-based Veterans Counseling Veterans.
"What does that mean to curb veteran suicide? You look at the main reasons why people commit suicide, and you create programs. We have programs for mental health and programs for veterans who have been sexually assaulted," Williams said.
Walter Raysick shares Williams' mindset of service. "Volunteer service is a calling," Raysick said.
After 30 years of Navy service, Raysick became a dedicated volunteer and took on various roles within the Marine Corps League and Hillsborough Veterans Council.
"I’m the treasurer of the [Hillsborough] Veterans Council and I’ve been so for 10 years. They asked me if I wanted to run again and I said why not, I've got everything in my computer," Raysick said.
While more retirees seek rest and relaxation, at 84 years old and battling Leukemia, Raysick isn’t slowing down.
"I'm goal-oriented. I always felt that the more you volunteer and keep your mind active, the less you’ll grow old and feeble," Raysick said.
Raysick said being selected to the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame is an honor to him because it recognizes service to others.
"Giving back to the community and the state of Florida. That’s what the award’s about!" Raysick said.
Raysick says he doesn’t work for recognition, but hopes he can inspire others to live in service.
"I never knew that this award existed, so I’ve just been doing my thing. I get the satisfaction that I am delivering a product to the public," Raysick said.
For Williams, like Veterans Counseling Veterans, he looks at this latest recognition as “an assignment from God."
"[God] said, I’m giving this to you because I want you to do more. I don’t want you to be satisfied helping three people and calling it a day. I want you to continue to help more veterans and their families and this is my affirmation of that. So to me, it means ‘do more.’"
Two shining servicemen, humbled by the spotlight.