Retired Marine Lt. Col Robert Creamer, left, and retired Marine Major Tommy Wright both attend Port St. Joe High School and later served with Marine Presidential Helicopter Squadron One. [ Contributed ]
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Port St. Joe duo join in presidential helicopter squadron reunion

BySpecial to the Star

Members of the Marine Presidential Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) who served under then-commanding officer Col. Mel DeMars, gathered in Franklin, Tennessee the weekend of March 14 to 17 for a reunion to renew old friendships and relive past memories of providing executive helicopter transportation service to the White House during the period 1991-95.

Members of the Marine Presidential Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) gathered for a reunion in Franklin, Tennessee the weekend of March 14 to 17. [ Contributed ]

Present at the reunion – and proudly representing Port St. Joe – were retired Marine Lt. Col. Robert Creamer and retired Marine Major Tommy Wright. They both graduated from Port St. Joe High School, Creamer in 1973, and Wright in 1980.

Creamer went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977 with a bachelors in physical science, and received a commission as a Marine second lieutenant.

In addition to multiple overseas deployments, he served as White House Aircraft Commander and White House Liaison Officer, Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) during President George H. W. Bush’s administration from 1988-1992, and retired from the Corps in 2004, completing a 27-year career. 

He continued to serve as Joint Training Systems Specialist, U.S. Pacific Command with the Camber Corporation and later as International Engagement Officer Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, retiring for good in 2018.

Creamer is married to the former Randi Pittman and resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Wright attended Gulf Coast Community College and the University of West Florida, graduating in 1984 with a bachelors in systems science and received a commission as Marine second lieutenant.

In addition to multiple overseas deployments and other significant USMC assignments, he served as White House Aircraft Commander and White House Liaison Officer, Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) during President Clinton’s administration from 1994-98 and retired from the Marine Corps in 2004 after completing a 20-year career. 

In his second career, Wright continued to serve in the national security sector as systems engineer and manager for The MITRE Corporation – a Federally-Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) supporting numerous aspects of the Department of Defense programs, from 2004-22.

Wright is married to the former Lisa Cornett of Lynn Haven. They now are enjoying the retired lifestyle in St. Petersburg.

Who could have predicted during a chance encounter at a Shark football game in 1979, these two native sons would later serve in direct support of the president of the United States?

Honor Walk bricks can be installed by Memorial Day

The Honor Walk at Gulf County Veterans Memorial Park, located at Beacon Hill Park, has become a destination for veterans as well as other visitors to Gulf County. Visitors are often seen viewing the monuments and memorial bricks.
The Honor Walk Committee is still accepting requests for memorial bricks and would like to have another order placed as soon as possible in an attempt to have bricks installed by Memorial Day 2024. 
Anyone wishing to purchase a brick to honor a veteran please submit your request by Friday, April 5. Brick order forms are available online at www.veteransparkhonorwalk.com or pick up an application at the Port St. Joe Piggly Wiggly service counter. 
Persons needing more information can contact a committee member through the Facebook page The Honor Walk at Veterans Memorial Park at Beacon Hill, or email honorwalkinfo@gmail.com

Meet the Editor

David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.

Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.

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Wendy Weitzel The Star Digital Editor

One Comment

  1. So proud of these two young men who represent the best of the products if St. Joe Highschool. Thank you for your outstanding service to our country.

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