Latest news with #BillyBowlegs
New York Post
23-05-2025
- New York Post
18 Army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at crowded Florida beach after mock ‘sea battle' during pirate festival
Shiver me timbers! Nearly two dozen Army Rangers were reportedly suspended after wild videos surfaced online allegedly showing the soldiers firing several blank rounds at a crowded Florida beach during a local pirate festival. The 18 soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder are under investigation for using their automatic weapons without permission after participating in a mock 'sea battle' at the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival on Crab Island in Destin Friday, according to Task & Purpose. Advertisement 4 The US Army suspended 18 Rangers after soldiers were captured on video allegedly firing blank rounds at a crowded Florida beach. Wam Water Adventures/Facebook Shocking videos shared on social media captured at least two groups of uniformed soldiers in small boats — surrounded by swimmers and boaters — firing bursts of shots into the air along Fort Walton Beach and terrifying beachgoers. Advertisement 'Is that real?' one woman could be heard shouting in one of the clips. A festivalgoer told the outlet that the unexpected gunfire forced several boaters to take cover. 4 Videos showed the soldiers firing bursts of shots into the air. Wam Water Adventures/Facebook 'This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,' Michael Ingram, a local charter boat captain, said. Advertisement 'You can't be joking about it.' The alarming incident occurred after the Rangers took part in the faux maritime skirmish, during which the servicemen fired blanks from their boats at a pirate ship to 'capture' Billy Bowlegs — a legendary figure in the Sunshine State. While the dummy rounds were approved for the floating firefight, city officials said the soldiers did not have permission to rattle off additional shots afterward. Advertisement 4 The alarming incident happened during a pirate festival on Crab Island. Wam Water Adventures/Facebook 'What happened at Crab Island was NOT part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, NOR was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization,' the city wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. 'A noise alert was sent out early Friday detailing the exact time frame and location of this 'battle,' as well as the noises that could be expected. This was the ONLY approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons.' The sudden pop of shots also reportedly resulted in local police receiving a flurry of concerned calls. 4 Festival organizers said the Rangers did not have permission to rattle off shots. Gil Osterloh/Facebook The soldiers, who are stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, are now barred from training recruits in the final phase of the Army's Ranger course — dubbed the swamp phase — pending the outcome of the probe, the outlet reported. 'The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island,' a spokesperson for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning told the publication. Advertisement 'We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome.' The US Army did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Soldiers firing blank rounds at Florida boaters prompts investigation, Army says
The U.S. Army launched an investigation into reports Army Rangers were firing blank rounds from their weapons while surrounded by boaters and swimmers off Crab Island in the Florida Panhandle, officials say. Fort Walton Beach officials report the incident happened Friday, May 16, after the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder participated in the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival. Videos shared on social media show at least two groups of soldiers were in boats when some among them began firing automatic weapons in the crowded waters. Social media outrage over the incident prompted Fort Walton Beach officials to issue a statement declaring city officials were not involved in 'military personnel firing their weapons at Crab Island.' 'As part of Friday night's festival schedule, soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder were to engage in a mock 'sea battle' with Billy Bowlegs as his boat approached the Fort Walton Beach Landing. This 'battle' involved the soldiers firing blanks from their weapons,' the city wrote in a May 17 Facebook post. 'What happened at Crab Island was not part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, nor was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization.' The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over Crab Island and reports the first of five calls about the incident came at around 3:22 p.m. Friday. Details of what callers reported were not released. Rangers involved in the incident are cadre assigned to the battalion at Florida's Camp Rudder where the swamp phase of the U.S. Army Ranger Course occurs. The base is within Eglin Air Force Base, about a 30-mile drive northeast from Fort Walton Beach. The 6th Ranger Training Battalion belongs to the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade which is a subordinate brigade of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. It remains unclear what prompted the spontaneous display of firepower. There are no reports of anyone being injured. 'The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island,' according to Jennifer S. Gunn, public affairs director at the Maneuver Center of Excellence & Fort Benning. 'We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome.' Videos posted on social media have become part of the investigation. It appears the weapons were not pointed at anyone in the water, and the shots were fired in the air. Social media reaction to the incident appears divided with some calling the attention overblown, while others note the sound of live fire in a crowd can easily incite panic. 'Shooting off a gun (even if it was blanks) in a crowded public place is not what I'd call 'benign.' Not in today's culture,' Ollie Walker wrote in a Facebook post. 'This could have gone terribly sideways very quickly had just one person felt in danger and took action,' Priscilla Kevern posted. 'If you didn't see who was firing it would be concerning at the very least to hear automatic weapons when you're at the beach,' Jeron Stone said.
