Latest news with #BillyBowlegsPirateFestival
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Soldiers suspended on allegations they fired blanks at Florida beach
Eighteen soldiers have been decertified from training future Rangers while the Army investigates allegations that they fired blank rounds at a Florida beach full of civilians with no notice. Jennifer Gunn, spokesperson for the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, confirmed the suspensions with Army Times today. The 18 Ranger instructors are assigned to 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The incident prompted at least two emergency calls to police and multiple social media postings, with witnesses and footage showing men wearing Ranger t-shirts and military uniforms firing the rounds at Crab Island near Destin, Florida, on Friday, Task & Purpose first reported. 'The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday, May 16,' Gunn told Army Times. 'We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome of the investigation.' A group of Army Ranger training instructors participated that day in a mock 'sea battle' with a pirate ship during the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, Fort Walton Beach spokesperson Devon Ravine told Task & Purpose. As part of the 'battle,' soldiers with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion fired blanks from their weapons, according to the City of Fort Walton Beach. The training battalion is not part of the 75th Ranger Regiment. 'This was the only approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,' Ravine told Task & Purpose. 'We do not know what occurred at Crab Island on Friday, and cannot comment, except to say that it was not in any way a part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.' Michael Ingram, a charter boat captain, told Task & Purpose his clients and others took cover when the firing began. 'This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,' Ingram said. 'You can't be joking about it.' The instructors later mingled with civilians on the beach. Online posts show them in military uniforms with Ranger tabs, 'Follow me!' shoulder patches and insignia from the Army infantry school. Some social media commentators criticized the crowd's negative reaction, saying many individuals later socialized with the soldiers and took pictures with them.
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.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
18 Army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at Florida beach
Eighteen soldiers with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion have been temporarily suspended as instructors pending the outcome of an investigation into a May 16 incident in Florida, during which they allegedly fired blank rounds from their weapons at a public beach, said Jennifer S. Gunn, a spokeswoman for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia. Currently, the Ranger instructors cannot train students going through the final stage of the U.S. Army Ranger Course at Camp Rudder, located on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Gunn told Task & Purpose on Thursday. The 6th Ranger Training Battalion runs the swamp phase of the Ranger Course, but is not within the 75th Ranger Regiment. The May 16 incident at Crab Island in Destin, Florida, led to at least two 911 calls and several social media posts. Videos posted on social media showed men in military uniforms with Ranger tabs and blank adapters on their weapons firing at least two bursts into the air. In one of the videos, a woman who is off camera can be heard shouting after the first burst, 'Is that real?' Michael Ingram, a charter boat captain who was at Crab Island at the time, told Task & Purpose that the soldiers did not give any advance warning that they intended to fire their weapons, prompting several boaters to take cover. 'This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,' Ingram told Task & Purpose for a previous story. 'You can't be joking about it.' Gunn confirmed that the suspended Ranger instructors participated in the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, which was held on the evening of May 16 at nearby Fort Walton Beach. The festival included a mock sea battle, in which the Rangers fired blanks while riding in small boats to 'capture' Billy Bowlegs. 'This was the only approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,' Devon Ravine, a spokesman for the city of Fort Walton Beach, told Task & Purpose on Monday. 'The pirate festival, he said, was about five miles from Crab Island. 'We do not know what occurred at Crab Island on Friday, and cannot comment, except to say that it was not in any way a part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.' Army to eliminate 2 Security Force Assistance Brigades, reassign experienced soldiers Why the Army's new XM7 rifle reignited a debate over volume of fire Air Force delay on separation and retirement orders isn't 'stop loss,' defense official says F-35's close call over Yemen raises questions about how it's used An Army unit's 'extreme use of profanity' was so bad, they made a rule about it
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.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Army investigating allegations Rangers fired blank rounds at civilians
Army officials are investigating allegations that a group of Rangers fired blank rounds from automatic weapons without warning at a Florida beach containing crowds of civilians. The incident prompted multiple calls to police and social media postings, with witnesses and footage showing men wearing Ranger t-shirts and military uniforms firing the rounds at Crab Island near Destin, Florida, on Friday, Task & Purpose first reported. 'The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday, May 16,' Jennifer Gunn, spokeswoman for the Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, told Task & Purpose. 'We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome of the investigation. No further information is available at this time.' A group of Army Rangers participated that day in a mock 'sea battle' with a pirate ship during the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, Fort Walton Beach spokesperson Devon Ravine told Task & Purpose. As part of the 'battle,' soldiers with the 6th Ranger Battalion at Eglin Air Base fired blanks from their weapons, according to the City of Fort Walton Beach. A noise alert was sent out early Friday detailing the exact time frame and location of the battle, as well as the noises that could be expected. Crab Island, where reports of the alleged weapons firing occurred, is five miles from the Fort Walton Beach Landing, the location of the sanctioned event. 'This was the only approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,' Ravine told Task & Purpose. 'We do not know what occurred at Crab Island on Friday, and cannot comment, except to say that it was not in any way a part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.' Ranger training battalion commander suspended Michael Ingram, a charter boat captain, told the news outlet that his clients and other boaters took cover when the firing began. 'This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,' Ingram said. 'You can't be joking about it.' The soldiers later mingled with civilians, and social media posts show them in military uniforms with Ranger tabs, 'Follow me!' shoulder patches and insignia from the Army infantry school. Boats, gear, uniforms and weapons carried by the Rangers at the sanctioned event at Fort Walton Beach seem to match those seen in depictions of the Crab Island incident. Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Michel Nicholson told Task & Purpose that the office received two 911 calls about the incident Friday. 'We had the first 911 call come in on May 16th at 3:22 p.m. from the Crab Island area,' Nicholson said. 'The dispatch notes indicate a second 911 call came in during that same time frame. It also references three additional calls, but those may have been received over the primary line, not 911.' The City of Fort Walton Beach published a statement online, clarifying that the incident at Crab Island was not an approved part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival. The city said if individuals wished to file complaints regarding the incident, they could contact the sheriff's office or Florida Fish and Wildlife. The mock sea battle 'was the ONLY approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons,' the statement reads. '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.' Some commentators on social media criticized the crowd's negative reaction, saying many individuals later socialized with the soldiers and took pictures with them.
