Congressman Patronis Presents Sec. Hegseth with 3D Printed Toy of Blue Angels Jet

WASHINGTON DC – Late Tuesday at the State of the Union, Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis (FL-1) presented U.S. Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth with a 3D-printed, toy rendition, of a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet. Florida Congressional District 1 is home of the Blue Angels who are housed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

Congressman Patronis said, “It was an honor to be a part of history last night, and I wanted a piece of the district to come with me to the People’s House. I remembered that when I was at the last airshow - a young man from the district was selling the toy planes, I had it proudly displayed in my office for when constituents and visitors come to the office.

“The Blue Angels are the pride of the Pensacola community as they travel the nation, displaying their professionalism, their training, and their love of America. And although they’re loved across the nation, their facilities are literally falling to pieces. I personally toured NAS Pensacola recently, and you could see the netting in place for falling debris of their aging facilities, said Congressman Patronis. Although we were proud to secure $12 million for facilities in the last appropriations bill, we just need more resources to make the home of the Blue Angels an appropriate facility. They were also impacted from the government shutdown which shut down the homecoming show, impacting the Northwestern economy.

Congressman Patronis continued, “I think God was working through that young man who gave me that toy, and I was in the right time, right place to present it to Sec. Hegseth as a reminder of how important the Blue Angels are to our nation and Northwest Florida. As it inspired me, it’s my hope it inspires the Department of War to embrace these men and women with the same love and affection that the Pensacola community does so the Blue Angels have the resources they need and deserve. If anyone knows the young man who gave me the toy, please pass along the thanks and praise of your representative in Washington. There’s no telling how much good you’ve done for your community.”

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To view the Congressman’s post click HERE