MILTON — Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet approved Col. Washington J. Sanchez Jr. for induction into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.
Sanchez began his volunteer service with the Florida Veterans Foundation in 2012. He has served all military veterans while in many leadership roles in veteran organizations. These include serving Chapter 758 and being the Florida Military Order of the Purple Heart’s department commander.
For over 10 years, Sanchez has volunteered 70-plus hours a week on behalf of Florida veterans. As the Florida Veteran Foundation’s chairman, Washington has innovated and incentivized many programs. As the impetus to the foundation receiving a $1.25 million grant, Sanchez developed and executed a personal approach to veterans reaching them through core subject matter expert support via Florida Veteran Summits. Through his hard work the foundation has reached over 300,000 veterans in 2016.
“Washington demonstrates tireless dedication and devotion to Florida Veterans through health, entrepreneurship, employment, education and partnership within the community by way of Homeless and At-Risk Veterans, and Veterans with Legal Issues,” a foundation media release stated. “His unparalleled persistence of introducing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy into Florida veterans’ lives has gained critical acclaim in an effort to reduce the number of veteran suicides. His ‘lifesaving’ initiatives are becoming a reality to Florida Veterans in need.
“Colonel Sanchez is the consummate advocate for Florida veterans anywhere/anytime, and is deserving of this honor of induction into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame.”
Sanchez has served as the chairman for these activities, improving the lives of local and statewide veterans:
- Homeless Veteran Stand Down
- The Medal of Honor Node of the Walk of Honor Dedication Ceremony
- The A/G $1.250 million HELP Grant
- FVF's five Veterans Summits
- The upcoming Uber/FVF Veterans Transportation Pilot Project
- The Capitol Region Medical Center/FVF HBOT treatments Project
- The initial Leon County Veteran Treatment Court Mentors Program
- The Veteran low-income one-year Star Metro Bus Pass
- The Star Metro Purple Heart Bus Project
He juggles his foundation workload while increasingly serving more veterans with our core mission of providing emergency housing and utilities and educating veterans on earned benefits.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: T.R. Jackson graduate inducted into Florida Veterans Hall of Fame