Thank you for joining us
at the September 13 & 28
Col. Mark W. Tillman speaker event.
9/11 Pilot Recounts Historic Missions
On the morning of Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Col. Mark W. Tillman (U.S. Air Force, ret.) spoke to a packed house at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota as part of Tidewll Foundation and Tidewell Hospice’s program honoring our military veterans and first responders.
This was a history-making event for Tidewell and Empath with over 1,000 friends and donors in attendance.
Click Here To See Pictures From The Event
As the nation’s 12th Presidential pilot, Col. Tillman was pilot and commander of Air Force One from 2001-2009. He was at the controls on September 11, 2001, keeping President George W. Bush out of harm’s way and connecting the flying Oval Office to the nation’s first responders—a journey that began in Sarasota.
Another historic highlight in his 30-year career, Col. Tillman was the first pilot to fly the Commander-in-Chief into a war zone in Baghdad, Iraq, for Thanksgiving dinner with the troops in 2003.
Col. Tillman orchestrated and executed the covert operation with flawless success. His planning, done in secrecy, allowed for a complete surprise to the entire world.
Since its inception in 2008, the Tidewell Honors Veterans program has served more than 21,000 veterans in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, providing specialized care that recognizes the unique challenges that may exist in military families — all at no cost to them. Tidewell Hospice is one of 216 hospices, and one of two in Florida, to achieve Level 5 certification in the national We Honor Veterans, a national program focused on fostering respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment for veterans in hospice care.
Tidewell also provides pinning ceremonies for both veterans and first responders to recognize their service and sacrifice.
To support the Col. Tillman event, Tidewell Foundation received a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County through the Walter Haskins Fund in memory of Stacey K. Haskins and a $17,000 gift from the Eluned and Edward Russell Foundation.
Tillman Encore Screening a Success
An encore screening of the Col. Mark W. Tillman event was presented at the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, on September 28, 2023, to a crowd of nearly 70 people. A Tidewell Honors Veterans pinning ceremony of local veteran volunteer, Jim Herlein, U.S. Navy (ret.), was performed by Mike Murphy, U.S. Army and National Guard (ret.) preceded the event.
