Pensacola Beach Elks Lodge #497 held a Forgotten Warrior Program event July 18 at The Blake at Pensacola. The lodge uses its $3,000 Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant and lodge donations to put on this monthly event. Lodge member Carey Seigle began this program about 3 years ago. The committee holds monthly coffees and guest speaker gatherings for veterans, and during the holidays, they provide gifts for the veterans and their spouses and widows. Petty Officer John Farill, U.S. Navy Seabee, was the guest speaker. He shared the history of blue and white naval hats that records, noting that the blue flat was authorized in 1852 and was used long after white headgear was introduced as an alternative in 1886. In the 1950s and 1960s, hats were still a part of Navy attire, but they were rarely seen. The Navy officially retired the flat hat April 1, 1963.
Petty Officer John Farill is pictured with his original cap from enlistment, which was later replaced by a white hat.