The News Herald Editorial Board
Talk is cheap and seeing is believing. But anyone who viewed the aftermath of Hurricane Michael at Tyndall Air Force Base and the Panama City Marina 2½ years ago should be forgiven if they find two of this week’s major news stories hard to believe.
“Tyndall officially getting 3 new F-35 squadrons,” was the bold headline taking center stage in Wednesday’s News Herald.
“It’s finally happening! read the headline on Thursday s front page over the story on the ground-breaking for the long-awaited $30M Panama City Marina hotel.
After Hurricane Michael essentially destroyed or rendered unusable just about anything useful at Tyndall, many residents and community leaders feared it might not be rebuilt. The base that had survived so many BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) exercises, was a major part of the county’s economy, and served as home to fighter jet training for the Air Forces’ best, was in danger.