SSG George Taber V Memorial Firehouse Project

Hello, I am Tab Taber and my son, SSG George L Taber V aka "Quint" was a highly trained Green Beret medical sergeant who tragically died in a weather-related training accident while attending the mountain phase of Army Ranger school on August 9th, 2022.

He loved medicine and his specialty was emergency trauma medicine. I was originally talking to our local Fire Chief about a memorial marker with his name below the flagpole at the newly built Fire Station #50 in our hometown of Glen St Mary, Florida. I immediately sensed Quint's voice in his dry, sardonic humor saying "Dad, there are already plenty of "rocks" with my name etched on them, let's do something that will help our local first responders." That is when we came up with the idea of an outdoor living area for the paramedics, firefighters, and EMTs at Station 50. We are envisioning a fully landscaped pond, a covered pavilion with a cooking area, a boardwalk, and green space for fitness, study, recreation, and reflection.

PTSD is largely associated with our military veterans. Many people forget that our community first responders struggle with this as well. Our EMTs, firefighters, and paramedics see and treat extreme trauma cases every week and this constant exposure leaves an indelible mark. Our vision is to establish a peaceful outdoor space around the existing pond where they can gather, cook, eat, study, work out, talk, and decompress from the continuous stressors of their job to serve others and our community. They work on 24-hour shifts so they often miss birthdays and other special occasions with their families. A space like this will also help them bring their loved ones to the station while they are on or even off duty.

This project has been overwhelmingly approved by our county commissioners and we expect a surge of local businesses and volunteers to help out with services, materials, and sweat equity. But it is still going to cost money with the retail price tag coming in at around $200,000. We would be honored if you could help us in any way you can, large or small. We will honor George "Quint" with this project. Your thoughts, prayers, and generosity are greatly appreciated

On behalf of Quint's family and friends, near and far, we thank you all!

Tab Taber