The Osceola Chamber’s Warrior Coalition serves veterans in business and those with supporting organizations, totaling about 45 members.
At its June meeting, held at American Legion Post 10 in Kissimmee, St. Cloud Mayor Chris Robertson, also the director of the Museum of Military History in West Kissimmee, was the guest speaker and touched on many veteran-related topics. Foremost, he discussed the ongoing activities of the city’s formal Veterans Council, formed last year. He explained that the council’s most important achievement to date has been organizing “Soldier City Sundays,” a combined community market and outreach venue for veterans services, held at Veterans Park. Originally running weekly starting Veteran’s Day weekend in November 2025, the event will now shift to the 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and has been renamed “Soldier City Market.”
“I will always want us to come back to St. Cloud’s origins as a city founded by Union Civil War veterans at the beginning of the last century,” Mayor Robertson said.
The mayor also stated that the city will host a Veterans Day parade annually on Nov. 11 each year. Previously, Kissimmee and St. Cloud alternated years to host the parade. Robertson was visibly pleased when relaying that St. Cloud resident and World War II U.S. Navy veteran John Paul Church, who turned 100 in April, was presented with a custom Quilt of Valor at a Museum of Military History Armed Forces Day event held last month. Finally, he highlighted the efforts of Austin Cobb, a scout with Troop 192, who is planning to clean and restore some of the military equipment on display in Veterans Park, primarily the two anti-tank artillery pieces, as part of his Eagle Scout project.
The mayor also took questions from the audience, mainly on the recent property tax reform legislation that was approved in Tallahassee.
Osceola Chamber President/ CEO John Newstreet, who is a Coast Guard veteran, emphasized that all area veterans are welcome to attend and become part of the Warrior Coalition, which meets quarterly on the first Thursday of the last month of the quarter.
The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 3, tentatively at Legion Post 10. Registration is required. For more information on the Osceola Chamber and its coalitions, and to register
