By Paul Bonnette
Gary Sellers has a secret identity, however it’s not what you might imagine. On any given day, you will perhaps find Gary working at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital as a House Supervisor. However, Gary has a secret identity as part of an organization called the 501st Legion which consists of Star Wars characters on a galactic mission to spread joy, hope and happiness. The 501st, which consists of stormtroopers, Darth Vader and a myriad of other bad guys, is not typically what one expects to see visiting sick children at a hospital or raising money for Autism Awareness or Cancer Treatment, but as their motto says, they are “bad guys doing good.”
Until 2015, Gary’s mission of helping others was carried out openly, without a disguise. Coming from a military family, he followed in their footsteps and enlisted immediately after graduating from high school. After his military service, Gary pursued a career in nursing, where he dedicated himself to helping others and saving lives—a path that eventually led him to the Florida Panhandle.
“I really fell in love with the excitement of helping people and saving lives,” he says. “ It was a gratifying feeling. I went home feeling that I did something good for that day. In 2010, I came down as a travel nurse on a couple of assignments and fell in love with the area. I was hitting all the ERs and ICUs of all the hospitals in the area trying to get a feel for where I wanted to make home. I had come down to Fort Walton for a couple of contracts and it was the view of the beaches. I had always grown up next to the water. I grew up in California then Washington with the military and went to Missouri and lived there for almost fourteen years which was close to lakes. When I came back down here as a travel nurse, that’s when I said, I have to be by the water.”
According to Gary, his goal of helping people would get an unexpected boost during a trip to Walt Disney World. “In May of 2015, Disney World was having a Star Wars Celebration and I loved Star Wars. So, some friends and I go down to Disney World and are just enjoying the costumes. We just thought that they were Disney actors, I had never even heard of the 501st. We are walking around taking photos and they mentioned a parade. Later that day they block off the street and the Empire March starts playing and coming around the corner is Darth Vader with a big banner that says 501st Legion with all these stormtroopers and it’s just breathtaking. So, I googled the 501st legion and that’s when I realized I could dress up as a Star Wars character and help people.”
For Gary, joining the dark side was the perfect way to spread light and hope. “The 501st’s mantra is “Bad Guys Doing Good.” So, we are basically the bad side of the Star Wars franchise, from the Empire to the First Order. The 501st is an all-volunteer organization that is free to get into, but you have to have a movie-quality costume.” They do a variety of fun things, from attending comic cons and building movie set props to stopping in at conventions to get the word out. “ At these comic cons, we try to raise money through photo-ops and just ask for donations. We will usually pick a charity such as Peter Mayhew Foundation, which is a Star Wars organization that helps children, and donate all the money to that charity.”
It’s not just comic conventions and hospitals that Gary and the 501st march into, you can also find them at community events such as the upcoming May 4th Star Wars Event happening in downtown Panama City. According to Gary however, there is one event that is particularly close to his heart.
“In December, we do another charity event called ‘850 No Kids Left Behind’ Toy Drive. We give out over twenty thousand dollars’ worth of toys, from bikes to Barbie dolls. I know we have Santa Claus here, but how about Storm Troopers? We tried it out and everybody loved it. We’ve been doing it for about six years now. We usually have twelve to fifteen tables full of toys.”
For Gary, it’s these interactions that make it all worthwhile. “If I make someone smile for a day and for one day take them away from any pain and misery they are having, that makes me feel like I’ve done something for my day, I didn’t waste my day not doing anything.” For more information about the 501st Legion visit 501st.com.
