Vol.41 Issue 58 May 2014

Transcription

1 Vol.41 Issue 58 May 2014 I hope you all enjoyed our fabulous Fleet Week Port Everglades 2014! Once again Broward Navy Days, with the help of the Navy League Councils, pulled off a spectacular week of great events. The USS New York arrived from Jacksonville the morning of Monday, April 28 th. Ten of our Sea Cadets and two of our Sea Cadet staff were on board for the ride along, as were Council member Joe Rodriguez and his son. I heard nothing but rave reviews about the wonderful hospitality shown by Commanding Officer Captain Christopher Brunett and his crew to all of the guests on board. In addition to the crew of over 300 sailors, 100 Marines were also on board for the trip. The USS New York, was joined at the Port by two fast response USCG Cutters, the USCGC Dependable and the USCGC Webber. We also had support from the local military commands. US Southern Command, Navy Recruiting District Miami, Naval Operational Support Center West Palm Beach, and the US Coast Guard all supplied service members to participate in Fleet Week events. The wonderful All Hands Welcome Aboard Party, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Resort, was a huge success. On Tueday night, the Broward County Council hosted a Junior Officers Party at Briny Pub which was a big hit. Community relations events included visits to several local schools in addition to the Joe DiMaggio Children s Hospital, the Chris Evert Children s Hospital, Coral Springs Medical Center, the Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Alexander Nininger Marine Nursing Home. The visit to First Presbyterian Church by sailors from NOSC West Palm Beach, with a delicious lunch, was a great success. Salute to Veterans was also well attended. The Golf Tournament and Take a Hero Fishing event were both very popular, and all of the Sailors and Marines I spoke to enjoyed them immensely. Our Council sponsored the Sea Services Enlisted Person of the Year Awards Ceremony Reception at Blue Martini Lounge on Thursday, May 1st. We had the pleasure of honoring the Enlisted Person of the Year from Carrier Strike Group 12, the USS New York and the local Navy, Marine & Coast Guard commands. Our Guest Speaker was CMC Isbell from the USS New York. It was a thrill to recognize and celebrate these exceptional young service men and women. The onboard reception on Friday, May 2 nd, featured the awarding of the French Legion of Honor Medal to 22 American World War II Veterans who served in France The incoming students admitted to the US Naval Academy and the US Coast Guard Academy were also recognized. This multi-generational tribute to our military was followed by a delicious buffet reception. I will treasure the gift I received from Rear Admiral Kovacich, a framed photo of the USS New York with embroidered insignia from the ship and Strike Group 12, signed by the admiral and Captain Brunett. A highlight of the week was Galley Wars, held on TABLE OF CONTENTS: continued on page 2 Fleet Week Page 2-4 Birthdays Page 4 A Note from Capt. Christopher Brunett Page 5 Guest Speaker April Joint Dinner Meeting Page 6-7 This Month in Naval History Page 8 View From the Bridge Page 9 Guest Speaker May Dinner Meeting Page 10 FLC Adopts USCGC Richard Etheridge (WPC-1102) Page 11 Image 360 Receives Awards Page 12 Capt. Bob Papp to receive Arleigh Burke Award..... Page 13 Two Former Sea Cadets Commissioned Page 13 Naval Aviation Vision Page14-15 Social Calendar Page 16 Community Affiliates Page 17

2 continued from page 1 Saturday evening at Hugh s Culinary. It was exciting watching the teams working feverishly to concoct original recipes from the surprise secret ingredient, a huge, fresh yellow fin tuna. The winning culinary team was Coast Guard District Seven, but all participants created delicious dishes, and trying them all and voting for our favorites was a lot of fun! I commend Mary Anne Gray, Sebastian Gros, the Broward Navy Days team, the Navy League Councils and all of the local military commands for making Fleet Week 2014 a great success! I am pleased to announce that LCDR Staci Brown, USCG, the Commanding Officer of our adopted ship, USCGC Richard Etheridge, will be our Guest Speaker at our May 21st Dinner Meeting. She is quite a dynamic young woman. Please read about her in this issue. I hope to see you there. We have not yet confirmed the date for our always popular Summer Picnic at the Beach. This is a wonderful event put on by the Wikbergs and the Pearsons, so I hope you can all attend. Lynn Atkinson Drucker President Fort Lauderdale Council NLUS ALL HANDS ON DECK WELCOMING PARTY NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 2

3 junior OFFICERS PARTY SEA SERVICES ENLISTED PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS RECEPTION NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 3

4 National Order of the Legion of Honor NATIONAL ORDER OF THE LEGION OF HONOR PRESENTATION TO AMERICA S VETERANS DuRING FLEET WEEK 2014 In a moving ceremony on board of the USS NEW YORK, the Consulate General of France in Miami, presented the French Legion of Honour Medals to 22 WWII Veterans with the degree of Chevalier (Knight). The presentation was made by Captain Philippe Petitdidier, French Navy, US CENTCOM and Major David Helly, French Army, US CENTCOM, with the assistance from US Navy officers. All of the veterans were over 90 years old and one of them will be 100 years old shortly. We saw in these veterans the goodness of our great Nation, in the humble way that they responded to the thanks from all the guests at the event. One of them, Isadore Friedman had these words when he received the appreciation for his services: Do not thank me, I was there and I come back, thank the souls of those that did not get back home and those that made it back with physical and emotional wounds. The Legion of Honour is the highest decoration in France and was established by Napoleon Bonaparte on May 19, 1802 as a general military and civil order of merit, awarded without regard of nationality or religion, provided that anybody admitted to the order swears to uphold liberty and equality. During the ceremony Rear Admiral Kevin Kovacich, USN, Commander, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, recognized 12 young men and women that were appointed to US Naval Academy & US Coast Guard Academy Class of 2018 In a more informal setting during the reception, Rear Admiral Kevin Kovacich presented framed pictures of the ship to many of the volunteers for their hard work during the 2004 Fleet Week. To close the visit to the USS NEW YORK, many guests took advantage of guided tours of the ship. WWII Veteran Isadore Friedman and Oscar Romano WWII Veteran Seymour E. (Cy) Mermelstein Lynn Drucker and Rear Admiral Kevin Kovacich, USN Navy League of the united States Fort Lauderdale Council May Birthdays Steven Rosser 5/1 David Nachtwey 5/5 Bill Dukiet 5/6 Nels Pearson 5/8 Jim Ramsey 5/9 David Crane 5/9 Jessica Wink 5/10 Elizabeth Hopwood 5/11 Alicia Romano 5/12 Tanya Wallace 5/14 Rosemarie Dezolt 5/17 Elsie Johns 5/18 Veronika Thorne 5/20 Barbara Graveson 5/21 NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 4

5 A NOTE OF APPRECIATION FROM CAPT. CHRISTOPHER BRuNETT, usn, CO uss NEW YORK (LPD 21) NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 5

6 CAPTAIN AuSTIN GOuLD, jr., uscg, COMMANDER, SECTOR MIAMI GuEST SPEAKER AT joint APRIL 16TH DINNER MEETING Photos courtesy of Charles Schmidt We had a great turnout for the April 16 th Dinner Meeting at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club, held jointly by the Broward Council, Fort Lauderdale Council and Broward Navy Days. Our dynamic and informative speaker, Captain Austin Gould, Jr., USCG, held everyone s attention with interesting tails of migrant and drug interdiction, regulating trade along the Miami River, and a recent oil spill near the Mary Anne Gray, CDR Long, Shelley Beck LCDR Alan Starr s Address Presentation Capt. Austin Gould, Lynn Drucker LCDR Alan Starr with Sea Cadet Color Guard NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 6 continued on page 7

7 CAPTAIN AuSTIN GOuLD, jr., uscg, COMMANDER, SECTOR MIAMI GuEST SPEAKER AT joint APRIL 16TH DINNER MEETING CONTINuED continued from page 6 MacArthur Causeway. It was fascinating to hear about some of the unusual calls that Sector Miami has responded to in their area of responsibility from Fort Pierce to Miami Beach. Also in attendance were Captain Gould s aide, Captain James Pruett, his wife Patricia, and Captain Gould s incoming replacement, CDR Michael Long. Captain and Mrs. Pruett will be departing soon for their next assignment in Guam, and they seem very excited about the move. We welcomed many guests and new members who share our mission of supporting the sea services. It was a great evening of camaraderie and informative exchange. Capt. Austin Gould, BCNL President Glenn Wiltshire Capt. Austin Gould s Presentation FLC President Lynn Drucker, Mary Anne Gray of Broward Nay Days Shelley Beck, George Reeves, Diane Schmidt NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 7

8 This Month in Naval History 7-8 May, 1942 The Battle of Coral Sea - First Carrier vs. Carrier Battle The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought in the waters southwest of the Solomon Islands and eastward from New Guinea, was the first of the Pacific War s six fights between opposing aircraft carrier forces. Though the Japanese could rightly claim a tactical victory on points, it was an operational and strategic defeat for them, the first major check on the great offensive they had begun five months earlier at Pearl Harbor. The diversion of Japanese resources represented by the Coral Sea battle would also have immense consequences a month later, at the Battle of Midway. The Coral Sea action resulted from a Japanese amphibious operation intended to capture Port Moresby, located on New Guinea s southeastern coast. A Japanese air base there would threaten northeastern Australia and support plans for further expansion into the South Pacific, possibly helping to drive Australia out of the war and certainly enhancing the strategic Flight deck of USS Lexington defenses of Japan s newly-enlarged oceanic empire. The Japanese operation included two seaborne invasion forces, a minor one targeting Tulagi, in the Southern Solomons, and the main one aimed at Port Moresby. These would be supported by land-based airpower from bases to the north and by two naval forces containing a small aircraft carrier, several cruisers, seaplane tenders and gunboats. More distant cover would be provided by the big aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku with their escorting cruisers and destroyers. The U.S. Navy, tipped off to the enemy plans by superior communications intelligence, countered with two of its own carriers, plus cruisers (including two from the Australian Navy), destroyers, submarines, land-based bombers and patrol seaplanes. Preliminary operations on 3-6 May and two days of active carrier combat on 7-8 May cost the United States one aircraft carrier, a destroyer and one of its very valuable fleet oilers, plus damage to the second carrier. However, the Japanese were forced to cancel their Port Moresby seaborne invasion. In the fighting, they lost a light carrier, a destroyer and some smaller ships. Shokaku received serious bomb damage and Zuikaku s air group was badly depleted. Most importantly, those two carriers were eliminated from the upcoming Midway operation, contributing by their absence to that terrible Japanese defeat. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command - View on the flight deck of USS Lexington (CV-2), at about 1500 hrs. on 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The ship s air group is spotted aft, with Grumman F4F-3 fighters nearest the camera. SBD scout bombers and TBD-1 torpedo planes are parked further aft. Smoke is rising around the after aircraft elevator from fires burning in the hangar. Note fire hose, wheels, propellers, servicing stands and other gear scattered on the flight deck. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 8

9 VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE April 2014 April began with LCDR Starr representing the Naval Sea Cadet Program attending the South Florida Coast Guard Foundation Gala, held at the Marriot Hotel in downtown Miami. The guest of honor was 4 Star General John F. Kelley, USMC, Commander US Southern Command, and hosted by Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Korn, Commander Seventh Coast Guard District. It was a great opportunity to discuss the success stories of our Cadets, and to thank them all for their support, and training assistance. Our Cadets participated in the Fort Lauderdale Tortuga Music Festival, sponsored by the Guy Harvey Foundation. They worked the entire weekend event under the direction of Fort Lauderdale Emergency Manager, Ensign Jerry Roberts. They worked with the professional threat assessment teams, and manned security check points working with local Law Enforcement Agencies. LCDR Jeff Leibowitz conducted Officer Professional Development Training Courses 101/201 for Staff from Units in our South Florida Region. Flagship Training was held at Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale for 76 Cadets, training in Marksmanship, Knot Tying, Fire Fighting, Stretcher Carrying, and Line Heaving. 10 of our Cadets along with 2 of our Staff, began an Adventure of a Lifetime, by flying to Jacksonville, and boarding the USS NEW YORK, LPD21, for a 3 day transit to Port Everglades for the beginning of Fleet Week The Command Master Chief took good care of our Cadets and they had opportunities other kids could only dream about. They looked like any other qualified member of the Crew, as they stood proudly Manning the Rails in their Dress White Uniforms as the Ship entered Port to a warm welcome with a colorful shower of water from attending tug boats. LCDR Starr is Vice Chairman of Fort Lauderdale Fleet Week, and as a retired Senior Chief Petty Officer, hosted a Reception for All Chief Petty Officers, from the visiting ships and local Navy and Coast Guard Commands. The Cadets held an Evening Colors Ceremony, with all of the CPO s standing in formation, followed by a fly over of a Coast Guard HH-65 Helo, right above their heads. The USS NEW YORK CMC commented in his remarks how sharp our Cadets were, standing Tall and Proud, amongst Hundreds of years of Navy and Coast Guard Experience. LCDR Starr arranged for an After Hours Tour for over 40 Cadets from Spruance and Enterprise Divisions and parents, conducted by the NEW YORK CPO s, lasting up to 2 hours. The USS NEW YORK is unique in the Fleet, as she is constructed from the Steel from the World Trade Center, and there are many Memorials throughout the Ship to the First Responders who lost their lives on 9/11. Respectfully submitted, LCDR Alan M. Starr, NSCC, Commanding Officer/Regional Director NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 9

10 LIEuTENANT COMMANDER STACI K. BROWN, u.s. COAST GuARD GuEST SPEAKER FOR OuR MAY 21ST DINNER MEETING NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 10

11 THE FORT LAuDERDALE COuNCIL FORMALLY ADOPTS THE u.s. COAST GuARD CuTTER RICHARD ETHERIDGE (WPC-1102) The adoption ceremony took place onboard the ETHERIDGE on Thursday, April 10 th at Coast Guard Station Miami. Council members Lynn Drucker, Oscar and Alicia Romano, Chuck Black, Elaine Hogg, and Alan Starr enjoyed meeting with Commanding Officer LCDR Staci Brown, USCG, and the crew of the ETHERIDGE before enjoying a delicious lunch onboard. Alan Starr, Chuck Black, Elaine Hogg, Oscar Romano, Alicia Romano Coucil President Lynn Drucker addresses the crew of the USCGC RICHARD ETHERIDGE (WPC-1102) NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 11

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13 COAST GuARD COMMANDANT ADM. BOB PAPP TO RECEIVE ARLEIGH BuRKE AWARD Mar 17th, 2014 ARLINGTON, Va. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. will receive the 2014 Admiral Arleigh Burke Leadership Award at this year s Sea-Air-Space Exposition. Selected for his outstanding leadership, personal integrity, professional achievement and unselfish dedication to America, Papp will be presented with Navy League s highest honor at the Sea-Air-Space Banquet on April 8 at the Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor, Md. Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, will deliver the keynote address that evening. The Arleigh Burke Award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the highest ideals of the United States and the Navy League. Papp, who assumed the duties of the 24th commandant of the Coast Guard on May 25, 2010, will retire May 30 after 39 years of service. The Admiral Arleigh Burke Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding leader from government (civilian or military), industry, or academia, whose life is in keeping with the example set by Admiral Burke. Papp will receive an engraved bronze medallion. A replica of the Burke destroyer, created by Bath Iron Works, is displayed at Navy League Headquarters with the names of the award recipients. Papp will join them as the 21st Arleigh Burke Award winner. Tags:Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. Admiral Arleigh Burke Leadership Award Navy League TWO FORMER SEA CADETS ARE COMMISSIONED, ONE INTO THE NAVY AND ONE INTO THE MARINE CORPS Robert McStravick graduated from University of Florida and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy Thomas Hixson graduated from University of South Florida and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 13

14 NAVAL AVIATION VISION: A PREEMINENT WARFIGHTING FORCE, TODAY AND IN THE FuTuRE Last February, I shared my vision as the Navy s Air Boss with you for our aviation future based on ensuring a whole, capable and affordable force. Today, I am excited to announce the publication of Naval Aviation Vision, a document that builds upon the pillars of capability superiority, wholeness and maintaining capacity to describe how an even more relevant Naval Aviation force will contribute to our national defense needs now and in the future. The new vision document presents a unified U.S. Navy and Marine Corps view of how we in Naval Aviation intend to fulfill our portion of the commitment made by the Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps to be where it matters, when it matters, by maintaining a robust forward presence and appropriate readiness. This is a collaborative vision shared by Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, Jr., Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation; Vice Adm. David Dunaway, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command; Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, Director, Air Warfare Division; and Rear Adm. William Leigher, former Director of Warfare Integration for Information Dominance all of whom are co-signatories with me of the vision document. Naval Aviation is committed to sustaining our capability advantages today and in the future, and the first section of Naval Aviation Vision, describes how we plan to do so. We highlight some of the key technologies that sustain and advance Naval Aviation s capabilities, such as the F-35B/C Lightning II and the Ford-class aircraft carrier. We have adopted a strategy to deliver integrated warfighting capabilities. The concept of integrated warfighting capabilities is based on identifying, prioritizing and resolving high-priority gaps in kill chains and effects chains the sequence of events that must occur to complete a particular kinetic or non-kinetic mission thread. An F-35C Lightning II aircraft piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Tabert, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, flies the squadron s first local sortie, Aug. 14, The F-35C is the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. VFA 101, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., serves as the F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, training both aircrew and maintenance personnel to fly and repair the F-35C. (U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr./Released) Our missions are moving toward greater integration, both from an operational perspective as well as from the earliest stages of the acquisition process. We can look at air warfare as an example. In the future, air warfare will involve greater integration with other naval aircraft such as the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, EA-18G Growler, and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms such as the MQ-4C Triton and with Navy surface assets through the Cooperative Engagement Capability and eventually the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air operational view. Integrated warfare will be similarly imperative to achieving other Naval Aviation missions, including anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare, strike warfare, expeditionary warfare and information dominance. While we face budgetary pressures and a constant demand for ready Naval Aviation forces, we are committed to ensuring Naval Aviation remains a whole force. The second section of Naval Aviation Vision, describes efforts to ensure Naval Aviation achieves wholeness and affordability. We are implementing should cost strategies that drive productivity improvements and reduce overall costs. Using the Integrated Logistics Support Management System, we will continue to identify components that perform outside established parameters to recognize potential readiness degraders before they affect readiness and costs. We acknowledge the budgetary pressures impacting the Navy s flying hours, and a Proficiency Optimization Working Group is developing analysis and tools to help maintain sufficient readiness despite budget decreases. Lt. Christopher Miller signals an EA-18G Growler, assigned to the Zappers of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, for launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 26, (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Blagoj B. Petkovski/Released) NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 14 continued on page 15

15 NAVAL AVIATION VISION: A PREEMINENT WARFIGHTING FORCE, TODAY AND IN THE FuTuRE CONTINuED continued from page 14 Naval Aviation Vision, concludes with an outline of Naval Aviation s current and projected operational capacity, along with transformation roadmaps that show how we will build the capacity of the future. Today, nearly every aircraft community is in transition to a new, more capable platform. We expect that by 2025 many of these transitions will be complete, with aircraft such as the F-35B/C Lightning II, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and the MQ-C Fire Scout fully operational in the fleet. I encourage you to read Naval Aviation Vision, and share it with your fellow Sailors and Marines. Naval Aviation is a team sport, and each of us plays a uniquely critical role in ensuring our warfighting readiness now and in the future. This vision can help you and our Naval Aviation supporters shape and guide your actions to ensure our continued success as a powerful, combat-ready Naval Aviation force. Fly, Fight, Win! Vice Adm. Buss sends. An F-35C Lightning II aircraft piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Tabert, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, flies the squadron s first local sortie, Aug. 14, The F-35C is the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. VFA 101, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., serves as the F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, training both aircrew and maintenance personnel to fly and repair the F-35C. (U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr./Released) Lt. Christopher Miller signals an EA-18G Growler, assigned to the Zappers of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, for launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 26, (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Blagoj B. Petkovski/Released) NAVY LEAGUE NEWS 15

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17 Fort Lauderdale Council 2014 OFFICERS President: Lynn A. Drucker 1st Vice President: Oscar Romano 2nd Vice President: Abiud Montes 3rd Vice President: Simone Ramos Secretary: Elaine M. Hogg Treasurer: Harvey Kovac Asst. Treasurer: Rosemarie Dezolt Judge Advocate: Capt. Edward R. Fink Asst. Judge Advocate: Richard Chosid EDITORIAL STAFF Lynn Drucker Rudy Oetting Oscar Romano Chuck Black Jim Black BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wednesday, june 4th, 2014 at 3:30 PM SEA CADET HEADQuARTERS Located at: 300 S.W. 25th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL NEXT GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 Coral Ridge Yacht Club 6-7PM Cocktails 7-9 PM Dinner Guest Speaker LCDR Staci K. Brown., uscg Commander of uscgc Richard Etheridge (WPB-1102) RSVP Required! Call no later than noon, Monday prior to the meeting. visit us on the web at FORT LAuDERDALE COuNCIL COMMuNITY AFFILIATES 5700 Griffin Road, Suite 200 Davie, Florida Main Line: Cell: Direct Fax: Gary Pirtle, LEED AP AssistantVice President Offices located in Broward, Dade & Palm Beach CGC