BOSUN`S LOCKER - St. Augustine Navy League

Navy League of the United States
St. Augustine Council
http://www.staugustinenavyleague.org
BOSUN’S LOCKER
3Q2013
Volume 2013 Number 3
Editor: Lee Figliuolo, [email protected], (386) 447-3640
FROM THE BRIDGE:
Navy Leaguers! It’s time for the election of Council Officers and Directors. Your Nominating
Committee has been working since July to develop a succession plan for 2014. The Committee will report
on the succession plan and nominations at the 14 October Council Meeting. The election of Officers and
Directors will take place at the November Council Meeting which is scheduled for Thursday, 21
November. Swearing in of new Officers and Directors will take place at our January 13, 2014 council
meeting. Make sure you have these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.
Also, review the information I distributed earlier this month on council organizational needs. Contact the
Nominating Committee Chairman, Boyd Guttery if you have any questions or interest in volunteering to serve as a leader or
team member. Boyd’s phone is 904-471-6178 and email is [email protected].
The St. Augustine Navy League is having a very active year and there is more to come! By the end of October we will
have presented over 60 awards to Sailors of the Quarter and Sailors of the Year. We also have adopted the USS THE
SULLIVANS and will adopt the USCGC DIAMONDBACK in October.
Don’t miss our Fall Membership Mixer Thursday October 10 at the St. Francis Barracks Officers Club. Council member Jana
Teehan will present pictures and a narrative on her exciting “Band of Brothers” tour throughout Europe. Our military guests will
include CDR Stephen Burdian CO of the USCGC VALIANT and LTJG Johnston Ariail CO of the USCGC DIAMONDBACK.
Our guest speaker for the October 14 council meeting is RADM Sinclair Harris, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern
Command, and U.S. 4th Fleet. There will be a reception with food and refreshments following RADM Harris’s speech. Let’s
have a great turnout for this meeting to honor RADM Harris and his wife, Cora who is a lifetime Navy League member.
The annual St. Augustine Council Golf Tournament is on track for Monday, October 21 at the Grand Haven Golf Club. We
have room for more players and hole-sponsors. So come play or invite a friend who would like to play.
Plan to attend the ceremony for our adoption of the USCGC DIAMONDBACK. The ceremony will take place at the USCG
Cookout at USCG Sector Jacksonville on Thursday 24 October from 3:30pm – 5:30pm. The Mayport Council sponsors this
cookout each year and it is a great opportunity to mingle with the Mayport Council Members and USCG Sector Jacksonville
Officers, Enlisted, and their families.
Don’t forget the important Council meeting on Thursday November 21 where we will elect Officers and Directors for 2014. Also
mark your calendars for the annual Christmas Party on Thursday 12 December at the Marsh Creek Country Club. There will
be no council meeting in December.
On a final note please give generously to The Navy League Washington Navy Yard Survivors Fund! Send your
donations to Jean Hammer: 4553 Coquina Dr. Elkton, FL 32033. Jean will collect all donations and send one check from our
council to the Navy League. Our Board of Directors has guaranteed a donation of $2500 from the St. Augustine Council. Let’s
beat that goal!
God Bless America!
Mike Zollar
President - St. Augustine Council
1
NAVAL AVIATION MUSEUM & NATOONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY
Thirty four members of the St. Augustine council traveled by motor coach to the Naval Aviation Museum in
Pensacola on July 12the. The feature of the trip was the private tour of the National Flight Academy (NFA) on the
Museum campus. The NFA affords students from the 7th through 11th grades a week-long “camp” aboard the USS
Ambition, a 102,000 sq ft, 4 story virtual aircraft carrier. Students live onboard in carrier bunkrooms, eat in the
carrier chow hall, and plan and execute (in simulated carrier aircraft) missions from the current, real-world
environment. Combat activity is NOT part of the curriculum, instead react to missions requiring disaster relief,
search and rescue, emergency response and everyday (non-combat) activities. To ensure the activities adhere to
established academic standards, the program is monitored and evaluated by the University of West Florida. Science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) are the core subjects that the students use in planning, briefing, executing and evaluating the
missions. The emphasis is placed on decision making in an environment of urgency while engaged in the sights, sounds, smells and
physical sensations of carrier flight operations.
The NFA is not part of the Navy or the US Government. It is privately
funded and maintained with the help of prominent sponsors such as
Lockeed-Martin, FedEx, Boeing, Delta Airlines, Northrop Grumman, etc.
Celebrity visitors are frequent participants in the proceedings. Blue
Angel team members sometimes brief the students and Capt. Gene
Cernan, USN (Ret.) the last man to set foot on the moon, is sometimes
seen aboard Ambition, interacting with the students. As the program is
aboard the worlds only land-based virtual aircraft carrier, upon
graduation the students are awarded Ambition Experimental Pilots
(AXP) Wings of Gold and an embossed certificate of completion.
Information about enrollment in the NFA may be obtained at
www.nationalflightacademy.com.
After the very informative tour of the NFA, participants had the
remainder of the day to tour the museum. Later that evening we
enjoyed dinner at the officers club hosted by members of the Pensacola
Navy League council. The next morning we were again free to tour the
museum and then headed for our very comfortable motor coach for the
ride home.
Claude Caviness - Chairman Public Affairs
USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68)
Only one month into deployment, USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) has fulfilled a plethora of special evolutions and port
visits in the 6th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.
First stop while transiting the Atlantic Ocean was in Reykjavik, Iceland. While in port, The Sullivans had the distinct
privilege of sending 28 Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy to a tour of the Icelandic Coast Guard’s
vessel “Thor”. In addition to this tour, ship’s company, including Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Samuel de Castro,
Executive Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Blakeslee, along with Department heads and Second Tour Division Officers, met
with Embassy personnel for a formal get together at the recently built Reykjavik Opera House. Tours were given on
board USS The Sullivans by the commanding officer and executive officer to local dignitaries and embassy personnel in the days
prior to departing for the Mediterranean, and eventually, 5th Fleet.
Before transiting through the Straights of Gibraltar, The Sullivans made a brief port visit in Rota, Spain to receive fuel and allow ship’s
company some leisure time before beginning the busy days ahead.
Rota will homeport four Ballistic Missile Destroyers of the same Arleigh Burke Class as USS The Sullivans in the coming two years
as a part of the phased adaptive approach. While in port, the crew said goodbye to the 28 Midshipmen on board for summer
training.
Shortly after departing from Rota, Spain, The Sullivans made transit through the Straights of Gibraltar. Traffic was light, and many of
the new personnel on board had the opportunity to see the unique passage with breathtaking views of Africa and Europe on either
side, in addition to the Rock of Gibraltar. After a roughly two hour transit through the Straights of Gibraltar, the crew shifted their
sights on intensive Damage Control and Anti-Terrorism Force Protection training to prepare for the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
In the moonlight hours of July 18, The Sullivans
drifted in the vicinity of Port Said, patiently waiting
her turn to enter the Suez Canal. At roughly 4:30
a.m. local time, they made their approach to the
Canal and began the 14-hour transit. During this
transit, they hosted four different pilots, and saw a
myriad of Egyptian sites. The safe transit was slow
and steady, allowing for beautiful views and
another new experience for many of the Officers
and Enlisted personnel.
Lt.j.g. Paul Moe - USS The Sullivans PAO
USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) departing Mayport
2
COAST GUARD DAY
On August 2, the Chiefs of the combined Coast
Guard Detachments in our area sponsored
"Coast Guard Day". This is an annual event
held at the St. Augustine Lighthouse on or near
the anniversary of the founding of the U.S.
Coast Guard.
For the last four years the St. Augustine Navy League has had
council members attending and helping out, and distributing some
NL materials to interested attendees. This year President Mike
Zollar and USMC BIC Liaison Jana Teehan were in attendance.
Coast Guard Chiefs assembled in front of Lighthouse
Jana Teehan - BIC Liaison
NAVY REGION SOUTHEAST
A delegation from the St. Augustine council attended the Change of Command ceremony for
Navy Region Southeast in an August ceremony at NAS Jacksonville. Radm. John C. (Jack)
Scorby USN was relieved of command by incoming CO, Radm. Rick Williamson USN, a
Jacksonville native and 1985 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Radm. Scorby’s
next assignment is as the Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia,
headquartered in Naples, Italy.
Radm. Williamson’s sea assignments include USS Dewey (DDG 45), USS Briscoe (DD 977),
USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and as Executive Officer aboard USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60).
He commanded USS Simpson (FFG 56) during which time the ship won two Battle E’s.
Radm Scorby
His shore assignments include staff duty at the Commander Navy Installations Command and at Commander in
Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Radm. Williamson served as Executive Officer of the Command Leadership School I
Newport, Rhode Island and was Commanding Officer of Naval Base San Diego. Most recently, he served as the
Commander, Navy Region Midwest in Great Lakes, Illinois.
Radm. Williamson
Navy Region Southeast is the Regional Commander and Immediate Superior in Command leading shore
installation management support for 17 installations within the Southeastern United Staes and parts of the
Caribbean – Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
SANL members in attendance at the ceremony were Claude Caviness, Dill Dudley (National Vice President),
Deloris Price, Anita Proffitt (Secretary), Pat Ray, Dave Sullivan (National Director), Mike Zollar (President) and special guest of the
SANL, WEJZ (96.1 FM) radio host Arthur Crofton.
Claude Caviness - Chairman Public Affairs
USCGC Valiant (WMEC 621)
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Valiant, a 210-foot Medium-Endurance Cutter homeported at Naval Station
Mayport and sponsored by the Navy League St. Augustine Council, is currently patrolling the Caribbean Sea in
support of Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South (JIATF-S) for the month of September. Valiant joins other surface
and air assets from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and other foreign and
domestic agency partners in Operation Martillo, a counter-narcotics trafficking effort focused on preventing the
movement of narcotics from South and Central America to the United States. In partnership with an embarked HH65 Helicopter from the Jacksonville-based Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON),
Valiant’s crew is working to disrupt and deter the transportation of illicit narcotics within the region and to prevent them from reaching
the shores of the United States.
U. S. Coast Guard Cutter VALIANT (WMEC-621) on patrol in the Caribbean Sea with
embarked HH-65 helicopter (Photo by PO 3rd Class Justin Brummer, U.S.C.G.
3
U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Valiant refuels the HH-65 helicopter
while in flight (Photo by PO 3rd Class Justin Brummer, U.S.C.G..
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
JROTC Units
All four of the JROTC units had a good recruit turnout at the beginning of their respective schools this semester. The
Nease Naval JROTC unit scored first place in their region early this year. Nationally, they scored second out of 589
NJROTC units and will be presented that trophy from the Navy League at 1400 hours (2:00 pm) on October 15 at the school.
The JROTC Regional Drill Meet at will be held at Nease high school on October 26th. The meet starts about 0700 (7:00 am) and
runs all day till about 1600 hours (4:00 pm). Nease is hosting about 20 regional units competing in this years drill meet.
Matanzas Army JROTC will host a Veteran's Day event on Friday, November 8th at the Matanzas H.S. football field
grounds. All are invited for that program. A program notice will be sent out to all members via e-mail as we get closer to
the date.
St. Augustine Naval Sea Cadet Battalion
Throughout the past quarter all of the cadets were engaged in their respective recruit training and advanced training
modules in-state and out-of-state. These training modules included Airman, Field Operations (SERE) in GA., 1st
class swim trials, MAA. Other activities included approximately 6 color guard presentations and support at
community events.
The scuba team earned advancement by participating in an open water deep spring dive at Blue Springs State Park.
During this quarter many of our cadets advanced to higher rates.
On June 22, the battalion assisted the Florida Historical Society during the reenactment of the " Bloody Battle of Fort Mose",
providing traffic and crowd control, hydration to participants, and presenting the colors by the color guard. The same day the color
guard raised the colors at the St. Augustine American Legion Post to commemorate the dedication of their new flag pole.
The battalion was present to welcome home the USS Hue City after their long deployment at USNS Mayport. Sea cadet Davis's
father, Robert Davis, hosted the cadets aboard for a tour of the ship. Aug 2nd was the USCG annual Family Day outing at the St.
Augustine Lighthouse grounds. The battalion responded with setup/cleanup, operating the cotton candy, popcorn, snow cone
concessions and monitoring of the kiddie rides. A lot of praise came from the “Coasties” and families that day for our help.
SANL Sea Cadets parade the colors on July 13, 2013 at a Jacksonville Jaguars pre-season Game
Bill Hamm - VP Youth Affairs
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
A delegation from our council visited the Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home
(CELSVNH) in August. They presented to the facility a copy of the “Hornet’s Nest”, a
painteing by prominent aviation artist John Shaw (SANL member). The work depicts
the April 1942 deck of the USS Hornet just prior to the launch of the Doolittle raid on
Tokyo, a prelude to the June ’42 Battle of Midway. Ten surviving veterans of Midway
autographed the painting.
Prominent in the ceremony was CPO J. D. Powell,
USN (Ret), a resident of the Lassen Home and
longtime member of the SANL. Chief Powell was a
gunner on a Douglas Dauntless TBD dive bomber at
the Battle of Midway. During WW-II he fought in 13
sea battles, abandoned ship from two aircraft carriers
(including the Hornet), bailed out of two TBD’s and
ditched in the ocean in a third. When asked if he felt
fear during his combat experience, Powell said,
“I was only scared once . . it lasted 30 months.”
Claude Caviness - Chairman Public Affairs
4
Back l- r: Lee Figliuolo, Dave Sullivan,
Claude Caviness, Bill Dudley, Mike Zollar.
Center: Deloris Price, Jana Teehan
Seated: J. D. Powell
USS Hue City (CG 66)
The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), with nearly 4,500
Sailors, deployed from Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Station
Mayport, Fla., Feb. 21, to support operations in the U.S. Navy’s 5th
and 6th Fleet. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN
69), commanded by Capt. Marcus A. Hitchcock, along with German
Frigate FGS Hamburg (F220), commanded by Commander Ralf
Kuchler, departed from Naval Station Norfolk, and the guided
missile cruiser USS Hué City (CG 66), commanded by Capt.
Dan Uhls, from Naval Station Mayport.
Eisenhower and Hué City returned on July 13th, three months
earlier than previously scheduled in order to resurface its flight
deck prior to a planned redeployment.
Jana Teehan
& the SANL flag
The IKECSG is redeploying to support carrier strike group
USS Hue City returns to Mayport, July 13, 2013
presence requirements in the U.S. Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet
area of operations. Working with allied and partner maritime forces, the IKECSG Sailors will focus heavily on
maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of
responsibility.
5
Bosun’s Locker Bulletin
P.O. Box 5194
St. Augustine, FL 32085-
MISSION STATEMENT
BOARD of DIRECTORS
President
VP Military Affairs
VP Membership
VP Communications
Recording Secretary
Treasurer
Judge Advocate
Chair. Public Affairs
VP Youth Programs
Programs & Events
VP Finance
Legislative Affairs
Mike Zollar
OPEN
Bill Dudley
Lee Figliuolo
Anita Proffitt
Jean Hammer
Richard Roth
Claude Caviness
Bill Hamm
Bill Korach
Dean Smith
Dave Sullivan
904-460-1251
904-794-7814
386-447-3640
904-794-6754
904-342-3030
904-797-5933
904-535-7832
386-447-5271
904-461-7046
904-797-4495
386-447-3174
The St. Augustine Council of the Navy League of the of the United States is a civilian organization whose mission is to: Support the objectives of the National Navy League of the United States
and selected active duty Maritime Military units within our reach in the St. Augustine area and to
support local High School JROTC programs
MILITARY LIAISONS
USS Klakring
USS Hue City
USS Farragut
VR-58
CG Sector JAX
USCGC Valiant
USCGC Maria Bray
USCGC Hammer
USCGC Kingfisher
USCG ANT
USCG Sta. Mayport
DESRON 14
CG HITRON
Marine Blount Island
JROTC Units
Sea Cadets
Bill Korach
Willard Gale
OPEN
Franklin Hunt
John Nolton
Ron Powell
OPEN
Tammy Delaporte
Tammy Delaporte
Claude Caviness
John Nolton
George Grech
Paul Kimmel
Jana Teehan
Bill Hamm
Bill Hamm
904-461-7046
904-379-6609
904-262-0166
904-461-3561
904-461-0207
Nease HS NJROTC
904-692-4273
904-692-4273
904-535-7832
904-461-3561
386-445-9362
386-986-8260
904-824-9311
386-447-5271
386-447-5271
St Augustine HS
Matanzas HS
AJROTC
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chairman
Dean Smith
Boyd Guttery
Garry Karsner
904-797-4495
904-471-1651
904-540-4652
CHAPLAIN
Nickolas Marziani
904-460-0535
Flagler/Palm Coast HS
AFJROTC
6