The Fleet Sheet

A monthly Newsletter from the Navy League

Vol. No. 15 No. 1 December/January, 2013/2014

From the Bridge JOIN US - See our Website - http://www.mayportnlus.org Mayport Navy Leaguers - This has been a very exciting pe- riod! NEXT DINNER 17 January 2014 At the end of October, the USS RADM Ricky Williamson Zephyr (PC 13) and USS Torondo (PC Commander 14) arrived to join USS Shamal (PC 13) in Navy Region Southeast calling Mayport home! Guest Speaker In November we helped the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville sponsor a The dinner reservation form is on Women's Leadership Symposium for Men page 7 and only requires two (2) and Women. The symposium was held at snips of the scissors to cut off the the Everbank building auditorium to an return portion! almost capacity crowd - about 50 - 50 men and women! The symposium had a junior and senior panel - some very experienced leaders at both levels - and the advice and comments that were RUBIO, TESTER provided were simply "spot on!" The stage-setter presentation was by our INTRODUCE Mayport Chaplain Rector - the Military Chaplain of the Year and she nailed it. Donna Deegan was the noon keynote speaker and was great. Focused work- MEASURE TO RAISE shops in the afternoon. It was a very, very good day! On 6 December, I was privileged to fly out in a Marine V-22 and em- MILITARY bark in USS New York (LPD 21) for her transit into her new home port - it PAY was a great trip in with Congressman Crenshaw, Mayor Brown and other local dignitaries. Once moored, there was a super welcoming ceremony that in- cluded Senator Nelson and a letter from Senator Rubio. New York is a beauti- U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) ful ship and her crew is simply superb! She will be joined next year by USS and Jon Tester (D-MT) today intro- Iwo Jima and USS Fort McHenry. duced an amendment to the National This is last opportunity for me to pen a "From the Bridge" article for Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) our Fleet Sheet (Rick Costner will take the helm at the 16 January dinner). Our that would raise the salaries of active By-laws require that the outgoing President give a "State of the Council" to the membership on the occasion of turning over the leadership of the Council. I duty military personnel by 1.8 would like to take this forum to provide that status to you. percent. Membership - we are not holding our own. While our retention is at 81%, our membership has declined this year from 374 to 341 as of 30 Novem- In its current form, the NOAA in- ber 2013. So far in 2013, 170 of the 210 eligible members have renewed their cludes President Obama's original membership. The data is from the Navy League HQ data base. budget request for a 1.0 percent in- Financial - We have $46,672.60 in council operating funds as of 30 crease - even though a 2004 law November. In addition, we hold money in trust for the Mayport Sea Cadets requires that military pay be linked who use the interest to support their activities. to the Economic Cost Index, which would be 1.8 percent this year. Con’t on page 2 Con’t on page 3

We want to hear from YOU! Please let us know how you like the new layout for The Fleet Sheet

Contact Pat Pumphrey E-mail - [email protected]

From the Bridge - Con’t from page 1

. We had some very successful fundraising events this year: the Silent Auction, Birdies for Charity, Holiday Pops. Chip in for Youth went to support our Youth Programs (JU NROTC, Terry Parker High School NJROTC and Mayport Sea Cadets) and Wreaths Across America proceeds went to our Sea Cadets. Navy Leaguers donated 98 hours of labor at a TPC concession area to raise $604.64 to support the Sea Cadets. The Sea Cadets work the Envi- ronmental Engineering Effort (Trash Patrol) at the TPC and raised $5,000.00 - they are self sufficient with this major effort each year and can focus the rest of their year on professional development. No- Dough Dinners at the Mayport USO - Your council sponsors 4 dinners. 24 volunteers helped feed ap- proximately 1,000 active duty or their families. In addition, Mayport Navy Leaguers pitched in and helped with 3 other No-Dough Dinners that are sponsored by organizations or personnel associated with our Sea Services. Transition - Goals, Plans, Success (T-GPS) Classes for Retiring or Separating Personnel - your council pro- vided Discussion Leaders to all 34 of these classes which helped about 780 Sailors transition to civilian life. Our Dis- cussion Leaders are all experienced, retired Navy Officers who have "been there - done that!" Ship Greeting - 6 ships returned from major deployments and 4 ships changed homeport to Mayport - all 10 of these ships were met by a team of your Navy Leaguers - every person on the pier, from little children to great Grandparents, was given an American Flag to wave as the ship came along side - we handed out over 2,500 flags to family and friends greeting their loved one's return home! A great sight! Coast Guard Picnics - we sponsored two picnics with Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville - a great chance to meet and talk with some wonderful Coast Guardsmen and to see their ships and craft! Sailor of the Quarter Luncheons at Mayport - with our partners, NFCU, Morris Busbia GEICO, Tulsa Weld- ing School and First Command Financial Services, we sponsored 4 of these luncheons - we underwrote the lunch cost for the honorees and their families. Individual Augmentee Luncheons - as we are drawing down in Afghanistan, there are fewer and fewer IAs going forward so only one lunch honoring them was held this year at NAS Jacksonville, Your council, in partnership with Orange Park Rotary Clubs underwrites the luncheons, the plaque, certificate, and coin provided to each honoree. Honors Support Team - in partnership with St. Augustine and Jacksonville Councils, your Mayport Council underwrites some extra-ordinary dry cleaning costs for the Sailors who provide the Honors Details at the funerals at Jacksonville National Cemetery. These Sailors must be in inspection quality uniforms at all times - in all weather. They are not provided the funding to cover these extra-ordinary dry cleaning cost, so we help with "chits" to a local dry cleaner. Battle of Midway Dinner - the past several years, under the leadership of our John Vargo, our Battle of Mid- way Event & Dinner has transitioned from a downtown hotel to the World Golf Village - and has increased atten- dance from about 250 to over 800 as a high with last year at over 650 attendees. Behind this, John has led the Battle of Midway event, fundraising and cost control so that we have recovered all previous years losses and now have money set aside to begin the work required to produce the next years event. This is simply a huge, major achievement and between John Vargo and Bill Dudley and their team - they got us back where we should be both financially and in attendance. Communications - We have a new and highly professional web site - (http://www.mayportnlus.org) We have a new Mayport Council e-mail account - [email protected] Your newsletter - The Fleet Sheet - has been redesigned to be more eye-appealing, readable and functional. Marines at BIC - we provided professional reading books from the Commandants reading list for the NCOs of the Quarter and we provided Commissary Gift Cards to the 1st Sergeant to help Marine families at the Holidays. In addition, we have provided a range of keynote dinner speakers that covered many different subjects in an effort to keep our Mayport Navy Leaguers abreast of things impacting or affecting our Sea Services as well as our local history and port operations.. These are not things that the President has done - it has been a true team effort by your Mayport Council 2013 Officers, Board and Committee Chairs - a team of truly dedicated and professional volunteers - I encourage you to join in these great activities and events - you can make a great difference - please!

George Huchting President - Mayport Navy League

2 From the Congressional Calendar Of Affairs Chairman - Con’t from page 1 Coming Events 1st Tuesday of every month - 'The men and women of our military make huge sacrifices Board Meeting - Queens Harbour for our nation and have earned the chance to be compen- 4 p.m. - All members welcome sated accordingly. Passing this amendment will have a di- 2nd Wednesday - Join us for a Mixer rect positive impact on our military volunteers and their 5 to7 p.m. - Culhane’s Irish Pub families," said Rubio. "Congress and the President should 3rd Thursday of every month - be following the laws already on the books to provide ap- Mayport Council Dinner propriate compensation to the members of the armed 6 p.m. - Ocean Breeze forces. As we continue to deploy troops all around the world to fight terrorism, respond to disasters and defend our interests, we have a duty to take care of them and their families."

"This amendment ensures our military men and women

receive a pay raise consistent with current law and in line

with growth in the private sector," said Tester. "Though January 16, 2014 - our military makes up just one percent of our population, Dinner at Ocean Breeze - p.m. service members and their families shoulder tremendous Installation of 2014 Mayrport Navy burdens and make great sacrifices to keep us safe and League Leadership Team maintain our freedom. We owe it to them to make sure RADM Rick Williamson they can take care of their families." Commander, Navy Region SE

Guest Speaker J. Michael McGrath Congressional Affairs Chairman

New Security Requirement REMEMBER TO For those of you who need base access for the Dinners, it SAVE THE DATE - will be necessary to include with your request all of the June 7, 2014 following information for all occupants of the vehicle - Battle of Midway Event & Dinner For Base Access - Base Security now has a requirement Renaissance Hotel - for Full Name (as on Driver's License) & Date of Birth for ALL oc- World Golf Village cupants in the car. AND THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF ALL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS (THIS IS NEW) This information must be submitted on the Base Access list to the Security Office for the dinner. Place your Ad This information should be provided on the reverse side of Here the dinner reservation form. To

This is only needed for folks who do not have DoD or Support the Sea Services MWR stickers. $35 for one month $250 for one year (10 issues)

3 Mayport Navy League

2014 Preliminary Schedule of Events

Note - some opportunities come up at very short notice and we do not have time to get in The Fleet Sheet - so - We send out the notice by e-mail - do we have your e-mail? If not or if in doubt - send your e-mail address to: [email protected] and we will get it into the system! Board of Directors - meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month (except July) - 4 PM at Queens Harbor (try to hold to 1 hour - bar is open after!) - All invited - come be part of planning and making things happen! Join-ups - Casual get together on the 2nd Wednesday of each month - 5:30 PM at Culhanes Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach (no- host) Ship Greeting - Meet ships as they return from major deployments and hand out flags to families on the pier - Dates and times are provided on relatively short notice due to security of information about ship movements - Actual date, time and berth pro- vided by our Mayport Navy League e-mail - do we have your e-mail? Events - 22 May - Congressional Update Unless otherwise noted, dinners are at: Ocean Breeze Congressman Crenshaw invited Conference Center, Social Hour - 6 PM - Dinner - 7 PM 7 June - Battle of Midway Event & Dinner Keynote Speaker or Presentation - 8 PM - Entree choice & Renaissance Hotel - World Golf Village RSVP will be in The Fleet Sheet 19 June - Informal Outdoor Event 6 - 14 January - working with the Commanding Officer, At the quarters of Admiral and Mrs. Harris and Captain and Mrs. Blount Island Command (BIC) for: McCall Tour of BIC and of a Pre-Positioning Ship being loaded out to deploy - Details will finalize after The Fleet Sheet 23 June - Mayport Navy League sponsored No-Dough Dinner goes to press so - More information will follow via e-mail Mayport USO do we have your e-mail! 18 September - Youth Night - Honoring and Focusing on: 16 January - Commander, Navy Region South East - JU NROTC, Terry Parker High School NJROTC & RADM Rick Williamson Mayport Sea Cadets Installation of 2014 Mayport Navy League Leadership Team 22 September - Mayport Navy League sponsored No-Dough Dinner - Mayport USO 20 February - Individual Augmentee (IA) Luncheon - Naval Air Station Jacksonville - 11 AM - 1 PM 16 October - Major Fundraiser - Silent Auction (?) Dinner - Marine Corps Focus Night - Honor - Blount Is- land Command Marine of the Year 23 October - Coast Guard Cook-out & Picnic with Mayport Navy USS New York - working with the ship and their sched- League - At Sector Jacksonville pavilion ule: Propeller Club, CG Auxiliary and others invited - fun afternoon Event in USS New York for Northeast Navy event Leaguers - Event for the crew - More information will follow 7 & 8 November - US Naval Academy Glee Club at the Times Do we have your e-mail! Union Center - Working which night will be a Mayport Navy League night - more to follow 20 March - Coast Guard Focus Night - Keynote Speaker - Flag Officer from CHG HQ invited 20 November - Dinner Program in development Honor Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville Coast Guardsman 8 December - Mayport Navy League sponsored No-Dough Dinner of the Year Mayport USO

24 March - Mayport Navy League sponsored No-Dough December - Program in development - Holiday Pops event or ??? Dinner - Mayport USO 17 April - Navy Focus Night - Mark your calendar for these events and support your Sea Ser- Keynote Speaker - to be determined vices! Honor Mayport Sea, Air and Shore Sailors of the Year 4 Mayport Council - November Dinner

Tom Pumphrey, Charlene Kurth, Ron Kurth Josi Hunt, Gloria McGrath and Reyna McCall Len Cook and Joy Cook

That’s the COBB SALAD! Just delicious

The Hoffer’s were celebrating their Wedding Anniversary

Mayport Sea Cadet Color Guard

Our Guest Speaker Brian W. Taylor, JAXPORT 5 Returning Member RADM (Ret) Gene Kendall Executive Officer with George Huchting Welcome Back! 5 USS New York Arrives in new homeport - Mayport!

USS New York Arrives in new homeport - Mayport! As many of you saw on the news, USS New York (LPD-21) stood into her new homeport - our homeport - Mayport mid-day Friday, 6 December. I was privileged to fly out to the ship in one of the Marine Corps' new V-22s. This is the plane that can take off vertically and then transition and fly like an airplane. In the picture, you can see two V-22s on the flight deck of New York. The ride is great and you really don't know when you are changing from regular horizontal flight to vertical flight for landing on the ship. Check that of my "Bucket List!" The ship is immaculate and the crew is simply superb. Congressman Crenshaw, Mayor Brown and other local city officials flew out as well - and we all had a great tour of the ship. After mooring, there was a formal "Welcoming" that included Senator Nelson and a letter from Senator Rubio as well as remarks from Florida State area leaders and Admiral Gortney - Commander, Fleet Forces Command. Your Mayport Navy League team was on the pier ensuring that everyone had their American flag to wave - it was a beautiful day in every way! Welcome to Mayport - USS New York! George Huchting P.S. - we are working to have an event in USS New York some time after the ship settles into Mayport - Spring?

6 6

You Are Cordially Invited to Mayport Council Navy League Monthly Dinner Thursday January 16, 2014 Ocean Breeze Conference Center - Naval Station Mayport Six O'clock Cocktails - Cash Bar Seven O'clock Dinner

Tossed Fresh Green Salad with choice of 2 dressings Prime Rib or Crabmeat Stuffed Flounder or Cobb Salad Herb Roasted Red Potatoes, Medley of Fresh Garden Vegetables Desert Station

Guest Speaker - RADM Ricky Williamson, Commander, Navy Region Southeast

Reservations Must Be Received by Friday, January 10, 2014 Please complete and return with your check payable to MAYPORT NAVY LEAGUE or visit our website www.mayportnlus.org for payment by PayPal YOU MUST CANCEL BY NOON, MONDAY, January 13, 2014 TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY BACK PAYMENT AT THE DOOR without reservation is $35 - We cook to Reserations PLEASE MAIL YOUR CHECK IN THE ENCOSED ENVELOPE, Addressed to Mayport Navy League, Treasurer, P.O. Box 331944, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-1944 Any questions, please call Bob Price, (904) 246-9982 ------

NAME______PHONE______

E-Mail ______

Change of Address - Please use form on reverse side

I HAVE ENCLOSED MY CHECK FOR $______I need Base Access _____ Please use form on reverse side

FOR ______RESERVATIONS. ______Prime Rib - $30.00 ______Flounder - $25.00 ______Cobb Salad - $15.00 (Please indicate choice)

I need base access - ______Change of Address - Please form on reverse side Please use form on reverse

7

Rear Admiral Ricky Williamson

Commander, Navy Region Southeast

January Guest Speaker

Rear Adm. Williamson is a native of Jacksonville, Fla. He is a 1985 graduate of the Naval Academy, where he re- ceived a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. His early sea assignments include tours in USS Dewey (DDG 45), USS Briscoe (DD 977), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), and executive officer in USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60). He commanded USS Simpson (FFG 56) during NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Atlantic 2004 deployment to the United States, the first such visit by NATO to the United States after 9/11. Under his command, Simpson won two Battle E’s. Ashore, his assignments include tours in the Washington-area as the executive assistant to Commander Navy Installations Command, and deputy director of Plans and Policy. Additionally, he served as a lead examiner of both the Steam and Gas Turbine Branches at the Propulsion Ex- amination Board at Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. In May 2006, Williamson served as the executive officer of the Command Leadership School in Newport, R. I. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the commanding officer of . During this tour, Naval Base San Diego was selected as the 2010 Presidential Installation Excellence Award and the 2011 Presidential Green Government Award. Williamson earned a Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1990 and is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va.

For Base Access - Base Security now has a requirement for Full Name (as on Driver's License) & Date of Birth for ALL occupants in the car. AND THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF ALL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS (THIS IS NEW) This information must be submitted on the Base Access list to the Security Office for the dinner. Full Name______

Date of Birth ______

Last 4 digits of Social Security Number ______

CHANGE OF ADDRESS -

______Name ______Street Address ______City, State & Zip Code

8 Sea Cadet News Our Mayport Division Sea Cadet unit and the Manatee Division were invited by Centurion Sea Cadet Division from Orlando to participate in their annual FTX (FTX stands for field training exercises) training in Ocala National Forest at the Doe Lake campground. Centurion and Manatee adults arrived on Thursday and established the base camp, kitchen and set up tents for the cadets. The kitchen/dining hall was used for classroom and doctor's office in addition to feeding 3 meals to the 140 cadets and staff. The cadets showed up on Friday and had their sea bags and gear checked. Orientation included briefings for bears, snakes and hunters and the importance of not going anywhere without a battle buddy. There were 4 SEALs and a couple of retired Spec Ops personnel who worked with the 110 cadets on teamwork skills. After they all had been through trainings for recon, assault, inflatable boats and extraction techniques they were given a mission scenario for a night operation and were split into two groups of four teams. They had an oppor- tunity to do a walk-through before dinner. The fun started after dark. One team did the recon and then reported to a second team responsible for the Assault and "capturing" a base CO. The prisoner was delivered to a boat team who paddled him across the lake and delivered him to an extraction team. It was done as a com- petition with the winning team getting a big bowl of ice cream to eat while the los- ing team watched. The trainings and the operations were run in the rain. Sunday morning after breaking camp they had a chance to battle each other with the airsoft weapons, (they shoot plastic BBs), they had brought with them. Everyone who participated wore appropriate safety gear. It was a wet weekend - raining when we arrived on Friday - finally subsided after 9 pm Saturday. Some of the cadets had never been away from home much less camping. Injuries were limited mostly to mosquito bites, blisters and small cuts. Everyone had a good time and is looking forward to doing it again next year. Most of our group slept in the vans on the way back. We owe Centurion a huge Thank you ! They coordinated the training, organized location and supplied instructors, and made sure everyone was fed.

It is with much regret that I pass along to you the notice that Morgan Fitch (former Navy League National President) pass away on November 18, 2013.

Not only the “founding father” of the Naval Sea Cadets, Morgan was a substantial benefactor and ardent supporter of our Sea Cadets for the past fifty years.

He will be missed.

9

USS Zumult DDG 1000

This futuristic ship was launched without ceremony (due to the travel limitations of sequestration) at Bath Iron Works, Bath Maine on 28 October this year. This ship is the result of over a decade of major investment in research and development of new systems and designs. Equipped with two (2) 155 MM guns that can fire Long Range Land Attack Projectiles with pin point accuracy some 63 nautical miles inland. The ship was originally intended to be a 32 ship class that would provide close gun fire support to forces (Army, Marine Corps, allies) maneuvering ashore while standing off over the horizon. The new technology includes a vertical launching system that runs along the outside of the hull for various types of missiles as well as significant ASW, AAW and EW capabilities. The Integrated Power System provides significant electrical power for the weapons systems and for the newly designed electric propulsion. Major effort has been invested in hull and superstructure design in an order to reduce the radar signature of the ship as a major capability in self defense - if you cannot see it - you have a really hard time hitting it. The superstructure is composite with the radar and communication antennas imbedded. The composite superstructure for DDG -1000 and 1001 is built in Huntington-Ingalls shipyard in and shipped to Bath, Maine for installation. DDG -1002 will have a steel deck house. As of this time, there are only three (3) of these ships being procured. The ship will have a crew of 130 and this futuris- tic ship will be commanded by Captain James Kirk USN - and, no - we did not make this up!

BATTLE OF MIDWAY DINNER - 2013 Special Thanks to our Sponsors - It was a GREAT Success!

The Boing Company Florida Times Union Tulsa Welding School Morris Busbia GEICO Pat Ray PacOrd Inc Renaissance World Golf Village Resort USAA - United Services BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards Automobile Association Bill McLoughlin Navy League - Mayport Council Navy Federal Credit Union and Marge Petschke Navy League - St. Augustine Council VyStar Credit Union Rosanne Jameson Florida Blue First Coast Commandery - and Bill Boydstun Northrop Grumman St. Augustine Naval Order

10 Membership Application Type of Membership (Please circle one)

______One - Year Membership $50.00 Name (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.) First, Middle Initial & Last Name Two - Year Membership $90.00 Save $20 over 1 year rate ______Three - Year Membership $125.00 Name of Spouse (Mr., Mrs., Dr., Etc.) First Middle Initial & Save $25 over 1 year rate Last Name Life Membership - Age 55 & below $1,000.00 Life Membership - Age 56-75 $750.00 ______Life Membership - Age 76 & above $500.00 Address Number, Street (Apt. Suite, P.O. Box) Husband/Wife Membership $85.00 Active Duty Spouse $30.00 ______City State Zip Code ______Method of Payment Email Date of Birth ______Home Phone # Business Phone # Check enclosed (Make payable to NLUS) or ______Sponsor's Name Sponsor's Membership # Charge my Visa Mastercard AMEX ______Mayport Preferred Council

Mail your application to ______NLUS, Name on Card

P.O. Box 2208, ______Merrifield, VA 22116-9958 Card Number or give to a Mayport Council Member Thank you ______Expiration Date Signature

Corporate and Community Affiliate Membership - What’s is all about! The Corporate Membership program is struc- Community Affiliate Memberships tured to help industry maintain a strategic posi- demonstrates a company's commitment to the local tion in front of key military, civilian defense, and council and a desire to support and advance the homeland security decision objective and purpose of the Navy League. This makers. From Washington, DC programs to local membership is designed for companies whose events with our Councils nationwide, the Navy business is primarily local rather than national in League can help enhance your company's brand scope. Community and patriotic reputation among industry and Affiliate membership demonstrates your desire to military leaders alike. support young people through our special youth programs and scholarships. Council activities range from special military installation visits and ship tours or cruises to a wide variety of social events as luncheons or dinners during which members of the Sea Services are honored or presented with awards. Council members work together to foster common local interest and to promote maritime issues of national importance.

And along the way, we have a great time! 11

MAPORT FLORIDA COUNCIL of The NAVY LEAGUE of The U.S. NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE P.O. Box 331944 PAID Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 Permit 1249 Jacksonville, Florida

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Officers President - George Huchting - (904) 280-9807 Immediate Past President - Dennis Stokowski -(904)307-5289 First Vice President - Rick Costner - (904)645-5299 Vice Presidents Administration - Rosanne Jameson - (904)491-5140 Operations - Brian Kennedy - (904)992-4159

Secretary - Debbie Herrera - (904)288--1901 Treasurer - Robert W. Price - (904)246-9982 Chaplain - Jim Mennis - (904)241-7019 Judge Advocate - Dan McCarthy Newsletter- Pat Pumphrey - (904)280-0941

Thank you to our Corporate and Community Affiliates Members

Corporate Member - Community Affiliates -

Tulsa Welding School All Purpose Printing and Graphics, Inc. Atlantic Eye Institute BAE Systems SE - Mayport CDI Government Services Culhane’s Irish Pub, Inc Calling all local business - Hampton Inn & Suites Navy Federal Credit Union Join up as Community Affiliates and Support Oto Melara North America The Mayport Council and The Sea Services. Quinn Shalz A Family Funeral Home Community Affiliate membership is $400 per Renaissance Resort At World Golf year. Smart Pharmacy, Inc. Call Debbie Herrera, (904) 288-1901 for vari- ous levels of Corporate Membership. 12