Soundings (12/2/08)
Visiting Rotarians: Rear Admiral James Symonds
Holiday concert and program December 16th.
NO MEETING December 23 and 30th!
Stephanie announced District 5050's first annual Adventures in Leadership event will be held on February 27 to March 1, 2009 (Friday evening to Sunday noon) at Camp Alexandra in White Rock, BC. The cost to the club is $250 per applicant. This is our youth leadership program for high school students. We need applicants in the 10th and 11th Grades (ages 15 - 17)! See the District Website or Stephanie for details.
Tonja: Grape and Gourmet netted about $47,000.
Matt Rose asked everyone to sign-up for Salvation Army bell ringing: Saturday the 20th. See sign-up sheet.
Bucks in the Bay
Bill Gorman said his son Sean (Shawn?) was accepted to go to Washington DC January 16 - 21 Jan, and witness the Obama inauguration;
Ron Hardesty for first anniversary with wife Pam, thanks to ten wonderful years in Rotary, and his 60th birthday!
Larry Andreeson for Husky football season, and a leave of absence to spend the winter in AZ (partial retirement);
Scott Walker announced his wife would be succeeding Tim Krell at First American Title;
Patti Imhof and Steve Kimberly are having another grandchild!!!
Tonja said Rob Slater got his board-certification as educator!
Mike Hammas for missed meetings, Hospice auction broke fund raising record, bidding for Frank Chmelik;
Sergeant at Arms by Denise Bosman
Fines for Mayor Dan, real estate agents and school educators, Bill Gorman, Dick, Gerald, everyone has put up decorations, Bryant "Bah Humbug" Engebretson;
Program
Chip Hilardes introduced Rear Admiral James Symonds, in charge of Navy Region Northwest, and based out of Everett. He spent his first 18 years of service on Whidbey Island, and has recently moved back to the Northwest after a term on the East Coast. Symonds introduced his aid, Lt. Dave Burke.
Rear Admiral James Symonds gave us a picture of the Navy and what it represents in the Northwest. The Navy Region Northwest has the third largest fleet in the country (behind San Diego and Virginia). His command stretches from Wyoming to Alaska. The main Northwest Navy ports are Everett, Whidbey and Bremerton. Over 700 people from this area have been deployed to the Arabian Gulf conflicts: Two aircraft carriers, 14 subs, 5 cruiser/destroyers, airplanes, etc. The Navy has a huge Northwest presence: 150,000 people are directly of indirectly connected to the Navy here. The Navy is one of the largest employers in the area, but most people aren't even aware of that. The Northwest Region command is part of US Pacific Fleet.
Last summer, the Navy drew up an updated "Maritime Strategy" which is based on three elements: Security, Stability and Seapower. Capabilities Of Maritime Power:
1) Forward Presence ;
2) Deterrence ;
3) Sea Control ;
4) Power Projection
And two new ones:
5) Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response ;
6) Maritime Security
Other facets of today's Navy:
- The USS Abraham Lincoln just returned to the Northwest from the Arabian Gulf;
- The Northwest command has air squadrons on the ground in the Arabian Gulf region;
- Navy Seals are a small, elite force to conduct unconventional warfare;
- The Navy's EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) unit is the world's premier combat force for countering IEDs, WMD, and all other types of weaponry.
- Civil Engineering Corps;
- Battling piracy at the Horn of Africa (Somalia and Djibouti);
- Partnerships and involvement off West Africa;
- Fighting drug trafficking in the Caribbean
- Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; The Navy's two hospital ships, USS Mercy and Comfort were on the verge of being decommissioned, but after providing tsunami disaster relief they decided to keep them on.
- And, the Navy tries to be good neighbors here at home, environmentally and economically.
See the Website http://www.navy.mil/
Respectfully submitted,
Stowe Talbot
"To me, boxing is like ballet, except there is no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other."
J. Handey