VO LU M E 4 , IS S UE 1
W I NTE R 2014
N AVY LEAG U E O F T H E U N I T ED S TA TE S
w w w . nav yleague.org
THE
NAVY LEAGUER
Navy Leaguers Storm Capitol Hill
Navy League members took their
message to Congress for the firstever Navy League Anchors Aweigh
Fly-In on Nov. 14. Members visited
their congressmen, senators and
congressional staffers as constituents
to advocate on behalf of the Sea
Services, emphasizing their economic
and strategic necessity. The event
was higly successful, with 83 Navy
Leaguers visiting a total of 136
Congressional offices.
Navy Leaguers focused on
shipbuilding, sequestration, the
damages of a continuing resolution,
readiness and operational tempo. The
ships of the Navy and Coast Guard
maintain freedom of the seas so that
American goods from manufactured
products to agriculture from the
heartland of the continent can be
traded safely across the globe. The
budgets of the Sea Services are
Council-submitted photos
2
Pr esi de n t ’ s
Mess a g e
3 Navy
Ball
under great pressure that is made more
intense from the draconian cuts under
sequestration. These cuts harm the vital
shipbuilding industrial base, delicate
maintence and repair schedules, and
the training of our Sailors, Marines,
Coastguardsmen and Merchant
Mariners.
Navy Leaguers urged Congress to
pass a regular appropriations bill so that
the military will not have to rely on a
continuing resolution for funding. Such
resolutions limit the military to the same
funding levels as the previous year,
resulting in money for programs that are
already finished and no funds for new
programs that need to be started.
Readiness and operational tempo
were also main themes of the FlyIn. A lack of shipbuilding funding,
sequestration, and congressional reliance
on continuing resolutions all harm the
readiness of the Sea Services.
Fewer new ships results in current
ships in the fleet being deployed for
longer periods of time which increases
wear and tear in the vessels and
equipment as well as leaving Sailors,
Council-submitted photos
At right:
Top: Curt Goldacker, Ginger Grissom,
Walt Reese, Rep. Gregg Harper, Tom
Pruter, Nanci Pruter and Bill Hewitt.
Bottom: Walt Reese, Tom Pruter, Nanci
Pruter, Rep. Kevin Cramer, Bill Hewitt,
Ginger Grissom, and Curt Goldacker.
Marines, and Coastguardsmen tired and
with less time spend ashore with their
families recovering from the stresses
of deployment. Sequestration and the
prevalent use of continuing resolutions
in lieu of an actual budget exacerbate
these challenges leaving our forces
less ready to respond to potential crises
around the world.
Navy Leaguers brought a strong
message to their members of Congress,
drawing attention to key parts of
our national security and economic
wellbeing. The Navy League members
specifically urged members to reject
changes to the Food for Peace program,
which U.S.-flag Merchant Marine
ships rely on to maintain their civilian
fleet - a vital part of our military sealift
capabiity, and to pass the National
Defense and Authorization Act as soon
as possible.
4
7 O bi t uar i es
At left:
Top: Roger Bing, Rep. Gregory Meeks
and Tom Matteo.
Bottom: Doug Crawford, Karen Crawford, Sen. John Coryn, P. Pasha Baker
and Connie LaSalle.
Mc N e il l Honor ed
S u rv i vor s Fund
6 Counci l
Updat es
9 Ca p ta in
P h illip s
President’s Message
Happy New Year, Navy Leaguers.
I would like to take this opportunity
to let you know what is happening
at the Navy League Headquarters in
Arlington, Va. The professional staff
is headed by Executive Director Bruce
Butler, who oversees support of the
Navy League’s mission at the national
level. The headquarters staff is very
much like a Navy League council,
in that they implement and execute
programs and events to support the
sea services in the Washington, D.C.,
area, as well as supporting you as you
execute our mission in the field.
We currently are getting ready
to conduct the 2014 Sea-Air-Space
Exposition, to be held April 7-9 at the
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, Md.
This is the largest maritime professional development symposium and
expo in the United States, and it is
planned and produced by our headquarters staff. If you can make it to
the Washington area, it would be well
worth your time to attend. Entrance is
free to Navy League members. Other
programs and functions currently
under way at headquarters include
Legislative Affairs’ engagement on
Capitol Hill, Corporate and Membership functions, Membership Services,
Communications outreach and public
relations, and production of Seapower.
We have produced both print and
audio Public Service Announcements
(PSA). The most recent include a full
page in the Jan. 13 issue of Time magazine and audio PSAs featuring Capt.
Richard Phillips that are playing on
radio stations across the country. I will
address each program area in more detail in future issues of the Navy Leaguer.
Navy League has responded to the
problem of sequestration quickly and
with force. A great deal of staff time has
been devoted to leading the opposition
to these indiscriminate, across-the-board
budget cuts. The NL researched and disseminated information on the problems
posed by sequestration to Regional and
Council levels, informed news outlets
of the serious impacts of sequestration,
organized a very successful Capitol
Hill event in November and continues
to maintain contact with Congressional
staffers through Pizza Briefs and Shipbuilding Caucus events.
NL has worked to support and promote the American Merchant Marine
and has been recognized for these
efforts, especially with regard to supporting the Jones Act, which requires
shipping in American vessels. We have
taken on a greater role in informing
Congress about the need to maintain
the shipbuilding industrial base. This is
very important to the economic health
of communities on the Gulf Coast and in
Virginia, Connecticut, Southern California, the Midwest and other areas.
We have implemented a more efficient
notification process to alert Region and
Council Presidents of their new members. This will continue to improve in
2014. We are working on the details of
a strategic membership plan that will
begin in 2014. It will provide feedback
to National NL and provide more tools
for councils to use in the search for new
members. This represents additional expense, but is necessary to stop membership decline and improve retention. We
also will soon have a new structure for
Community Affiliate members that will
provide much greater revenue to councils over the life of these memberships.
The Membership Committee is now
conducting trials of some new actions to
gain more community affiliates.
We’ve set a course for a very busy,
exciting 2014! Please get involved in
an activity with your council.
Seapower Magazine Update
SEAPOWER magazine is online!
Visit our website at www.seapowermagazine.org. More than 15,000
monthly viewers stop by for defense and military news updates throughout each weekday. It’s also home to the digital edition of SEAPOWER.
Or, “like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SeapowerMagazine for even more SEAPOWER coverage, or follow us on Twitter @
SeapowerMag.
Attention Navy League Councils
If you’d like to get the word out about an upcoming event or meeting, please remember that you can receive a 50% discount off an ad in
SEAPOWER. For more information, please contact Advertising Sales
Director Charlie Hull at 301-987-0632 or [email protected].
2 T H E N AVY LEAGUER / Winter 2014
Navy League Hosts CNO’s Birthday Ball
Navy League National Headquarters
was proud to be the host of the 238th
Navy Birthday Ball, held in October in
downtonw Washington, D.C. Special guests included Chief of Naval
Operations ADM Jonathan Greenert,
keynote speaker and Navy SEAL LT
Jason Redman (USN, Ret.), and a performance by country star Mark Wills.
Photographs by Lisa Nipp
American Maritime Partnership Honors Navy
League Support of Civilian Maritime Industry
The American Maritime Partnership
(AMP) has given the Navy League
of the United States a special award
in recognition of the organization’s
consistent and dedicated support of
America’s maritime industry.
The Navy League of the United
States has been a trusted partner of
the sea services since 1902, supporting and advocating on behalf of
the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast
Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine. The 46,000-member non-profit
organization works to educate Congress and the American public on the
importance of strong sea services, in
addition to uplifting the morale of
active duty military and their families
and supporting youth programs like
the Sea Cadets and JROTC to orient
young people to the sea services.
“Supporting a strong maritime presence and the U.S.-flag Merchant Marine is a key component of the work
the Navy League does,” said Navy
League National President James H.
Offutt. “The sealift capability provided by the American maritime industry
is critical to our national security and
economic prosperity.”
Offutt and VADM (ret) Albert J.
Herberger, former administrator for
the Maritime Administration, accepted
the award on the Navy League’s behalf. The award was presented at the
AMP Annual Meeting on Sept. 16 by
James Henry, vice chairman of AMP
and president of the Transportation
Institute.
“America’s domestic maritime
industry owes a great debt of gratitude
to the Navy League for its steadfast
commitment to America’s strong national sea services,” said Tom Allegretti,
chairman of the American Maritime
Partnership. “The League understands
that we are a maritime nation, and our
national and economic securities are
bound together by a robust domestic
maritime industry. AMP and the Navy
League are full partners in the effort to
keep America strong and secure.”
The American Maritime Partnership is
the voice of the U.S. domestic maritime
industry, representing more than 40,000
American vessels built in American
shipyards, crewed by American mariners and owned by American companies. These vessels operate in our waters
24/7, and this commerce sustains nearly
500,000 American jobs, $29 billion in
labor compensation, and more than $100
billion in annual economic output.
T HE NAVY L EAG UE R / W i n te r 2 0 1 4
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McNeill Honored by Submarine Group
Sheila M. McNeill, former Navy
League national president and current
president of the Camden Partnership,
received a big surprise during the
Submarine Group 10 Change of Command ceremony Nov. 22.
The outgoing commander, RADM
Joseph Tofalo, bestowed upon McNeill the title of Honorary Submarine
Group 10 Commander for her tireless
efforts in supporting the Kings Bay
military community.
In his remarks, Tofalo expressed
gratitude to the civilian community
surrounding Naval Submarine Base
Kings Bay. “There are few civilian
communities that are as supportive as
ours, and it’s one of those things that
just makes you feel great about being
an American and living here Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida,”
Tofalo said. “From the Navy League
to the Camden County Partnership,
to our congressman, mayors, county
officials, school districts and first
responders, we are so blessed to have
the outstanding community support
that we have.“
Tofalo pressed on the theme of
community support, specifically recognizing McNeill’s dedication to local
military initiatives.
“Whether it’s Camden Partnership
activities, Georgia Military Affairs
Council advocacy, pulling together
state and local leaders and educators
to help me address our aging TRF
demographic, or flawlessly executing the extremely successful recent
Triad Council, Sheila gives her heart
and soul to the advancement of Kings
Bay,” he said.
RADM Charles A. “Chas” Richard
relieved Tofalo as commander of the
Atlantic Fleet’s Ohio-class ballistic
missile and guided-missile submarines, Submarine Group 10. Vice
Adm. Michael Connor, commander,
U.S. Navy Photo by MC2 Cory Rose
Sheila M. McNeill is presented the
Honorary Commander, Submarine Group
10 title by LT Patrick Shea.
Submarine Forces, served as the guest
speaker for the event and presented the
Legion of Merit to Tofalo for his outstanding job at Submarine Group 10.
McNeill was presented with a specially monogramed hat and certificate as
a token of appreciation in addition to her
honorary title.
From 2003-2005, McNeill served as
national president of the Navy League.
Washington Navy Yard Survivors Fund Closes
The Navy League of the United
States gratefully acknowledges those
who made the Washington Navy Yard
Survivors Fund a success.
Distributions are being made on Dec.
20 to those most affected by the tragedy on Sept. 16, 2013, at the Washington Navy Yard.
Recipients of the gifts were asked
to apply by Dec. 1 to receive financial
assistance.
The Navy League would like to
thank the following for their generous
donations:
Corporations
3Phoenix, Inc.
American Maritime Officers Plans
American Maritime Partnership
CACI, Inc.
CSC Charitable Foundation
Excelis, Inc.
General Dynamics Corp.
General Electric Company
4 T H E NAVY L EAGUER / Winter 2014
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
IHS Jane’s
Imagine One Technology
& Management Ltd.
Innovative Defense Technologies
LLC
L-3 Communications
L-3 KEO
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Matson Inc.
Navy Federal Credit Union — Navy
Yard Branch
PENFED
Pensare Design Group
Raytheon Co.
Rolls-Royce North America
Saab
Saab North America
Satilla Computer Solutions
Textron Marine & Land Systems
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Vericor Power Systems
Washington Capitals
(Lincoln Hockey, LLC)
Organizations
Associated General Contractors of
America
Association of the United States Army
DC Fire Hockey Team
DC Lady Arm Wrestlers
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary
Arts Veterans Club
Metropolitan DC Police Hockey Team
Port of Washington Yacht Club & Gangplank Marina Slipholders Association
United States Navy League Cadet Corps
- Training Ship Reina Mercedes
Navy League Councils
Bakersfield Council
Corona Riverside Council
Greater New Orleans Council
Lake Merritt Council
National Capital Council
Northern Virginia Council
Sacramento Council
Sarasota - Manatee Council
St. Augustine Council
Tampa Council
Twin Cities Council
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Council and Sea Cadet Updates
Williamsburg-Yorktown
Elliot Gruber, new presidenta nd
CEO of The Mariners’ Museum in
Newport News, Va. spoke at a meeting
of the Navy League’s WilliamsburgYorktown Council. Since becoming
the museum’s new president nine
months ago, Mr. Gruber has launched
a significant renovation and upgrade
of the exhibits and displays, and
reorganized major facilities within the
Museum to enhance the experience
and enjoyment of its many visitors of
all age groups.
CAPT Reed Stephenson, USCG,
Commanding OFficer of the Coast
Guard Training Center Yorktown,
spoke at a meeting of the Navy
League’s Williamsburg-Yorktown
Council
USCG Tracen Yorktown is the largest of the Coast Guard’s four training
centers, and annually trans on-site
over 2,600 USCG students and over
250 international maritime students,
and conducts training in the Coast
Guard’s seven operational missions.
Kingsville Council
The Kingsville, Texas council
celebrated its 39th Annual Combined
Service Club Luncheon at Naval Air
Station Kingsville recently. RDML
Roy Kelley, cheif of Naval Air Training, was the keynote speaker. This
year’s honorees were Shannon Misner,
Military Spouse of the Year; ET-3
Scott Dunn, Enlisted Volunteer of the
Year; Kelley; and CAPT Don Nisbett,
Commodore Training Air Wing II.
All local service and civic clubs in
Kingsville participate in the annual
luncheon that recognizes the outstanding contributions made by the mena
nd women at NAS Kingsville to the
community.
Peroia Sea Cadets
U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corp (USNSCC), Pimiteoui Division of Peoria,
ILl., under the command of LCDR
Lisa Strickland, joined Team Rubicon,
a group of mostly veteran volunteers,
in assisting with debris cleanup following an EF4 tornado that ripped
through Tazewill and Woodford Counties in Illinois on Nov. 17. The day’s
6 THE N A VY LEAGUER / Winter 2014
high was 10 degrees farenheight.
Washington, a town of about 15,000
people located east of Peoria, suffered
the greatest damage. Two people lost
their lives due to injuries and more
than 1,000 homes were damaged with
an estimated 500 being demolished.
From Team Rubicon to the local
football teams and church groups,
many have lent a hand to the daunting
cleanup task. Following the Sea Cadets’ day of clean up, the commander
sent this note to the Pimiteoui Division families.
“To those who were unable to make
it, the acdets assisted in clearing one
house of waist-high debris throughout the main part of the house so the
owners could come and retrieve their
personal effects still left in the back
rooms that were unreachable.
“The second house was going to be
taken down that day and some personal items were retrieved from the
more structurally sound areas for the
owners to go through. The house was
then brought down.
“The third site was a complete demolition. We arrived after almost all
of the house had been brought down.
We assisted in clearing the slab of
timbers, carpet, padding, insulation,
glass, etc.”
The Sea Cadets appreciated working
and spending time with the veterans of
Team Rubicon. One cadet commented, “we spend so much of our time
thinking of ways to serve our country
and protecting it in a global way. The
veterans of Team Rubicon reminded
us that our country is our communities. Assisting on the home front is a
vital service to our country.”
Rome Council
The Rome Council organized an
evening dedicated to the Rememberance of Pearl Harbor Day.
It was an ELLE Restaurant near the
U.S. Embassy in Rome.
President Laila Thea Volpe welcomed the Navy League members and
friends by expressing the aims of the
NLUS: to enhance and promote good
relations, understanding, and friendship between civilian and military
worldwide and spread the word that a
strong Navy is the most effective way of
ensuring peace throughout the world.
She further announced the new honorary Presidents of Navy League Rome:
the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, to the
Vatican and to the U.N. Missions.
The guest or honor was RDML John
C. Scorby, Commander, Navy Region
Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia. His
welcome speech attracted the full attention of all present and made for a great
beginning. He congratulated Presisdent
Volpe for her outstanding work for the
past 22 as President. Italy has a NATO
base and is the base for the Sixth Fleet
Flagship and therefore a strategic location.
The guest speaker, CAPT Kenneth
Canete, liason officer to Italy and Hawaii native linked 70 years of History
and its positive outcome. He concentrated on the positive aspects that can
come out of a tragedy like the attack on
Pearl Harbor.
Seattle Council
Seattle Council hosted its Annual Seattle Navy League Sea Services
Lunechon July 25, honoring Canadian
and American Sailors, Marines and
Coasties. In an event that was called
their “best ever” by Past National Vice
President, Tom Jaffa, the council was
able to honor 39 awardees from adopted
units and other local commands. The
council was very pleasedt o be able to
honor 15 sailors from the USS John C.
Stennis an aircraft carrier and an adopted unit of the Seattle Council, because
they were catching up after the Stennis’
deployment.
Dan Neilsen and the SEattle Council
Board surprised Tom and Diane Jaffa
with the creation and presentation of the
Inaugural “Tom & Diane Distinguished
Service Award.” The brass eagle perpetual award can be viewed at the office.
Names of future recipients will be
added in years to come. Diane was
delighted to present Neilsen with the
President’s Pin.
While the luncheon’s focus was on the
honorees, Neilsen also took time to welcome to the region Rear Adm. Richard
Gromlich.
Also in attendance were Canadian
Continued on Page 8
Obituaries
Morgan Fitch (1922-2013)
Morgan L. Fitch Jr., 90, died of
natural causes Nov. 18 in the Upjohn
Community Care Center in Kalamazoo, Mich. His wife, Helen, 89, died
of natural causes Dec. 5. They had
been married for 68 years at the time
of his death.
A Chicago native, Mr. Fitch received his Bachelor of Science degree
in chemical engineering in 1943 from
the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Following the completion of his degree, U.S. involvement in World War
II had escalated and, on March 20,
1943, he was commissioned in the as a
Naval Aviation Observer, also known
as a radar officer.
While serving in the Pacific theater during the war, surviving two
Japanese kamikaze attacks as part of
Squadron VC-87. The ship to which is
squadron was assigned, the Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Marcus
Island, participated on the assault on
Okinawa, after which the ship returned to Guam and then, eventually,
to San Diego. He then took command
of the Fleet Airborne Radar School at
the Seattle Naval Air Base.
In March 1946, he was released
from active duty and attended law
school at the University of Michigan,
receiving his degree in 1948. He then
went work for the Chicago firm where
he would spend his career, becoming
a name partner in 1956. He spent 30
years as managing partner, retiring in
2006.
After re-entering civilian life, his
contribution to the Navy continued
through his leadership within the
Navy League and also through his
lasting commitment to the Navy’s
youth programs, such as the Buddy
Program and its successor — the Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC).
The vision for the NSCC grew out
of conversations between Mr. Fitch
and Adm. Arleigh Burke about the
need for a consolidated Navy youth
program after viewing the successes
of the British and Canadian Sea Cadet
programs. Established as both a tool
to help prepare young men for naval
service and a youth program with an
Morgan Fitch, Jr. receiving the Naval Sea Cadet Trophy at the organization’s 50th anniversary.
The Naval Sea Cadet Trophy is awarded to individuals for outstanding support to the U.S.
Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) over a sustained period of time. He is joined by VADM
Richard W. Hunt, left, and former USNSCC National Chairman Randy W. Hollstein, right.
educational mission, the first company
of Sea Cadets was formed in 1959 and
was comprised of 78 young men from
around the country.
Under his leadership, the program
was federally chartered in September
1962 as a non-profit civilian organization. Morgan worked with others
to establish the program’s original
training plan and Cadet Regulations. He
served as the first NSCC Chairman from
1962 to 1965, and then as the Navy
League National President from 1965
to 1967. In 1976, the Sea Cadet program’s charter language was amended to
include wording that would allow young
women to join the NSCC.
Continued on page 9
Dan Branch (1937-2013)
The Navy League of the United
States today mourns the death of a
past national president, CAPT Daniel
B. Branch Jr., USN retired, who died
on Oct. 21, 2013, of complications
from mesothelioma cancer at the age
of 75.
Dan was born in Greenbelt, Md, in
1937, and graduated in 1959 from the
U.S. Naval Academy. He also was a
distinguished graduate of the Naval
War College and received a Master’s
degree in International Affairs from
George Washington University. He received many awards during his naval
career, including numerous Letters of
Commendation, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the
Defense Superior Service Medal and
several Battle Efficiency, or “Battle
E,” awards.
He held the
honor of
being the
youngest
captain of
a nuclear
submarine at
age 34. Dan
achieved the
rank of captain during
his 30 years
of service in the U.S. Navy. In 1990,
he entered the civilian world, moving
to Boulder to work at the Rocky Flats
Plant of EG&G, where he held multiple
executive positions including Program
Chief Engineer for Nuclear Operations
Continued on page 8
T HE NAVY L EAG UE R / W i n te r 2 0 1 4
7
Veterans.
The Sea Cadet units involved in
the event included the Veterans Pride
Battalion, Phoenix Division, Mykel
K Miller Battalion, with the RD and
ARD of Region 15-2 along with 28
members of the USS Missouri Division from Bridgeton Missouri.
Detroit Council
Photo submitted by John McCadnless
From left to right: Kevin MacFarland, CAPT
John McCandless, USN (Ret.), CMDR
Mike Wohnhaas, Barbara Levin and Jerry
Moskwa at the Detroit Council’s meeting.
Council News, from Page 6
Consul General Denis Stevens, ADM
Thomas Hayward (USN, ret), ADM
Herb Bridge (USN, ret), and Deputy
Mayor of Seattle Darryl Smith, who
was presented with an Honorary
Membership, among many other distinguished guests.
Partnership was a main theme of the
program as the keynote speaker Commodore Robert Auchterlonie of the
Canadian Royal Fleet Pacific highlighted. Both he and Neilsen spoke
about the importance of the partnership between Canada and the United
States and how our relationship is
mutually beneficial.
The Seattle Council also was very
pleased to adopt their 17th adopted
unit – USCGC Melon (WHEC 717) at
the luncheon.
Phoenix Council
Dennis Dickerson presented a
wreath on behalf of the Navy League
at the opening of the World War II
Memorial in Phoenix. Each year, there
is a remembrance event on Dec. 7
given the link with the USS Arizona.
Wesley Bolin Plaza on the Capitol
Mall had various memorials, but none
dedicated to WWII. That ended as the
new WWII memorial was dedicated
with several thousand people in attendance. The principal features of the
memorial are two gun barrels – one
each from the USS Arizona and the
USS Missouri representing “bookends” of the Pacific war.
The wreath was first placed at a
replica of the USS Arizona, then later
moved to the memorial. U.S. Naval
Sea Cadets from several units in the
Phoenix area participated as escorts
for dignitaries, including Pearl Harbor
8 TH E N A VY L EAGUER / Winter 2014
The Metropolitan Detroit Council
hosted CDR Michael R. Wohnhaas,
USN, for his first visit to Detroit in
early September. Wohnhaas is the Prospective Commanding Officer of the
Littoral Combat Ship Detroit (LCS-7).
Wohnhaas arrived in Detroit on
Sept. 3. On Wednesday morning, John
McCandless, Chairman, USS Detroit
Blue and Gold Committee, hosted
a breakfast meeting at the Detroit
Athletic Club, attended by committee
members Gordon Cole and Jim Semerad. From there, the group journeyed
to the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority offices in Port Detroit adjacent
to the Renaissance Center. Joined by
committee co-chair John Peracchio,
Wohnhaas was hosted by D/WCPA
Executive Director John Jamian for an
informative brief, as well as a tour of
Port Detroit facility.
That evening, the council hosted
a cocktail reception at the athletic
club in honor of Wohnhaas and Mrs.
Barbara Levin, the ship’s sponsor.
The reception, supported by generous
financial support from Quicken Loans,
was attended by more than 75 Navy
League members and community and
business leaders.
A brief program, emceed by Kevin
MacFarland, MetDet Council president, included remarks by Levin and
Wohnhaas, as well as special plaque
presentations to the guests of honor.
The council extended special thanks
to Jerry Moskwa for preparing the
plaques, handling the invitations and
making all DAC arrangements; Lois
MacFarland and Marcia Kuypers for
handling registration duties and Lois
MacFarland for providing photographic coverage that evening.
On Sept. 5, Wohnhaas and John
McCandless started their day with a
visit with WJR’s morning show host
Paul W. Smith. An eight-minute instudio interview provided Paul’s many
listeners in a multi-state area with key
information on the seventh U.S. Navy
ship to bear the name Detroit.
Detroit historical Society CEO and
Executive Director Bob Bury, along
with senior curator Joel Stone, shared
breakfast with Wohnhaas and committee members prior to a visit to the
Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle
Isle. The museum recently completed an
extensive renovation. John Peracchio is
leading the effort to have the museum
develop an exhibit on “Ships named
Detroit”.
Committee member Mark Petroff
arranged for a tremendously impressive
visit to the downtown campus of Rock
Ventures/Quicken Loans, led by Quicken Loans Detroit relocation ambassador
Bruce Schwartz. Wohnhaas met with
United Way CEO Michael Brennan
and his team to be briefed on the many
initiatives the organization is behind to
make Detroit and Southeastern Michigan a better place to live.
Branch, from Page 7
and Division Manager for Compliance
and Performance Assurance.
Upon retirement from Rocky Flats,
Dan worked as an independent consultant in the nuclear field, lending his
knowledge in support of the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Plant Station accident
for Bloomberg, Inc. in 2011.
In his retirement years, Dan was very
involved in the Naval Academy Alumni
Association and the Navy League of the
United States, where he served as the
National President from 2009 – 20011,
presiding over 50,000 members worldwide.
Dan was predeceased by wife Sheila
Branch, and by a sister, Shirley Ingraham.
He is survived by sisters Kay Chappell
of Crofton, Md.; Barbara Fuston of Paris, Texas; and Jane Murphy of Owings,
Md.; wife Kathleen Branch of Boulder;
daughter Mary Branch and daughter-inlaw Gwen Reilly, of Wilmington, N.C.;
daughter Kate Gallucci and son-inlaw Michael and three grandchildren,
Sarah, James and Connor of Oradell,
N.J.; daughter Susan Branch or Oradell;
son Dan Branch and daughter-in-law
Caroline and three grandchildren Clara,
Cullen and JR of Atlanta, Ga.; stepson
Matthew Zarracina of Minneapolis,
Minn.; and stepson Alan Zarracina and
fiancé Lindsey Lassiter of Wilmington,
N.C.
Capt. Phillips Guest at Briefing
Capt. Richard Phillips, who was
master of the Maersk Alabama when
the vessel was captured by Somali
pirates, was a special guest at a Nov.
20 Congressional Maritime Caucus
Brief. Phillips was held hostage in the
Maersk Alabama’s lifeboat for several
days before being rescued by Navy
SEAL marksmen. Also speaking at the
Navy League-supported event were
Capt. Steve Werse, secretary-treasurer of
the Master, Mates & Pilots Union, and
retired Navy Adm. Rob Reilly, Navy
League national vice president, Sea Services Liaison. The panel drew attention
to the key and necessary role U.S.-flag
merchant vessels and crew play in U.S.
economic prosperity and national security.
The Maritime Caucus is co-chaired by
U.S. Reps. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., and
Cedric Richmond, D-La.
All members of the panel, beginning
with Phillips, emphasized that the United States is and has been a nation that is
dependent on its merchant fleet for economic health and security. The United
States is bounded by two oceans with
remarkable access to ocean bound trade.
Despite having a thriving merchant fleet
in the 19th Century, U.S.-flag maritime
shipping is now a much smaller yet still
critical part of the national economic
infrastructure. As exemplified by Phillips and Werse, U.S. citizen mariners are
humble, yet highly skilled and patriotic
Americans.
The panel made clear that a healthy
Merchant Marine fleet is an economic
imperative for the United States. Ninety
percent of world trade travels by ocean.
Shipping via the ocean and waterways
Fitch, from page 7
In 2004, Morgan and his wife helped
to form the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet
Foundation to ensure that the program
continued to thrive.
Thanks to the Fitches’ endowment,
the foundation is able to provide scholarships and funds to Cadets for postsecondary education, as well as training
Navy League Photo
Captain Richard Phillips with Navy League Legislative Affairs and Administration Manager Chris Bennett at
the Nov. 20 briefing.
is far cheaper than other methods, such
as trucking or airfreight. The U.S.-flag
Merchant Marine fleet has reached such
a low size that any change to current
programs would have disastrous consequences on sustainability. There are
fewer than 100 U.S.-flag merchant ships
and 12,000 U.S. Merchant Mariners.
U.S.-flag merchant vessels are a boon
to the country both economically and
militarily, often with the two roles occurring simultaneously. The U.S. Navy
maintains both the Maritime Security
Program and the Ready Reserve Force
to preserve the Navy’s military sealift
capability and capacity. The Maritime Security Program is made up of
60 U.S.-flag vessels manned by U.S.
crews.
During wartime they are called upon
to transport troops, weapons, vehicles,
supplies and other items to the front
lines. The Ready Reserve Force consists of older ships that are maintained
by ghost crews so that they are ready
to be called into service if needed. The
U.S. merchant fleet provides 95 percent
of our national defense sealift needs
during wartime or crises. Without the
proper funding to support the merchant
fleet and their crews, the United States
would not be able to execute its foreign
policy goals.
Other shipping preference laws
provide the country with great benefit.
While also maintaining vessels necessary for military sealift, they also help
fulfill other foreign policy objectives
and create numerous economic benefits.
American food aid directly employs
13,000 Americans, generates approximately $520 million in household earnings, and almost $2 billion in economic
activity.
funds for the Sea Cadet program.
In 2007, Mr. Fitch was presented
with the Lone Sailor award, which is an
honor awarded to Sea Service veterans
who embody the Navy’s core values in
their work in the civilian sector.
His generosity and devotion have
shaped the Sea Cadet program from its
beginnings of 78 young men to around
9,000 young men and women today.
Survivors include daughters Ruth A.
(Timothy P.) White and Mary (James
B.) White; sons Morgan L. (Patricia)
Fitch IV and Frederick (Marie) Fitch;
eight grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and brother James A. (Beth) Fitch.
T HE NAVY L EAG UE R / W i n te r 2 0 1 4
9
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