Seapower - September 2010

Toys for Tots program and the Hangar One Foundation to commemorate the historical contribution and mission of those who served at Naval Air Station Glenview.

Provence, France, Navy Leaguers gather with Navy guests from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group during a welcome party when the Strike Group was in port in Marseille in June. Council President Deborah J. Cozzone holds a plaque honoring the visit.

events when needed, handled details and interacted with our French points of contact for the projects.

“But the true keys to the success of our COMRELs were our Sailors and Marines, themselves, and the French people who worked with us. They did a fantastic job bringing the COMRELs to life. They were outstanding representatives and ambassadors for the United States, the USS Harry S. Truman and the U.S. Navy. They conducted themselves with enthusiasm, integrity and honor.”

Glenview Celebrates
50th Anniversary

The Glenview, Ill., Council celebrated its 50th anniversary with a luncheon June 13 at the Glen Club, on the site of the former Naval Air Station Glenview.

Local public and military officials joined council members and guests for the event, including William A. Kopper, Navy League national vice president for international affairs, and Capt. John Malfitano, commanding officer of Naval Station Great Lakes, who offered congratulatory remarks. Council President Alan B. Carter offered welcoming remarks to those attending the luncheon.

The council was chartered on Flag Day, June 14, 1960, with 86 members, a total that nearly doubled in its first nine months. At one time, the council boasted a membership of more than 600, prior to the 1995 closure of Naval Air Station Glenview, with which it maintained a close relationship, according to National Director Elaine Zold Koepke.

Council member Beverly Dawson, a historian, lecturer and author, highlighted the event with a PowerPoint presentation titled “History of Navy Air Station Glenview.” The facility was a key training ground for World War II pilots, who completed takeoffs and landings from two converted aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan.

Since Navy Air Station Glenview was closed, the Glenview Council has continued to support the sea services and their families in the area. The council adopted the Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan and Coast Guard Station Wilmette Harbor, and sponsored the Wheeling High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps unit and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps’ Maj. Gen. John L. Borling Division. It also supports the Navy’s “Home for the Holidays” initiative, the Marine Corps’

Second Thailand
Council Chartered

The Thailand Southern Seaboard Council celebrated Independence Day and its official council chartering with a July 4 picnic on the grounds of the new HeadStart International School in Phuket.

Council members were joined by local residents and officials, expatriates and foreign nationals, and embassy representatives for the family event that featured a barbecue, a band, Uncle Sam and play areas, face painters, clowns and many other activities for children. The Phuket Classic Car Club also had an impressive display of fully restored U.S. Army jeeps from the 1940s for children and adults to sit in, according to Council Secretary Denny Bowman. About 900 people attended the day-long event.

Ronald S. Robinson, the U.S. Embassy’s consul general, presided over a Flag Ceremony and delivered special proclamation remarks sent from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to mark the Fourth of July holiday.

The picnic was capped by the council’s Chartering Ceremony led by William J. Waylett Jr., the Navy League’s senior director of Regional Activities. He presented a special charter plaque to the council’s board members and a pin to President James T. Madigan. Waylett then conducted a swearing-in of the board.

In return, the board presented Waylett and Robinson with souvenir flags from the Lions Club, which assists the Navy League, and Thai ‘pah kamahs,’ belt-like waist sash cloths emblazoned with Phuket Navy League patches.