bachang School for a COMREL in
which volunteers painted the school
building’s second floor. Jaeger also
received a Navy League plaque and
thanks for the great support from
the ship for the COMREL from
Public Relations Manager Asanee
Intaring, after which the Navy
League group was invited for a regular ship’s lunch with the crew.
DENNY BOWMAN
Thailand Southern Seaboard Council members stand with the official charter that
was presented to the council by William J. Waylett Jr., the Navy League’s senior
director of Regional Activities, during a July 4 picnic the council hosted in Phuket.
was given its provisional charter in
September and began hosting
events in the southwest area of
Thailand. During that time, it has
welcomed 26 U.S. Navy ships that
have visited Phuket and assisted
with a number of COMRELs in the
area with ships’ crews to renovate
schools, orphanages and infrastructure.
The council also has served as a
liaison with local authorities and
hopes to increase Thai membership
and cooperation to improve relationships between the native and
expatriate communities, as well as
with the Navy, Madigan said.
The Southern Seaboard Council
joins the Eastern Seaboard Council, based in Pattaya, as the Navy
League’s second Thailand-based
council.
Thailand Eastern Seaboard
Honors Byrd With Stamp
A group of Thailand Eastern Seaboard Council members and supporters visited the dry cargo/
ammunition ship USNS Richard E.
Byrd while it was in port in Laem
Chabang June 18 for a tour and to
present its crew with the first-ever
Thai stamp featuring a U.S. Military
Sealift Command ship.
Cmdr. Frank Futcher, Byrd’s officer in charge, conducted a detailed
tour of the ship, after which the
group was invited to witness a ceremony of re-enlistment, Navy personal being pinned with the Warfare pin
and a promotion, according to
Council President Peter Thorand.
Following the tour, the council
presented crew members with sets of
special Thai Post Office stamps feature featuring the ship’s logo. The 3
baht stamps — only 100 of which
were printed — are legal tender and
can be used for mailing letters and
postcards. The stamps acknowledge
the many COMRELs Byrd’s crew
members have donated time to when
the ship has visited Thailand.
One set of stamps was presented
to Capt. Robert Jaeger, Byrd’s commanding officer, by Sunai Sengmee
from the Thai Post Office. Another
set was given to the ship’s Chief
Mate Sarah Daleo by Nitipat Som-manee, also from the Thai Post
Office, according to Thorand.
Several other crew members also
received sets of stamps.
Following the stamp presentation, representatives of the Marriott
Hotel & Spa presented Futcher and
Gregory H. Person with Certificates
of Appreciation from the Mar-
Navy League Co-hosts
Navy/Marine Caucus
Breakfast in D.C.
The Navy League co-hosted a
Navy/Marine Corps Caucus Breakfast with the offices of U.S. Rep.
Randy Forbes, R-Va., and Rep.
Susan Davis, D-Ca., June 17 in the
South Congressional Meeting room
at the Capitol Visitors Center in
Washington. Keynote speaker at the
event was Robert O. Work, undersecretary of the Navy, who spoke on
a range of current Navy priorities.
Among the more than 55 guests
joining Forbes and Davis at the
breakfast were U.S. Reps. Rob
Wittman, R-Va.; Charles Djou, R-Hawaii; Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam; Glenn Nye, D-Va.; and Ander
Crenshaw, R-Fla. Other attendees
included congressional and committee staffers, as well as a handful of
Navy Leaguers, including former
National President Sheila McNeill
and National Capital Area Council
members Larry Lynott, Bob Sutton,
John Tozzi and Dale Lumme.
It was the first time in more than
two years that the Navy/Marine
Corps Caucus had staged the event,
and Forbes and Davis, co-chairs of
the caucus, expressed their gratitude to the Navy League for helping
making the gathering possible.
San Francisco
Welcomes Russian,
Japanese Navy Ships
A group of San Francisco Council
board members helped welcome offi-
cers and Sailors from the Russian
Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-
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