Sacramento Council Log
“Citizens in Support of the Sea Services”
Mar ’15 - Apr ‘15
Vol. 5, Issue 2
Page 1
- From the Bridge
Page 2
- All Hands on Deck Events
Page 3
- The Watch is Relieved
Page 4
- Council Provides Awards to the
Best of the Best
Page 4 and Page 5
- A Message to the Council from
Tom Jones, Senior Military Instructor, Luther Burbank Navy
Junior Reserve Officer Training
Corps
Page 6
- Sacramento Council Sponsors
Pacific Central Region Meeting
From the Bridge – Bob Been, Sacramento Council President
Ahoy Navy Leaguer's and Friends of the Sea Services.
For those who missed Tal’s message in the Newsletter, we are repeating it. The
Council has been served incredibly well by Tal during his 4 years at the helm of
the Council. We are very fortunate that he will continue to serve as our Public
Affairs Officer and also continue to make the rounds from time to time to present
awards. We encourage everyone to come out to the March 3rd Social at Sam’s
Hof Brau to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Navy Reserves. Also, the
Council is sponsoring this year’s Pacific Central Region Annual Meeting. This is
a great opportunity to network and share best practices with other Councils. I
encourage everyone to try to make it for the mixer on Friday, March 27th or the
meeting during the morning of Saturday, March 28. Incoming national Navy
League President Skip Witunski will join us. Please RSVP as soon as possible.
Details are on page 7 of the Newsletter.
Reprint of Tal’s parting words from the last Newsletter—
“These past few years have been a busy but rewarding time for me. The rewards are intangible but they mean more to me than you may imagine. There
was the Navy JROTC Cadet that made it a point to seek me out at an event a
few weeks after I had the honor of presenting her with the Navy League's coveted Theodore Roosevelt Youth Medal. She thanked me for the encouraging
words that I uttered as I made the presentation, she said that because of what I
had said that she intended to double her efforts to meet her goals. It was moments such as this that I shall always remember. We do make a difference in
the lives of these students!
I have also had the opportunity to meet and work with so many great people, not
only the people in our Council but also the many Sailors, Marines, and Coasties
that I have had the pleasure of meeting.
I want to thank all the Council Officers and Board members for their steadfast
support and especially to our members at large for your unselfish support of
your Council and our annual fund drive, without which it would be difficult to support our adopted Active and Reserve Units and Youth organizations. I know that
we will all stand behind our new Council President Bob Been and give him the
same support that was given to me.”
Again, Thanks and All the Best,
Tal Norwood
1
“All Hands on Deck” and Other Events
Tues, 3 March 2015, Social & Program at Sam’s Hof Brau. Social/Dinner hour at 1730, Program at
1830. Come out and welcome LTJG Lisa Kennedy, USNSCC, Commanding Officer, Gold Country Division,
U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Lisa will discuss upcoming Division activities including plans for the summer.
We will award the Theodore Roosevelt Youth Medal to this year’s outstanding Cadet. CDR Bob Been will
share information on his 25 year career as an Engineering Duty Officer with Naval Sea Systems Command,
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and the Office of Naval Research.
Sunday, 8 March 2015, 1100, Sea Cadet Corps Gold Country Division Annual Awards Ceremony,
AMVETS Capitol Post #1, 7215 Lindale Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95828.
Thurs, 19 March 2015, Board of Directors meeting, Northern California Shriners Hospital for Children. All are welcome. We meet on the second floor in the meeting room adjoining the cafeteria.
Park in the parking garage and check in at the front desk. Contact a Board member for information.
Fri and Sat, 27/28 March 2015, NLUS Pacific Central Region Meeting. The Sacramento Council will
host this year’s meeting at Lions Gate. Please join Navy League members from around the Region for this 2
-day event. The event will start with a reception at 6 pm on Friday, March 27. Activities will kick off at 8:30
am on Saturday, March 28. Incoming National President, Skip Witunski will join this year’s meeting. Please
see Page 6 of the Newsletter for details on how to make reservations for the event. Please come out to this
informative event in our own back yard.
Tues, 7 April 2015, Social & Program at Sam’s Hof Brau. Social/Dinner hour at 1730, Program at
1830. Please join us as we welcome LT Jacob Schlachter, USN, Officer in Charge Naval program at California Maritime Academy. LT Schlachter will help the Council recognize this year’s Outstanding Midshipman.
Thurs, 16 April 2015, Board of Directors meeting, Northern California Shriners Hospital for Children.
All are welcome. We meet on the second floor in the meeting room adjoining the cafeteria. Park in the
parking garage and check in at the front desk. Contact a Board member for information.
Thursday, 7 May 2015, 2-3:30pm, Luther Burbank High School Cadet Change of Command - LBHS
Stadium
Thursday, 28 May 2015, 5-8:30pm, Luther Burbank High School Cadet Awards Night - LBHS Cafeteria
The spring is always a busy time for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Sea Cadet, and Active Duty and
Reserve end-of year awards. Luther Burbank awards night is on May 28th. Please stand by for announcements regarding the rest. These are always rewarding, entertaining and inspirational. We hope as many as
possible can join in.
2
The Watch is Relieved
The Council gavel was passed to Bob Been during the induction ceremony for the
2015 Officers and Directors on Tuesday, February 3 2015 at Sam’s Hof Brau. Northern California Area President RADML Bonnie Potter, USN Retired conducted the
ceremony. Bonnie shared her thoughts of the importance of the Sea Services and
the Navy League’s vital role of support and advocacy. A raffle was held that cleared
$80 for Council activities.
The evening marked the end of Tal’s and his wife Sue’s 4 year tenure as President and First Lady of the
Council. The Council has benefited from Tal’s tireless commitment to the Navy League’s mission in the
Sacramento area and Sue’s support of Tal’s exploits. Tal’s steady hand at the helm was only
overshadowed by his personal commitment to
shake hands with as many of the outstanding
Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen the Council has recognized in the preceding 4 years and
the outstanding youth that have stepped out from
the crowd and taken on the mantel of leadership
in our community. His passion to the ideals of
the Navy League, our youth, and those that go
down to the sea in great ships can only be
summed up by an overview of some of the remarkable achievements by our Council under his
leadership:

The Council attended 64 events in support of
local Sea Service and youth organizations.
Tal personally attended most, if not all, of these events

Provided 40 awards and $4800 in cash to local outstanding Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen

Provided 36 awards and $2800 in scholarships to local sea service youth organizations

Provided $2000 in scholarships to Cadets in the Navy program at California Maritime Academy

Provided $4200 in donations to Sea Cadets: Gold Country and Ticonderoga Divisions

Held 3 Sea Power Luncheons that were attended by hundreds

Represented the Navy League and Sea Cadets at 4 Capitol Airshows

Held 40 Board meetings

Held 36 Council Socials

Raised $4200 for the USCG 1705 Memorial Fund

Finalists for an $8,000 grant from Friends of the NRA for the Luther Burbank Marine JROTC Program.
We are awaiting the final award.
These are just the events we know about. Tal’s commitment of time behind the scenes to the Council has
been immeasurable. The former Coast Guard Quartermaster has signed up for another hitch as the Council’s Public Affairs Officer.
“I never thought I would ever get to hang out with Admirals”—Tal
3
Council Awards the Best of the Best
Council Public Affairs Officer Tal Norwood, along with Vice President of Military Affairs John Meyers joined Captain Douglas Nash, USCG, Commanding Officer, CG
Air Station Sacramento and the Station crew in awarding the Navy League Officer
of the Year Award to LCDR Adam Koziatek and the Navy League Enlisted Person
of the Quarter for the 4th Quarter to AET2 Evan Ewald during a ceremony onboard
the air station on Wed, 4 February 2015. The awards came with recognition to be
placed in their service records and a cash award of $50 and $100 respectively.
A Message to the Council from Tom Jones, Senior Military Instructor, Luther
Burbank Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
Email dated February 5, 2015
Thank you to the Navy League – Sacramento Council, your support has been instrumental in
dozens of positive ways for our cadets including summer camps; field trips; drill competition;
etc., ultimately all of which lead to improved cadet leadership opportunities and experiences,
plus unit morale and participation.
Just last week I received an email from our higher echelon Navy command stating that Navy field trip funding will
be curtailed by at least 90% this fiscal year. This will obviously impact our ability to send cadets to summer leadership
training camps and several other opportunities. Based on historical averages for Navy funding, plus sponsor donations,
we had big goals for this summer's cadet leadership academies. Unfortunately these plans have been reduced substantially since all summer leadership training opportunities in 2015 will be funded by our unit fundraising budget and our
sponsors.
In addition, five of our cadets earned an invitation to the National High School Drill team championships in Daytona
Beach, Florida. Unfortunately the cut to Navy field trip funding has required us to cancel this trip. It's just too expensive
for our fundraising budget without significant and guaranteed reimbursement from the Navy. We still have cadets who
will attend leadership camps, but the competition just got a lot tougher for each cadet to earn a spot to camp.
To offer you a broad perspective of all the various activities where our cadets are involved, here's a snapshot
of upcoming activities at your Navy JROTC. Please join us for the bolded events:
Continued on Page 5...
4
Continued from Page 4
7 FEB: Manteca Drill Meet ~ at East- Union High School
13 FEB: Color Guard and parking assistance for a Sac City USD event at Sac State
13 FEB: Cadet Valentines Dance at LBHS
14 FEB: Cyber Patriot and Cisco Networking + Forensics Competition
17-20 FEB: Middle School Recruiting into JROTC
21 FEB (0900-2200): Aerospace Museum Crab feed; set-up, serve and assist
24 FEB: Color Guard ~ Ben Ali Shrine
26 FEB: Stockbridge National Academic Exam - Academic Team
7 March: NORCAL Olympics _ PT Competition at Casa Roble High School
March: Various dates – Robotics team will build a quad-copter drone – assisted by CDR Bob Been
21 March: Silver Creek Drill Meet (San Jose, CA)
21 March: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
28 March: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
29 March: Orienteering Team competition ~ Rosemoor Bar
4 April: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
April: Various dates – Robotics team will build a quad-copter drone – assisted by CDR Bob Been
11 April: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
18 April: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
18 April: NORCAL Drill Meet - Elk Grove (Please attend, details TBD)
24 April: Color Guard - Rotary of California State Convention
25 April: Linux computer security training - Cyber Patriot Team
25 April: JROTC Fun Run at LBHS
7 May (2-3:30pm): Cadet Change of Command - LBHS Stadium (Please attend)
May: Various dates – Robotics team will test fly a quad-copter drone – assisted by CDR Bob Been
16 May: Cadet Military Ball
22 May: Cadet end of the school year field trip
25 May: 2 Color Guards - Auburn, CA plus Home of Peace Cemetery, Sacramento
28 May (5-8:30pm): Cadet Awards Night - LBHS Cafeteria (Please attend)
10 Jun: Color Guard - LBHS Graduation at Memorial Auditorium
June - August: Various dates – Robotics team will fly quad-copter drone and will build/test Sea Perch ROV with GoPro
underwater camera – assisted by CDR Bob Been, Naval Postgraduate School & ONR
Summer Camps:
13-19 Jun: Florida Sailing and Leadership Academy (estimate 1 cadet attending)
13-19 Jun: Nationals Drill Camp (estimate 1-2 cadets attending)
13-19 Jun: Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (estimate 1 cadet attending)
20-27 Jun: Northwest Leadership Academy (estimate 2-4 cadets attending)
1-9 July: LeaderSail Leadership Sailing Academy (estimate 0 cadets attending)
TBD: Aerospace Museum of California week long aerospace camps (airplane flight finale) (estimate 2-4 cadets)
TBD: Coordinating with local community colleges for cadet cyber security training (estimate 2-4 cadets attending)
17-21 Aug: Basic Leadership Training at Sac State (estimate 20 cadets attending)
We are always looking for volunteers to help in dozens of important ways. If members in the navy League are interested in any of the events listed, and would like to volunteer please ask them to contact me for the volunteer details and
required background check information. Thanks for all your support! We very much appreciate your assistance.
Best Regards,
Tom
Commander Tom Jones USN (Ret)
Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI)
Luther Burbank High School ~ Navy JROTC
Office: (916) 433-5145
The TITAN Battalion ~ Navy JROTC 2014 Distinguished Unit
Developing American citizens who personify Honor, Courage and Commitment
www.LutherBurbankNJROTC.com
5
Navy League of the United States
Pacific Central Region gathers twice a year for a membership meeting.
Please join us at Lion’s Gate Hotel & Conference Center, Sacramento
3410 Westover Street North Highlands, McClellan Park, Sacramento
http://www.lionsgatehotel.com
Thank you Sacramento Council for hosting this year’s spring gathering.
Friday, March 27:
Welcome Aboard Reception 6:00 pm
No Host Bar, Hor d’oeuvres
Cost: $7.00 per person
Saturday, March 28:
Regional Meeting & Lunch 8:30 am
$20.00per person
Accommodations:
Deluxe rooms for $89.00 per night +tax, double occupancy; includes continental breakfast. Reservations must be made by Sunday, March 1st. Call 916-640-0835, and use group name “Navy
League Regional meeting.”
So far on the agenda for this spring's gathering:
Josh Smith, Pyro Division Sea Cadets, tells us about his experience at a 10-day SEAL Training Session.
Incoming NLUS President Skip Witunski shares his successful council communication efforts and answers your questions.
National’s “council member recruiting program.”
Member discussion of council activities, successes, and concern; questions of common interest.
At the end of the meeting the council presidents or there designee will meet for the election of Area Presidents and National Directors. If you are interested in serving in either capacity, please contact Carrie Barnecut: [email protected].
She will send you the one page candidate profile.
Fee covers meal and administrative costs.
Reservations are due Monday, March 23rd.
Make checks payable to PCR NLUS
Send to Carrie Barnecut: 1550 Bancroft Ave. #432, San Leandro, CA 94577
If you have questions, call Carrie at 510-351-8107
Your name and council
Name
Council
Email
Phone
Also attending with you
Contact information
# for welcome aboard @ $7.00
$
Total Included with Reservation
$
# of lunches @ $20.00
$
6
NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES
SACRAMENTO COUNCIL
P.O. BOX 277862
SACRAMENTO, CA. 95827
Sac Council Officers
President – Bob Been (916) 363-2231
Senior VP – John Meyers (916) 798-8682
VP for Military Affairs – John Meyers (916) 789-8682
VP Youth Affairs – Ted Welch (916) 682-6305
Treasurer – Bob Been (916) 363-2231
Secretary – Mike O’Docharty (916) 580-4827
Membership Chair – Phelps Hobart (916) 739-6949
Public Affairs Officer - Tal Norwood (916) 486-8513
Judge Advocate – Bruce Janigian (916) 498-1768
Navy League - www.navyleague.org
Navy League Ship Store www.navyleagueshipsstore.com
Gold Country Sea Cadets are recruiting new members for this outstanding youth program.
See their Web site for additional information:
http://usnsccgoldcountrydivision.weebly.com/
Sac Council Board of Directors
Peter McGroarty
(916) 682-4110
Dan Sebby
(916) 768-4249
Phil Swan (Chaplin)
(916) 338-5902
Norma B. Von Dohren
Director Emeritus
(916)363-0768
Tom Booze
(916) 727-3035
Tom Jones
(916) 433-5145
Navy League, Sacramento Council
P.O. Box 277862
Sacramento, CA, 95827
E-MAIL:
[email protected]
Website:
www.navyleaguesacramento.org
7