Navy League Aurora Council Meets May 20

You do not need to be a member of the Navy League, or have a reservation, to attend the meeting--the general public is welcome. The Navy League is a civilian organization started by President Teddy Roosevelt to provide civilian support the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and Sea Cadets. 

The Aurora Navy League Council 247 will hold its monthly dinner meeting on Tuesday, May 20.  The meeting will be held in the private dining room at the rear (east side) of: Grandma's Table Restaurant, 1700 Douglas Rd., Montgomery, IL 60538 (just north of Rte 30).      

A reception will begin at 5:15PM followed by dinner at 6:00PM. The dinner includes a choice of three entrees (fish, chicken, or beef), soup or salad, dinner rolls, vegetables, dessert, and nonalcoholic drink.  The cost is $17 all-inclusive (alcoholic drinks can be purchased separately).

The after dinner speaker will be Captain Francis X. Martin, USN, Commander, Navy Region Midwest (NRMW) who will be speaking on the "Readiness of the U.S. Navy to Meet Its Commitments."  He will use slides during his talk.

NRMW serves as the shore readiness integrator for the 16 states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri.

Captain Francis Martin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps commission in 1984. His advanced degrees are: Masters of Business Administration from National University, Masters of Arts from Naval Postgraduate School, and Masters of Science from Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

His sea duty assignments include USS Worden (CG 18), USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964), USS Higgins (DDG 76) and Chief Staff Officer for Destroyer Squadron 23 (the Little Beavers).

Shore duty assignments include Surface Operations staff at Pacific Fleet; Instructor at Surface Warfare Officer’s School in Coronado, California; Tactical Action Officer instructor with the Royal Australian Navy in Canberra, Australia; and OPNAV N70 staff for Integration and Assessments (N70). He served as Commanding Officer at U.S. Fleet Activities Chinhae, South Korea from June 2003 to July 2005.

At Standing Joint Force Headquarters, US Joint Forces Command, he supported Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. In October 2005, he deployed to Islamabad, Pakistan following a major earthquake. In 2007, he led a planning team to develop the Crisis Response Concept Plan in Bahrain. In 2008, he served on flag staff for Commander Naval Surface Force Atlantic. Martin assumed his second Installation Commanding Officer tour at U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan from April 2008 until July 2011. Sasebo was the main U.S Navy supply point for Operation Tomodachi. Prior to becoming Commander, Navy Region Midwest, he served as the Chief of Staff for Commander Navy Installations Command.

In addition to various campaign and service decorations, Martin has been awarded two Legions of Merit, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

The Aurora Council is having a membership drive, and will pay half of the first year's dues for new members.  This is an excellent opportunity to attend an interesting event, and determine whether you would like to join permanently.

Call Leonard Wass with any questions about this event at: 630-554-9386.