St. Maarten/St. Martin Council Celebrates First Decade

Sea Power, Jul 2005 by Atkinson, Peter

Scholarships, New Members Mark 10th Anniversary

The St. Maarten/St. Martin Council celebrated its 10th anniversary with a series of events over Mother's Day weekend that included a scholarship awards ceremony, a gala dinner and the official welcome for a group of new members.

On May 6, the council received a visit and briefing from Navy League National Executive Director Stephen R. Pietropaoli, according to Caribbean/Mexico Region President Dr. Jack Stevens. Pietropaoli was welcomed to the island by Lt. Gov. Franklyn Richards and both saluted the council for its work on behalf of the St. Maarten/St. Martin community and the sea services of the United States, Netherlands, France and other friendly nations, Stevens said.

On May 7, the council hosted a gala dinner at the Divi Resort that was attended by representatives from the American Embassy in Barbados and the American Consulate in Curacao. Vice-Consul Jean Akers from Curacao attended with her mother, Barbara. American Vice-Consul Donald Carroll from Barbados and his wife, Georgina, made their first visit to St. Maarten/St. Martin for the event.

The celebration culminated with the welcoming of seven new Navy League members and the awarding of the first Navy League Scholarships to three young St. Maarten women. The awards were made possible by the inspired leadership and contributions of Council Treasurer Susan Heller and Navy League Board Member Asha Stevens, and by the significant work and contributions of Council President Art Nutcher and Board Members Carl Cooner, Barbara Fields, Carl Hart, Fred Philips and Emelda Riley.

The three scholarship winners are:

* Jenny Lorena Frederik, an honor student at Milton Peters College, who was scheduled to graduate in June. Frederik said she plans to become a social worker and return to St. Maarten to help children and families there.

* Sherina G. Hathiramani received her Associate of Arts in Business degree and graduated with honors from the University of St. Martin May 21. She has been accepted in the Bachelor of Business Administration degree program offered by Mount Saint Vincent University in association with the University of St. Martin. Hathiramani will begin those studies in the fall.

* Gisella S. Hilliman currently is following a course of study leading to the Associate of Arts in General Liberal Arts degree. During the scholarship ceremony Hilliman took time from dinner to sing an impromptu rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."

Police Chief Commissioner Derrick Holiday and wife also came out to welcome the Navy League guests from off-island and congratulate the council on its anniversary. Holiday said he appreciated the positive work the council was doing for the island and that he was looking forward to more cooperative work in the future between the Navy League and other organizations on the island, Stevens said.

Fitzgerald Presents Sarasota-Manatee NJROTC Honors

Navy Vice Adm. Marc Fitzgerald, commander, Second Fleet, and commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic, was on hand at the Sarasota-Manatee, Fla., Council's monthly dinner meeting April 27, where he served both as guest speaker and award presenter.

Following his brief remarks to about 75 council members at Bird Key Yacht Club, Fitzgerald presented the council's annual $1,000 scholarship to Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Blake. She will be attending Boston University next year, according to council First Vice President Alois J. Burda.

Fitzgerald also presented the Teddy Roosevelt Youth Medallion to NJROTC Ensign Katie Hill. Both cadets are in the NJROTC program at North Port High School in Sarasota County.

Oak Harbor Council Hears How Iraq Donations Helped

Members of the Oak Harbor, Wash., Council who donated supplies to help wounded U.S. military personnel and Iraqi citizens had the opportunity to hear how they had helped.

The donation drive, dubbed "Whidbey Wings Lo Iraq," was inspired by Capt. Bill Griffin, who was in charge of Navy personnel in Iraq as the commander of the Maritime Component Coordination Element in Baghdad. The council spear-headed the drive in the local community on Griffin's behalf and netted more than 1,700 pounds of supplies, according to Lee Youngblood, the council's publicity vice president.

An Oak Harbor Navy League contingent that included National Director Beth Munns and President Joseph Mosolino was invited to an April 1 All Officers Meeting at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during which Griffin recounted the Iraq deployment and the results of the donation drive.

Griffin, who spent six months in Iraq, spoke of the challenges of logistics, administration, leadership, transportation and simple survival of a Navy team spread across a wide area of a hostile country, according to Youngblood. The more than 250 Navy personnel were assigned to perform a wide variety of missions in Iraq.

Griffin's time in Iraq encompassed the Iraqi parliamentary elections, and he told how inspired he was by the courage of Iraqis such as his translator who braved a terrorist attack to earn the purple finger that was the mark of the Iraqi voter. The presentation was highlighted by photos Griffin took during the deployment, including some of Iraqis receiving supplies donated by the Whidbey Island community.