Navy Recruiting District San Antonio visits Port Lavaca Rotary Club

Photo By Burrell Parmer | PORT LAVACA, Texas – (Aug. 15, 2019) Retired Master Chief Navy Counselor Juan P. Rodriguez of Harlingen, Texas, the Education Services specialist assigned to Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Antonio, with Pamela Lambden, a retired hospital administrator and chairwoman of the Port Lavaca Rotary Club’s Community Lane at the conclusion of a weekly Rotary Club meeting held at the Bauer Community Center. For each meeting, Lambden finds a book to match the speaker(s) topic. The book titled “My Daddy is a Sailor” was signed by Rodriguez and recruiters of Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Victoria and will be housed in the children’s section of the Calhoun County Library. Rodriquez served as the keynote speaker and spoke on “the Navy the Nation Needs” and the challenges of recruiting the best and brightest for service in America’s Navy. NRD San Antonio’s area of responsibility includes more than 34 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread throughout 144,000 square miles of Central and South Texas territory. (U.S. Navy Photo by Burrell Parmer, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio Public Affairs/Released)  

PORT LAVACA, TX, UNITED STATES

08.15.2019

Story by Burrell Parmer 

Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

PORT LAVACA, Texas – (Aug. 15, 2019) To spread Navy Awareness and to keep local audiences informed of America’s Navy, representatives of Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Antonio and Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Victoria attended the weekly meeting of the Port Lavaca Rotary Club held at the Bauer Community Center.

NRD’s Education Services Specialist, retired Master Chief Navy Counselor Juan P. Rodriguez of Harlingen, Texas, served as the keynote speaker.
He spoke on “the Navy the Nation Needs” and the challenges of recruiting the best and brightest for service in America’s Navy.

“As a member of Navy Recruiting, I can tell you there is a war going on, and it is a war for talent in the United States,” said Rodriguez, who served as a chief recruiter prior to his retirement after 24 years of honorable service. “With record low unemployment rates and rising wages, we are now fishing from the same pond with industry for our nation’s most talented youth.”

The meeting was attended by numerous business representatives to include the mayor, city manager, chief of police, and superintendent of schools.

“The Navy has some great personnel representing them and the information we received today was tremendous,” said Mayor Jack Whitlow, who has served in office for 14 years. “I am really proud of what the recruiters do at our high school and proud of the students who have gone on to serve in the Navy.”

According to Whitlow, he has received positive feedback from many students who have served and is grateful that after service they return to the city for meaningful employment.

Additionally, Whitlow said that it would be great to have a Navy ship visit the port and provide an opportunity for students to tour an actual naval vessel.

Jan Regan of Russell Cain Realty and member of Port Lavaca City Council was thankful for the NRD’s attendance.

“The program was absolutely riveting,” said Regan, who has three sons who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. “I appreciate the service of the speaker and the recruiters to include the information they provided.”

Special thanks to retired Navy Lieutenant Walter Dowell, owner of Dowell Pest Control, who invited NRD San Antonio to the weekly meeting.

NRD San Antonio’s area of responsibility includes more than 34 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread throughout 144,000 square miles of Central and South Texas territory.

• Date Taken: 08.15.2019
• Date Posted: 08.15.2019 22:46
• Story ID: 336129
• Location: PORT LAVACA, TX, US
• Hometown: HARLINGEN, TX, US
• Hometown: PORT LAVACA, TX, US
• Hometown: SAN ANTONIO, TX, US
• Hometown: SOUTH BEND, IN, US