Photo By Chief Petty Officer Aaron Chase | 200213-N-YF306-0052 ALAMEDA, Calif. (Feb 13, 2020) Chief of Navy Air Training Rear...... read more read more
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While Alameda has not hosted an active duty naval station since the closure of Naval Air Station Alameda in 1997, Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft maintains that the relationship between the United States Navy and the city endures.
“The United States Navy and the City of Alameda will always share a strong bond, and that’s not just because of the decades of operation of the naval air station,” said Ashcraft. She pointed out that Naval Operational Support Center Alameda continues to support Reservists presently, and that the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum is berthed in Alameda as a monument to Naval history. Ashcraft also said that part of the former naval air station is the site of new apartments for low-income and formerly homeless veterans, set to open this April, and that Alameda will also serve as the future location of a Veterans Affairs Clinic that will serve veterans and their families for years to come. “We welcome the Navy here,” she said.
Recently, Mayor Ashcraft welcomed Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Daniel Dwyer to both her office at Alameda City Hall and to the city at large. Dwyer visited Alameda as part of a Navy Executive Engagement Visit. According to the Navy Office of Community Outreach, which manages the program, Executive Engagement Visits are outreach visits performed by Navy flag officers. The visits are comprised of engagements with corporate executives, government officials, education leaders, local media, veterans’ organizations, and civic groups.
“I think it’s incredibly valuable to continue to share the message of our Navy,” said Dwyer. “The more we’re out there, the more our community understands the mission of the Navy, what we face, and the challenges that we need to overcome.”
Dwyer brought a message to every group he met in Alameda: “We’re hiring,” said Dwyer. “We need the help of these communities to encourage our best and brightest to serve in our Navy today.”
Among the groups Dwyer met were the Alameda Business Network, the Alameda Rotary Association, leadership and supporters of the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, and the Bay Area Tailhook Ready Room.
“It’s important to get the word out about what’s going on with the Navy,” said Craig Thomas, president of Bay Area Tailhook Ready Room and a retired Navy captain. The organization he leads, a non-profit organization affiliated with national Tailhook Association, seeks to foster appreciation for United States Navy aircraft carrier and other sea-based aviation. According to Thomas, its membership is largely comprised of veterans, many of whom had the chance to meet and speak with Dwyer aboard Hornet.
“It makes our hearts swell, to listen to a current naval officer talk about what’s going on in the Navy today,” said Thomas. “We have a pretty aged population, but our people are wonderful presenters, bringing that Navy information to the general public. Just by being who they are in their neighborhoods, they can now spread the word.”
One person who has already heard the call to join the Navy is future Sailor Corina Medinas. Medinas is one of a party of future Sailors out of Navy Recruiting Station Alameda who also met Dwyer aboard Hornet.
“Meeting the admiral was massively inspiring,” said Medinas. “I already want to work for him and make him proud.”
“When an admiral comes to visit, these future Sailors can actually see what it looks like at that point in a Navy career,” said Chief Equipment Operator Gerado Lopez, a Navy recruiter at Navy Recruiting Station Alameda. “It opens their minds up and lets them see the possibilities and opportunities they have in a way that a pamphlet or manual might not communicate. We have so many programs in the Navy, programs meant to allow a future Sailor to one day fill the shoes of an admiral.”
For Dwyer, the visit was also a homecoming, as he grew up there. In fact, Dwyer attended the same high school as Mayor Ashcraft, which she said was a source of particular pride for her.
“It was an honor and a privilege to meet Rear Adm. Dwyer during his visit to Alameda. We hope he will come back to visit his hometown often,” said Ashcraft.
That sentiment was echoed by Marcia McGallian, president of the Alameda Business Network, a professional organization dedicated to promoting Alameda businesses. “This being a Navy town, everyone is always interested in anything to do with the Navy here,” said McGallian.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.28.2020 11:21 |
| Story ID: | 364127 |
| Location: | ALAMEDA, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 356 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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