The theme of Monday’s gathering being Armed Forces Appreciation, a multitude of military guests, officer and enlisted, were present, representing numerous Navy Region Northwest submarines, the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, and area shore commands. 

LEFT: Lt. Kate Stockton, Flag Aide; Chris Larsen, East Bremerton Rotarian; and Rear Admiral Mark Rich, Commander, Navy Region Northwest. RIGHT: Captain Skip Huck; Serena Muroni, Port Orchard Rotary inbound exchange student from Sardinia, Italy; and Captain James Lee. Photos by Tom Long


Outbound exchange student Conor Hamilton announces that he will be going to Italy, not Austria.

Some additional guests included: Emelie Meuller, our inbound exchange student from Sweden, and her friend Inga Kruse; Conor Hamilton, our future outbound; visiting Rotarians Bill Evans, Guy Stitt, Mayor Patty Lent, Steve Fabry, and Cris Larsen; and visitors Dana Ellis of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, Kristin Peterson, Manager of Ben Bridge Jeweler in Silverdale; and Arne Bakker of the Kitsap Conference Center.

The Music Committee presented a YouTube video for viewing:  “Hell Yeah” (a Navy-themed tribute).

Bill Bailey requested an assembly of all past presidents at the conclusion of the meeting.

Jerry Reid had all woodcutters from last weekend’s gathering stand;  however, he announced that the designated recipient of the wood, Kelly McDonald, was unknown to him.  Several Rotarians promptly provided the missing information.

Cris Larsen encouraged all to avail themselves of the variety of opportunities for Armed Forces Appreciation Week, including a SeeFilm event on Tuesday, the parade on Saturday, and of course the Armed Forces Day Gala Saturday night at the Admiral Theatre.

Steve Rice expressed appreciation for the response to last week’s AVID presentation:  There are now 30 Rotarian mentors waiting to engage with Bremerton High School youth.

Sergeant Pazooki also educated the Rotary in two new acronyms:  OSL (Osama Bin Laden) and HEU (High-Efficiency Urinal).

Having ensured suitable donations to the Foundation, Happy Bucks were allowed:

Dave Anderson was happy that Mother’s Day included his grandson scoring two touchdowns, and his son, an instructor at Sedro Wooley High School, being selected as the commencement speaker at his school.  Peter Braun was happy that all five of his children spent the day visiting their mother (and father). Mike Strube was happy for the exceptional weather on the day of the Armed Forces Golf Event.  Jean Mitchell was thankful for the respectable performance of Major Jim Baker’s Spelling Bee team.

Geoff Pentz was thankful for the Kitsap Convention Center’s smooth response to the large number of guests present.  Marilee Hansen was thankful for Karen McKay-Bevers’ leadership of the local American Red Cross.  John Polm was very thankful for the Rotary’s work with the AVID Program at Bremerton High School.  Guy Stitt was thankful that his sons convinced his wife that “Ironman 3” was a romantic movie, and thankful for the substantial military presence.  Steve Fabry was thankful that his daughter is now officially promoted to, and being paid for, Navy Captain.  Steve Rice was thankful for Conor Hamilton and his personality, and Tim Olson was thankful for the return of USS John C. Stennis.

Rick Tift presented RADM Mark Rich, Commander, Navy Region Northwest, the senior military guest and program presenter:  “Shoring Up Northwest Seapower.”  RADM Rich is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and for many years served as a Naval Flight Officer flying the F-14 Tomcat.  Since 2012, he has served as NRNW Commander, and is a member of the Seattle Four Rotary. 

He spoke of the Navy’s Operating Tenets:  -- Warfighting First – Operate Forward – Be Ready (equipment, sailors, and units).  The Northwest Naval Force consists of (2) aircraft carriers, (13) submarines, (13) surface ships, (92) support vessels, (115) aircraft, and 40,000 military and civilians in active support. 

Admiral Rich spoke to the interest of the group, in particular, about two areas:  Forward Deployment – relocating ships to foreign-ported locations to reduce the transit time to deployment areas and decrease wear on ships and crew; and the growing domain of electronic and cyber warfare as being a primary area of concern.

In the area of Shore Tenets, these are centered around Security, Stewardship, and Community Support.  The Admiral expressed appreciation, on behalf of all the Northwest military, for Bremerton’s Armed Forces Week recognition and appreciation of service, and extended his sincere and heartfelt thank you!