The Tampa Council was recently represented at the
annual combined USCENTCOM/USSOCOM Holiday reception held at MacDill AFB. According to Mike Patrick, Tampa Council president,
the council is fortunate to have such a senior Navy presence in the Tampa area. With the commanders of both CENTCOM
and USSOCOM being four-star admirals, it has elevated the Navy influence in the local area significantly.
During
the council’s annual Toys for Tots event in December, council members reached out to all branches of services represented
within the more-than-60 coalition countries helping to fight the Global War on Terror by recognizing them at the holiday
reception. This year, Brigadier General Arne Sharpkje from Norway (Senior Coalition Representative) and Colonel Ian Smith
(Senior British Military Advisor) of Great Britain were the guests of honor.
The Tampa
Council has also worked closely with both commands in funding, planning and hosting the annual Navy Ball which has also taken
on much greater significance since the most recent change of commands. Additionally, the Tampa Council sponsors an annual
Sailor/Marine and Sea Cadet(s) of the Year Awards Dinner to recognize the outstanding enlisted Sailor, Marine and
Cadet from all the commands in Tampa, which currently numbers more than a dozen.
Outside
of Washington DC, the Tampa Council has one of the most diverse U.S. Navy and international military concentrations in the
continental US, and the Council is working diligently with the other regional councils to recognize these heroes and
increase support for them and their families within the Tampa Bay community.
Patrick, who
is Vice President of Operations for Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, notes that Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC) has extended
their popular "Here's to the Heroes" program through 2008. This program has provided free admission to BEC parks
for over 4 million service members and their dependents since 2003, continuing Anheuser Busch's long standing tradition
of support for our Military that dates back to the Civil War.
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The Tampa Council was featured in the April 2007 edition of the Navy League's SEAPOWER magazine. The port visit
of the USS BAINBRIDGE is the focus of the piece. Go to page 88 of your copy of SEAPOWER to read the article.
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