The Trident 4th Quarter Newsletter 

From Our Council President 

Our annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Toys for Tots Brunch on December 3rd and included the election of our 2024 board of directors.  For the first time in several years, we have new faces on the board, some changes in positions and we said thank you to one of the board members that served the Council and our Youth Programs very well for many years.

Barbara Johns has been our Vice President Youth Programs leading the interaction between the Camden - Kings Bay Council of the Navy league and the Naval Junior ROTC program at Camden County High School and the Kings Bay Sea Cadets.  Well done, Barbara.  A big “Thank You” to you and Porter for your many years of service. 

Crystal Lord was nominated to fill the job of Vice President Youth Programs and has already reached out to expand our role on the Base.  Shelley Bonner is our second new board member, elected as Vice President Sea Services and Family Support.  Shelly has also hit the deck running, helping put together the January activity I mention below.  As our experienced members know, Cheryl Aston has filled that Vice President slot for many years.  Cheryl volunteered to fill our Secretary position that has been vacant in 2023.  We now have a relatively full board, with two vacancies.

First is Vice President for Membership – a behind the scenes position that is especially important as we grow the Council.  The other position that is still vacant is President-elect.  I obviously have a vested interest in that position being filled!  If you are interested in helping lead this Council in any role, please contact me or any of the other board members and we will be glad to explain what's involved and encourage you to get involved.

 Our November meeting was based on a suggestion from Cheryl Aston:  Three Navy Petty Officers and one Coast Guard Petty Officer, all stationed at Kings Bay, formed a panel and explained what they do, how they bring young sailors on board to their units, how they were trained, and a whole lot more.  It was an absolutely fascinating discussion with the people who are going to be leading our Navy and the Coast Guard in the future.   Our December meeting was combined with the Toys for Tots Brunch.  A big “Thank You” to everyone who attended, donated toys, donated gifts that we auctioned off and made it a great success.  Three young Marines from the Kings Bay Battalion accepted the toys on behalf of the Corps, arranged by our own PO2 Bradon Vincent.  The opportunity to meet and visit with these seven relatively junior personnel was really special. 

Our annual, local Wreaths Across America ceremony was at Gilman Park on Dec 16.  As we look forward to January, we will have an informal event with base leadership on January 18th and you'll see a flyer about that relatively soon. On February 9 we have our annual dessert auction, our major fundraiser in addition to being an incredibly good time.  In March our monthly dinner meeting will return to the Triplex on base. 

If you do not already have base access, Captain Bohner, Base CO, has offered to sponsor any Camden-Kings Bay Navy League member for access.  Contact Keith Post at ExecutiveDirector@stmaryssubmuseum.com for help with the paperwork.

We’ve had a busy and fun year; 2024 looks to be even better.  Bring a friend and let our activities convince them to become a member.