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Today is Thursday, July 24, 2008 |
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Pensacola Chapter
National Naval Officers Association actively supports the Sea Services
in the development of a diverse officer corps through recruitment, retention, and career development. NNOA is essential in maintaining operational readiness by providing professional development, mentoring, and support of cultural awareness. NNOA establishes and maintains a positive
image of the Sea Services in communities and educational institutions.
Would you like to become a member of NNOA? Were you a member at one time and your membership has expired?
You may join NNOA or reactivate your membership online. Click "Join/Renew NNOA" in the left margin!
Click here to find out more about the Mission and History of the
National Naval Officers Association.
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NNOA supports Boys and Girls Club Ball
By Maj. Gen. (retired) Al Gilley
I am extremely impressed with the members of the National Naval Officers Association who I met at the Boys and Girls Club Ball last month. It was a pleasure to share a table with such enthusiastic young officers. I learned a lot about your chapter of NNOA from my conversations with them throughout the night and accept their invitation to attend one of your future chapter meetings.
You can be proud of the reputation that your chapter has in the Boys and Girls Club hierarchy. The Club's Board of Directors considers your chapter a primary contributor and recognized it at the ball as a Special Organization that "goes above and beyond" in the community, including visiting community schools and exposing students to the opportunities in the Navy.
The Ball was not only informative but also fun. During the more serious moments, Lt. Karen Eifert accepted a lovely vase of red roses from the Boys and Girls' Club as a token of its appreciation of the support generously given by your chapter. Lt. Cmdr. Ragin gave an eloquent speech on your chapter events and activities of the past year. I commend you on a year of making a difference.
On the lighter side, we all enjoyed a delightful prime rib and shrimp dinner and tried our skills at a few games. My putting won me a few golf balls but the only big winner from our table was Lt. Cmdr. Ragin who won a bottle of Italian wine.
I will speak to the leaders of your chapter to discuss the possibility of becoming one of your newest members. However, whether or not I join NNOA, I extend an offer to become a mentor and leadership lecturer for your chapter. I believe that my 38 years in Army leadership positions overcome any cultural differences between our branches of Service.
I encourage you to continue to work with the youth in Pensacola. Your efforts strike a cord in my heart, as I am also committed to giving back to the community by mentoring minority male teens through a new nonprofit organization called STUDENTS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY IN DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE (STRIDE). In a future article I will tell you more about this noble organization and why I chose to focus my efforts in my recent retirement to making it a success. Keep up the good work NNOA; you are true heroes in our community.
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Pensacola Chapter Newsletters
To view our newsletters Click Here .
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What Can NNOA Do For Me ?
What are the tools that make a successful career? I have two words for
you mentorship and education. As a senior African American Officer in
the United States Coast Guard, junior officers have often asked me,
"How did you do it?"
I do not have one answer to that question. However, there is one
common denominator on which most senior officers agree --mentorship.
No officer regardless of race or class distinction can survive into
the upper ranks without mentors. Note the plural.
"When asked, who was your mentor," said Navy Admiral J. Paul Reason at
the 1998 NAACP Convention, "my answer was there were many of them."
Click here to view this insightful article by Captain Charles Williams, USCG.
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What the NNOA did for me !
Reflections of a United States Coast Guard Academy Cadet on the annual NNOA
Conference held in San Diego, CA from 4 - 8 August 2003.
"Many times during my short time in the Coast Guard I have heard various
people use the phrase, "In my Coast Guard." When I heard this from people,
I would try to look at things from their point of view to understand what
they meant by the phrase. It was often an upsetting thought to contemplate
because I honestly felt that as a minority, I was not a member of this so
called, "My Coast Guard." The single most important thing attending NNOA
did for me, was give me the truest sense of ownership I have ever felt for
this service. I was overwhelmed by the wealth of history, knowledge and
experience that surrounded me through the entire conference as I met the
Captains and Admirals that paved the way for me. When I refer to the
service, I no longer wonder if the opportunity to succeed as an officer
truly exists for me because I have seen it manifested in the officers I met
at the conference. I know now that this is, "My Coast Guard," as much is it
is anyone else's who wears the uniform. For me this was priceless. NNOA
has made me fully aware of the progress that has been made by minorities in
our service. I am also aware of the progress that is left to be made. This
progress will only be achieved by retaining quality individuals like the
officers of NNOA. To retain minority officers we must also graduate
minority cadets and as a minority cadet, if I had to choose a single
motivational experience to boost me on the path to graduation, the NNOA
Conference is it, hands down."
-written by a United States Coast Guard Academy Cadet
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National Naval Officers Organization important links.
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Navy Times
Article posted 19 Jul 2007. Interview With NNOA President - Captain Bernard L. Jackson, USN.
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