This Sunday, July 18, immediately following our breakfast at 9 a.m., RADM Hugh Howard III will be giving a talk about national defense strategy and update on special operations’s focus/contributions. As a retired Navy Commander, the Admiral is “The Admiral” but with his forgiveness, I'll drop Navy protocol and refer to him as Wyman. Many of you know Wyman as a long-time visitor (more like home) to the Boothbay region. You may also remember him more recently as our Grand Marshal in the Memorial Day parade. As reminder, he is a SEAL officer who assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Command on Sept. 11, 2020. Quoting from his official bio: “He previously commanded Special Operations Command Central leading joint special operations forces across the Central Region, following service as assistant commander, Joint Special Operations Command. He has commanded at all levels of Special Operations, including service as commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Development Group from 2011-2013. He has multiple tours in command of Joint Task Forces, and was among the first to deploy into Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, 2001, deploying consistently since.

His joint, interagency and policy staff experience includes service as director of operations for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; deputy director for Global Operations, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff; and director for Counterterrorism Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.”

I am also proud to say he is a member of our American Legion post as well! This Sunday will be a great opportunity to not only have a great breakfast and to hear directly from probably the most knowledgeable person on the planet regarding what our Defense Strategy is going forward and how our Special Operations plays into that. This will also be a great opportunity to ask questions and learn from someone uniquely qualified to provide the answers! So, please join us for breakfast on the 18th and join in the discussions with the Admiral!

Let's get the word out about the Yard Sale on Aug. 7! The community is invited to join this Yard Sale buy "renting" a 10-foot by 20-foot piece of grass on our Legion lawn for $20 to sell their treasures. Just call the Legion 633-4487 to reserve a spot. For those dropping items off for the Legion to sell, the tent will be up on Friday the 6th so we can move the items right into the tent. For others, you can set up starting at 6:30 a.m. on the 7th. Yard sale starts at 8.

And, don't forget two weeks later on Aug. 21, the fundraiser for the Veterans Emergency Temporary Shelter (VETS). This is going to be an awesine traditional barbecue at the Hall with the yard set up with games for the family to have fun.

The next Legion meeting is Aug. 9. Hot dogs/hamburgers (or something else) at 5:30 p.m., the meeting starts at 6.