From left, League Cadet Delaney VanVeldhuizen, Stacy Kehoe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremiah Burnette
President Stacy Kehoe and United States Representative from Tennessee’s 3rd District Congressman Chuck Fleischmann
Stacy Kehoe and Captain Mickey McCamish,USN (RET), president of MOAA and immediate past president of the Greater Chattanooga Navy League Council
The Greater Chattanooga Navy League Council and the Military Officers Association of America joined forces Tuesday night at the Walden Club in downtown Chattanooga. During the dinner, special guest included United States Representative from Tennessee’s 3rd District Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. President Stacy Kehoe, also an officer in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Award to two Navy League and Sea Cadets from the USNSCC Chattanooga Division.
League Cadet Delaney VanVeldhuizen and Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremiah Burnette both were awarded by the Greater Chattanooga Navy League Council. Each cadet was chosen by their unit officers and were nominated due to their outstanding performance within their unit.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, developed an interest in the Navy early in life. As a student at Harvard in 1882 young “Teddy” wrote "The Naval War of 1812" establishing his credentials as a serious historian. Among his many roles in serving his country, he became assistant secretary of the Navy in 1897 and was instrumental in preparing the Navy for the Spanish-American War. He later went on to be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor. He served as President of the United States from 1901-1909.
In 1902, a small group of business owners and Navy supporters gathered in New York City to form a patriotic organization dedicated to the maintenance of the nation’s maritime strength. They sought to develop an independent organization, beholden to no one, which could speak in support of the Navy and educate the American people on significant maritime issues impacting on the nation’s security and prosperity. President Theodore Roosevelt believed in the formation of a Navy League so strongly that he contributed his Nobel Peace Prize award of $500 toward the cost of starting the Navy League and keeping it going.
Today, the Navy League is engaged in carrying out a variety of programs to inform and educate all citizens - including elected officials - on the importance of sea power. The Navy League is equally involved in the support of the men and women of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, U.S.- flag Merchant Marine, and their families. Membership in the Navy League is open to all Americans not on active duty in the U.S. military.
The Navy League’s youth programs are an integral part of its efforts. The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a national program providing recreation and maritime training for over 10,000 boys and girls, ages 11 through 17. This program endeavors to instill in these youth the principals of seamanship, patriotism, and good citizenship while fostering a sense of duty, discipline, self-esteem, and respect for others.