Tawani Extends U.S. Naval Institute Partnership
The Tawani Foundation of Chicago has awarded the Naval Institute a three-year, $150,000 grant to support our naval heritage initiatives through 2012. The partnership is derived from the foundation’s mission to promote awareness of the importance of the “Citizen Soldier” through preserving military history and heritage and honoring the history of military personnel through recognition of achievement.
The Institute’s fruitful association with the Tawani Foundation dates to 2003. Our relationship with Tawani founder Colonel James N. Pritzker, a USNI Life Member, began in 1980. Through Tawani’s past generosity, the Institute collaborated with the Department of Defense and the Chief of Naval Information to profile the Battle of Midway, providing original audio and narration for more than four hours of Internet radio podcasts covering the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Battle of Midway. The series was broadcast by the Pentagon Channel, the Department of the Navy, and the Institute, resulting in more than 500,000 downloads.
With its latest multi-year commitment, the Tawani Foundation will continue to help underwrite the Institute’s Oral History and Americans at War programs, allowing us to chronicle the powerful first-person accounts of men and women who have served our country. Through these memoirs, future generations will learn about American patriots who rallied to the flag when called.
On behalf of all who appreciate naval history, we thank the Tawani Foundation for its ongoing generosity. For information on how you, too, can support the Institute’s Oral History and Americans at War programs, please contact Sue Sweeney at (410) 295-1054 or at [email protected]. Tax-deductible gifts may be made online at www.usni.org or sent to the Naval Institute Foundation at 291 Wood Road; Annapolis, MD 21402.
Capstone Awards through USNA Class Support
In May, during the Naval Academy Seamanship & Navigation Division’s annual awards ceremony, Naval Institute Publisher Bill Miller and Proceedings Editor-in-Chief Paul Merzlak presented prizes to the three Midshipmen First Class who won the “Commander William Earl Fannin, Class of 1945, Capstone Essay Contest.” The essays were chosen from a class-wide competition, according to the branch of service and military specialty each midshipman would enter after graduation and commissioning.
Retired Vice Admiral Lando W. Zech Jr. and Captain Dick G. Wilson represented the Class of 1945 Foundation, which sponsors the annual contest in collaboration with the Naval Academy and the Naval Institute. Winners received checks for $1,000 and the honor of having their essays published in the June issue of Proceedings.
The 2010 Capstone winners:
Second Lieutenant Eric Montgomery, U.S. Marine Corps, “Side by Side.” For one former enlisted Marine and veteran of the war in Iraq, being a commissioned officer carries a great deal of weight, as he honors the memory of a lost fellow-Marine—and older brother.
Ensign Rique Sanchez, U.S. Navy, “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.” Sanchez examines the ethics of unmanned aerial vehicles that take the “human” out of the battle zone.
Ensign Terence Bennett, U.S. Navy, “Spend Smartly, Adapt Accordingly.” Bennett argues that today’s littoral surface-warfare environment requires a leaner, more versatile shipbuilding approach.
The Naval Institute is involved in a range of essay contests and recognizes that encouraging independent ideas makes good sense for the Navy, the Sea Services, and national defense. Your tax-deductible contributions to the Naval Institute Foundation enable the Institute to strengthen its entire slate of contests, fostering better ideas and higher standards of communications among military professionals. For more information, contact Denis Clift at (410) 295-1057 or at [email protected].