Certificate of Appreciation and MOAA Coin are presented to Capt. Melvin from Col. Benedict, President.
Rett Benedict
The October 15 meeting of the Catalina Satellite Chapter of MOAA was held in the East Room of the MountainView Club. The speaker was Captain Albert Melvin (USNR, Retired), a SaddleBrooke resident. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and worked aboard U.S. flag merchant ships. He also had a 30-year career in the U.S. Navy Reserves with assignments primarily in the Military Sealift Command and the U.S. Transportation Command. Capt. Melvin is also a former Arizona State Senator where he was Chairman, Senate Commerce, Energy and Military Committee and Vice Chairman of the Public Safety Committee among others.
Capt. Melvin discussed a wide range of novel ideas from desalination possibilities to giant ports in Sonora, Mexico to enhance east-west trade. Desalination is in wide use in the Middle East; Israel and Saudi Arabia are prime examples. The time may be right for similar desalination capabilities perhaps in Sonora, Mexico. It could open up possibilities of improving Arizona water supplies. Capt. Melvin also described a major port project that is being examined in the Sea of Cortez that could handle the largest container ships being developed, ones that hold the equivalent of 10,000 tractor trailers on one carrier. This facility could deliver the containers to the U.S. via rail through Arizona and help relieve the congestion at other ports, a potential win-win for both Mexico and the U.S.
Capt. Melvin also encouraged our members to strongly consider active involvement in the local community, perhaps in civic government such as he was in the legislature, and several of our members already are in other areas. The skills of veterans and the communities’ needs could be very well matched.
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, December 17, 2016, in the East Room, MountainView Country Club, 38759 S. Mountain View Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85739, phone: 818-1000. Lunch can be ordered starting at 11:30. The speaker will be one of our own members, Captain Lorna Fairchild (USA Ret) talking about women in the military. It should be very interesting and informative.
Spouses are welcome and invited. Subsequent meetings will be held on the third Saturday of each month at the same time and location and will feature speakers from the local area discussing a wide variety of topics of interest to our members.
For additional information contact Col. Rett Benedict, President, 825-7424, [email protected] or Col. Tom Owens, MOAA Tucson President, 760-3476, [email protected]. Check our website: www.tucsonmoaa.com for information.
The Catalina Mountains satellite is part of the Tucson Chapter and encompasses Northwest Tucson to include Catalina, Oracle, parts of Oro Valley and Marana, SaddleBrooke and Sun City.
The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a nonprofit veterans service association dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and to preserve the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors.