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Our distinguished speaker this week is Commander William Baxter.  A Destroyerman at heart,Commander Baxter has served aboard six of the U.S. Navy's finest combatants. Most recently, Commander Baxter

served as Executive Officer of USS PORT ROYAL (CG 73), in which he was part of the team that  returned her to fleet service following an unfortunate grounding. Prior to PORT ROYAL, he served as Executive Officer of USS O'KANE (DDG 77) and completed a deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf in support of combatant commander's ballistic missile defense requirements. Previously, he served as Engineer Officer aboard USS YORKTOWN (CG 48), deploying with the WASP Expeditionary Strike Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served as Engineer Officer of USS TAYLOR (FFG 50), completing a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean. He completed his division officer tours aboard USS UNDERWOOD (FFG 36) and USS SPRUANCE (DD 963), where in 1996 he completed Surface Warfare Officer Qualification.

Ashore, he served as Surface Second Tour Department Head Assignment Officer at Navy Personnel Command (PERS 41). For his first shore assignment, he served at Texas A&M University's Naval ROTC Unit as a Naval Science Instructor. While assigned there, he completed a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management. Commander Baxter also holds a Master of Arts from the U.S. Naval War College.

Commander Baxter's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (with gold star), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with four gold stars), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (with gold star). 

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"Arigato Gozaimasu!" 

Thank you to our Nagoya Sister Club Committee Chairs Roger Reck and Sumi Kawaratani and all our fellow Rotarians for their hard work and help to welcome and host our guests from our sister club the Rotary Club of Nagoya, Japan.  Last Friday, we celebrated our

Golden 50th Anniversary as sister clubs in grand style  with comments from President Torao Oshima, a formal exchange of gifts, greetings from the office of the Consul General of Japan, a wonderful display of traditional Japanese dance by our own Dr. Sumi and her partner Annie, and an update on the economy of Japan by our guest speaker Dr. Deckle from USC.

On Sunday, our club sponsored its first ever float in the 72nd Los Angeles Nisei Week Grand Parade in Little Tokyo with Rotary International President Tanaka's 2012-2013 theme of "Peace through Service".  Thanks to all who turned out to cheer on Nagoya Rotary President Torao Oshima, his wife Kyoko, Secretary Ichiki Mizuno, his wife Yumi, our Secretary Alan Bernstein, First Lady Miyuki and me as we rode the LA5 Rotary float and waved to the many thousands who attended the parade.  It was a wonderful opportunity to promote Rotary and our club; and to be a part of history!  Roger is organizing an LA5 group for a reciprocal trip to attend the Nagoya Festival in Nagoya on October 20-21, and a meeting of the Rotary Club of Nagoya on October 23rd. Please let Roger know if you would like to join us on this historical trip.

The Navy League of the United States (NLUS) was founded in 1902 with the encouragement of President Theodore Roosevelt. The Navy League has provided a powerful voice for a stronger sea service to Congress and to the American people. The Navy League has grown into the foremost citizens' organization to serve, support, and stand with all the sea services - U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine.

"It seems to me that all good Americans interested in the growth of their country and sensitive to its honor, should give hearty support to the policies which the Navy League is founded to further. For the building and maintaining in proper shape of the American Navy, we must rely on nothing but the broad and farsighted patriotism of our people as a whole." (Teddy Roosevelt)

Please join us this Friday and bring a guest to meet Grant Ivey, National Director, Navy League of the United States and President of Navy Days LA and our special guest speaker Commander William Baxter, Captain of the USS Meyer Destroyer.  The USS Meyer is visiting Los Angeles and is currently docked at San Pedro harbor as part of the Navy Days LA celebration.

Yours in Rotary service,