We had a remarkably interesting meeting on Friday, March 21^st. Our guest speaker, retired Navy Commander Chuck Ridgway, provided an overview of his writing “From Distant Shores: How the Experience of the Imperial German Navy’s East Asia Squadron Can Help Understand Chinese Overseas Naval Ambitions”, for which he was awarded first prize in the Rising Historian category in CNO’s 2024 Naval History Essay Contest. 

He noted the peacetime aims of a naval fleet to make port calls and to refuel, as well as the broader goals to promote commerce, prosperity, and acceptance. In wartime, the Navy needs secure ports for refueling, repair and ammunition to carry on the fight. The German naval commanders recognized these crucial needs for naval forces far from home.

Today, China is seeking to establish a naval presence on the Atlantic coast of Africa, while the US exerts its influence to urge Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to reject China’s overtures. While this does not seem to be wartime approach, it does seem to be a strategy to reshape the international order to China’s benefit at the expense of other nations, most especially the United States.

Spring Meeting – March 21, 2025

The spring meeting of the Denver Council is scheduled for Friday, March 21st at the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport, located at 16475 East 40th Circle, Aurora, CO 80011.

Our guest speaker for the evening will be retired Navy Commander Chuck Ridgway. Chuck won first prize in the CNO’s Naval History Essay Contest in the Rising Historian Category for his essay entitled, “From Distant Shores: How the Experience of the Imperial German Navy’s East Asia Squadron Can Help Understand Chinese Overseas Naval Ambitions.” I am sure that we can look forward to an interesting presentation.

We will also honor the top performers at the Navy Information Operational Command Colorado.

Your reservations for dinner are due later than 5pm on Thursday, March 13th. We cannot refund any payments for cancellations after the reservation deadline. Click here to access the online registration page.

January 17, 2025 Meeting – Canceled

As President of the Denver Council, I decided yesterday about 1pm to cancel our meeting on Friday evening. This is the only time that a meeting was cancelled in the thirty years that I have been a member of the Council. I checked the news at noon yesterday. The weather report indicated that temperatures would drop below freezing by 5pm creating the conditions for “flash freezing” or black ice on the roads by that time. In the interest of safety, I decided that the best course was to cancel the meeting.

I contacted our guest speaker, CDR Joel McMillan as well as the US Coast Guard Cryptologic Unit Colorado to let them know and then sent out a message to all who registered for the dinner. My apologies to the few people who showed up at the Hilton Garden Inn yesterday evening.  

Since the Council will have to pay for the food that we ordered I asked the hotel to prepare the meals for donation to the Homeless Day Shelter in Aurora. My husband, JJ, and I drove to the hotel to pick up the food for delivery. We drove it over to the Shelter, which was doing a brisk business in check-ins and had vans lined up to transport folks over to an overnight shelter.  We met the Executive Director of the shelter, Jim, who seemed quite appreciative of our donation. I am glad that the food was put to good use.

Our next meeting will be held on Friday March 21^st at the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport. Our guest speaker will be retired Navy Commander and Denver Council member, Chuck Ridgway. Chuck was awarded first prize in the CNO’s Naval History Essay Contest in the Rising Historian category for his entry entitled, “From Distant Shores: How the Experience of the Imperial German Navy’s East Asia Squadron Can Help Understand Chinese Overseas Naval Ambitions.”

I hope to see you in March, when the weather will be balmier!

Florence Mackin