CHAMBER SHOWS APPRECIATION FOR MILITARY
Groton — More than 300 members of the military, veterans, government leaders, business leaders and community members gathered at the Mystic Marriott Hotel on Nov. 1 for the 10th Annual Military
Appreciation Breakfast.
The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT hosts the breakfast annually, with the support of Electric Boat, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Dunkin’.
Rear Adm. Butch Dollaga, commander of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center, recounted his experiences as a submariner in Groton as a junior officer to his current work on tactics in the undersea domain.
“I think the United States builds the best, most lethal, most capable submarines in the world and it starts with Electric Boat,” said Dollaga, sharing the information that seven submarines from Groton were deployed and completed 24 missions vital to national security.
Electric Boat President Kevin Graney, a veteran submarine officer, said, “Our mission is simple and that is to give the men and women of our submarine force every unfair advantage we can give you.”
Speaking on behalf of the 5,200 Army and Air Connecticut national guardsmen, Major Gen. Francis J. Evon Jr., adjutant general, Connecticut National Guard, expressed his appreciation for the employers who support their service. “Our greatest asset is our people and one of the most important things we do is take care of them. … We can’t do that without the support of those who employ our citizen soldiers and airmen. I want to thank those employers and encourage you to continue to hire veterans and provide guardsmen the flexibility to do their training and increase their readiness in defense of our national security.”
Capt. William Smith, chief of mission support at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, shared the long history of the academy in this region, its ties to New London, and its pre-eminence in the Northeast as the highest-ranked public college. “All officers come through our gates,” said Smith, who characterized the close community of 1,100 cadets and 600 support staff as always welcoming of the community for parades and sporting events to the campus on the Thames River.
At the event, the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT’s Military Affairs Council recognized two businesses with the Military Community Support Award: Antonino Auto Group and Cardinal Honda. The awards were presented by Angela Clay and Dara Wicken, both of Navy Federal Credit Union and co-chairs of the Military Affairs Council of the Chamber.
Chris Antonino accepted the award for Antonino Auto Group. Antnonio Auto Group donated $30,000 to the Chief Petty Officers Association when government employees were placed on furlough during the government shutdown in January. Each of the nine Antonino dealerships held a drive for Save-a-Suit, resulting in a van full of more than 100 suits to be given to veterans entering the civilian workforce.
Cardinal Honda, represented by Kevin Tobey at the event, employs many active military spouses and veterans. The Cardinal Foundation purchased parade rifles for parade groups, hosted military appreciation picnics and barbecues, and opened the dealership to military groups to hold car washes for fundraisers. Navy law enforcement officers partnered with Cardinal to raise money and awareness for Connecticut Special Olympics.