Fellow Companions,

On the Memorial Day weekend just past I suspect you, like I, took time to reflect upon the ultimate sacrifices that our many shipmates in times past made in support of our Nation and its many freedoms. Let us never forget to do so as we go into the future. But it is also fitting that the Naval Order should be this weekend concluding our 2nd annual May Membership Madness Month effort to reach out by phone, email, or in person to as many of our Companions as possible to perform a buddy check to get an update on their wellbeing and current points of contact.

If you received such a communication from a fellow Companion, or if you were one of the many throughout our local commanderies nationwide who made such contacts, I hope you enjoyed receiving or reaching out one of those contacts. When I myself speak with a Companion on the phone or by email I am always struck by the level of interest and enjoyment that such a contact affords at both ends. If you did not receive such a contact, we have more work to be done and will try to be better and more complete going forward.

I would also draw your attention that the week ahead commemorates two of the most significant naval and military events in the Nation’s history: the Battle of Midway (4-6 June 1942) and the D-Day landings on Normandy (6 June 1944). Please reflect upon the significance and the sacrifices that were made on both those occasions which follow shortly after Memorial Day.

I wish you the very best for the summer months ahead and hope to see many of you at our Annual Congress in Buffalo, New York, 2-5 October 2024, to celebrate “Four Centuries of Naval and Maritime History” in and around the Great Lakes in Western New York.

CG sends

Peter L. Andrus MD MBA
RADM SHCE/MC USN (Ret)
Commander General, Naval Order of the United States