New Golden Isles Navy League chapter established
- lawyair
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
Originally published on February 28, 2025
By GORDON JACKSON gjackson@thebrunswicknews.com
The Golden Isles has a new Navy League chapter.
Organizers met Wednesday to determine the level of interest in creating a new Navy League chapter and they weren’t disappointed.
More than 40 people attended the meeting to learn more about the role of the Navy League and how they could play a role.
Dave Reilly, past national president of the Navy League, said he and others have spend nine months planning to reestablish a chapter in the Golden Isles.
“This used to be one of the best councils in the region,” he said.
Christopher Townsend, national president of the Navy League, said it’s “vitally important” to support the nation’s sea services.
The Golden Isles had a Navy League chapter until 2020 when it was disbanded, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What happened in the Golden Isles is not unusual,” he said.
Townsend said creating a new Navy League chapter in the Golden Isles was at “the top of the list.”
One problem is the Navy League, like many civic organizations, struggles to get younger members.
“I set out to change the narrative,” Townsend said. “We have to get younger as an organization. We are getting younger and stronger.”
Townsend explained the importance of the Navy League as an organization created to educate the public and Congress in support of sea services, including the Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and the Marine Corps.
Jack McCleskey, regional Navy League president, explained the role local chapters play.
Youth programs such as Sea Cadets and JROTC programs supported by the Navy League have struggled in recent years.
The organization also helps support active-duty sailors and Marines, including ship visits, Sailor of the Year programs, working with recruiters and tailoring programs to communities.
The organization plays an important role in legislative affairs by explaining needs to government officials.
The Navy League also provides experts to educate the public about topics that affect sea services.
McCleskey said a potential group of Glynn County residents who would be great additions to the fledgling chapter work at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick.
“There’s plenty of opportunities here in the Golden Isles,” he said.
After the speeches, Glenn Cook was nominated as president of the new chapter by Townsend.
“We’ve got a heck of a guy to lead the charge,” he said.
Townsend asked people in the audience interested in joining to volunteer to be on the board of directors.
“We’ve got skin in the game, blood in the game,” he said.
Cook mentioned Sheila McNeill, the former national Navy League president and state senator, for her role in creating the Golden Isles Navy League chapter more than 20 years ago.
McNeill played an important role as a Navy League member in saving a Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team in St. Marys that was planned to be disbanded more than a decade ago.
She also helped convince the Navy to convert four ballistic-missile Ohio-class submarines the Navy was planning to decommission as part of the START Treaty negotiations with Russia. The boats were stripped of their nuclear missiles and the silos converted fast-attack submarines with an arsenal of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
She accomplished this and more with never serving in the military, remaining active in the Navy League until her death last year.
“I want to make it one of the strongest councils in the nation,” Cook said. “One of the original ports in the country was right here in Glynn County.”
Nowadays, the Port of Brunswick is one of the “biggest, most active ports in the country.”
“The council depends on people like you,” he said. “We serve those who serve the country. Here you can contribute your efforts.”
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