Greetings to all the Members, Commanding Officer’s and Chapters of Region Fifteen,
Today begins the official election voting for the position of the R15 Regional Coordinator and I humbly seek your support and vote to be your next Regional Coordinator.
The Region finds itself at a turning point and it must now decide how to face the challenges we are already experiencing and those challenges yet to come.
To start off, I wish to introduce myself to those who may not know me or think they know me. I was born in Fall River, MA and raised in RI since the age of two. Most of my time in RI, I lived on Aquidneck Island, living in Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth until my family moved back to Newport where I started and complete High School at Roger’s High School. Upon graduation I enlisted in the US Army to become an Infantryman.
My military service expands over a period of 25 years, during which I was assigned to numerous leadership positions from Rifleman, Radio Telephone Operator (RTO), Fire Team Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant and even acting Platoon Leader. During my service I was a Parachute Infantryman assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division where I served in two combat deployments, Operation Just Cause (Panama) and Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Saudi Arabia and Iraq). I also served in South Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division for 1 year and upon completion of my tour, I returned to the 82nd Airborne Division and a few years later I was chosen to under go the US Army Drill Instructor Course and follow-on assignment at Ft. Jackson, SC.
During this tour I decided to leave the Army for a civilian life to concentrate on my family, so I returned to Newport where I worked at both a local Ace Hardware store and a bagel shop. But after a year, I realized the military life is where I was supposed to be, and I enlisted in the RI Army National Guard as an Infantryman but soon later transferred to the FL National Guard. There I served as an Infantry Soldier during my weekend duty and I was a Civil Service Technician working in the same unit during the week which my duties were the Company Administrative Specialist (Maintained unit personnel records, awards, promotions, transfers in and out of the unit, and unit retention NCO for about 80 Soldiers).
Two years later, I applied for an Active Duty National Guard position in Wilmington NC which I was chosen to be the Battalion Commander’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle Gunner and during the week, I was the Assistant Human Resources Sergeant which my responsibilities were much of the same as mentioned above but at a larger scale for about 800 Soldiers.
In 2004 my Brigade (30th HBCT) was deployed to Iraq in which I was promoted to SFC assigned as a Platoon Sergeant. Upon our return I was assigned as a Readiness NCO (which I was responsible for 2 armories, 140 Soldiers and equipment worth more than 1 million dollars. In 2009 the unit was deployed again to Iraq, I was reassigned to be the Support Battalion Senior Human Resources Sergeant which I over saw a section of 9 Soldiers and we serviced 1400 Soldiers dealing with all personnel issues, medical issues, finance issues, and retention, etc. After my return in 2010 I submitted for my retirement but instead I was asked to supervise the NC National Guard, J-1/G-1 Army Personnel Systems. I was responsible for 10 Soldiers and the State level personnel databases, records, for over 34,000 Soldiers across the State of NC. In 2012 I decided it was time to retire and I officially retired in January 2013.
During this time I have been awarded over 31 medals and ribbons including the Bronze Star Medal, 2x Meritorious Service Medals, 5x Army Commendations, 6x Army Achievements, and several badges such as the Combat Infantry Badge with Star, Master Parachutist, Pathfinder, Air Assault, Drill Instructor Badge and the Career Counselor Badge.
My STARFLEET background starts off when I attended my first chapter meeting in November 1991 and my official membership in January 1992. In the past 22 years in STARFLEET I have served on 5 chapters and of those 5 I started 3 chapters from scratch and served as CO on 4. I currently command the USS Helen Pawlowski since 2012.
My activities over the past 22 years has been vast with experiences. Besides the above mentioned chapters, I served as the R1 Quartermaster, Director-STARFLEET Armed Forces Program, R2 Publicity Officer, Assistant STARFLEET CompOps, SFA Director -School of Tactical Operations, SFA Director-Flag Officer School, SFA Director-STARFLEET Officer’s Leadership College, Assistant Director-The Gorn Academy, Assistant Director-SFA Degree Program, Assistant Director-SFA BOCP, Commandant STARFLEET Academy, 120th MSG OIC, 119th MACO TL, 1st BDE S1, SFSO Assistant Deputy Director (Support), SFSO Assistant Director, R1 Publications Officer (R1 Newsletter), R1 RDC Communications (RC Newsletter), 1st BDE Webmaster, SFSO Webmaster, and the R15 Recognition Officer.
My basic platform for my candidacy for R15 RC is “Back to the Basics”.
Back to the basics does not mean moving backwards, but just the opposite, moving the region forward by going back to the basics of a region organization, activities and communications. In some of those areas, we as a region, and a thank you to Jerry and Peg for moving things along have already begun, such as the R15 Website and the R15 Awards Program. I propose that the RE15 Webmaster be removed from under the R15 Communication Department and make its own regional department. This helps the Communications Department to concentrate on social media, publicity and a Regional Newsletter.
The Regional Summit or Conference needs work. One thing I plan to do if elected to be your next RC is to create a R15 Summit/Conference Guide to help any R15 member/chapter on the basic steps and procedures to sponsor such events. Hopefully with written guidance and more detailed explanations, more members/chapters will want to step forward and host what should be our regions most important annual event. I too agree that the timing is too late to plan for a full weekend summit event and I fully support the current proposed regional get together that Franklin and Larry have proposed.
Another project that I would like to complete within the first 6 months of my administration if elected, is to publish a Regional Handbook that goes into details on the day to day operations and procedures. This Handbook would define Region 15, define the Region Leadership and their duties and responsibilities. Define the Regional Organizational Structure, Define the purpose and responsibilities of the Regional Captain’s Board, but also to establish policy for the unassigned region members. Just because they do not belong to a chapter, does not mean they cannot participate, earn awards and even promotions.
Lastly, if I receive the honor to be your next RC, I would like to create a new position that to me is vital for our region, and that is a Region 15 Historian. The region has a great history, but the problem is only a few here and there know pieces of it, but no one has been able to put it all together. Our history is what defined us as a Region, the good and the bad, and if we are to learn from our mistakes, we need to know what those were and how we got to where we are today.
I thank you for your time and consideration and ask for your support and vote to be your next Regional Coordinator.
Vice Admiral Paul C. Dyl
CO-USS Helen Pawlowski
R15 Recognition Officer
Director, SFA Flag Officer School
Director, SFA STARFLEET Officer’s Leadership College