On the recordJune 13, 2017
With this being Caribbean-American Heritage Month, I wanted to highlight and congratulate a native Virgin Islander who is now the new commander of the USS Gabrielle Giffords, which was commissioned this past weekend in Texas. The USS Gabrielle Giffords, the 16th ship to be named for a woman and only the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850, is, in fact, commanded by Keith Woodley, a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, a graduate of Florida A&M and the Florida Institute of Technology. At the commissioning of the ship, Commander Woodley stated: ``This is not just a new ship. This is a new class of ship. . . . They have risen to that challenge and performed exceptionally well in getting this ship ready for service.'' I would be remiss in not also acknowledging, during Caribbean- American Heritage month, Alton Adam, born in 1889, who was also from St. Thomas and the U.S. Navy's first bandmaster. His music was performed by numerous bands and continues to be performed. I also, of course, want to wish my parents a happy 58th wedding anniversary today. We love you. God bless you. ____________________
