Congressional Gold Medal Recipient And Montford Marine, Ambassdor Theodore R. Britton, Jr. to Speak at Nashville Rotary Club

The Honorable Ambassador Theodore R. Birtton Jr. is distinguished among his fellow Montford Point Marines by his presidential appoint as U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. The former Chief of Mission to Barbados and to the State of Grenada, hails from Augusta, South Carolina, where his early upbringing in good manners prepared him for global achievement as "Ambassador For Peace."

From 1974 to 1977 Britton served as Ambassador, (Chief of Mission) to Barbados and the State of Grenada, while simultaneously serving as the U.S. Special Representative to the States of Antigua, Dominica, St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia and St. Vincent.

 Ambassador Britton has maintained a life-long interest in diplomatic affairs and international activities from 1971 as shown by his extensive participation in US Information Agency programs and the Paris based Group on Urban Affairs. He has served as Co-chair of the US-China Agreement on Housing and Planning and Executive Secretary to similar agreements with Mexico, Canada, Japan, and the former Soviet Union (USSR) Longtime Vice-Chair.

His degrees in banking and finance enabled him to serve as an officer and director in the savings and commercial banking arenas. He earned a B.S. degree and graduate diploma from New York University and from the American Savings and Loan Institute, respectively.  And as a specialist in housing and finance, his civilian service also includes a career at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

After a career in banking, Ambassador Britton was elected president of the American Baptist Management Corporation. Then later, entering into Government Service, his housing expertise was put to use as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. His mission was to improve the production of housing and the delivery of housing services.

A veteran of World War II and Korea, The Ambassador offers a historically unique perspective on health, housing, education and veteran's affairs. He is a Life Member of the Second Marine Division Association, the Association of former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), and the Montford Point Marines. He is an advisor to the Hampton University Minority Men's Health Initiative and the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the ranking recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, which honors 20,000 African American Marines who trained at the segregated Montford Point boot camp in North Carolina from 1942-1949.

Ambassador Britton is married to the former Vernell Elizabeth Stewart of Jacksonville, Florida. They live Atlanta, Georgia.

Ambassador Britton will speak at the Nashville Rotary Club on October 31, 2016 for the club's annual Veterans Day Program beginning at noon. Rotarians are welcome to attend. Members of the public luncheon fee is 35.00.

Ambassador Theodore Britton, Jr. on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life as we celebrate our military heroes' journeys before and after their service to our country. Hear from men and women who are sons and daughters; husbands and wives; fathers and mothers; grandparents; siblings; and loyal friends. Hear members of the Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy share personal stories and highlights from their military careers. All have roles that made them the "first" in many endeavors throughout their lives and in the military. We will hear about their rarely discussed acts of courage and sacrifice that embody servant leadership that will empower, inspire, and motivate listeners. 

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, tune in to hear from U. S. Ambassador Theodore Britton, Jr, a Montford Point Marine and Congressional Gold Medal Recipient, who was one of the first Marines to integrate the United States Marine Corps. Tune in to hear Ambassador Britton share why the desegregation of the USMC was one of the early milestones in the United States Civil Rights struggle. Hear him discuss the importance of USMC's desegregation and why it has been overlooked by historians and the people of our country. 

Listen as Ambassador Brittons  reflect on lessons learned, from being in two wars, World War II and the Korean War. Hear him share about being thankful for serving his country and why using military force should be the last option, not the first.  Ambassador Britton will also share the need for all Americans to learn more about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Compassion Fatigue. He will share why he believes that communities, not just the veteran community,  must be more aware of the invisible wounds of war that is plaguing our country's service men and women post combat. Ambassador Britton will be the keynote speaker at Warrior-Centric Healthcare Training in Nashville on July 9, 2013.

Living Your Best Life Radio, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life can be heard on 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In Radio, streamed live on the web at UStream.TV  on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST and on military bases.

More About Ambassador Theodore Britton, Jr.

 
Ambassador Britton has maintained a life-long interest in diplomatic affairs and International activities as shown by his extensive participation in US Information Agency programs beginning in 1971. During 1981 to 1989, he served as Co-Chair of the US-China Agreement on Housing and Planning and Executive Secretary to similar agreements with Mexico, Canada, Japan and the former Soviet Union (USSR).  Longtime Vice-Chair, he was elected Chairman/President, of the Group on Urban Affairs in 1985, at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). During this period, he led a two year OECD Mission to Study and Evaluate Japan’s Urban Policies, and later, presided at the second meeting of Urban Affairs Ministers of the 23 OECD countries.

 A specialist in finance and housing, he was president of the American Baptist Management Corporation prior to entering Government service. In his first post, his housing expertise was put to use as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, with a mission to improve the production of housing and the delivery of housing services. He was elected president of New York’s United Mutual Life Insurance Company after leaving his ambassadorial post, and returned to Government in 1981 to concentrate on International Affairs.

He is a graduate of New York University with a B.S. degree in Banking and Finance, and from the American Savings and Loan Institute with the Graduate Diploma. During 2009, the Ambassador was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws – Honoris Causa, by Kristal University, in Tirana, Albania.

He has twice served in the US Marine Corps beginning with basic training at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, NC., January 14, 1944.  He is a Life Member of its Third Marine Division. He holds a similar Life Membership in the Association for Intelligence Officers. A long time member of People to People International, he is a member of its’ Board of Trustees, having served as a member of its Board of Directors. He is a board member of the Georgia Council for International Visitors, the Council of American Ambassadors and is Honorary Chairman of Kristal University, located in Tirana, Albania. In March 2009, he was elected Chairman of Kristal’s Center for Albanian-American Studies.

In 2006, he was appointed Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Albania, in the State of Georgia. Lastly, he is an “Ambassador for Peace” of the South Korean-based Universal Peace Federation, and was a member of its Middle East Peace Initiative to Israel and Palestine in 2007. 

A long-time supporter of education, and gifted lecturer, he recently completed the second of a lecture series on The Caribbean, at Georgia’s world famed Emory University. During November, 2008, after being recognized and honored by the South Korea National Assembly, he was designated to respond on behalf of veterans comprising the sixteen (16) nations which composed the combat forces during the Korean War. 

USAF Rick DelaHaya on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life as we celebrate our military heroes' journeys before and after their service to our country. Hear from men and women who are sons and daughters; husbands and wives; fathers and mothers; grandparents; siblings; and loyal friends. Hear members of the Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy share personal stories and highlights from their military careers. All have roles that made them the "first" in many endeavors throughout their lives and in the military. We will hear about their rarely discussed acts of courage and sacrifice that embody servant leadership that will empower, inspire, and motivate listeners. 

On Saturday, June 22, 2013, tune in to hear from Rick DelaHaya, a USAF's "scope dope" who was the first enlisted controller to ever conduct an intercept over Russian airspace while simultaneously coordinating with air surveillance aircraft and ground control units. Listen as DelaHaya share highlights from working with two Commanders-in-Chiefs, President Clinton and President Bush. Hear him give us behind the scene details of coordinating communications on 9/11 with President Bush and the White House Press Corps from Barksdale AFB.

Rick will discuss life after being in the Air Force for over twenty years and how adjusting can be difficult if one is not focused and have support from family and community. Rick will share about his career options as a veteran and will give advice that is applicable to civilians and career military in transition. Rick also surprises us with his imitation of the Presidents he served. 

Rick will be sharing his post military career experiences on a panel with other veterans at the Warrior Centric Healthcare Training in Nashville on July 9, 2013 at the Nashville Public Library. Ambassador Theodore Britton, Jr. will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Living Your Best Life Radio, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life can be heard on 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In Radio, streamed live on the web at UStream.TV  on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST and on military bases.

More About Rick DelaHaya

Rick DelaHaya enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1983 as an aerospace control and warnings systems operator. He had assignments in New Mexico, Honduras, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Alaska, Florida, and Louisiana. In 1991, he cross trained into Air Weapons Control where he was responsible for the flight control and intercepts of aircraft, including F-15, S1-16, F-117 fighter aircraft, B-2 and B-52 bombers, and KC-10 and KC-135 tanker aircraft. He was the first enlisted controller to ever conduct an intercept over Russian airspace while simultaneously coordinating with air surveillance aircraft and ground control units.

After 13 years as a “scope dope,” he cross trained into Public Affairs and had assignments at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and the 8^th Air Force Headquarters in Bossier City, Louisiana. He has interviewed two presidents, the Secretary of the Air Force and numerous Senators during his Air Force career. Some of the news events he has covered and been a part of include the E-3 Sentry crash in Anchorage, Alaska; the return of forces from Bosnia; and the crash of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its recovery efforts. One of the most memorable was the devastating attack against the United States on September 11, 2001, when then President George Bush landed at Barksdale AFB and he delivered the president’s message to the world along with the White House Press Corps.

Rick retired in 2003, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster, Good Conduct Medal with five oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, Air Force Longevity Award with 4 oak leaf clusters, and Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Award with one bronze star.

After retirement, he held several Public Relations jobs with Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, Fort George G. Meade in Baltimore, Maryland, and Chimp Haven, the national chimpanzee sanctuary. Prior to his current position with Tennessee State University as Director of Media Relations, he served as the Marketing and Communications Director for Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana, a position he held for more than four years.

Rick received his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University, majoring in Political Science and minoring in sociology. He has been married for more than 25 years to his wife Terrie, who is also an Air Force retiree. They have three children; Tim, a 5^th grade teacher in Louisiana; Sara, a junior at Louisiana State University; and Sam, who will be starting his freshman year at Station Camp High School.

Photo credits: John Cross, Genma Holmes, Rick DelaHaya, and USAF

U.S. Ambassador Theodore Britton to Address PTSD in Nashville