John Mashey was too shy to raise the question in a thread, but he e-mailed me asking about the witness list for the hearing before the Texas State Board of Education on social studies standards: “Texas Navy?” he asked.
Two witnesses listed their affiliation as “Texas Navy.” Edwin Greiner and Dick Brown, both admirals in the Texas Navy, were scheduled to testify early on Wednesday afternoon.
Now, a Nebraska or Utah Navy might not make a lot of sense, since both of those states are landlocked. Texas needed a navy in the past, and at least twice, ships were commissioned and sailed for Texas, in 1835 and 1837.
In 1958, Texas Governor Price Daniel re-activated the Texas Navy with the purpose of “assuring the survival of Texas’ Naval history, boundaries, water resources, and for the civil defense of Texas.” In 1973, the Texas Legislature authorized the charter of the Texas Navy Association, Inc., as the official body to oversee the operation of the Texas Navy.
Click here to join the Texas Navy
You can join the Texas Navy. Both the men listed on the witness list claim rank of Admiral, which is not a position one attains merely by joining — so we might conclude they have done something in the past to merit the promotion.
Consider joining. Your membership will help preserve the history and tradition of the Texas Navy. And — who knows? — you may want to testify to the Texas State Board of Education some day. It looks like they’ll bump you to the first of the list, if you’re a member of the Texas Navy.
(Does anyone know what these Texas Navy officials told the SBOE? Anyone have a copy of their testimony? I’ll check with Steve Schafersman at Texas Citizens for Science to see if he knows . . .)
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
Ed, thanks for mentioning me. I do have a lot to say about the meeting, but I arrived Wednesday in the afternoon after the two admirals gave their testimony in the morning. I advise everyone to watch the video that will ultimately be available online. At the meeting, some testifiers asked that truthful, reliable, accurate history be included in the Social Studies standards, and others asked for the opposite.
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I hope you’re being sarcastic, Higgs, because if not, that only proves that Perry is either grossly stupid or grossly insane.
And rewarding Mcelroy is like rewarding the bubonic plague for “controlling the population.”
Mcelroy needs to be, to use a little naval imagry, hanged from the nearest yardarm.
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JM: Maybe she is. Ginger Rogers was (or among?) the first.
Admirals are commissioned by the governor. Word is that Perry, for exemplary leadership in the face of hostile attacks, is granting a commission to McElroy.
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John, you have noble intentions, and as usual, you’re right.
I imagine the poster was “borrowed” from a U.S. Navy, or British or Canadian Navy, recruiting poster circa 1916.
Someone under the age of 24 may enter the Texas Navy as a Lieutenant; over the age of 24, as a Commander. I gather something must be done with one’s life to earn an Admiralship.
No midshipmen in the Texas Navy. Like everyone is above average in Lake Woebegone, everyone is an Important Officer in the Texas Navy.
Nice cufflinks at a great price, though.
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It wasn’t that I was shy, it’s that I don’t like to derail threads … and this a historical topic worthy of its own thread. For sure, readers might click on that recruiting poster. I wonder if she’s an Admiral as well.
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