Tuesday, March 18
11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Student Ministry Building, Plano Campus

Guest Speaker: Larry Bailey, Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Topic: “Reflections of an Old Navy Frogman”

A native of Marshall, Texas, Larry W. Bailey was sworn into the U.S. Navy in June 1962 upon entering Naval Officer’s Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island. Bailey’s military career included the invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965. He commanded one of the first SEAL Team TWO platoons deployed to Vietnam; he led a team to Colombia to train the first SEAL-equivalent team there.

Later, he was deployed to the Philippines as Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Special Warfare Western Pacific Detachment. In 1973, he was assigned as Plans Officer in the Panama Canal Zone, then Navy Section Chief in Bolivia. In 1978, Bailey began a five-year tenure at Fort Bragg, then assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Unit TWO at the Royal Air Force Base in Machrihanish, Scotland, where he spent three years overseeing the activities of all SEAL operations in the European Theatre.

He oversaw the basic training of entry-level SEALs at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California, and spent his final two years as a Division Chief at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where he retired from active duty in 1990.

Capt. Bailey’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Gold Star, Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device, Special Warfare Insignia (SEAL Badge), among others. He is a much-published author on military subjects and has worked at a number of non-profits since his retirement, including Vietnam Vets for the Truth. In 2007 he co-founded Gathering of Eagles, a military support organization of active-duty soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Capt. Bailey is a lifetime member of the American Legion, the VFW, the UDT-SEAL Association, the UDT-SEAL Museum Association, and the National Rifle Association.

Larry and his wife, Judy, reside in Chocowinity, North Carolina, and have two grown children.

Veterans, Gold Star families, and patriots are invited to attend this complimentary luncheon.