John Orton

Husband, Father, Soccer, Volleyball, Biker, Rucker, F3er↑19 Esperanza↑20 Serve↑21 Courage↑22 Believe↑23 Temperance↑24 Trust↑25 Curious↑26 Assist

[John Orton @f3backup]

On Veterans Day, taking this as a good sign that this young soldier has the courage to call out his superior. Courage = Setting Aside Fear To Turn Hardship Into Grace

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

Dear @VP you left out 106 year old CHARLES MILLS who is with the three other men you just introduced! @potus @JDVance @StephenM @AmericanLegion @ArlingtonNatl

[John Orton @f3backup]

@dreddcnc Ooorah!

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

#OTD 10 Nov 1975- 51 years ago, the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 'rock star' ship, sank in Lake Superior. The Edmund Fitzgerald was loaded with 26,000 tons of pellets containing iron ore when it sank. To slip through the narrow Soo Locks, such ships are only 75 feet wide. https://t.co/b4yBUyhhbq

[Admired Leadership @AdmiredLeaders]

Leaders notice.

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

#OTD 9 Nov 1942 USS Leedstown (AP 73) built as a steam passenger ship Santa Lucia for Grace SS Co. and transferred to the US War Shipping Administration (WSA) as a transport ship. She was hit on the starboard side near Algiers, by two torpedoes and was abandoned after ten minutes. The commander and 103 survivors were picked up. Crew 163 (59 dead and 104 survivors). https://t.co/R2I8VPCgwz

[John Orton @f3backup]

I need this booklet :)

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

United Seamen's Service: Support for Merchant Mariners. Merchant Seamen received this 48-page booklet, first published in 1943 by the United Seamen's Service, listing sources of help if they developed physical or mental health problems, giving the addresses of residential and recreational "clubs" in U.S. and foreign ports, and explaining what to do if stranded overseas.https://t.co/DpS6lfUNSS

[John Orton @f3backup]

Great work by HalfPipe this morning on "Opportunity". The best time to start leading was yesterday; the second-best time is today. Get out there and start leading. @F3Metro @F3QSource @Halfpipeclt

[John Orton @f3backup]

A Few Good Trumps. Could not stop laughing. https://t.co/ktsHCxtFmL

[John Orton @f3backup]

Aye. Brotherhood.

[John Orton @f3backup]

Brilliant :)

[Jennifer Erin Valent 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @JenniferEValent]

Oh, my gosh… 😂

[Chrissie Mayr🇺🇸 @ChrissieMayr]

This is perfect and exactly what AI needs to be used for 🥳🤣🥳

[John Orton @f3backup]

Great work Tolkien. @JRRTolkienF3

[F3 @F3Nation]

In F3, a Sua Sponte Leader is a man who has been freed to Lead. He is a Leader who exercises Individual Initiative (I2) by taking action in furtherance of his Group’s Articulated Purpose without specific instructions. He initiates Movement toward Advantage for his Group in the absence of explicit authority because he is that rare man who will Lead with or without another Leader to direct him. He is That Somebody. ~ Dredd⁠
⁠
We work on ourselves so we’re prepared to make a difference in the lives of others. Why? ⁠
⁠
The world needs more strong men. Men strong enough to serve. Men who put their strength to work for their families and their communities.⁠
⁠
Be That Somebody.⁠

@F3Macon @F3LexSC
⁠
#F3Nation #SpeedForNeed #QSource #SuaSponte #ShoulderToShoulder

[John Orton @f3backup]

Excellent lead by The Spaniard at Saturday @f3qsource on Candor. Great dialogue on Candor. When a man's fly is unzipped, the courageous man delivers candor with love, letting them know it's down. Candor from the M is sometimes the hardest to receive. @F3Metro

[John Orton @f3backup]

@FinTechInnov8r Holy Sh-t Batman.

[John Orton @f3backup]

Things you wouldn't expect. Lots of pax, a birthday boy, Q @VanWinkleF3 , a film crew filming us working out WTF. 22 men had a good time before the rain came at Attila. @F3Carrier @F3Metro

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

HOMETOWN HEROES: A Trip Around The World. “That didn’t satisfy the young Walter Early, who said he convinced his parents that if he joined the Merchant Marine, So, he said, it was off to training in Sheep Head Bay, New York. #VeteransDayTribute https://t.co/luU3FLRfEy

[American Merchant Marine Veterans, Inc. (AMMV) @AMMWWII]

November 5, 2026

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

American Merchant Marine Veterans Honor U.S. Merchant Mariners on Veterans Day 2026

WASHINGTON, DC – For the fourth year in a row, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has invited members of the American Merchant Marine Veterans (AMMV) to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day, November 11, 2026, to honor U.S. Merchant Marine veterans of World War II. The ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery provide one of our Nation’s most enduring displays of respect for all U.S. veterans.

At the wreath laying ceremony, traditionally held at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the following USMM WWII veterans and their guardians will represent their Merchant Marine shipmates: Charles Mills, served on ships during WWII, including SS Carlton & SS Tillie Lakes; Julian Smith, served on six merchant ships in three different war zones; and Dave Yoho, was a member of the engine room crew aboard the SS Great Meadow. During WWII, our merchant mariners suffered more than 9,500 casualties, yet they kept going to sea, delivering the goods wherever and whenever needed, often without any escort. Theses brave merchant mariners definitely earned their status as United States veterans.

AMMV will be represented at the National Veterans Day ceremonies by Capt. Darin Huggins (president), Capt. Jack Menendez (vice president), Capt. Chris Edyvean (secretary), and Dennis Ng (regional vice president). They will be seated in the audience when remarks from President Donald Trump and senior members of his cabinet are given at the Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater.

In addition to WWII veterans representing the U.S. Merchant Marine at the Veterans Day ceremony, AMMV honors the service of all Merchant Marine veterans who served our nation during military sealift operations. AMMV representatives are proud to recognize the brave men and women of the U.S. Merchant Marine, and their families, who have served our nation honorably in times of peace and war since 1775. This year is the U.S. Merchant Marine’s 251st anniversary, as a result of the colonial merchant mariners’ victory over the British warship HMS Margaretta in Machias Bay, ME on June 12, 1775. This first sea battle of the Revolutionary War has been called the “Lexington of the Seas.”

An honor guard team from The Seafarers’ Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship located in Piney Point, MD will proudly present the American flag, the USMM flag, and the USMM Academy’s battle standard during the parade of colors.

In honor of Merchant Marine veterans from all U.S. war zones, Capt. Huggins said, “The American Merchant Marine Veterans, founded by our World War II merchant mariners in 1984, still tolls the bell of legacy and educates the people of our nation about the vital supply chain operations of our maritime industry that are maintained by resolute and courageous men and women of the United States Merchant Marine.”

Many Merchant Marine veterans and family member are members of AMMV, a non-profit organization serving all U.S. Merchant Marine veterans. Our organization is pleased to be invited by the VA to participate, with other U.S. veterans’ organizations, in the President’s traditional wreath laying ceremony on Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. AMMV is grateful for support from the following agencies and organizations for the 2026 Veterans Day event: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Maritime Administration; Arlington National Cemetery; American Maritime Congress; American Maritime Officers; American Veterans Center; Army & Navy Union USA; International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association; Matson Navigation; Seafarer’s International Union; Transportation Institute; and USA Maritime.

Capt. Huggins also said, On Veterans Day, America honors U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Naval Armed Guard veterans of WWII and veterans of all U.S. Military Sealift Command operations supported by Merchant Mariners “In Peace and War,’ including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Expeditionary Operations in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and recent operations in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea. For the fourth year, AMMV is proud that our organization’s veterans and their guardians will represent the heroic contributions of the U.S. Merchant Marine, referred to as America’s “Fourth Arm of Defense,” with regard to military sealift operations and the global maritime leadership of the United States. HEAVE HO!”

Capt. Huggins is available for advance interviews. For additional information, please contact AMMV National Headquarters at: PO Box 220052, Charlotte, North Carolina 28222; Telephone: [phone]; Email: [email protected]; Website: https://t.co/vcAvN9SVas

[John Orton @f3backup]

Love watching Saint-Maximin play and glad to have him in Charlotte. @CharlotteFC @Topbin90 https://t.co/33VEh6Z2c3

[MMWWII @USMMWWII]

Robert Franklin Lanning, USNR of Chicago IL, was a Seaman First Class on the SS Fort Lee. He died Jan 31st, 1945 as Japanese prisoner of war on Soemba Island, Indonesia. #POW Line 17 he was part of the gun crew age 19. #Remembering 🙏