The 2010 Little Rock Navy Week will have Rear Adm. Wendi B. Carpenter Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk and Rear Adm. Raymond P. English, Director, Joint Reserve Forces J-9, DLA serving as our leading spokespeople. There could be guest appearances from a Namesake Crew plus the Navy Blue Angels, Navy "Leap Frog" Parachute Team, Navy Band and other outstanding local Sailors.

Rear Adm. Carpenter is the daughter of an Air Force veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Raised throughout the United States, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia with a major in Psychology and has pursued graduate studies in Marketing and International Relations.

Carpenter received her commission through Aviation Officer Candidate School, Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla., with Class 19-77 and was designated a Naval aviator in July 1979. Graduating at the top of her class, she was assigned as the Navy’s first selectively retained graduate instructor pilot (SERGRAD) in the T-44 aircraft at VT-31, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Following her tour as an instructor pilot, Carpenter was ordered to sea duty at VQ-3 (TACAMO), NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, where she served as a mission commander, aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the EC130F/G/Q aircraft. She deployed throughout the Pacific and the western U.S. and Alaska in support of the nation’s strategic nuclear triad. After completing a shore assignment at the Naval Military Personnel Command as an aviation junior officer assignments officer, Carpenter left active duty and accepted a reserve commission in February 1985.

Remaining highly active in the operational reserve force, Carpenter’s assignments have included the staffs of Commander Carrier Group 4, Commander, Naval Forces Europe, Commander 6th Fleet, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) Fleet Readiness and Logistics and Commander 2nd Fleet. Carpenter has accepted numerous recalls to active duty and has held four Navy reserve commands at the commander and captain level: Officer in charge of VR 506, CINCUSNAVEUR DET 108, DCNO N4 Fleet Readiness and Logistics DET 106, and 2nd Fleet JFACC. Under her leadership as commanding officer of Fleet Readiness and Logistics, the 75 member CNO staff unit shared the FY01 DON CIO Award for “E Business” in government. She has represented the United States in a number of coalition and NATO forums, and completed Senior Courses at the NATO School in Oberammergau, GE.

Carpenter's flag assignments include: Deputy commander of Navy Region Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla. from October 2004- September 2005, acting Director, OPNAV N31 (Information, Plans, Security Division) from April 2005-May 2005, vice director, Standing Joint Forces HQ (SJFHQ), U.S. Joint Forces Command from December 2004-September 2006, and deputy commander, 2nd Fleet from October 2006-June 2008

Carpenter now serves as commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk.

Carpenter’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (3 awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (5 awards), Navy Achievement Medal and various units awards. She has accumulated 3500 military flight hours. Carpenter is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College and completed Capstone with class 06-02. Additionally, she has completed executive programs at the National Defense University, UNC Chapel Hill and Defense Acquisition University.

Rear Adm.
Wendi B. Carpenter
Commander,
Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk

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Rear Adm. Ray English graduated with honors in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University and was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon completion of theNavy Supply Corps School in Athens, Ga., he served on the headquarters staff of Admiral Rickover’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

English began his Navy Reserve career upon leaving active duty in 1985. Following an initial assignment with the Defense Contract Administration Region – Cleveland Unit, he subsequently commanded four units:  Naval Weapons Station Earle Detachment 505, Moundsville, W.Va.; Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 9 Detachment C and Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 9,Columbus, Ohio; Naval Reserve Fleet Industrial Supply Center Norfolk Headquarters 107, Norfolk, Va.; and Navy Supply Support Battalion 1,Phoenix, Ariz. Previous staff assignments included Defense Supply Center, Columbus, Ohio, assistant chief of staff for Readiness and assistant chief of staff for Mission Effectiveness, Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Force, Williamsburg, Va.; and assistant director, Plans and Policy, N41R, OPNAV Staff, Washington, D.C. Prior to becoming the director, Joint Reserve Forces, J-9, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, Va., English served as the assistant director of Operations, (J3M), United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base.

He was recalled to active duty for Operation Desert Storm from April to July 1991, and stationed in Rota, Spainas the operations officer with Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 9. In 2004, he was again recalled to active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom as group commander, Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Force Forward Alpha operating in Kuwait and Iraq.

Personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Navy Commendation Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal.

English earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Environmental Management with honors from Duquesne University in 2002. In civilian life, he serves as the transportation officer for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP), with responsibility for coordinating and managing NNPP nuclear shipments, and oversight of NNPP prime contractor materials management activities.

Rear Adm.
Raymond P. English
Director,
Joint Reserve Forces, J-9, DLA

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