As part of its mission to educate the public and inspire students, the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation will present "Discovery Saturday" from 10 a.m.- noon on Saturday, April 11, at the National Naval Aviation Museum. This meetand greet event will feature Pensacola residents Capt. JJ Coonan, USN (Ret.) and Rear Adm. Pete Booth, USN (Ret.), who will speak about their experiences as former Commanding Officers of an aircraft carrier.

Coonan served as Commanding Officer of USS America (CV-66). He was a career naval officer spending 30 years associated with carrier aviation as a single-seat jet pilot. During this time, he accumulated in excess of 5,000 flight hours (including more than 3,000 in the A-7 aircraft) and 1,000 carrier-arrested landings. His assignments included six commands, among which were squadron, Carrier Air Wing and "deep draft" ship command. While commanding VA-15, Coonan was selected as the first East Coast recipient of the Vice Adm. James Stockdale Award for inspirational leadership. He retired from active duty in 1996 and is currently the Vice President of Education and the Chief Operating Officer for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.

Booth served as Commanding Officer of USS Forrestal (CV-59). He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was assigned to a Pacific Fleet destroyer before checking into flight training. Booth served as a fighter pilot aboard numerous aircraft carriers before his assignment as Commanding Officer. Upon retiring from active duty in the 1980s, Booth served as second mate on the SS Constitution and then as master of several ocean-going research ships, as well as president of two publicly owned maritime cruise ship companies. He is the author of two published works: "Humble in Victory," a fictional tale of young American heroes in combat at sea during the year 2010, and "True Faith and Allegiance," a journal of his Navy life, which chronicles three decades of the Cold War.

"Discovery Saturday" is FREE and open to the public. To reserve your seat, call the Foundation at (850) 453-2389.

The National Naval Aviation Museum features FREE admission and a full slate of events throughout the year. For a complete list of events, exhibits and attractions at the Museum, visit www.NavalAviationMuseum.o rg or call the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at (850) 453-2389 or (800) 327-5002.