Surface Sailors

Navy Memorial Is Looking For Good Sea Stories - Get Yours Recorded on August 7th

Taylor Kiland — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:21:34 GMT

Do You Have A Good Sea Story? We want to hear it! The Navy Memorial wants YOU to tell US a good sea story! We will be collecting Digital Stories in-person and on-camera on Saturday, August 7 at the Navy Memorial. This service is free, but appointments are limited! To see what a Digital Story looks like, click on Tom Camarda's story. He served in the Navy's Armed Guard in WWII and his story was created by a Navy Memorial volunteer. To make your appointment for August 7, contact Taylor Kiland at (202) 380-0718 or tkiland@navymemorial.org.

New on Navy TV - Remembering the Forrestal Fire

Taylor Kiland — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:54:51 GMT

This week marks the 43rd anniversary of the tragic shipboard fire aboard USS Forrestal. Navy TV is commemorating the event by highlighting four historic films related to this tragedy that claimed the lives of 134 Sailors and injured another 161.

“Situation Critical” – the true story of the disaster that occurred aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, off the coast of North Vietnam. (Run Time: 11:17)

“Valor Under Fire” – Trapped in a deadly mix of flames, smoke, and explosions, here is an intense recap of the events that occurred aboard the USS Forrestal on July 29th, 1967, where so many lives where lost.

“Disasters Don’t Just Happen” – Made in the wake of the tragic accidents aboard USS Forrestal (CV-59), USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and USS Oriskany (CV-34), this 1971 Navy training film examines the causes of shipboard accidents.

“Carrier Flight Deck Safety” – This Vietnam-era, Navy training film features footage shot in 1967 on USS Forrestal (CV-59), the same year the carrier suffered its terrible flight deck fire. It is unclear whether the film predates the fire.

A former Machinist’s Mate who survived an engine room fire recalls his close brush with danger and reviews a book about the lessons learned from the Forrestal accident:

Ship History/Command Operation Reports

Navy Editor 1 — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:44:53 GMT

http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/index.htm

'Old Ironsides' Sailors sail Friendship of Salem

Navy Editor 1 — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:44:16 GMT

USS Constitution Sailors completed sail training aboard the Friendship of Salem, a reconstruction of a 171-foot, three-masted, square-rigged ship built in 1797, from Salem to Boston and back. Over the past nine weeks, Friendship crew members tested "Old Ironsides" Sailors' newly acquired skills at sea by teaching them how to furl and unfurl sails, man the rigging, climb the masts and maintain safety.

"I am proud of what a team they have become," said Chief Boatswain's Mate (SW) Anthony Costa. Read the rest of the story.

Fire on the Flight Deck! Anniversary of the USS Forrestal Fire (Part 1 of Fire Articles)

PeterEganBridgeman Hawkeye924 — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:11:11 GMT

Imagine what it must be like to be cruising along aboard a ship, everything going normally one minute, then suddenly being plunged into the horrors of a shipboard fire the next. In the blink of an eye, your whole world has turned upside down! All of your senses quickly become focused on two burning goals – first, getting yourself to safety, if you are in personal peril, and second, battling the blaze so it doesn’t consume the entire ship, which in many cases, can work contrary to the first goal. Fighting the fire may well involve putting yourself directly into harm’s way. It’s a tough decision - not unlike decisions one faces in a combat situation.

I’d like to talk about two shipboard fires, one a very big one, and one a very personal one. First, the big one. This week marks the 43rd anniversary of the awful fire onboard the USS Forrestal on July 29th, 1967, that took the lives of 134 sailors and injured 161 more, half of them severely. Everyone has heard about this one. It began with a faulty switch, an old bomb, and a freak mishap, which led to nine major explosions of 1000 pound bombs sitting under planes all over the flight deck within minutes, and a raging fire that consumed the flight deck and quickly took the lives of many of the initial fire-fighting crew there, then spread down through holes in the flight deck created by the explosions, following a trail of JP-5 fuel that flowed down into the berthing compartments below, killing and severely injuring many more sailors there. It took the crew of the Forrestal more than 15 hours to completely extinguish this monster of a shipboard blaze, leaving many of the survivors haunted for years by the sheer horrors of that day (some still are). It was undeniably the worst Naval disaster since World War II. It happened on just the ship’s 5th day in the war zone, Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin, just off the coast of Viet Nam.

There’s an excellent book out about the Forrestal fire, written several years ago – “Sailors to the End”, by Gregory Freeman. Through Freeman’s extensive interviews and exhaustive research, combined with a unique writing style, we are given a compelling account of the tragic events of that day as they unfolded, from the perspective of those who actually lived through it. As you read his account, you get a real sense of what it was like to actually be there. At least, I did. He sets it up with detailed character and background studies of some of the key personnel involved in the events of that day, and describes what was going on in the days and hours leading up to that moment that a faulty switch caused a zuni rocket to inadvertently fire off, tearing into a plane across the flight deck, spilling JP-5 fuel and starting a fire under a plane carrying a very old bomb that exploded, setting off the whole chain of tragic events that unfolded that day. Mr. Freeman also does a good job outlining the impact that the Forrestal fire had on improvements made in shipboard firefighting training, equipment, and strategy, through applied lessons learned, and challenges the Navy with some other lessons that he feels were not, but should have been, learned from the tragedy. He concludes that all of the personnel involved conducted themselves heroically and honorably, and through their actions and efforts saved the ship and prevented hundreds of more deaths that likely would have occurred but not for their bravery.

This week, we honor those brave men of the Forrestal, both those who made the ultimate sacrifice that terrible day, 43 years ago, and those who survived but lived through their own personal hell for many years after that tragic day. We salute you, heroes all!

In Part 2 , “Fire in the Hole”, I will talk about the other, more personal (to me) shipboard fire experience.

Fire in the Hole! USS Stribling DD-867 Fire in March, 1974 (Part 2 of Fire Articles)

PeterEganBridgeman Hawkeye924 — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:23:23 GMT

The other fire I will tell you about pales in comparison to the Forrestal fire, in terms of impact and extent of damage and injuries. It was just a Boiler Room fire on a small Destroyer that spread into the Engineroom through the ventilation system, where 3 sailors were inadvertently trapped briefly, but who eventually escaped with relatively minor burns and lung damage. I talk about this one because I was there – I was one of the three sailors trapped in that engineroom that day. This occurred nearly 7 years after the Forrestal fire, and did haunt me for some years to come afterwards, as well.

On the USS Stribling, DD-867, that day in early March of 1974, in Mayport, Fl, I was where I often was, down below the lowest level of deck plates in the engineroom, in the bowels of the ship where all the water from leaking pipes and any oil or diesel leakage wound up. I was down there dipping the oil out of the water in the bilges. This was a job that often fell to the new guys in an engineroom, of which I was one. Suddenly, I heard a lot of noise coming from above me, lots of pounding on the deck plates up there, the clatter of footsteps running , general commotion and a voice over the engineroom communication speaker with words I could not make out. I set down my bucket and started up the ladder to investigate. As I reached the main level, I found nothing but black smoke everywhere. It was very thick and impossible to see beyond a foot or two in front of me. I made my way around to the closest ladder leading up and out of the engineroom, and quickly made my way up the ladder, only to discover the hatch at the top had been closed and secured! I scurried back down the ladder, and felt my way around to the the main ladder out. Along the way, I encountered Manny Williams and Louie Nye - together we headed to the other ladder. Louie was first up the ladder, with me in the middle and Manny behind me. As we got to the top, that hatch had also been closed and secured! This was not good! We had been doing our best to hold our breaths during all of this, because there was not much to breathe in but the black smoke, and it burned badly in your lungs when you breathed it in. Louie started pounding on the hatch, and we all started shouting, but this also meant letting more black smoke enter our mouths and throats. We knew we couldn’t last much longer in these conditions. We were desperate! Finally, I heard the hatch turning, and was relieved to see it flung open – but, almost immediately, there was a sudden “Whoosh” sound, a bright flash of light as the incoming fresh air mixed with the gases in the smoke-filled compartment, creating a combustion that literally propelled all three of us right up the ladder and out of that hatch. My coveralls caught fire in the process – I immediately began rolling on the deck until they stopped burning. My mates were in the same boat, and folks in the passageway were trying to help, as well. I lost half of my hair and my moustache, and suffered some minor burns on my hands and face. Louie was pretty much the same, but Manny had much more severe burns on his arms and hands. The worst of it was the burning sensation in my throat and lungs, and that taste, which would take weeks to fully go away. The fire had apparently started in the Boiler Room, which was adjacent to the Engineroom, and the smoke had come into the engineroom through the ventilation ducts. They eventually got the awful fire put out, but it would leave an idelible mark on me, one that would stay with me for some time. Those several minutes of being trapped in that black smoke filled engineroom were like nothing I had ever experienced, and would haunt my dreams for a long time afterwards. But I’ll be forever grateful to Jay “Doc” McGranahan, and the others who were there to free us from that trapped, living hell.

For The First Time In History, All Four Sailors of the Year Are Women!

Taylor Kiland — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:42:57 GMT

Yesterday, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West and the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, honored four women with the title of Sailors of the Year, pinning the chief petty officer's anchors to their lapels and lauding their career accomplishments. This is the first time all four of the recipients are women. They include:

Hospital Corpsman First Class Ingrid Cortez

Operations Specialist First Class Samira McBride

Hospital Corpsman First Class Shalanda Brewer

Cryptologic Technician First Class Cassandra Foote

The ladies were promoted to chief petty officer at an historic event at the Navy Memorial yesterday. Here are the ladies celebrating after their promotion:

New on Navy TV - Launch of First Nuclear Cruise Missile

Taylor Kiland — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:34:25 GMT

In July of 1953, the USS Tunny (SS-282) launched the world's first nuclear cruise missile, the Regulus I. Watch this Navy training film produced in 1956 that shows the firing of this pioneering weapon system here on NavyTV.

Navy Destroyers

Navy Editor 1 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:08:13 GMT

http://navysite.de/destroyers.htm

First Group of Iraqi Sailors Graduate from Patrol Boat Training

Navy Editor 1 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:07:39 GMT

After participating in a program designed to help bolster Iraq's maritime security, 50 Iraqi Sailors graduated from patrol boat training during a ceremony July 15 at the Swiftships Shipbuilding facility in Morgan City, La.

The training is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Navy and U.S. industry, to support the Iraq government as it prepares to take possession of the first of 15 35-meter patrol boats (PBs). Read the rest of the story...

Uncommon Kindness Was A Common Valor Among Norwegian Resistance Fighters in WWII

Taylor Kiland — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:16:27 GMT

I visited Norway last summer and was struck by the unanimous kindness of every single Norwegian I met. It was truly remarkable that every stranger on the street, behind the counter and in the next seat was friendly, helpful and politely deferential to me and my fellow traveling companions. It was amazing. So it was not surprising to me to read a true story about a Norwegian resistance fighter in World War II who was saved from capture and certain death – solely by the kindness of Norwegian strangers.

Norwegian exile Jan Baalsrud volunteered for a military mission in World War II that had only a small chance of success. And all 12 of the men who volunteered with him knew that failure meant a certain death. They were tasked with sailing from northern England to Nazi-occupied Norway to train resistance fighters and stage resistance operations in-country – behind enemy lines. The most challenging and dangerous part of the operation was the landing. Unfortunately, their cover as fishermen was blown and they were ambushed by the Nazis. Jan was the only survivor and his harrowing tale of surviving, foiling the Nazis and crossing to neutral territory in Sweden on foot is the stuff of legends. But, his story is all true.

Despite being shot at and chased by a small army of Nazis, he evaded capture on the coast by enlisting the help of some village children who stumbled onto his worn out body. Amazingly, the children and their family took him in and revived him – much to their own peril. This family was the first of many who risked their lives to save his and to ensure his safe crossing to Sweden. Each of several families would patch him up, stuff provisions in his pockets and send him on his way – until he became incapacitated and had to be carried.

Frostbitten and snowblind by an avalanche, he literally stumbled into a house of Norwegians who happened to be friendly to the resistance movement. This family hid him in a remote cabin and then physically carried him on a gurney up a mountain to be passed off to another group of resistance fighters who lived in the village on the other side of the mountain plateau. Through a variety of circumstances, he was forced to remain on the plateau for more than a month, while the weather improved and an adequate team could be assembled to transport the crippled Jan to Sweden. His stories of self-amputation in order to prevent gangrene from killing him, abating his hunger and warding off severe depression during this period of isolation in the wintry tundra are unfathomable. But, his survival could never have happened without the good Samaritans and Norwegian “neighbors” he encountered on his journey. It reminded me of the Underground Railroad in our own country, although I wonder if the risk to the Railroad hosts was as high as it was during World War II. Resistance fighters who were discovered by the Nazis were swiftly sent to concentration camps, tortured and killed. After meeting so many Norwegians from a variety of backgrounds last summer, I am not surprised by their daring attempt to save him and transport him to safety.

We Die Alone was first published in 1955 by a World War II veteran who ran a spy ring, David Howarth. A prolific writer of more than two dozen books, he died in 1991. The book was reprinted in 1999 with an introduction by Stephen Ambrose, which undoubtedly gave the book a bit more notoriety and reintroduced this unbelievable story of pluck, determination and survival to a new audience. But why isn’t Jan Baalsrud’s survival story more well known?

New on Navy TV.org

Taylor Kiland — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:23:23 GMT

See up close the procedures used in 1974 by SCUBA divers to exit and enter a submarine through the airlock in this Navy educational film now airing on Navy TV.

US Navy Sailor Photos

Navy Editor 1 — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:17:26 GMT

http://bit.ly/bw8dDd

U.S. sailor's remains from Korean War identified

Navy Editor 1 — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:15:27 GMT

The U.S. military has identified the remains of a U.S. Navy sailor missing in action since the Korean War.
The Defense Department said that the remains of Ens. Robert W. Langwell of Columbus, Ind., will be buried with full military honors July 12 in Arlington National Cemetery.

Langwell was one of 20 men lost at sea when USS Magpie struck an enemy mine off the coast of Chuksan-ri, South Korea, and sank on Oct.1, 1950. A dozen crew mates were rescued. Langwell's remains were discovered when South Korean officials, gathering information about their own soldiers still unaccounted for, met an elderly fisherman who said that he and other villagers had buried an American fisherman in 1950 when his body was caught in the man's fishing net. Read more.

Navy Memorial To Give Lone Sailor Award To Bill Cosby, Eddie LeBaron and Lanier Phillips

Taylor Kiland — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:38:18 GMT

Navy veteran and entertainer Bill Cosby, World War II Marine Corps veteran and former football player for both the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys Ed LeBaron, and first African-American Navy sonar technician and survivor of the 1942 USS Truxton (DD-229) sinking off the coast of Newfoundland Lanier Phillips will be honored for their service to country and community at the United States Navy Memorial’s 2010 “Lone Sailor” Awards Dinner on Wednesday, September 15. The black tie gala is set for The National Building Museum, 401 F. Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

William Henry “Bill” Cosby, Jr.’s Navy service was inspired by his father, a Navy man who served during World War II. He followed in his father’s footsteps and joined as a Hospital Corpsman, working in physical therapy with seriously injured Korean War casualties. He served a total of four years with assignments to the Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. He first received national exposure as a comedian on “The Tonight Show” in 1963 and then went on to star in the popular adventure spy series “I Spy,” his own “The Bill Cosby Show,” the children’s show “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” and the landmark situation comedy “The Cosby Show” – which portrayed an upper middle class African-American family much like his own. The series was lauded for its family-friendly programming, which was a response to the increasingly violent and sexually suggestive content that was becoming prevalent on television. He is a tireless advocate for the value of education personal responsibility and holds a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts. He is the recipient of the 2009 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the 2003 Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, the 2002 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the 1998 Kennedy Center Honors. He is married to the former Camille Hanks and is the father of four children (his fifth child, Ennis, was killed in 1997). He lives in Los Angeles.

Edward Wayne LeBaron, Jr. served as a Marine Corps lieutenant in the Korean War and was the Bronze Star for his heroic actions in combat and two Purple Hearts for injuries sustained in the conflict. During college before his military service, he earned All-American honors in an undefeated season on the University of the Pacific’s football team, so he was drafted by the Washington Redskins upon separation from the Marine Corps. In his seven seasons with the Redkins, he started 55 out of a possible 72 games as quarterback. He was also the primary punter for his first three seasons in D.C. To build the roster of the expansion Cowboys, Dallas was allowed to pick certain players from other teams and quarterback LeBaron was plucked from the Redskins roster. He was the starting quarterback for the Cowboys for three seasons. He was selected for the Pro Bowl four times in 1955, 1958 and 1962. He later became a football announcer for CBS Sports. He also practiced law after his football career, having pursued a law degree during the off-seasons. He was the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons from 1977-1982 and the executive vice president from 1983-1985. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He lives in Sacramento.

Lanier Phillips was one of the few survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Newfoundland during World War II. His ship, USS Truxton, and another ship, USS Pollux, ran aground during a fierce storm, drowning 203 sailors. He was rescued and cared for by the townspeople of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland. Having grown up black in the segregated south, he was surprised at the kindness and generosity of the people of St. Lawrence. It was a life-changing experience for him, one that made him determined to effect change in his own country. He continued his career in the Navy, and became the first African-American Navy sonar technician in 1957. After retirement from the Navy, he worked for EG&G ad and the ALVIN deepwater submersible team in groundbreaking underwater research. He also marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Selma, Alabama. He lives in the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C.

Call (202) 737-2300 or visit www.navymemorial.org for more information on this gala event.

America's First Naval Hero

Kevin Bunkley — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 06:53:55 GMT

Fireworks go with our Independence Day like peanut butter with jelly, but the American Navy during the Revolutionary War made what I consider to be the America's first display of naval firepower.

The Continental Navy, the third of the original three branches of service (Continental Army and Marines were the others), was arguably the most vital to keeping the machine of revolution lubricated. The American frigates kept sea lanes open for supplies from France, and harassed British privateers attempting to cut off those supplies. There wasn't a professional sailor among the bunch, with the exception of one now-famous naval hero. Possibly the first real hero of naval history, John Paul Jones gave America the roots of what would become The United States Navy and its track record of able seaman overcoming insurmountable odds.

Jones himself was a Scotsman, but it took an unorthodox journey to get him to the American colonies. He ended up in Virginia after fleeing the authorities hunting him for a murder charge, and pledged to join the rebellion the engulfed the American colonies six months later. Benjamin Franklin then gave him a commission, despite having no battle experience, no crew, and no naval training. Jones, a lieutenant, commanded theBonhomme Richard, a small privateering ship, and he made it all the way to the coast of England.

Jones and his crew caused a panic in Britain, destroying several frigates, thus forcing King George to commission a frigate that would come to be linked to Jones's most heroic moment. The H.M.S. Serapis was sent out to find and kill Jones, and when they found him, Jones fought to win. Half the Richard crew deserted Jones, and the Serapis severely damaged Jones's ship. The British ship commander wanted Jones to surrender, but he instead tied himself to his ship's mast, and shouted to the British, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Jones sent the Richard to ram the British ship, and with his ship in flames, fought the British hand-to-hand with whatever remaining crew he had, and took the Serapis for the Continental Navy. Despite being labeled a "desperado" and "bad fellow" by the British press, Jones became a legend in the colonies on September 23, 1779 when he beat the British.

The tale ends bittersweetly, because Jones found little appreciation from the Continental Congress. He asked that the United States of America officially create a fleet of ships to rival the fleets of France and Britain, but it fell on deaf ears. The true naval fleet wouldn't be created until John Adams convinced President Washington to authorize such an undertaking, but Jones was no longer on American soil.

John Paul Jones left America for France, to advise the French navy in fighting the British, and even got all the way to Russia, to fight in Catherine the Great's navy during her ascent to the throne. He died in France in 1794, having earned a more notorious reputation abroad than in his adopted America, but his legend is intact. The US Navy likely has more of the spirit of John Paul Jones than any of the nations he interacted with, and has likely fought dozens of its own Serapis-style battles, but a large reason for the Navy's existence can be traced to an ornery Scotsman who was determined to fight.

Beans, Bullets and Black Oil: A Brief Look at the History of the Supply Corps

Carrie Schlupp — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:33:40 GMT

When Captain John Jackson took the stage, I knew it was going to be an entertaining event; he was dressed in a full mid-19th century purser's uniform, complete with a hat which looked like he had commandeered it from the set of Master and Commander. He made a few opening remarks, then got down to the history of the Supply Corps, and the history of supply himself. After explaining how the origins of supply date back to the first time man ever lived in a community (complete with pictures of cavemen with Navy tattoos and the Supply Corps oak leaf cluster Photoshop-ed into the shots) he quickly, but thoroughly, covered the basic history of US Navy Supply, starting with the birth of the Navy in 1775.

A veteran Supply Corps officer and professor at the Naval War College, Captain Jackson knew what he was lecturing about and how to deliver that lecture. With perhaps the exception of the time my Religion professor insisting we sing an Irish shanty to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Captain Jackson easily provided one of the most entertaining lectures I've sat in on in quite a while (which is saying something, considering I'm a full-time college student when I'm not working at the Memorial). It was obvious from his enthusiasm and well-written lecture that Captain Jackson truly cares about the history of Navy Supply, and wants everyone around him to share in that enthusiasm, or at least enjoy the substantial knowledge that has come from his passion. My only regret was that he had less than 45 minutes to present the entire history of the Supply Corps; I'm sure a longer lecture would have been a really enlightening experience.

List of US Navy Ships

Navy Editor 1 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:10:29 GMT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_ships

MCPON Sends 2010 Independence Day Message to the Fleet

Navy Editor 1 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:51:19 GMT

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick D. West released the following Independence Day message to the fleet June 30:

"Shipmates and Navy Families,

As we celebrate our great nation's 234th birthday, I hope that we all take time to reflect on the meaning of our independence and the sacrifices of those who have gone before us and those who continue to serve our nation.

Each and every one of you has a role in preserving the ideals the United States was founded upon. You are all patriots in defense of liberty and protectors of our independence, and I'm so very proud of you and your families for your dedication to our nation and our great Navy." Read the rest of the story.

KEEPING AN OPERATIONAL EYE ON GLOBAL WARMING

John McCandless — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:28:53 GMT

There’s plenty of scientific debate on the causes of global warming and how serious an impact global warming could have on Naval infrastructures and facilities. Although potential increases in ocean sea levels high enough to pose serious problems for our Navy are likely not to occur until mid-century or beyond, it is prudent that Task Force Climate Change (TFCC) was created by the Chief of Naval Operation in May 2009.

RADM Dave Titley, USN, Oceanographer of the Navy is the director of TFCC, which was created to ensure our Navy identifies and meets challenges created by a changing climate to our force structure, mission requirements and infrastructure.

In the past year, Titley’s group has created two guideline documents, Artic Roadmap and Climate Change Roadmap, that will help provide Navy leadership with a better understanding of climatic changes and a timeline for when action is necessary. Both roadmaps outline a three phase plan geared to provide recommendations to address climate change requirements for the Navy’s Program Objective Memorandum for FY14 (POM-14).

RADM Titley participated in a Department of Defense Bloggers Roundtable on June 18. You’ll find the transcript of interest. TFCC has the difficult task of creating long-range plans for dealing with how climate change may impact our Navy perhaps by mid-century. It’s a good first step in preparing for the future.

Overview & Images: Normandy Invasion

Navy Editor 1 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:01:31 GMT

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-eur/normandy/normandy.htm

Navy to christen amphibious transport dock ship San Diego

Navy Editor 1 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:00:43 GMT

On June 12, the Navy christened the newest amphibious transport dock ship, San Diego, during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship, named for the city of San Diego, principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, honors the people of "America's Finest City" and its leaders for their continuous support of the military.

Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, delivered the ceremony's principal address. Linda Winter, sponsor of the event and wife of former Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship in accordance with Navy tradition

Designated LPD 22, San Diego is the sixth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps "mobility triad," which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Read the story at Navy.mil.

Battle of Midway Celebration, as seen by a collegiate

Carrie Schlupp — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:51:26 GMT

As the Memorial’s resident summer intern, I tend to be asked to perform whatever odd duties come up when we’re hosting an event of some sort. However, the 68^th anniversary of the Battle of Midway was an exception to the rule; everybody was up and doing a thousand and one chores, big and small, at the unholy hour (for any proper college student) of 0500, usually with a large caffeinated beverage in hand. Chairs were being placed, sound cables laid, microphones checked and morning commuters dodged. Luckily, with all hands on deck, as it were, the entirety of the outdoor setup was complete by 0645, much to everyone’s surprise. But with the ceremony space set up, there was still the inside to arrange.

I was assigned to the protocol table, handing out nametags to Midway veterans attending the ceremony and VIPs, so I had a perfect view of the well-organized chaos unfolding. CNO Gary Roughead was hosting a small breakfast before the ceremony for the attending VIPs, so caterers were setting up coffee and pastries as aides started looking for places to tuck hats and ceremonial swords where they could reach them as soon as necessary without having to search through a stack of 30 identically ornate white hats.

My job was to pass out nametags, pinning them on when necessary, and to make sure each Midway veteran was escorted by a ceremonial guard. It was amazing and sort of overwhelming to meet these veterans face to face, to actually talk to someone who fought in a battle that is so significant to naval history. This is something I learned about in school, taught as history; it was sort of difficult to reconcile the mental image I had of that battle being like any other historic battle, from MobileBay to Yorktown, and these men who were actually there. I studied the basic overview of what happened; they followed the orders that made those events happen. It was so impressive to see these men, true heroes standing right in front of me, acting like what they did wasn’t a big deal. I saw and heard dozens of people thank those men during the course of the day for their courage and service, and each time saw those veterans say it was nothing, that they were only doing their duty.

And I sort of think that that is the reason we still celebrate them today. Of course, someday I’m sure Midway will be just another campaign for students to study and groan over, with no real connection to daily life. But, as long as these veterans are able to remember what happened that June day in 1942, Midway cannot be just another battle. They provide a living, tangible connection that stands apart from the pomp and circumstance of the ceremonies that honor their service. Of course, seeing the hundreds of officers in their dress whites outside, surrounded by flags from all the states, listening to the grand speeches of the honored speakers, is very moving. But it’s really watching those seven veterans, saluting the colors and acting as though their service was inconsequential, that is what really made this Midway anniversary so touching.

Navajo Code Talkers Visit the Navy Memorial

Taylor Kiland — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:04:11 GMT

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Navy Memorial was honored to host two Navajo Code Talkers who were visiting the nation's capital to participate in the Memorial Day Parade: Bill Toledo and Frank Cheewilletto. While they were here, two Memorial volunteers -- Pete Bridgeman and Steve Shade, interviewed them about their careers and lives:

A Navajo Code Talker’s Story: Bill Toledo, as told to Pete Bridgeman, 5/30/10

Bill Toledo was one of 420 Navajo Code Talkers trained by the United States during World War II – there are fewer than 50 still alive, today! Bill fought in the Marine Corps’ 3^rd Division, in battles at Bougaineville (Soloman Islands), Guam ( Marianas Islands) and Iwo Jima, between 1943 and 1945. He was once mistaken for a Japanese infiltrator and taken prisoner by an American soldier, and was once shot (but not wounded!) by a sniper, while racing to deliver a message. (The bullet pierced his jeans, but not his skin!) Bill was assigned his own personal body guard, but never knew about this until 43 years later!

When early codes were broken by the Japanese, the U.S. sought to develop an unbreakable code. Phillip Johnston, an Anglo-American raised on a Navajo Reservation, proposed the use of Navajo language for such a code, and convinced authorities to adopt this tool. Bill was recruited at his high school in Crown Point, NM, by one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, and joined up with 4 others there, including his cousin Frank and his Uncle Preston. He trained in Camp Elliot, CA (near San Diego), in Faulkand, New Zealand, and at Guadalcanal, shortly after the famous battle there. The Code-talkers had to memorize 211 codes – they could not carry any written codes!

The Navajo-based code was so effective that the Japanese never broke this code, and many attribute much of the success of the U.S. in the Pacific theater to the unheralded work of the Navajo Code Talkers, like Bill Toledo.

Bill still lives in the town where he was born, Torreon, New Mexico, but spends much of his time traveling throughout the country talking about his experiences as a Navajo Code Talker.

A Navajo Code Talker’s Story: Frank Cheewilletto, as told to Steve Shade, 5/30/10

Frank Cheewilletto was born in Crown Point, New Mexico, on June 6, 1925. He had only an eighth grade education when he arrived at his military physical after being drafted. As he waited in line with all the other eager young men about to join the Army, a Marine came up beside him and asked Cheewilletto if he was a Navajo, he said yes, and then the Marine asked him if he wanted to be a Marine, again he said yes. The Marine pulled him aside and brought him to a Navy doctor, who upon his arrival said, congratulations you have completed your physical.

Frank Cheewilletto was first trained as a rifleman, because in the Marines everyone is a rifleman first. He was then sent to Camp Pendleton to learn the code that would make his Navajo brothers and him so famous. They were taught that “buzzard” would become code for “bomber”, and “swallow” would become code for “torpedo bombers”. Every plane became a bird and every ship became a fish, and each letter in the English alphabet was represented by three different words that start with that same letter. The code was not too difficult to learn considering that the Navajo’s had been speaking the language their entire lives.

After training was completed, Frank Cheewilletto was sent to the 2^nd Marine Division. After spending some time in Saipan the division was sent to Okinawa as part of the invasion force. In what is known as the April Fools’ Day false landing, the 2^nd Marine Division tricked the Japanese into thinking they would invade from the Southeastern coast in order to divert Japanese reserves and allow for other American forces to land elsewhere on Okinawa with less resistance. Frank Cheewilletto waited, anxiously, for his chance to fight on Okinawa. Many of his fellow Marines were scared and nervous, but as Cheewilletto would tell you, “I didn’t lose my head”.

Even though Frank Cheewilletto and the other reserves were just one call away from being sent into the jungles of Okinawa, they were never called upon. After the war Cheewilletto went back home to New Mexico where his sheep were still there, waiting for him. He was told by a Marine Lieutenant that he needed to, “forget everything you learned in the Marine Corps”. The Navajo code talkers were not allowed to speak of their actions or training in the war for 25 years. Generations of Americans were lost, never knowing of the Navajo’s extremely vital role in the victory of the Allied forces in World War Two.

Today Frank Cheewilletto devotes his time to spreading the stories of the Navajo code talkers and fundraising for a Navajo code talker’s museum. He had 13 children and countless numbers of grandchildren. He loves attending their high school graduation ceremonies and happily comments on all of the birthdays he has to try and remember. He still lives in New Mexico and is grateful for his life and everything he has.

US Navy Ship Tour

Clairmarie Szopa — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:52:26 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYrX5PYEtYE

Navy commemorates the Battle of Midway in ceremonies around the country

Clairmarie Szopa — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:51:46 GMT

The US Navy held commemoration ceremonies last week to honor those who fought in the historic Battle of Midway. The battle is considered to have been a pivotal moment in the War in the Pacific.

"This magnificent victory at sea cemented the role of naval aviation in combat, and this celebration affords us the opportunity to commemorate the heroic actions of the fighting men of the Pacific Fleet," said Vice Adm. Thomas J. Kilcline, commander, Naval Air Forces at the Battle of Midway Commemoration on board USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) in Portland, OR on June 4. The ceremony featured guest of honor ENS Bill Tunstall (Ret) and Vice Adm. Richard W. Hunt, commander, US 3rd Fleet.

Other commemorations took place on the USS Constitution, on the deck of USS Midway in San Diego (video) and in a wreath-laying ceremony (video) at the United States Navy Memorial.

Next year's commemoration should be even bigger, as it is the 100th anniversary of the birth of naval aviation.

Korean War Naval Pilots Spotlighted In New Book

Taylor Kiland — Sat, 29 May 2010 23:03:23 GMT

The aviation exploits of pilots in World War II and Vietnam have been well documented and glorified in books, documentaries and movies. But the daring missions performed by pilots in the Korean War have been largely overshadowed by the ground pounders who toiled in the brutal peninsula of South Korea for the three years of the war.

This war was never declared – it was simply deemed a U.N. police action,” a deadly conflict that claimed more than one million military casualties and three million civilian casualties. U.S. military deaths totaled 170,000, a staggering amount when you compare it to the Vietnam conflict and today’s dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And yet, far fewer books and films have been created about it. At best, the war created a stalemate between the South Koreans and the communist North Koreans. Continued provocative behavior by the despotic North Korean regime only antagonizes this stalemate and reminds the rest of the world that a resolution of the 38th parallel was never achieved.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of this deadly war and author David Sears has written a book, Such Men as These, to shine a spotlight on the brave naval aviators who were sent on aerial missions over the icy waters and the unforgiving mountainous terrain of Korea. In addition to detailing the heroic actions of these pilots – many of whom had also distinguished themselves in aerial combat in World War II a little more than five years prior, Sears makes a point of recognizing the social progress that had been made in these five short years. Featured in this book are the groundbreaking careers of Jess LeRoy Brown, the first African-American naval pilot, and Joe Akagi, the first Japanese-American naval pilot. Both of these men would never have been given the opportunity to fly as Navy pilots for their country in World War II.

Such Men As These was inspired by James Michener’s historic novel The Bridges at Toko-Ri, a bestselling book about these men (which also inspired an Academy Award-winning Hollywood film of the same name). It was based on his real-life research on assignment for Readers’ Digest. He was “embedded” aboard an aircraft carrier in the region during the war. Sears obtained Michener’s notes from the Library of Congress and was able to ascertain on whom Michener based his fictional characters. He tracked them down and interviewed 20 of them for this book.

The Bridges at Toko-Ri was written just after Michener was asked to author a promotional article for Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea in Life magazine. (At the time, Michener was a more well-known author than Hemingway.) Sears alleges that Michener was significantly influenced by the themes of this book while writing The Bridges at Toko-Ri. Indeed, he identifies compelling similarities between the two books, highlighting the fact that the protagonists in both books were strong individuals facing seemingly “implacable enemies and the unforgiving elements to achieve personal (although virtually anonymous) vindication.” They were, in Michener’s and Sears’ minds, the epitome of manhood.

Sears, a Navy Vietnam veteran, is the author of many books about the military. He says that he enjoys writing about ordinary Americans and their contributions to historic events. Such Men as These is an important and necessary complement to the library of works about the Korean War. It is the actions of these men that Michener and Sears chronicle in these two works detailing a rarely told aspect of a rarely told war.

For more information about this book and author David Sears, go to Sears' web site.

The Navy Ties That Bind

Jerome Mapp — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:35:36 GMT

My 11-year-old son and I attended the 2010 Joint Services Open House and Airshow at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland from May 14–16. We had attended our first airshow together in 2008, but missed last year’s event because I was deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. This year’s event had special meaning for me because it was the first military-themed event that I was attending with my son following my return home.

We munched on hot dogs and pretzels, and cooled ourselves with frozen icees as we gazed at the colorful spectacle that has come to be known as the air show. The U.S. Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team, and the many military and civilian aircraft performed to the amazement of the tens of thousands of spectators on the ground. We walked through various aircraft on static display, including an AC-130 gunship known as “Spooky” that flew during the Vietnam War. The highlight of my son’s and my day, of course, were the Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team.

The open house and airshow provided my son and me with memorable moments that we will cherish for a long time. For my son, the airshow was a place where he could marvel at the aerial acrobatics of the Blue Angels, experience the thrill of flight in a simulator, and bounce up and down on a trampoline while supported by a harness that was connected to what looked like a giant rubber band.

As I watched my son’s expression of amazement during the Blue Angels show, I was easily reminded of my own childhood. When I was in grade school in the 1960s, my father, a Korean War-era Navy veteran, took my siblings and me on a tour of Norfolk Naval Station. From a little guy’s perspective, seeing the huge submarines and aircraft carriers was an awesome sight to behold. My son was logging memories of his own with the sight of the Navy F/A 18 Hornets streaking across a clear, blue sky.

Initially, there was no plan on my part to join the Navy. I went to college following graduation from high school. The Vietnam War was coming to an end and I was content to complete my studies in journalism and look forward to a career as a writer, not a Sailor. But my studies took a backseat to my college social life and I soon found myself struggling to stay academically afloat. In the spring of 1979, I decided to take a short break from college and dropped out.

While escorting my elderly aunt to a mall in Salisbury, Md., I thought about my life and realized that I was at a crossroads. I was feeling somewhat depressed and unaccomplished following my premature exit from college. I wondered if I had done the right thing, since I didn’t have a job or money. But destiny was about to intervene and my situation was about to change. A chance encounter with a Navy recruiter at the mall led me to enlist in the Navy.

As a Navy journalist and photographer, I served everywhere from the South Pacific islands to the South Pole, and all stops in between. Following my first enlistment, I returned to college with newfound confidence and energy, and I graduated with a degree in English/journalism. From that moment more than 30 years ago, I can look back on an naval career that also included service with the U.S. Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm.

As I watched my son’s expression during the air show, I wondered to myself what he will do when he comes to his crossroads. I only hope that he logs many experiences, just like his father and grandfather before him.

NAVY HISTORY IN YOUR BACKYARD

John McCandless — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:44:37 GMT

From my office in downtown Detroit, I am less than 20 miles from the site of a significant piece of Naval history in Michigan – the former Grosse Ile Naval Air Station.

Grosse Ile, an island in the Detroit River at the entrance to Lake Erie, was the site of Michigan’s footprint in Naval aviation. In 1929, the Navy opened a Naval Reserve Aviation Base on Grosse Ile, which served as a seaplane base and home to the world’s first all-metal airship, the ZMC-2.
http://www.oldbeacon.com/beacon/airships/zmc-2.htm

During the 1930’s, the base grew at a slow pace, then sprang to life before the United States entered World War II. NAS Grosse Ile began training British air cadets in 1941, a handful at first but ultimately totaling over 1,800. In 1942 and 1943, the base was expanded and was home to as many as 3,000 U.S. and British servicemen. Among the Naval aviators assigned to Grosse Ile at the end of the war was George Herbert Walker Bush.

NAS Grosse Ile was deactivated in 1969, the year I was commissioned and is now a civilian airport. At the time of my commissioning, I was a member of Naval Reserve Public Affairs Company 9-6. My CO, LCDR Dick Melton, USNR, administered my oath of office. Dick was a prolific writer, a wordsmith by trade, and later published “The Forty Year Hitch”, http://www.grosseileairport.com/shoppe/hitch.htm, a history of the air station.

On line, I found an excellent virtual museum http://nasgi.org/index.html for NAS Grosse Ile. It’s rich in the history of the base, including an interesting collection of sea stories http://nasgi.org/sea_stories.htm from Navy men and women stationed there. Although the base has been closed for more than 40 years, it’s interesting that the web site had well over 2,000 visitors during a recent nine month period, including a number from overseas locations. It’s worth a visit. It just may spark an interest for you to do a search for some Naval history in your own backyard.

US Navy Cruisers

Navy Editor 1 — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:21:17 GMT

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/cruisers/cruisers.asp

Mayport ship deploys with women for the first time

Navy Editor 1 — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:20:37 GMT

[Jacksonville.com] When Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Renee Hotchkiss came aboard the USS Carney, she wasn't really sure what to expect. Not only is the guided-missile destroyer the young corpsman's first posting, but she is one of the first women to serve aboard the Mayport Naval Station-based ship.

"My reaction was to hit the deckplates running," Hotchkiss said in a recent conversation from the ship, which is about midway through its deployment to the Gulf of Aden. "Being one of the first females, I needed to set an example." Read the rest of the story...

Eugene Sledge's War

Kevin Bunkley — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:09:54 GMT

Pvt. Eugene B. ("Sledgehammer") Sledge may be one of the central characters of HBO's "The Pacific," but it's the backstory of Sledge that is the stuff of legend. Sledge's book, With the Old Breed at Peleilu & Okinawa, is a far more brutal illustration of men and what they endure in combat than any television series could ever be, the extreme accuracy of "The Pacific" notwithstanding. The United States Marine Corps bore the brunt of the suffering in the Pacific theater, and Sledge turned out to be the eyes on the ground for a good part of the fighting.

The story of Sledge is not a heroic one, nor is it an endorsement of war. He, just like most men who have endured war, still struggles with the purpose of war. War just, is.

In reading Sledge's book, I hoped to find an answer to a question that plagues me: why isn't the Pacific theater given equal footing with the European theater? The answer may just be that much of what the Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Corps soldiers experienced is too terrible to recount...but its because of Sledge and others that the horror and hell of the battles in the Pacific is brought out of the shadow to never be forgotten.

"The war had so brutalized us that it was beyond belief," Sledge wrote after on operation on Peleilu, in which he had witnessed a fellow marine plucking gold teeth out of a still-conscious Japanese soldier, another tossing small pebbles into an open skull wound, and his company captain, A.A. Haldane killed in action, all within a matter of weeks. Sledge spent nearly two months on the tiny island, and each division suffered an average of 40 percent casualties. "I concluded that Peleilu must have been as bad as I thought even though it was my first battle," Sledge remembered after the battle. He also concluded that in essence, the Peleilu operation was whittled down to a terrible mash-up of: thirty days of unrelenting stress, proof that he could depend on his fellow Marine, the effect of combat stress is only as bad as the duration of the stress that precedes it.

Sledge experienced conditions so rough on Okinawa, that much of it seems unspeakable. Mud, rain, death, and exhaustion. It changes a soldier, and Sledge transformed, because he had killed, and killed repeatedly. "What difference does it make what weapon we use when we get the chance? We were sent here to kill Japs weren't we?" Sledge told a CO.

There were such horrors, and it appears Sledge neglected to write some details that were too difficult to recount. "...it is too preposterous to to think that men could actually live and fight for days and nights on end under such terrible conditions and not be driven insane. But I saw much of it there on Okinawa and to me the war was insanity," Sledge wrote in his book. "I existed from moment to moment, sometimes thinking death would have been preferable," he also wrote.

Many of his friends were killed, and he often didn't think he'd make it out either, but he endured. It taught him that war is typically inglorious, and Eugene Sledge carries that lesson better than most. The Pacific wasn't a lesson in heroics, but in humanity.

In Loving Memory of Captain Jack Fellowes

Taylor Kiland — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:32:03 GMT

His nickname was Jackie Fe. I immediately thought of the chemical symbol for iron. Isn’t it FE? Indeed it is. Despite Captain Fellowes’s penchant for off-color humor and his flirtatious personality, his DNA was pure strength. He was a big, strapping man — looked like a football player to me. Along with his fellow prisoners, Fellowes endured unimaginable physical and emotional tests in North Vietnam. But he survived and returned home to his family and his career. When he retired, he wasn’t entirely sure what he would do with the rest of his life. But his wife made it clear that it wasn’t going to happen at home. “She asked me, ‘What are you doing at home?’ I said, ‘I live here.’ She said, ‘Not during the day.’” What struck me about Jack Fellowes was his self-deprecating, dry humor — a trait that can mask depression or a lack of self esteem. But not with him. He truly loved to watch people laugh and he loved nothing more than sharing a good joke and seeing his audience’s reaction (I think he missed his calling as a stand-up comedian). His sense of humor probably aided his survival in captivity. Many of the POWs said that a positive outlook and maintaining hope in the midst of tremendous adversity made the difference between life and death.

But he also had a serious side to him — one that kept him focused during his POW experience and one that helped him rebuild his relationships with his family when he returned home. It wasn’t easy. He left a wife and four children at home. After 6 1/2 years away, he had to reestablish himself as a husband and a father, when his family’s household had functioned for years without him. He had to be patient, kind, gentle and tolerant — especially with his sons. When he returned home, they were almost all in their teenage years — tough enough for a dad who has been around to parent. They eventually warmed up to him again, but it wasn’t easy. (Many of the POWs’ kids tell similar readjustment stories.) I always thought it was a tremendous testament to the total manhood of this group of men: they fought, they suffered in silence in North Vietnam, they honorably returned home and quietly rebuilt their lives — as servicemen, as husbands, as fathers, as sons, and as civic neighbors. They didn’t wallow in victimhood or demand special treatment. They continued to serve. Rest in peace, Jackie Fe. I’ll miss you…and your jokes.

Beef Stew for 2500: Feeding and satisfying Sailors for over 200 years

Christopher Hill — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:25:52 GMT

Going along with the theme of the Year of Navy Supply, the Heritage Center at the Navy Memorial hosted author Rudy Shapee as he talked about his book, Beef Stew for 2500, and the history of food in the Navy.

Mr. Shapee paints a vivid picture when describing not only the food of the past, but also the way it was prepared. From telling the audience of the Pursers, civilians assigned to supply and ration food and money, he shows that the mess and cooks had little to work with, yet managed to feed an entire crew daily for what was months at a time. More amazing is the use of livestock and cattle on-board; Captains, if they so choose could bring the animals along on the ship to provide fresh meat and eggs. There is also the issue of ship’s biscuits, which he delightfully described their toughness by knocking on the wall, pausing and claiming the wall was “Too soft”.

Along with food, alcohol played a role in satisfying the men at sea. After seeing their beer rations go sour and defeating the French in Jamaica, the British Navy discovered rum. It was not soon after that the Royal Navy started rationing a half-pint of rum to sailors – daily. Even though that much liquor could (and sometimes did) have less than desired effects, it just as easily helped sate the men and was even used as a bargaining chip by senior enlisted and officers.

The seeming driving force, and the focus of Shapee’s lecture, was the effect of technology on the past 150 years of food preparation. Even as early as the Civil War, the proliferation and development of new technologies could be felt, as beef started to be issued canned and steam-powered ships enabled hot water at sea, finally allowing for dishes to be cleaned and sterilized. At the turn of the 20^th century, the Navy pushed for mechanization in the mess, first bringing in machine dishwashers in 1908 and later adding potato peelers and large container steel-drums. With the advent of World War II came the Navy’s greatest challenge: supplying not only the Navy, but all branches of the military, in two different theaters of war. Stepping up to challenge, the Navy increased use of both preserved and pre-cooked meats and introduced refrigerator ships to compliment underway replenishment.

As both the Navy and food moved towards the 21^stcentury, an attitude of giving choice, both quality- and health-wise, became goal. In addition to rotating menus and making sure culinary specialists (who were now going to school for the job) were properly trained, hospitality became a part of the job, making sure the sailor’s home away from home tasted just as good. As part of the program, a Navy culinary specialist came in and prepared several servings of Navy beef stew; the dish, filled with carrots, potatoes and peppers, not only tasted good, but was filling. If our men and women at sea eat like this, they should have no problems with the everyday tasks and the threats of attacks presented on a daily basis.

The Other Side – A Vietnam Veteran’s Look at the North Vietnamese War Experience

Taylor Kiland — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:16:24 GMT

It seemed innocuous enough, although a bit weird: an inflatable, life-sized, anatomically-correct doll was found at the site of a fierce battle that pitted the 101st Airborne against the North Vietnamese in late 1965. The colonel in charge of the North Vietnamese unit was intrigued. It revealed to him a particularly obvious “Achilles Heel” of the American fighting forces. Unlike the North Vietnamese who expected to leave home and family for the fight for months or years on end, the American soldier could literally count down the days until he left Vietnam, a country that was physically and culturally thousands of miles away. The American soldier’s mind was frequently not on the battlefield.

This colonel recognized that the American soldier was not as invested in the war as his troops were, as the Americans were not fighting for the survival of their homeland or family or lifestyle. Indeed, the American soldier could not quite grasp (or buy into) the “domino theory” as clearly as our political leaders did. This insight was an epiphany for the colonel and he passed along this most unusual piece of intelligence to make a point to his superiors: Despite the Americans’ clear military superiority, they could be defeated. The North Vietnamese just needed to be patient and wear down their will.

This is just one of the anecdotes revealed in a compelling new book written by Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt, Bare Feet, Iron Will: Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam’s Battlefields. The son of former CNO Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, and one of many in the Zumwalt family who has served in the military through multiple conflicts, Zumwalt embarked on an odyssey more than 15 years ago. That was when he accompanied his father on a trip to Vietnam in an attempt to convince the Vietnamese government to participate in a joint study on the effects of Agent Orange. The defoliant that Admiral Zumwalt ordered used was highly successful in reducing casualties in the dense jungles of Vietnam, but the chemical proved to be deadly to humans – including the younger Zumwalt’s brother, who succumbed to cancer in 1988.

At first angry at the enemy and bitter about the outcome of the war, Zumwalt’s assumptions about our nation’s former enemy were turned upside down in the first few days of that initial visit, as he met a major general in the North Vietnamese medical corps who had lost a father to the French and a brother to the Americans. In interviewing the North Vietnamese doctor, Zumwalt recognized for the first time the immense human toll the enemy suffered during that war.

That 1994 trip Zumwalt made with his father turned into a personally cathartic one. Over the next 15 years, he traveled throughout the country and interviewed more than 200 North Vietnamese. He was granted unfettered access to the veterans he interviewed, but he also secured help from a fellow Vietnam veteran who resides in Vietnam, Charles Searcy, and from a man he calls his Vietnamese brother, Phu Van Nguyen. Nguyen, a member of a Vietnamese immigrant family the Zumwalts helped resettle in the United States, accompanied Zumwalt on his sojourns in-country and ran interference for him with the government.

The result is a detailed, intimate and fascinating look at the entire Vietnamese experience from that conflict. It runs the gamut from personal perspectives and first-person accounts to their strategy behind the building of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to their extensive Cu Chi tunnel system. It examines their innovative anti-aircraft defense systems, their special operations forces’ preparations for major offensives, their battlefield medicine improvisation, and the flexibility, innovation and determination of the nation’s populace.

Many American combat veterans of the Vietnam War may find this book too sympathetic to the North Vietnamese. Our veterans saw atrocities and brutality committed by the enemy on the battlefield (and our POWs were repeatedly tortured and mistreated while incarcerated). These atrocities are not minimized with this book. Rather, Zumwalt makes a very pointed defense against this expected criticism: “It is important to clarify what this book is about and what it is not about,” Lieutenant Colonel Zumwalt explained. “This [book was not intended] to glamorize the enemy, but to humanize the enemy.”

So, perhaps even the most hardened and embittered Vietnam veteran – not unlike Zumwalt was 15 years ago – can experience his own personal catharsis upon reading Bare Feet, Iron Will. At the very least, he will walk away with a better understanding of this enemy. And, as we all know now, a better understanding of history will prevent its repetition.

USS Pampanito and the Lucky 73

Christopher Hill — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:03:01 GMT

Throughout the Pacific theater of World War II, Japan made significant use of POWs. Employing them in many areas of their wartime efforts, the POWs worked hellish hours as slave labor in the factories on the mainland and abroad, building bridges and camps. In order to get the POWs around, the Japanese used what were referred to as hellships, so-called because of their conditions. These ships were unmarked, looking no different than any other Japanese naval ship, which led to some of them being sunk by Allied vessels. In Lucky 73, author Aldona Sendzikas recounts the story of survivors of one such incident.

The former curator of the USS Pampanito, currently docked in San Francisco as a museum, Sendzikas made the discovery of documents, pictures and film of the rescued men. The Pampanito's crew, curious of the experiences of the POWs, offered them paper and pens and asked for them to write. In addition, one of the men aboard was a photographer before the war and documented the rescue and the men brought aboard.

The crews of the USS Pampanito and her wolfpack had identified and sunken a Japanese ship in the middle of the Pacific. After returning to the coordinates after 3 days, the Pampanito made a amazing discovery: a group of 73 POWs still clinging for life in the water. The group, a mix of Australian and British POWs, was quickly brought aboard the Pampanito, where the whole of the submarine's crew pitched in to make sure the rescued recovered fully. Their efforts were paid off; of the 73 rescued, only one died, and the man who did was already in a unconscious and critical state. The survivors were delivered to Saipan and the Pampanito continued on her missions.

However, this wasn't the end for the rescued 73. The Australians who were rescued struggled to be recognized by their government and for assistance in returning to everyday, civilian life. Their issues were to the point that Sendzikas was told, in doing research, that it was pointless to look for information as other had tried and failed. The Australian government kept no records of the men rescued. However, and seemingly in response, this helped form how many nations, including the US, would help out rescued POWs in later conflicts in returning home and going back into society.

Recipients of the Navy Cross

Navy Editor 1 — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:36:01 GMT

http://www.homeofheroes.com/valor/02_awards/index_nx/index-NXb.html

11 Somali pirates charged after firing on USS Nicholas

Navy Editor 1 — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:32:35 GMT

(BBC) Eleven suspected Somali pirates have been charged in a US court over two attacks on US naval vessels. The charges include piracy, attacking to plunder a maritime vessel, and assault with a dangerous weapon. The men did not enter a plea and spoke only to say they understood proceedings against them, AP news agency reported.

After they were captured, the group was kept aboard US Navy vessels off the Somali coast while officials decided what to do with them. At the Virginia courthouse, one suspect was on crutches and had his head bandaged, while another was in a wheelchair and had one leg bandaged because it had been amputated below the knee, AP said. The US government said the injuries resulted from the men's alleged battle with the Navy. Read more...

USS WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE (DDG 110) -- A TRIBUTE TO A TRUE AMERICAN HERO

John McCandless — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:11:41 GMT

On the 17^th of April, USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) was christened at ceremonies held at the Northrop Grumman Pascagoula, Mississippi shipyard. Frank Aukofer, a close friend of mine and long-time journalist, attended and was kind enough to send me an invitation from the event, a copy that day's MISSISSIPPI PRESS and a ship’s baseball cap.

While I never had the honor to meet Admiral Lawrence, Frank Aukofer had become a close friend of his, having co-authored “America’s Team; The Odd Couple – A Report on the Relationship Between the Media and the Military”. The book, a study of how the military limited the news media coverage during Desert Storm I, changed the way the media covers military wars today. Embedding is now the standard. Frank remained very close to the Admiral, who suffered a near-fatal stroke in 1995, just a month after their book was published. He died on December 2, 2005. His ashes are interned at the Naval Academy.

Many are aware of VADM Lawrence’s naval career. He was commanding officer of VF 143 when his Phantom was shot down in North Vietnam on June 28, 1967. He was the most senior officer held as a POW and repatriated in March 1973. Like the late VADM James Stockdale, he defined his North Vietnamese captors and devised means to endure and lead during over six years of hell in the Hanoi Hilton. His Naval career, detailed in Frank Aukofer’s exquisitely written obit http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/l/l042.htm was extraordinary to say the least – Test pilot; first naval aviator to fly at twice the speed of sound; nominee for Project Mercury, our first man in space program, until a heart mummer disqualified him; Commander, Third Fleet; Chief of Naval Personnel and Superintendent of the Naval Academy.

The recently published “guiding LIGHTS – United States Naval Academy Monuments and Memorials” Nancy Prothro Arbuthnot, Naval Institute Press, salutes the Naval heroes who are honored by statues, memorials, buildings, athletic fields and roads on Naval Academy grounds. In the book, then Midshipman Kevin C. O’Malley, USNA 2009, penned this salute to VADM Lawrence:

Lawrence and Stockdale

The two stand strong and tall,

Men of iron will, now bronze composure

Gazing down upon those who pass by,

Young but longing to live up to their honor

Admiral Lawrence’s two daughters, former NASA astronaut CAPT Wendy B. Lawrence, USN (Ret.) and Dr. Laurie Macpherson Lawrence, M.D., along with his widow, Diane Wilcox Lawrence, were the sponsors for the ship’s christening. I can only imagine their emotion and pride this past Saturday, when a grateful nation paid tribute to a true American hero, patriot and leader.

I will wear my USS WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE baseball cap with pride.

Historical Perspectives: The Barbary Wars, Stephen Decatur, and the Navy's Crucible

David Larkins — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:54:54 GMT

The first - but sadly not the last - conflict to be labeled "America's Forgotten War," the Barbary Wars were in their own time a source of tremendous national pride for the newly-formed United States. The conflict cemented the unquestionable value of the United States Navy as a permanent branch of the military, and made America's first post-Revolutionary hero out of a young Naval lieutenant, Stephen Decatur.

The Barbary Coast, the European name for the stretch of North Africa running from Morocco through Algiers and Tunisia and ending at the Libyan city of Tripoli, had long been a base for semi-autonomous warlords who had derived most of their income through piracy and the slave trade. Their foils for nearly four hundred years were the Knights of St. John, based off the island of Malta. When that island fell to Napoleon in 1797, a power vacuum opened up in the Mediterranean. At the same time, the United States found itself alone on the open waters for the first time, no longer under British or French protection and lacking a standing navy. America's merchant shipping, protected only by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, proved a tempting target for Barbary pirates.

Although American foreign policy had been spelled out during the Quasi-War with France as "millions for defense but not one penny for tribute," the fact of the matter was that, as the U.S. frantically scrambled to establish a standing navy, millions of dollars were in fact paid to the sultans and deys of North Africa. By 1800 fully one-fifth of the government's revenue was going towards paying tribute to the Barbary Pirates. Upon his inauguration the following year, President Thomas Jefferson put his long-held belief against paying tribute into action and immediately canceled all payments to the North African warlords.

This, predictably, led to open warfare. Although it was an undeclared war, Congress did authorize hostile actions against the Pasha of Tripoli, who had cut down the flag of the U.S. Consulate when Jefferson refused his request for a quarter-million dollars in tribute. The First Barbary War would therefore center on Tripoli, and it was there that Stephen Decatur would make a name for himself.

With mighty ships like the USS Constitution now sailing in the U.S. fleet, the Navy quickly established dominance over the Tripolitan navy on the high seas. A fleet of eight warships was dispatched to the Mediterranean in 1802 under the command of Commodore Edward Preble and a blockade of Barbary ports was quickly established by "Preble's boys," as the Commodore's subordinates were known.

Events took a dramatic turn in October 1803. The USS Philadelphia, while on a harbor raid of Tripoli, ran aground on an uncharted reef and fell to the Barbary forces. The ship was turned into a gunboat and deployed in defense Tripoli's harbor. In February of the following year, on the night of the 16th, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a daring raid aboard a captured Tripolitan two-masted ketch. Boldly sailing into the harbor, Decatur drew up alongside the Philadelphia and led his men in a boarding action that resulted in the capture of the ship. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, Decatur's life was saved by his loyal Boatswain's Mate, Reuben James, who famously put his head in the way of a sword stroke aimed for Decatur. James survived his wounds and, as other American vessels sailed into the harbor, Decatur's crew set fire to the stricken Philadelphia and made their escape.

Decatur's actions made him an overnight international celebrity, praised even by Admiral Horatio Nelson. Unfortunately, further attacks on Tripoli from the harbor side were reversed, and it took a daring 500-mile overland march by a contingent of 10 Marines and 500 Greek and Arab mercenaries through the Libyan desert to "the shores of Tripoli" and the Battle of Derna to finally end the war.

The terms of the peace treaty with Tripoli included a payment by the U.S. of $60,000 for the return of prisoners taken. President Jefferson was quick to point out that this payment was a ransom and not a tribute, but there were dissenting voices, typified by the leader of the Derna expedition, General William Eaton, who felt that State Department diplomats had squandered the Navy's and Marine's hard-fought victories.

What's indisputable is that, with the great powers of Europe still embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars, the Barbary nations were free to pursue continued piracy. By 1807, it was Algiers that was once again harassing American shipping, taking ships, and capturing seamen. With the U.S. involved in the escalating tensions that led to the War of 1812, these attacks went unaddressed and, between Barbary raids and British blockades, the Mediterranean became virtually off-limits to American shipping for eight years.

Once the War of 1812 came to a close, however, President James Madison was anxious to treat with the Dey of Algeria and bring an end to Barbary piracy once and for all. Congress dispatched Stephen Decatur, now a Commodore who had distinguished himself further in the War of 1812, on May 20, 1815 to deal with the Dey as he saw fit.

Within days of reaching Gibralter, Decatur's squadron encountered and captured two Algerian ships in quick succession. Sailing on to Algiers proper, Decatur engaged in some proto-gunboat diplomacy, wringing a treaty and capitulation out of the recalcitrant Dey. In addition to an exchange of captured ships and prisoners, the treaty stipulated that no further tributes would be paid to any of the Barbary warlords and that U.S. shipping would be granted full rights. With backing from Britain and France, who were no longer distracted by the Napoleonic Wars, the Barbary Pirates were brought to heel, their centuries-long legacy of maritime harassment and plunder at last brought to an end. Within the two decades' time the colonial partition of North Africa by European powers would begin in earnest.

For the U.S. Navy, the Barbary Wars were its crucible and its first true test, one it passed brilliantly. Americans fought together far from home for the first time, and the Navy proved its power and ability to protect American interests overseas to the satisfaction of Congress, which made the Navy and Marines permanent arms of the U.S. military as a result.