Naval History Blog

I had a little bird, And its name was Enza. I opened the window And in-flu-enza. – A children’s jumprope rhyme Imagine your daily routine. Mine? I wake up far later than I should, usually around 10 minutes before I have to be out the door and in my car to head over to the Naval Institute for work. If possible, I like to grab an iced coffee on my way in, just to make sure that I am suited for human interaction. I come in around 8 AM and settle in for a day of work, stopping for lunch… Read the rest of this entry »

Today 107 years ago, the 62nd Congress passed an act, later signed by President Howard Taft, establishing the U.S. Navy Dental Corps. Since then, the Corps, whose mission is to prevent or remedy dental conditions that may interfere with the performance of duty by members of the active naval forces, has treated members of the active naval forces and their families worldwide.  In October 1912, the first two dental officers, Emory Bryant and William Cogan, entered active duty in the U.S. Navy. A year later, the Surgeon General of the United States reported to the Secretary of the Navy that… Read the rest of this entry »

Facing a rising epidemic of drug abuse in the 1960s, the U.S. Navy responded forcefully and dramatically. In addition to opening treatment and rehabilitation centers — even one on a converted barracks ship in Vietnam — the Bureau of Naval Personnel (NavPers) produced a variety of informational pamphlets to combat the terrible toll drug use and addiction were having on service members. Some of these booklets have found their way into the Naval Institute’s archive, and a selection are shown in this post. Let’s Talk about Goofballs and Pep Pills (Including Tranquilizers and LSD) by Lindsay R. Curtis, M.D. was… Read the rest of this entry »

In the Pacific Campaign of World War II, Navy medicine was forced, to paraphrase author Jan K. Herman in his Battle Station Sick Bay, to practically reinvent itself. The Pacific islands were far from the paradises that many had read about in popular literature, ranging from atolls of jagged coral to perpetually wet, stinking equatorial jungles filled with deadly creatures and terrible tropical diseases — not even to mention the Japanese troops against whom the Marines, soldiers, and sailors were fighting. Navy corpsmen, accompanying the Marines, in particular faced a formidable task. Often on the front lines far from field… Read the rest of this entry »

The Naval Academy, home to the U.S. Naval Institute, is home to many monuments big and small, that honor the men and women of the Sea Services and their contributions to the well-being of the country. But often the things that exist right in one’s own back yard can get overlooked. So it is with some reflection in that vein that this month’s featured monument begins at a spot very close to the home of the USNI. Up a short flight of steps and a down a small path is a nearly-forgotten and often overlooked courtyard that was once part… Read the rest of this entry »

  By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Lockwood, Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division Residents of Alexandria, Va. can honor an American hero with a tip of their hats to Francis C. Hammond Middle School on Seminary Road this Friday. It was 62 years ago on Friday when that school’s namesake, a young Alexandria man, performed “great personal valor in the face of overwhelming odds” while taking care of wounded members of the 1st Marine Division in South Korea. Hammond was born Nov. 9, 1931 to Harry and Elvira Hammond, in Alexandria, Va. Harry worked at a… Read the rest of this entry »

April 2nd, 1827 Construction of the United States’ first Naval hospital begins On April 2nd, 1827, the construction of the U. S. Navy’s first hospital began, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Although the construction of this hospital, which was finally completed in 1830, took three years, it marked a great milestone in the history of U. S. naval medicine. Previously, the Navy had been ill-equipped to aid its wounded sailors, especially in times of war, and the construction of a hospital dedicated solely to naval medicine at last paved the way to innovations that would prove invaluable, such as hospital boats from the… Read the rest of this entry »

December 26th, 1862 USS Red Rover is commissioned The USS Red Rover, the first hospital ship of the U. S. Navy, was commissioned on December 26th, 1862, after a year of service in the Army during the Civil War. An article in the November 1968 issue of Proceedings, written by W. T. Adams, commemorates the Red Rover’s brief but successful career, which ended in 1865. Not only was the Red Rover the first ship of her kind, but she also served a variety of capacities for the Union forces during the War, far beyond the demands of an ordinary hospital… Read the rest of this entry »