Naval History Blog

The only thing worse for military members than repeating history is not knowing their heritage. Military members should learn about the women who served during World War II to ensure the long, lasting legacy of their sacrifice. This essay will examine the background of Navy and Army WWII nurse Prisoners of War (POWs), discuss their impact, and inspiration to future generations. Background In March 1941, none of the American nurses stationed in the Philippines during WWII expected to ever experience what lay before them. By December 24th, they were on the run from the Japanese, no longer in hospital buildings… Read the rest of this entry »

  In the late 1930s, as World War II approached, Captain Roland William Faulk was serving at the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines on board the battleship Idaho (BB-42). He would go on to serve in the battleship Missouri (BB-63) at the end of the war and the immediate postwar period; as chaplain at the Recruit Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland; as fleet chaplain for the Pacific Fleet; and at the Eleventh Naval District. Faulk’s recollections of service during World War II are important because of his observations concerning Rear Admiral Robert Workman, wartime Chief of Chaplains, and because of Faulk’s… Read the rest of this entry »

At the end of a six month cruise to the Mediterranean, the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the cruiser, USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and the destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), the first three nuclear powered ships of the U.S. Navy made a five month sojourn around the world. The tour demonstrated the power and ability of these ships, without taking on fuel or provisions the ships could still be battle ready when they returned to home port. As the force sailed around the world, a firepower show was performed for dignitaries of the various countries. To accommodate the dignitaries, a viewing… Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

I’d like to think I’m like most people when I say that when I imagine an organization, I see it in its fully formed stage, with little thought of all the work it took to get there. But being a student of history, I know that examining the foundations can provide a greater depth of knowledge and appreciation for the subject studied. Which is why I wanted to take a moment to talk about the founding of the WAVES, and what it took to get an organization so integral to our success in World War II up and off the… Read the rest of this entry »

Satellite based communication, from satellite phone service to G.P.S., has become essential to everyday life, however fifty years ago, it was almost impossible to imagine. That changed on 23 August 1963, when President John F. Kennedy made the first call relayed by satellite between two heads of state. President Kennedy called Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa on board the USNS Kingsport (T-AG-164), a converted Victory Class Military Sea Lift Command ship. Beginning in January of 1962 and completed in December, “The Kingsport was converted to a communication terminal by the Navy Bureau of Ships for use by the U.S…. 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 »

Carefully, a young boy balances his right foot inside the painted outline of a larger foot, then he jumps to the next painted footprint. He’s following the footprints across the floor of the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, now a museum, berthed at Alameda, California. This is the carrier that recovered the astronauts of Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, the first men to walk on the moon, and Michael Collins, pilot of the command module. The boy is following their path from the helicopter that picked them up from the Pacific Ocean, then across the… Read the rest of this entry »