“I don’t give a damn whether it is a ballistic missile or an air breathing missile, or both, so long as it will go about 1500 miles and hit the target with a warhead capable of doing the job.” Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN, Chief of Naval Operations to Henry H. Porter, Applied Physics Laboratory,
Norman’s Corner: Convincing Admiral Burke
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.) Admiral Arleigh A. Burke was a top destroyer commander and then chief of staff for the Fast Carrier Force during World
Admiral Burke Letter on Pearl Harbor
Admiral Arleigh Burke, who served an unprecedented three terms as Chief of Naval Operations, is renowned for his exploits during World War II in the Pacific. Yet his career during the war got off to an inauspicious debut. Then-Lieutenant Commander Burke was stationed at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, DC in 1941. In an
USNS COMFORT and the HAITI EARTHQUAKE: January 13-16, 2010
By Rear Admiral Robert Wray, USN (Ret.) With the recent response to the Coronavirus/COVID19 and the recent deployments of Navy Medical personnel and the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy to New York City and San Francisco, the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) asked me to recall the response of the USNS COMFORT to the Haiti earthquake
Paul Nitze, Grand Strategy, and the United States Navy
Fifteen years ago today (March 5, 2005), the USS Nitze (DDG-94) was commissioned. An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Nitze has deployed many times in her service history, and was involved in a confrontation with Iranian vessels in August of 2016. She was named for former Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze – Nitze served in this capacity under President Lyndon Johnson from 1963 to 1967,
RADM Edward “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.), Executive Director
RADM Edward “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.) Rear Admiral Sonny Masso assumed the duties of Executive Director of the NHF on 14 March 2019. A native of San Clemente, California, he served in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer retiring in October 2009 after 32 years in the active and reserve components, nine commands,
RADM Edward “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.), Executive Director
NHF Welcomes New Executive Director RADM Edward “Sonny” Masso As I write this, I have been the Naval Historical Foundation’s Executive Director for just over three months and am honored to be here serving this noble organization in preserving, promoting, and making more relevant, Navy history to our Naval Service and general public. I recall
Fleet Admiral Leadership Seminar and Roundtable
Reserve your free seat! The Fleet Admiral Leadership Seminar and Roundtable You are cordially invited to attend the Fleet Admiral Leadership Seminar and Roundtable Wednesday, May 16, 2018 8:30 a.m. – Noon Navy Museum Washington Navy Yard, 805 Kidder Breese SE, Washington DC, 20374-5060 With the 75th anniversary of the
Fleet Admiral Leadership Seminar and Roundtable
The Fleet Admiral Leadership Seminar and Roundtable With the 75th anniversary of the creation of the rank of Fleet Admiral next year, and in conjunction with a Five-Star Mess Night scheduled for the Saturday May 19 NHF members and friends are invited to attend an informative and thought-provoking morning on
VADM James H. Doyle, Jr. (Ret.)
It is with sadness that NHF notes the passing of Retired Vice Admiral James H. Doyle, Jr., on February 23, 2018. Vice Admiral Doyle was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the George Washington School of Law. Over the course of his career he became an expert on maritime law and on military
BOOK REVIEW – Devotion
By Adam Makos, Ballantine Books, New York, NY (2015) Reviewed by Rear Adm. Arthur N. “Bud” Langston, U.S. Navy (Retired) Devotion is the account of an incredibly selfless heroic attempt by Lt. (JG) Tom Hudner to rescue Ens. Jesse Brown after his Corsair was hit by small arms fire forcing him to make a crash
BOOK REVIEW – Harnessing the Sky: Frederick “Trap” Trapnell, the U.S. Navy’s Aviation Pioneer, 1923-1952
By Frederick M. Trapnell Jr. and Dana Trapnell Tibbits, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Nathan D. Wells Individuals who were “present at the creation” of seminal events or organizations tend to be popular subjects for biographies, especially if their influence was of great strategic importance. When those individuals are not well-known despite
Message from the President: End of the Year Donation and Planned Giving
2015 has been a busy year for your Foundation, as you have seen in the pages of our Pull Together newsletters and through the stories on our website blog. It was our particular privilege to participate in two special Navy centennial anniversaries this year: The 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Navy Reserve,
Submarine History Seminar Recap: A Half-Century of US-UK Submarine Cooperation
Amidst the flurry of activity at the Sea-Air-Space exposition down the road in National Harbor, MD, the Naval Historical Foundation and Naval Submarine League held it’s annual Submarine History Symposium at the U.S. Navy Museum’s Cold War Gallery last Wednesday. The symposium’s topic and speakers were well received by an enthusiastic and attentive crowd. Over
NHF Staff Visit NHHC Collections Management Facility
By Emily Pearce, NHF Middendorf Curator The Navy has not always done its due diligence in preserving its material heritage. The practice of collecting naval artifacts dates to the early nineteenth century under patrons such as Thomas Tingey, but these objects were not always handled with preservation practices in mind. It was not until 1961
