Oct. 17, 2014

Remembering the First Black Women Naval Officers

"Navy to admit Negroes into the WAVES," so read the newspaper headlines Oct. 19, 1944. For the first time black women would be commissioned naval officers as members of the Navy's female reserve program.The program first made news July 30, 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law. Their official nickname was WAVES, an acronym

Oct. 6, 2014

The POW/MIA Table: A Place Setting for One, A Table for All

If you've ever been to a military ball, stepped inside a chow hall, or attended an event at a military veterans association in your local community, you've likely noticed the small, round table that is always set but never occupied - the prisoners of war/missing in action (POW/MIA) table. The tradition of setting a separate table in honor of our

Sept. 12, 2014

The Colors of a Navy and Nation

Flags, standards, and banners have been used for thousands of years as visual symbols of those who bear them. "The broad stripes and bright stars" of the American flag represent an indivisible nation "with liberty and justice for all" and symbolize sacrifices made by many for the sake of the nation and the freedom they hold dear. For many years,

July 26, 2014

#PeopleMatter: Truman Ends Segregation in Armed Forces

It didn't have the branding power of the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued 86 years prior, but President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 would give the military services the guidance they needed to fully integrate their service members for years to come. At just a little more than 400 words, Executive Order 9981, when it was issued

March 27, 2014

#PlatformsMatter -- The Rebirth of the U.S. Navy: A Fleet of Frigates to Equal None

Yesterday, we outlined how piracy was the catalyst in getting the leadership of the young United States on board with creating a national naval force. As the Barbary Coast pirates continued to either break or try to renegotiate their treaties with the U.S., Congress finally authorized the construction of six frigates at the cost of $688,888.82,

March 19, 2014

Salutations with a Bang! The Military Gun Salute

If you've ever attended a significant military ceremony, you may not have seen it, but you certainly heard it: the booming report of a military gun salute. Gun salutes have been around for centuries and, as they've evolved, shared a common purpose with the hand salute. Although those origins are not entirely clear, it is believed that both honors

Dec. 9, 2013

Honoring Shipmates Past and Present: Laying a Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Pearl Harbor Day

Dec. 7, 2013 was a bitingly cold day in Northern Virginia, made all the more so by having unseasonable warm days the few days before it. But as two Seaman made their way along the pathways of Arlington National Cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknowns, their attention was less on their cold hands and feet and more on the ceremony less than an hour