April 5, 2024

In Memoriam: Lieutenant Louis A. Conter, USN (Ret.) The Last Living Survivor of USS Arizona (BB-39)

And then there were none. It is with deep regret I inform you that U.S. Navy hero and Arizona (BB-39) survivor Lieutenant Commander Louis A. "Lou" Conter passed away on 1 April 2024 at age 102. He was the last living survivor of the battleship Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Lou enlisted in 1939 and was a quartermaster

President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales during the Atlantic Conference in August 1941. (Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

March 29, 2024

The Long Road to NATO, 1917–1949

The signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 and the subsequent creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) marked a fundamental transformation in US foreign and defense policy by committing the United States to an ongoing military role in Europe. As part of a broader package of economic, humanitarian, and military aid, US

Vivian McFadden, the first Black woman to serve as chaplain in the U.S. Navy, is sworn in by Rear Admiral Francis L. Garrett, Chief of Chaplains, ca. 1974. (Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

March 28, 2024

A New ERA for Women in the Navy: Zumwalt, Z-Grams, and the All-Volunteer Force

An article buried deep in the April 11, 1974 issue of the Press-Telegram out of Long Beach, California visually demonstrated the divergent expectations American women voluntarily adopted by the mid-1970s. Above the fold, editors chose to contrast the dual roles of the modern woman: the left image showed a grinning woman pilot in the cockpit of a

(Left) Weapons Division sailors (presumably GMTs) prepare a B43 thermonuclear bomb for movement from the Special Aircraft Service Stores to an aircraft carrier’s flight deck, circa 1965. (Dept. of Energy’s documentary Always/Never: The Quest for Safety, Control, and Survivability, Part Two).

March 26, 2024

Some Obsolete Navy Ratings

Pigeon trainers, airship riggers, and buglers—these are just a few of the enlisted Navy ratings (jobs) no longer in use due to technological advances. Let’s take a look at some of these ratings and the part they played in the Navy’s history. (Note: this overview is not all-inclusive.)Ratings Established before or during World War IBugler (BUG) The

March 22, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Robert P. Caudill Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Robert Paul Caudill on 1 December 2023 at age 87. Rear Admiral Caudill entered the U.S. Naval Reserve in March 1959 and served in the Medical Corps until his retirement in July 1990 as command surgeon for Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command. His commands included Naval

March 8, 2024

In Memoriam: Admiral Joseph F. Frick, USN

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Joseph Francis Frick, U.S. Navy (Ret.), on 6 February 2024 at age 93. Rear Admiral Frick entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1949 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in September 1983 as Commander, Naval Base Norfolk. His commands included Attack Squadron

March 7, 2024

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, USN

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Richard Harrison “Dick” Truly, USN (Ret.), on 27 February 2024 at age 86. Vice Admiral Truly entered the U.S. Navy via the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in September 1955, serving as a naval aviator and astronaut until his retirement in July 1989 as associate

March 7, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Jimmie B. Finkelstein, USN

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Jimmie Bennie Finkelstein, U.S. Navy (Ret.), on 3 March 2024 at age 85. Rear Admiral Finkelstein enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in July 1960 and served as a public affairs officer (PAO) until his retirement in August 1989 as Chief of Information (CHINFO) in the

Virtually undamaged Japanese bunker on northwest coast of Roi Island. Author photo.

Feb. 23, 2024

Operation FLINTLOCK: Invasion of the Marshall Islands, January-February 1944 Part 2

The first week of February marked the 80th Anniversary of Operation FLINTLOCK, the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands during WWII. This operation, the largest amphibious assault of the war to that date, was the first major central Pacific expedition and directly contributed to the Allied defeat of Imperial Japan the Pacific. To honor those who

Marines on the Roi Island beach watch as a Japanese torpedo magazine explodes on neighboring Namur Island, 1 February 1944. Note Debris splashing among the landing craft offshore. Naval History and Heritage Command Photo.

Feb. 20, 2024

Operation FLINTLOCK: Invasion of the Marshall Islands, January-February 1944

The first week of February 2024 marked the 80th Anniversary of Operation FLINTLOCK, the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands during WWII. This operation, the largest amphibious assault of the war to date, was the first major central Pacific operation of the Pacific War. The successful landings in the Marshalls, both at Roi-Namur and Kwajalein,