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Official U. S. Navy Photograph
MEMBERS OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 1955 CELEBRATE THEIR GRADUATION
LETTER TO MY SON
By CAPTAIN
, U. S. Navy
21 May 1955
Dear Son,
A little over a quarter of a century ago I
was on the verge, as you are today, of being
graduated from the Naval Academy. No
doubt your thoughts now,as mine were then,
are occupied largely with the imminent release from a rigid routine of studies, drills,
classes and a restriction of liberties that few
people undergo for such an extended period.
It is right and proper that you should anticipate this release, because it, together with
the honor that comes with graduation, is a
reward for which you can well be proud.
It is only natural that on this occasion I
should reflect upon the years that have
passed since I stood in your present position,
and recall some of the lessons that they have
brought. Also, it is perhaps only natural
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1955]
Letter to My Son
tions, and particularly our own. It is a profession that is respected, trusted, and depended upon by the civilian populace. It
could not have reached its present stature
and survived so long had it not yielded returns commensurate with the country's
investment and faith in it. Therefore, the
uniform is one we wear with a pride that
raises it above any act of dishonor.
Periodically there are those who maintain
that the Navy is outmoded, and that wars
can be fought and won more quickly and
cheaply without a major naval effort. One
of the greatest mistakes that the United
States could make would be to succumb to
such a philosophy. To do so would be to
voluntarily sacrifice one of the major elements of a strategical and tactical combination of air force, army, and naval forces
that, when employed in concert, are far
stronger than the sum of their separate
strengths. Periods of naval ultra-conservatism have been left far behind. The Navy of
today, and of recent decades, has incorporated the use of the most modern weapons and
equipments. Virtually the entire range of
modern technological advancements has
multiplied the Navy's striking power manyfold, and we are well embarked upon further
strides forward. I am not alone in forecasting
naval developments in the near future that
will dwarf anything that we have seen in
the past. Nuclear power, nuclear weapons,
electronics, and guided missiles are present
day realities, but still in their infancy. You
are most fortunate in entering the Navy at a
time when you can participate in such development and growth.
Modem technology and its adaptation to
military uses receive much publicity, attention, and stress. They are rightfully sources
of pride. Regardless, however, of the importance of scientific achievement the prime
ingredient of our profession is the human
being, the individual. We call many of our
weapons and equipment automatic. They
are not automatic. Somewhere along the line
their input and, consequently, their output
are products of the human mind.
We must never lose sight of the importance
of the individual in our profession, regardless
of any apparently humble part he plays.
Our weapons become progressively more
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destructive, and our equipments more efficient, but at the same time they both become more complicated. The time required
for training the operating and maintenance
personnel is likewise becoming progressively
longer. The chances for error on the part of
some individual in the chain of control become progressively greater. Every man of
every rate must be constantly alert to do
the right thing at the right time, and he
must know of his importance and the heavy
responsibility that he carries. I have found
that a man's sentiments, emotions, and personal feelings are not dependent upon his
rate or rank. The basic superiority of democracy lies in its emphasis upon recognition
of the individual human being.
Many things combine to submerge the
individual in modern living. In both civilian
and military life people are all too frequently
dealt with in masses and classes in an impersonal manner. In the Armed Services
they are frequently known better by their
written service record than they are personally by those in whose hands lies their
destiny. The very bigness of our Navy, and
the many and varied duties of the higher
ranking officers militate against that close
personal association which is so desirable.
Actually, the Navy is well organized to
retain many of the advantages of a small
organization, even though it, as a service, is
large. The personnel of ships and stations
are divided .up into comparatively small
units of divisions. These are normally in
charge of an officer who is in an excellent
position to know each man individually and
to exercise and develop a high degree of
leadership. Those years while you are a division officer or a junior division officer afford
an outstanding opportunity for you to further develop and exercise leadership.
I have seen officers and men repeatedly
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[DECEMBER
1955]
Letter to My Son
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