Military History

The U.S. Navy turns 245 years-old today. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress commissioned two ships, each with eighty sailors, “for intercepting such transports as may be laden with warlike stores and other supplies for our enemies.” The foe at the time was Great Britain, whose navy ruled the seas. By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy had grown to about fifty ships. In 1789, the U.S. Constitution guaranteed the navy’s future by granting Congress the power “To provide and maintain a navy.” George Washington once said that “as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive—and with it, everything honorable and glorious.” Those words are even more appropriate in the twenty-first century when U.S. interests span the globe. To serve and protect those interests the U.S. Navy today has 296 deployable ships, 71 submarines, more than 3,700 operational aircraft, 336,706 active duty personnel, 101,243 reserve personnel, and more than 282,000 civilian employees. John F. Kennedy was the first navy veteran elected president. But five of the next six presidents also served in the navy: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush. Well-known navy veterans include baseball Hall-of-Famers Yogi Berra and Stan Musial, basketball Hall-of-Famers David Robinson and John Wooden, football Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach, former Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, actors Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda, musicians John Coltrane and M.C. Hammer, and astronaut Neil Armstrong. I asked Captain Robert Francis, a naval officer spending a year as a visiting military fellow in CFR’s David Rockefeller Studies Program, what books and movies he would recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about the navy. Here are his suggestions: James D. Hornfischer. The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour (2004). “This is the story of the 1944 Battle of Samar, where out gunned and tiny 2,000-ton destroyers turned back a much superior Japanese battleship squadron with only torpedoes and small caliber weapons. It’s packed with tons of unbelievable feats of bravery as men like Commander Ernest Evans, whose calm courage in the face of overwhelming odds, turned certain defeat into overwhelming victory.” Rear Admiral Dave Oliver, USN (ret.). Against the Tide: Rickover’s Leadership Principles and the Rise of the Nuclear Navy (2014). “Oliver was one of the early pioneers of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine. It’s a leadership book that draws on the author’s own experience to illustrate how Admiral Rickover changed U.S. Navy culture. It’s relevant today because the U.S. Navy finds itself in a similar position, racing to field new and disruptive technology that could make the difference in the survival of our way of life.” Admiral Sandy Woodward. One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander (1997). “The author was the mastermind behind Britain’s response and ultimate victory over Argentina during the Falkland Islands invasion. It depicts the significant challenges faced with using long-range power projection during high tech modern warfare. It also gives us pause in overestimating the effects of non-battle tested systems, which unfortunately for some ships like HMS Coventry, failed at the worst possible time. The author also goes well beyond the tactical and gives his unvarnished opinion of some of the operational and strategic decisions made in planning the operation.” Nicholas Monsarrat. The Cruel Sea (1951). “The Cruel Sea profiles life on a Royal Navy corvette serving in the North Atlantic, escorting and protecting Allied convoys from German U-boats. It’s told from the perspective of the crew living in the wet, cold, cramped, poorly lit, and hastily built warships. Beyond the description of the escort duties, the story also incorporates the relationships of the officers and sailors serving onboard. Even better, Monsarrat has the knack for providing vivid details that wraps the reader into the story. Want to know what it feels like to be stranded on a raft off the Icelandic coast? It’s all in this novel. If you don’t have time to read the book, then be sure to watch the film.” Captain Francis also recommended four films to watch: Mister Roberts (1955). “Mister Roberts symbolizes the predicament many of us sometimes find ourselves in at various points in our careers, where we need to pay our dues doing something we dislike in order to get to our dream job. Mr. Roberts finds himself on an old cargo ship that’s far from the frontlines where destroyers are doing the ‘real work.’ He’s doing everything possible to get a transfer off of the ship and into the fight, but his skipper refuses to approve his request. Instead, Mr. Roberts is made to sacrifice his dream in exchange for privileges for the crew.” The Caine Mutiny (1954). “This film follows the fictitious story of the USS Caine, a World War II destroyer. The ship receives a new commanding officer with some peculiar tendencies. The communications officer starts spreading rumors about the captain around the ship, leading to the Executive Officer (XO) relieving the captain during a storm. The XO and one of the ensigns are tried for mutiny. I’ve watched this movie at several periods throughout my career, and each time, I come away with a different perspective on the events. That’s what makes this movie excellent material used in leadership courses throughout the Navy.” The Enemy Below (1957). “This World War II drama captures the battle of two seasoned tacticians: the commanding officers of an American destroyer versus the commanding officers of a German U-boat. This gut-wrenching saga will take you into the minds of the hunter and hunted, where survival normally depends on one person’s decision.” Run Silent, Run Deep (1958). “This action-packed drama is a good depiction of the ever-changing tactics in warfare, requiring that commanders adapt or die. After surviving a torpedo attack that sunk his last submarine, Rich Richardson (Clark Gable) is assigned a new boat. This time, he vows to get revenge for the loss of his last command whenever he finds the destroyer responsible for sinking it. However, he’s in for a big surprise.” You can also learn more about the U.S. Navy at the U.S. Naval Institute website. Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

The United States Air Force marks seventy-three years of service.

Each Friday this summer, we suggest foreign-policy-themed movies worth watching. This week: films that highlight the costs of war.

The United States Coast Guard celebrates its 230th birthday today. The Coast Guard was created on August 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton to construct ten vessels, known as “revenue cutters,” to combat smuggling and enforce tariff laws. Hamilton carried out his charge with enthusiasm, which is why he is considered to be “the father of the Coast Guard.” For the next eight years, the Coast Guard was the United States’ only armed maritime force. Congress didn’t establish the Navy until 1798. (The Navy prefers to say “re-establish” as it dates its founding to an October 1775 act passed by the Continental Congress.) The Coast Guard’s initial role in combating smuggling and enforcing tariff laws was critical to the success of the early American Republic. Back then, tariffs—or customs duties—provided as much as 90 percent of federal revenue. That fact is why the Coast Guard was called the Revenue Marine or the Revenue Cutter Service until 1915. In that year, Congress combined it with the U.S. Life Saving Service and rechristened it the Coast Guard. The service gained additional responsibilities in 1939 when President Roosevelt gave it responsibility for the Lighthouse Service. And in 1946, Congress transferred the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has a unique status among the country’s military services. During peacetime it is part of the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, or when the president or Congress so direct, it becomes part of the Department of Defense and is included in the Department of the Navy. Because the Coast Guard is charged with enforcing a range of domestic laws as well as discharging a range of military duties, it is exempt from the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the other services from law enforcement duties. The Coast Guard has roughly 42,000 active duty personnel, more than 8,000 reserve personnel, and some 30,000 civilian auxiliary volunteers. The Coast Guard maintains a fleet of 243 cutters, 201 aircraft, and 1,650 boats. In addition to their constant presence along the U.S. coast and in major waterways, Coast Guard personnel have served in all of America’s major conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq. On any given day, Coast Guard law enforcement teams board 144 vessels, Coast Guard small boats launch nearly 400 missions, and Coast Guard aircraft fly 164 operations. In a typical year, the Coast Guard will respond to 20,000 search-and-rescue cases and save more than 3,500 lives. Like all the other services, with the newly created Space Force being the lone exception, the Coast Guard operates its own university. Known today as the Coast Guard Academy, it was founded in 1876 as the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction. Students initially got their training onboard the USRC Dobbin. The Coast Guard Academy’s first land-based campus was established in 1890 in Curtis Bay, Maryland. In 1910, the Coast Guard relocated to Fort Trumbull in New London, Connecticut. The Academy moved to its current location in New London in 1932. I asked Captain Jay Vann, a Coast Guard officer who will be spending the coming year as a visiting military fellow in CFR’s David Rockefeller Studies Program, to recommend some reading for people looking to learn more about the Coast Guard. Here are his recommendations: Mitchell Zuckoff, Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II (2013). In November 1942, a B-17 sent on during a search-and-rescue mission for a U.S. cargo plane that crashed in Greenland, itself crashed. All the men on board survived. An amphibious Grumman Duck rescued one of the men but then vanished after flying into a dangerous storm. Captain Vann says that Zuckoff details the heroic subsequent rescue of the eight men left behind and then jumps to present-day Greenland where he joins members of the U.S. Coast Guard and officials with a private company looking for answers about what happened to the rescue flight that never returned home. Steven J. Craig, All Present and Accounted For: The 1972 Alaska Grounding of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis and the Heroic Efforts that Save the Ship (2019). Craig tells the true story of the Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis, which ran aground during a severe storm in Alaska and started to take on water. Captain Vann, who in the mid-nineties served aboard a sister ship of Jarvis, says that All Present and Accounted For is an “engaging story of what could have been a horrible tragedy.” Peter Eident. Bearing Drift (2011). In October 1978, the Coast Guard training cutter Cuyahoga crashed into a freighter near the mouth of the Potomac River. The Cuyahoga sank and eleven Coast Guardsmen died in what was at the time the worst peacetime accident in Coast Guard history. For Eident, the tragedy of the Cuyahoga was personal. He was a twenty-two-year-old graduate of the Coast Guard Academy who was spending his first night aboard the ship when it sank. Captain Vann says that Bearing Drift movingly captures the story of one of the greatest mishaps the Coast Guard has faced in its history. David Helvarg, Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes (2010). Rescue Warriors tells the story of the Coast Guard by recounting the many times that “Coasties” risked their lives in service of their country and their fellow citizens. Captain Vann says that Rescue Warriors does a great job of explaining the everyday lives of Coast Guardsmen, who on any given day “respond to 125 distress calls and save many lives.”  Captain Vann also recommended three films to watch: The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978). Captain Vann says The Defection of Simas Kudirka “is about one of the most traumatic incidents in modern Coast Guard history, when a Soviet sailor attempted to defect to a Coast Guard cutter.” The film was a mandatory viewing for Captain Vann and his “contemporaries growing up in the Coast Guard afloat operations and law enforcement communities.” The Guardian (2006). Coast Guard rescue-swimmers are among the most highly trained swimmers in the world, called upon to save lives in horrific conditions, including in hurricanes. Captain Vann says that The Guardian tells the story of a veteran rescue swimmer “coming to terms with the final chapter of his storied career and a young but troubled prospect poised to replace him. This film provides a dramatic yet realistic look at the rigors of becoming a helicopter rescue swimmer, and the deadly challenges they face rescuing those in peril at sea.” The Finest Hours (2016). Captain Vann says The Finest Hours “tells the true story of one of the Coast Guard’s most heroic rescues. In February 1952, a deadly storm crippled two tankers off the coast of Cape Cod, the Pendleton and Fort Mercer. A boat crew from Station Chatham embarked on a potentially hopeless mission in terrifying weather. Against all odds, the crew saved more than thirty people and successfully navigated their crippled rescue boat back to safety.” Captain Vann added that this film is based on the book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. You can learn more about the U.S. Coast Guard online through the U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office website. Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

Without Paik’s herculean effort, South Korea as we know it today—a vibrant, capitalist, and liberal democracy—wouldn’t exist.

The United States Army celebrates its 245th birthday today. If you see an active duty, former, or retired member of the United States Army today, wish their service Happy Birthday. The Army provides a short but thorough overview of its history on its website. Here are five things worth knowing: The Army is the oldest of the six services. It was created on June 14, 1775, making it four months older than the United States Navy, five months older than the United States Marine Corps, five years older than the United States Coast Guard, 172 years older than the United States Air Force (which began as part of the Army), and 244 years older than the United States Space Force (which was spun out of Air Force Space Command). Eleven Army generals have gone on to become president of the United States: George Washington (General), Andrew Jackson (Major General), William Henry Harrison (Major General), Zachary Taylor (Major General), Franklin Pierce (Brigadier General), Andrew Johnson (Brigadier General), Ulysses S. Grant (General), Rutherford B. Hayes (Major General, Brevet), James A. Garfield (Major General, Volunteers), Benjamin Harrison (Major General, Brevet), and Dwight D. Eisenhower (General). No Navy Admiral, Marine Corps General, or Air Force General has ever been elected president. (Chester A. Arthur was Quartermaster General of the New York State Militia at the start of the Civil War, but I don’t believe he was mustered into federal service.) The highest rank in the Army is General of the Armies of the United States. Only two men have held it: George Washington and John Pershing. Efforts to give General Douglas MacArthur the title failed. Washington got his title posthumously on July 4, 1976. During his lifetime, the highest rank he achieved was Lieutenant General. President Ford issued the executive order elevating Washington to six-star status because given the military’s strict hierarchy he was technically outranked by the four- and five-star generals who came after him. President Ford’s executive order directs that Washington shall always be considered the most senior U. S. military officer. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to a member of the Army 2,456 times. Put differently, approximately 70 percent of all 3,525 Medals of Honor awarded have gone to soldiers. There are roughly 475,000 active duty Army personnel.   I asked Colonel Michael J. Jackson, an active duty U.S. Army officer who spent the past year as a military fellow at CFR, for his recommendations on what to read to learn more about the Army. Here are his recommendations: Mark E. Grotelueschen, The AEF Way of War: The American Army and Combat in World War I (2006). Col. Jackson explains that Grotelueschen’s book shows that back in 1917 “the United States Army was in no way prepared for war, but learned and quickly adapted to achieve victory.” Rick Atkinson, An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy (2003). Col. Jackson, an Army tanker, says that Atkinson shows “how difficult the North Africa Campaign was. Victory began in North Africa and crept north, but it was anything but certain and many hard lessons were learned along the way.” Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam (1992). Col. Jackson says that Moore and Galloway’s book “spans the full spectrum of experience and emotion from training, to combat, to the family’s experience through it all. Few other books capture what it means to be a part of the Army family and, simultaneously, the Army as a learning organization, like this book.” The book was turned into the 2002 film, We Were Soldiers, which featured Mel Gibson playing the role of Harold Moore, who was the battalion commander at the first major U.S. battle in the Vietnam War. Col. Jackson also recommended three films to watch: Fury (2014). Col. Jackson says Fury is “one of the best tank movies ever made. The movie captures how close a tank crew becomes, accurately portrays life inside the vehicle, and accurately shows how tanks are fought and maneuvered. Continuing the spirit of innovation and learning, the movie also captures how United States armored forces were radically outgunned [in World War II], but adapted to achieve victory.” The Monuments Men (2014). Col. Jackson says that the lesson of this story of a World War II Army platoon tasked with rescuing rare art is that “while war destroys, culture is only enduring if it is preserved.” A Bridge Too Far (1977). Col. Jackson says the film captures the idea that “bringing a conclusion to World War II required risk. Ultimately, the Allies would win, but this classic film highlights just how uncertain victory was.” Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

As 2019 comes to a close, here are ten notable historical anniversaries to mark in 2020.

Today is Veterans Day. Americans first celebrated it on November 11, 1919, one year to the day after the end of the conflict they knew as the Great War and we (regrettably) know today as World War I. President Woodrow Wilson issued a message proclaiming the first celebration of “Armistice Day.” The holiday was meant to show “gratitude for victory” in World War I and solemn pride “for those that died in our country’s service.” On that day, all business was suspended for two minutes starting at 11:00 a.m. and parades and public gatherings commemorated the war’s end. The choice of time was deliberate. The agreement ending World War I went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Over the years, the practice of celebrating Armistice Day spread and states began making it a legal holiday. Congress followed suit in 1938, declaring that the November 11 holiday was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” In 1954, with World War II and the Korean War having greatly expanded the number of Americans who had fought overseas, Congress renamed Armistice Day “Veterans Day.” In a proclamation marking the renamed holiday, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said the change “expanded the significance of the commemoration” by “paying homage to the veterans of all wars.” You might be wondering why the holiday is spelled “Veterans Day” and not “Veteran’s Day.” The choice is deliberate. The Department of Veterans Affairs states that the apostrophe is unnecessary "because it is not a day that ’belongs’ to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans." You might also wonder how Veterans Day differs from Memorial Day other than coming after summer’s end rather than near its start. Veterans Day honors everyone who has served in the U.S. military. Memorial Day pays tribute to those men and women who died in military service. Roughly 19.2 million Americans are veterans. That number is down from 28 million in 1990, which reflects the passing of the World War II and Korean War generations and the shift to an all-volunteer military. Women account for roughly 10 percent (1.9 million) of all veterans. That percentage is expected to double over the next two decades. Slightly more than 17 percent of all post-September 11 veterans are women. In comparison, 4.4 percent of World War II veterans are women and 2.3 percent of Korean War veterans are women. The price of service in the U.S. military can be high. More than 1.1 million American service members have died during wartime. The Civil War remains the deadliest of America’s wars, with estimates of the death toll ranging from 500,000 to 750,000. World War II is the second deadliest conflict, with 405,000 Americans killed. Nearly 5 million veterans today have a service-connected disability. President Trump requested a 9.6 percent budget increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2020, which would raise the budget to $220.2 billion. So to all of America’s veterans, thank you for your service. Caroline Kantis and Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

The U.S. Marine Corps turns 244 years-old today. On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution to create a Marine force composed of two battalions. Since then, the Marines have been “from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli” and many other places as well. You probably know that the Marines’ motto is Semper Fidelis, or Semper Fi for short. It means “always faithful” in Latin. It signifies a Marine’s loyalty both to the U.S. Marine Corps and to the United States. However, Semper Fi didn’t become the Marines’ motto until 1883. During its first century of existence, the Marines had a few unofficial mottos. These included “to the shores of Tripoli,” which commemorates the Marines’ service in the First Barbary War, Fortitudine (meaning “with courage”), and Per Mare, Per Terram (“by sea and by land”), which the Marines borrowed from the British Royal Marines. No Marine has ever become president, but several have made it in politics. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis and former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly were both U.S. Marine Corps generals. U.S. Secretaries of State James A. Baker and George P. Shultz, Senator John Glenn (who first gained fame as an astronaut), and legendary political consultant James Carville also served in the Marines. Several baseball hall-of-famers are veterans of the Marines, including Rod Carew, Roberto Clemente, Eddie Collins, Bill Veeck, and Ted Williams. Marines who made it in Hollywood include Gene Hackman, Harvey Keitel, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, and George C. Scott. Comedians Drew Carey and Rob Riggle were Marines, as was the late, great Jonathan Winters. If you are old enough to remember Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan), he was a Marine. Several famous musicians served in the Marines, including country legend George Jones, hip-hop artist Shaggy, and “The March King,” John Philip Sousa. Marines who made it in the business world include Tom Bell (Taco Bell), Tom Monaghan (Dominos), Bob Parsons (GoDaddy.com), and Fred Smith (FedEx). The Marines are the smallest of the four U.S. armed services in the U.S. Department of Defense, with over 186,000 active-duty personnel deployed around the world. To put the size of the Marine Corps in perspective, the U.S. Army is more than two and a half times larger with 482,000 troops. But compared to most of the world’s militaries the Marines are a giant. Countries that have armies smaller than the Marines include France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan. I asked Colonel Michael A. Brooks, a Marine Corps officer spending a year as a visiting military fellow in CFR’s David Rockefeller Studies Program, to recommend reading for those wanting to learn more about the Marines. Here are Col. Brooks’s suggestions. Thomas E. Ricks, Making the Corps (1997). Ricks observed a squad of young Marines on patrol in Somalia and wondered how the U.S. Marine Corps turned a diverse group of young people into a confident and effective combat unit. He went on to write Making the Corps based on his close observation of the Marines’ recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina. The book describes the transformation of American youths into Marines and reveals the contemporary insights of what it means to be a Marine. E.B. Sledge, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (1981). This book aptly describes the ordeal of combat experienced by the Marines in the Pacific during World War II in the battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. It is also one of the books that provided the basis for the HBO miniseries The Pacific. Sledge immerses the reader in the brutality and fear of combat, but also reveals the strong bonds forged amongst the initiated.  Victor H. Krulak, First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps (1984). Lt. Gen. Victor H. Krulak was a renowned veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. This excellent work details some of the major battles the Marines have fought, including the battle for the Marine Corps’ continued existence over the years. Col. Brooks also recommended three films: The Pacific (2010). This HBO miniseries complements Sledge’s With the Old Breed by portraying what he and two other young Marines experienced during the Pacific campaign during World War II. The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). John Wayne plays a hard-nosed Marine who provides rigorous training to prepare his young Marines for the crucible of combat. Heartbreak Ridge (1986). Despite its Hollywood flair and excesses, this entertaining film captures the spirit of the Marines in Clint Eastwood’s character, Gunny Highway. If you want to know what all Marines are required to read, the U.S. Marine Corps has posted its reading list online. Marines.com also has a great timeline of the history of the Marines. A tip of the TWE cap to all the men and women who have worn the uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps. Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

The U.S. Navy turns 244 years-old this weekend. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress commissioned two ships, each with eighty sailors, “for intercepting such transports as may be laden with warlike stores and other supplies for our enemies.” The foe at the time was Great Britain, whose navy ruled the seas. By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy had grown to about fifty ships. In 1789, the U.S. Constitution guaranteed the navy’s future by granting Congress the power “To provide and maintain a navy.” George Washington once said that “as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive—and with it, everything honorable and glorious.” Those words are even more appropriate in the twenty-first century when U.S. interests span the globe. To serve and protect those interests the U.S. Navy today has 290 deployable ships, more than 3,700 operational aircraft, 337,121 active duty personnel, 101,583 reserve personnel, and more than 270,000 civilian employees. John F. Kennedy was the first navy veteran elected president. But five of the next six presidents also served in the navy: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush. Well-known navy veterans include baseball Hall-of-Famers Yogi Berra and Stan Musial, basketball Hall-of-Famers David Robinson and John Wooden, football Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach, former Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, actor Humphrey Bogart, and astronaut Neil Armstrong. I asked Captain Brian L. Sittlow, a naval officer spending a year as a visiting military fellow in CFR’s David Rockefeller Studies Program, what books and movies he would recommend for those wanting to learn more about the navy and its history. Brian has spent his twenty-six-year naval career in the submarine service, so his suggestions have an undersea slant: Captain Edward L. Beach (ret.), United States Navy: 200 Years (1986). “A comprehensive, but easy, read of the history of the U.S. Navy during its first two centuries. The author was a distinguished World War II submarine combat veteran, who also commanded the USS Triton, the first submarine to circumnavigate the world submerged, demonstrating the limitless capabilities of naval nuclear propulsion in 1960.” Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey (ret.), Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in WWII (1992). “Fluckey, who won a Medal of Honor for his actions as commanding officer of the USS Barb in World War II, describes his combat war patrols, which earned the Barb the title of ‘The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast.’ Fluckey is credited with the most tonnage sunk by any U.S. submarine skipper in World War II, the first to employ emerging rocket-like technology from a submarine, and for making a submarine inserted landing on mainland Japan (the only known occasion by a U.S. service unit), resulting in a train dismantlement.” Michael Gannon, Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany’s First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II (1990). “Gannon’s book unravels German U-boat attacks in the early days of the Battle of the Atlantic, revealing a poor U.S. and Allied response. This activity in the early years of World War II resulted in near continuous sinking of Allied merchant vessels within visual sight of U.S. beach-goers waking up to a world war, and German U-boat sailors making a landing on the south shore of Long Island, NY.” Admiral Richard “Dick” O’Kane (ret.), Wahoo: The Patrols of America’s Most Famous World War II Submarine (1987). “The author tells the story of the USS Wahoo and her skipper, Dudley W. ‘Mush’ Morton, while he served as an executive officer. O’Kane, a Medal of Honor winner himself, would later command a submarine of his own, documented in Clear the Bridge!: The War Patrols of the USS Tang (1977).” Theodore Rockwell, The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference (1992). “This is a biography of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, commonly known as the father of the nuclear navy. He used innovation, extremely high technical standards, unswerving life-long commitment, and a well-documented brash personality to harness atomic energy for naval propulsion systems, which revolutionized submarine warfare.” Commander Joel Ira Holwitt, “Execute against Japan”: The U.S. Decision to Conduct Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (2009). “The author, Commander Holwitt, is an active duty submarine officer and naval historian. He documents the legal analysis and decisions that allowed the U.S. submarine force to seize the initiative in the Pacific as the greater U.S. Navy reconstituted after the attack on Pearl Harbor.” Sherry Santag, Christopher Dew, and Annette Lawrence Drew, Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage (1998). “This is a book about undersea activity throughout the Cold War. It includes underwater technology development, deep-sea search and rescue operations, piecing together the puzzle of Soviet naval operations, and harnessing the value of acoustic intelligence. It makes space exploration seem bland.” Captain Sittlow also recommended three films to watch: Run Silent, Run Deep (1958). The film follows “Rich” Richardson, the captain of the submarine USS Nerka. He becomes determined to seek revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous submarine. His determination, however, puts his crew in harm’s way. Hunt for Red October (1990). Captain Sittlow called this film a “Cold War drama under the sea.” A Russian submarine captain defects in order to warn the United States of the Soviet Union’s new silent-running, nuclear submarine. The Soviets intends to use it to initiate nuclear war against the United States. Hunter Killer (2018). This present day scenario centers on a U.S. submarine that disappears in the Arctic while following a Russian submarine. A Virginia class submarine is sent to investigate, while a team of Navy SEALs observes a Russian naval base where they witness an event that could lead to war. Captain Sittlow also said to be on the watch for two upcoming movies: Midway (2019). This film tells the story of the 1942 Battle of Midway, between the U.S. and Japanese navies. It was a landmark moment in the Pacific theatre during World War II. Hollywood has told this story once before, with a 1976 film also called Midway. The new version will be released on November 8. Top Gun 2: Maverick (2020). While we don’t yet know the plot, Captain Sittlow said of the film: “Who doesn’t like Tom Cruise and U.S. Navy jets?” The expected release date is June 2020. If that’s not enough naval information for you, you can learn more about the U.S. Navy online through the U.S. Naval Institute website. Anna Shortridge assisted in the preparation of this post.

The United States Air Force marks seventy-two years of service.

Test your knowledge of the Vietnam War, from France’s colonial occupation to the U.S. withdrawal.