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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

that I should want to pass those lessons

along to you with the hope that they will be
of some benefit to you in your career. For,
in order that man progress, isn't it necessary
that each generation build upon the experiences of those that have gone before?
In reality these thoughts that I pass along
for your consideration are not new but,
rather, are well proven truths that are
brought more sharply into focus with the
passing of time. They are frequently either
forgotten or disregarded by many who would
readily recognize their worth, but who find
the press of everyday living too exacting to
give them the attention they deserve.
The naval profession has no superior in
honor and service to its country. It has
played a major role in the establishment
and maintenance of virtually all great na-

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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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Tins ARTICLE in its present form was, in fact, a

letter written by the commanding officer of a
cruiser to his son on the occasion of his son's
graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy in
June, 1955. It came to the attention of the Board
of Control of the U. S. Naval Institute and, because of the intrinsic worth of its sound advice, is
shared here with our members.

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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U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings

spend many consecutive hours of daylight

and darkness repairing defective equipment.
When the need arises we must make a comparable effort on behalf of a man who has
erred. We should be able to detect quickly
those erring individuals who will benefit from
our guidance, and we must turn to in their
behalf with even more zeal than with a piece
of defective equipment.
The American youth is wonderful material
with which to work. He usually comes to the
Navy while young and still in his formative
years. Aside from his technical training his
value to the Navy depends greatly upon
what we call "moral fiber." The decline of
many nations, ancient, medieval, and modern, can be attributed to the loss of the
moral fiber of their citizenry. American
greatness can never survive its loss.
What do I mean by the term "moral
fiber"? I cannot hope to define it completely.
In itself it is somewhat intangible, but its
manifestations are readily apparent when
crises arise. We might say it consists of such
things as honor, integrity, self-respect, fortitude in adversity, and the will to win. These
are some of the things that have been implanted in the average American youth by
the average American home, church, and
school.. Fostering and encouraging their
growth while these men are in our charge is
a heavy responsibility that we must never
forget nor fail to accept.
This philosophy of stressing the importance of the individual does not incorporate
in any sense a doctrine of undue softness.
Tautness and firmness in a leader, when
administered with justice, will generate respect and inspire subordinates, whereas
softness will undermine morale quickly.
I mentioned earlier the relaxation that will
accompany the release from the rigid program that you have followed for the past
four years. The change will be a radical one.
While you will continue to meet schedules
and adhere to prescribed routines you will
have a great deal more freedom. This freedom is not limited to a physical sense only,
but is extended to include many aspects of
the performance of your duties. In other
words, you will not be told in such detail as
to how to do many things, and your own
initiative will be allowed to display itself to
a far greater extent than heretofore. Many

[DECEMBER

are slow to make this transformation. They

accept the freedom but do not shoulder
readily the responsibilities that come with
it. I suggest that you recognize the possibilities of such an error and that you enter into
your new duties as an officer with enthusiasm
and energy without delay. I have seen many
young officers take too long to make a start,
and the longer one waits the harder it becomes. Time does not permit delay. Your
career will rush by at an incredible speed.
Each new job will bring with it increased
responsibilities that can be discharged best
only if full advantage has been taken of the
time and experiences that have gone before.
Some may feel that the Navy makes demands upon us that are beyond the capacity
of the average individual. I do not agree.
The difference between superiority and
mediocrity in performance is more often
the result of the difference between application of the talents we have rather than because of the lack of inherent ability.
As regards motivation I would rule out
the immediate objective of pleasing your
seniors as an end in itself. In this regard I
can do no better than to pass on advice that
I received when I was first graduated. It was
to the effect that each assignment should be
carried out to the very best of my ability,and
with a pride of accomplishment rather than
a hope of reward as a major motivation.
I think it important that all officers reflect occasionally upon the basic nature of a
naval career as compared to most civilian
professions. We are the servants of a benevolent country, and our motivation stems more
from devotion to service than from materialistic rewards. Historically, nations pass
through dynamic and passive phases. The
United States at the present time is in a
dynamic phase requiring the highest caliber
of public servants, of which class the military is a part. In my opinion it is unfortunate that this phase should be accompanied
by such heavy emphasis upon national and
individual materialism. An esprit de corps
based upon a love of service and country
must take precedence over materialism as
the philosophy of naval officers.
The above is not intended to infer that a
naval career does not offer some materialistic
rewards. A close analysis of the salary and
security features will disclose many advan-

1955]

Letter to My Son

tages of a naval career from the financial

security point of view. However, these advantages more normally accrue to those who
spend most of their life, rather than only a
few years, in the service. In reality, the
financial rewards can be considerably enhanced by exercising a greater degree of
individual frugality than most of us do.
Except in those rare instances of unavoidable
financial adversity I think it possible and
appropriate that officers of all ranks .set
aside a portion of their salary as savings.
We must resist any tendency to be stifled
in personal progress by confining our efforts
to routine duties. Advantage should be taken
of spare time to expand our knowledge of
history, strategy, tactics, and comparable
items that touch on our profession. There is
much along these lines to absorb, and habits
for such study should be begun at the outset
of your career and cultivated assiduously.
U. S. naval history and tradition are particularly inspiring and they deserve more attention and study than given by the average
naval officer. When the fury of the Battle
of Pearl Harbor broke upon us unexpectedly
we were reduced largely to individual, or
small group, action. I was surprised to note
flashing through my mind thoughts of our
rich naval heritage, and such thoughts provided further incentives for any efforts on
my part that day, modest as they were.
The naval profession has many interesting
aspects that make it a highly desirable
profession. However, it is not all glamour.
Like virtually all professions it contains
much detailed work that, considered in itself,
could be called drudgery. Records, figures,
curves, and statistics require tedious work
but they serve as bases for very important
decisions. Their compilation must receive the
same conscientious effort as the more glamorous aspects of your work.
Your career will be unusual if it does not
include disappointments, frustrations, and
discouragement. These may at times appear
to be overwhelming, but they must not be
allowed to persist. One of the standards by
which men are measured is the extent to
which they overcome adversity.
You will, no doubt, encounter considerable internal criticism of Navy procedures
in various fields. Most of us will readily admit that room exists for improvement, but

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it cannot be accomplished solely by verbal

criticism. Furthermore, initiation of action
for improvement is, primarily, the responsibility of those of us within the Navy, rather
than of those without. All ranks and ratings
should therefore be constantly on the alert
for detecting the need for such action. A
word of caution is appropriate here. Custom,
precedent, and protocol sometimes stand
in the way of action that might appear desirable. Should there be a question that the
proposed action might violate these, or
official regulations, your seniors should be
consulted before taking flights into the unknown. A large portion of your proposals
may be thereby stopped short of implementation, but don't be too discouraged. After
all, it is better to have one's wings clipped
rather than atrophied by disuse.
,The average naval officer may appear to
possess a self-sufficient and independent air
that exhibits little need for reliance upon
Divine assistance and guidance. Do not
trust such an impression. I have found that,
in the majority of the naval officers of my
acquaintance, there is a devotion to God
that belies a seemingly hard exterior. Such
devotion is usually, and quite appropriately,
quiet and unostentatious but it is a unique
source of strength. Thanks to the Divinity
in times of triumph, reliance upon His
guidance when faced with a difficult decision, and a request for His assistance in the
midst of adversity are not unmasculine acts.
The serious vein of this letter up to this
point might leave the impression that little
room is left in the naval profession for relaxation and recreation, and that it is too
exacting to be enjoyed. If such an impression
has been left I want to dispel it completely.
I think there is no better way to close this
letter than to assure you that much joy
and pleasure are inherent in the profession
itself. Retain your cheerful nature, your
sense of humor, your zest for living. They
will stand you in good stead, and you will
find ample outlets for them all. Cultivate
friendships, both service and civilian; pursue
cultural interests; broaden your horizons
constantly. The environment is favorable for
these accomplishments. Exploit it fully and
your contentment will enhance your value
to the Navy, your country, and yourself.
Welcome aboard, Dad