Speaking with Sailors

We've discussed heritage here before. As you've read, I am making a deliberate effort to reinvigorate the fleet with a sense of our Navy's history and traditions. I believe our enlisted leadership needs to lead this effort, to discuss our heritage where chiefs have the most impact: on the deckplate.

And when those discussions take place, whether at quarters on the flight deck of an amphib, on the mess decks of a submarine or the fantail of a frigate--the real value of our heritage will be realized when Sailors truly grasp the impact their predecessors have had on the nation we defend.

If we look back 65 years to 1942, to two naval battles that changed the course of World War II, we see real examples of Sailors reacting heroically under fire. On May 7, the American fleet engaged Japanese carriers for the first time. It would be America's first taste of maritime revenge for the December attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese were steaming toward Australia, a significant objective of theirs, when U.S. carriers USS Lexington (CV 2) and USS Yorktown (CV 5) intercepted them. The Battle of Coral Sea had begun.

Lexington was damaged, abandoned and scuttled. Also destroyed were the oiler USS Neosho (AO 23) and the destroyer USS Sims (DD 409). Yorktown was also badly damaged, but her Sailors kept her afloat and in the fight. For the first time, two opposing forces waged a battle completely out of sight of one another. This over-the-horizon confrontation went on for two days before the U.S. fleet sank one Japanese carrier and damaged two other carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, preventing their participation in the next battle between the two fleets: Midway.

While the United States was able to repair Yorktown and return her to service within a few days, the Japanese could not. They regrouped and prepared for a major assault near Midway Island. They now concentrated the bulk of their naval power on this offensive.

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One month after Coral Sea, in what is now known as the Battle of Midway, our Navy, outnumbered despite the damage we inflicted on Japan at Coral Sea, were able to defeat the Japanese fleet and sink four more of their carriers. During three grueling days, from June 4-6, the resolve of the American Sailor was tested again. They kept planes in the air and defended their ships from Japanese attack. Their determination paid off.

The Japanese Imperial Navy would never again have the strategic advantage in the Pacific Theater.

Sailors continue to learn lessons from these two battles. At Coral Sea, our Sailors proved to the Japanese that defeating the American fleet would not come easy. Other lessons were learned and applied at the Battle of Midway, which history records as a turning point of the war.

Our Sailors kept the Japanese at bay 65 years ago, allowing Marines to begin the island hopping campaign that would drive the Japanese out of their remote outposts.

With the Japanese under control in the Pacific, our citizens at home were able to refocus their efforts in the economic sector, increasing and improving production of new and better weapons and equipment that would benefit fighting forces in both theaters. We kept our word and returned to the Philippines, the Marines fought their way to victory in the Pacific, and the Allies drove the Nazis out of North Africa and took back Europe from Hitler.

From the moment you graduate boot camp, you are a part of our heritage. You are connected to the Sailors who fought at Coral Sea and Midway. You mourn for those lost and rejoice in victory. You are part of those who made history as members of the U.S. Navy.

In May and June 1942, Sailors made it happen. They made decisions at the deckplate level that affected the outcome of the entire war. They enriched our naval heritage and brought victory home to the United States. It is our duty to remember them, to keep their memory alive, to pass on their hard-learned lessons and to develop leaders who will bring us victory now and in the future.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy MCPON (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa

Speaking with Sailors is a regular column initiated by the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy as a way of reaching out to the men and women of the fleet, whether they are stationed just down the road or halfway around the world.

COPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Navy
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning