In the spirit of teamwork and selflessness show by Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, specific consideration is given to leadership, teamwork, operational considerations, and adherence to the principle by which he served:
“We can accomplish anything provided no one cares who gets the credit.”
Representing the best of the intelligence and cryptologic communities, Rochefort was driven but unflamboyant. Rising from the enlisted ranks, he was an outsider to the elite fraternity of officers who had graduated from the Naval Academy. He was a conventional career Sailor who had pursued a conventional career path: sea duty, engineering school, ensign's commission, more sea duty. Rochefort spent FOURTEEN years at sea !
His record of achievement in the intelligence and cryptologic communities is remarkable, yet he considered himself somewhat of a failure.
"I can offer a lot of excuses," he would later say, "but we failed in our job. An intelligence officer has one job, one task, one mission -- to tell his commander, his superior, today what the Japanese are going to do tomorrow."
His humility was disarming.
5 comments:
My grandfather told us that he worked with LTCDR Rochfort in Hawaii. He didn't talk about it much. BIG secrets, but he said he was a nice man. Always busy.
"...reviewed by a distinguished group of Information Warfare community Captains. The purpose of the "peer nomination award" is to recognize..."
Can anyone define / describe peer in this context?
Can anyone define/describe peer in this context?
In the context of this award, a peer is any IWO in grade CWO to O5.
"Distinguished group of IW Captains" could include any or all IW Captains serving on active duty.
Joe Rochefort arguably played _the_ key role in winning the war in the Pacific and _barely_ made O-6. His quote is illustrative. We _could_ accomplish almost anything if no one cared who got the credit. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way and the Navy punishes those who don't care who gets the credit, and rewards those who take credit for the work of others.
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