Profession noble in execution

"No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in execution (for the strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is true valor) and noble in its cause. No utility either more just or universal than the protection of the repose or defense of the greatness of one's country. The company and daily conversation of so many noble, young and active men cannot but be well-pleasing to you."

Michel Eyquem De Montaigne
1533-1592, French Philosopher, Essayist

WWII - Unsung heroes of cryptology

"Technical research and development played key roles in the victory at sea--reflected most dramatically in the wartime application of radar on U.S. surface ships, submarines, and aircraft. The unsung heroes of cryptology and intelligence made decisive contributions throughout the war."

Captain Edward Beach

The Value of the IW Community

"In my mind, the value of the Information Warfare Community lies in the expertise of the Information Warfare Officers, the Cryptologic Technicians, civilians and government contractors supporting them. To sustain the IW Community, we must encourage those habits in ourselves and our subordinates which develop and improve the IW Community's underlying body of knowledge. We need to do this through both formal and informal collaboration. Ideally, we ought to get to a genuinely collaborative environment where we value "learning" more than "knowing". Wouldn't that be great?

Question where the organization is headed

“Few things are more vital to an organization than someone who has the moral courage to question the direction in which the organization is headed and then the strength of character to support whatever decision is made.” “That is real loyalty.”

Mullen said officers — even ensigns and second lieutenants — have an obligation to speak up when they think things aren’t going well and to ask tough questions of their superiors when those questions are required. Officers then must support whatever decision superiors make — or resign their commissions if they feel they cannot, he said. Officers must “obey the orders we have been given, carrying them out with the professionalism and loyalty they deserve, or vote with our feet.”

From NAVY TIMES

Expect opposition

"Don't be afraid to think for yourself - to take risks, and try new things. You may meet resistance along the way - expect opposition - but don't be dissuaded. Progress in life has come generally from those who swim upstream."

Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense

Cryptologists give warfighters the edge

"I think the other services have a loss they can never recoup. The cryptologic community has been responsible for giving the edge to our warfighters in winning more battlefield successes than any single community within the military. Cryptologists have the only skill sets to tell enemy intent. Any intelligence officer can tell you enemy location; enemy movement; and enemy order of battle; but it takes a special skill to determine enemy intent.

We (cryptologists) always like to point to the World War II success at the Battle of Midway as the crowning moment in cryptology. Hal Holbrook plays Commander Joe Rochefort in the movie "Midway" where they (cryptologists) break the Japanese code. Today, we still have those different colored housecoats like the ones he wore in the movie. Mine is blue and hangs alongside my raincoat collection.

I think as time progresses and certain documents become declassified, other significant successes will come to light, but as we move into the future, the Navy will be the only service with a trained cadre of personnel capable of taking the cryptologic skills of the past into the information warfare of tomorrow."

Captain David E. Meadows, United States Navy - retired - in an interview with Christy Tillery French

Author of THE SIXTHFLEET series, his lastest book FINAL RUN was released on 6 May 2008.

Sailors should be running the world

“Sailors, with their built-in sense of order and discipline, should really be running the world.”

Admiral (Lord) Louis Mountbatten

It is a little known fact (in American circles) that Lord Mountbatten was a signals officer (cryptologist/communicator?). He graduated first in his class from the Signals course. He was the senior Signals officer in the British Navy. He also wrote their first comprehensive text on wireless communications.

Focus on tomorrow's problem

“If a ship has been sunk, I can't bring it up. If it is going to be sunk, I can't stop it. I can use my time much better working on tomorrow's problem than by fretting about yesterday's. Besides, if I let those things get me, I wouldn't last long.”

Admiral Ernest J. King

How might we have done better

Here's a lesson worth learning from Major General Hunter Liggett, commander of the American Expeditionary Force's I Corps in the Argonne Forest, in World War I.

On 12 November, 1918, twenty four hours after the Armistice, General Pershing visited the I Corps headquarters, and found the corps commander pouring over his maps. "Don't you know the war's over?" asked a bemused Pershing. Liggett replied, "I'm trying to see where we might have done better."

We must always ask ourselves - "how might we have done better."

From Colonel Adolf Carlson's National Defense University paper - "A Chapter Not Yet Written"

The McCain Line - long and strong

The McCain men - John Sidney McCain Sr, Jr, III and IV and Jimmy create quite a lineage of service to the Navy, the Marine Corps and our Nation. Two 4 star admirals, a Captain, a USNA midshipman and a combat hardened United States Marine.

Politics aside, these men share a sense of patriotism that must rival that of the Sullivan brothers. An Arleigh Burke destroyer proudly sports their name and is certain acknowledgement that our Navy values their service. America is lucky to have men such as these. They are strong threads in the rich fabric of leadership that have woven the cloth of our nation.

A Navy Wife

She lived in 40 homes, raised four children, "kept the books and made life rich in tiny nooks," her husband wrote a few years ago in a poem titled "Tribute to A Golden Partner."

You raised morale on many ships, solved many family problems on ocean trips.

"She was an important member of the official party, meeting with Navy wives, American and allied, helping them with their problems, raising their spirits, and calling my attention to many things I had no other way of finding out about," Zumwalt said of his loving wife, Mouza Coutelais-du-Roche Zumwalt.

From her obituary in the Washington Post after her death on 25 August 2005.

Mickey Mouse - Elimination of

"I. AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT A MORE LENIENT ATTITUDE TOWARD IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR BE ADOPTED, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE CANNOT PERMIT GENERAL POLICIES TO BE DICTATED BY THE NEED, WHICH I SUPPORT, TO CONSTRAIN THOSE FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT RESPOND TO THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE EXPRESSED IN MORE FLEXIBLE AND LESS RESTRICTIVE REGULATIONS."

Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Z-Gram 57 (extract)

VADM Bernard F. Roeder - First Commander of the Naval Security Group

Acknowledged as the first Commander of the Naval Security Group, VADM Bernard F. Roeder graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1931. Admiral John S. McCain was a classmate of his at USNA.

His first assignment was in Long Beach, California aboard USS LEXINGTON in 1936. He served in the predecessor organization of the Naval Security Group performing communications, planning and direction finding activities twice before assuming command of the entire organization.

He served as COMNAVSECGRU from Nov 1957 - Jun 1960.

In the early 1960s, the Navy recognized that there was a requirement for a survivable communications platform immune to hostile military action. This communications link would connect the President to our Nation's ballistic missile submarines. As Director of Naval Communications, RADM Bernard F. Roeder, tasked Lieutenant Jerry O. Tuttle (JOT) with creating this unique platform with the succinct direction "Take charge and move out!" The acronym, TACAMO, was born.

From 1965-1966, he was Commander, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet.

From 1966-1969, he was Commander, FIRST Fleet embarked in USS SAINT PAUL (CA-73).

He died in 1970 from a heart attack while serving on active duty.

If you have addition information or a photo of VADM Roeder, please e-mail me.

Sunshine patriots

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

Thomas Paine in 1778, warned Americans about false patriots who wave the flag on sunny days, but fail to uphold liberty in stormy weather.

Armed Forces Day

"Today let us, as Americans, honor the American fighting man. For it is he--the soldier, the Sailor, the Airman, the Marine--who has fought to preserve freedom. It is his valor that has given renewed hope to the free world that by working together in discipline and faith our ideals of freedom will always prevail."

Admiral Forrest P. Sherman