Character is hard to define, but I know it when I
see it. While it is associated with leadership, it is not the
same thing. Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were great leaders, but
all were without moral or ethical strength, i.e., character. by RADM James D. "Jig Dog" Ramage, USN(Ret)
Character is hard to define, but I know it when I
see it. While it is associated with leadership, it is not the
same thing. Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were great leaders, but
all were without moral or ethical strength, i.e., character.
One of the great leaders who we in Naval Aviation during World War II admired was CDR John G. Crommelin, who served as air boss and executive officer in USS Enterprise (CV-6) during 1942 and 1943. During that time, four new commanding officers passed through the ship, and John provided the character, the underpinning of spirit, that saw the carrier through some trying times. The man was everywhere -- he spent many hours in the ready rooms and elsewhere on the ship. He was an excellent pilot and flew with the squadrons when we operated ashore in the forward area. He was the soul of the ship, the very embodiment of the name Enterprise in a way that dramatized the character of this strong leader. The "Big E" was the only fast carrier remaining in the South Pacific in the period of time between the loss of Hornet (CV-8) at the Battle of Santa Cruz in 1942 and the arrival of Essex (CV-9) and others in her class beginning in 1943. John Crommelin later played a key role in the 1949 struggle to save Naval Aviation. In placing his convictions before his career, Crommelin was forced into retirement as a result of his outspoken support of the carriers in a page of history known as "The Revolt of the Admirals." None who know him ever heard him express any regret for his courage in the face of overwhelming odds -- he knew what must be done, and he gave it his best shot regardless of the cost to him personally.
The Revolt of the Admirals offers the modern officer an opportunity to study the elements of true character. Others in the incident likewise decided that there were matters of principle more important than their careers. Leader of the charge was ADM Arthur Radford, who at the time was Commander in Chief, Pacific. CAPT Arleigh Burke, certain that he would not be selected for flag rank despite his invaluable wartime service, headed up Radford's Washington office. Concurrently, President Harry S (The Buck Stops Here) Truman's Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, canceled the carrier United States (CV-58), whose keel had just been laid. Secretary of the Navy John Sullivan then resigned in protest and soon afterward Chief of Naval Operations ADM Louis E. Denfeld was fired summarily for his stubborn support of Radford and Burke. The whole sordid affair shook the Navy, but junior officers in the Navy took heart from the positive aspects of the blood bath, for they knew that their leadership had the courage to stand up and be counted when it mattered. The actions by our Navy's leaders were truly examples of character and superb leadership. There are many others such as this over the years, but the Revolt of the Admirals stands as key in my time.
I was close to the war in Vietnam for six years and spent a lot of time in ready rooms at Yankee Station. I remain in awe of the flight crews who flew into northern North Vietnam. They were asked to do more under infinitely trying conditions than we old-timers were asked to do in Korea and WW II. The targets they were assigned to strike were seldom worth the risk involved. The defenses around Hanoi and Haiphong were complex, sophisticated and deadly. Unlike previous wars in which we had routine standdowns or operated for only short periods between rest periods, aircrews in Vietnam kept at it day after day. It took exceptional strength of spirit -- character -- to keep going, but they did it.
Of course the most obvious example of character may be found in our prisoners of war, who virtually to a man endured the most trying and humiliating conditions over months and years of capture, often subjected to solitary confinement or torture. It was only through their strength of spirit as well as their faith in their nation and their God that they were able to keep going. Rarely is anyone subjected to a more stringent test of character.
On 25 April 1996, former Secretary of the Navy James Webb in a speech given at the Naval Academy stated that the Navy leaders had somehow lost their way. He said that "some are guilty of the ultimate disloyalty: to save or advance their careers, they abandoned the very ideals of their profession in order to curry favor with the politicians." This is an assessment that many of us agree with.
I have discussed these items with a number of junior and middlegrade officers who wonder whether staying in the Navy is worth their while. I respond that character flabbiness is not the real Navy, and that this is but a lapse which shall pass.
Hang in there. You are the best in the world.