It's easy to forget that great men do not just appear at one point in history for which we remember them. An example is found in the story of The Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was a United States Navy force that completed a circumnavigation of the world from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of four squadrons of four battleships each, with their escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability.
The fleet was put to sea on the voyage of more than 43,000 miles by order of President Theodore Roosevelt, who wished to demonstrate to his country and the world that the U.S. Navy was capable of operating globally, particularly in the Pacific. This was extraordinarily important at a time when Japanese-American relations were becoming more tense. The Japanese Imperial Navy had recently shown its competence in defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War, while at the same time the U.S. Navy fleet in the Pacific was relatively small.
In the twilight of Roosevelt's administration, the president dispatched a fleet consisting of four U.S. Navy battleship squadrons and their escorts, on a world-wide voyage of circumnavigation from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909. With their hulls painted white except for the gilded scrollwork with a red, white, and blue banner on their bows, these ships would come to be known as the Great White Fleet. The Atlantic Fleet battleships only later came to be known as the "Great White Fleet."
Among the junior officers of the battleship fleet were Ensign Harold R. Stark, Midshipmen William F. Halsey, and Raymond A. Spruance.
Ensign Stark went on to become the Admiral Stark, Chief of Naval Operations just prior to WWII and Commander, U.S. Forces European coordinating the Normandy invasion for U.S. Forces.
Midshipmen William F. Halsey sailed onboard the USS Kansas for the world cruise. He rose to become Vice Admiral Halsey, Third Fleet at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor and later in 1945 to Fleet Admiral Halsey. We remember him as "Bull Halsey" who was a real warrior in the fight with Japan in World War II and who commanded aircraft carriers in the Pacific during the war.
Midshipman Spruance went on to become Rear Admiral Spruance commanding a cruiser division. He led two aircraft carriers, during the Battle of Midway changing the course of the war with Japan. After the Midway battle, he was given command of the Fifth Fleet and while onboard USS Indianapolis (CA-35), directed the campaigns that captured the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and defeated the Japanese fleet in the June 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea.
What midshipman at Annapolis today will 30 years from now stand in the breach when free men are required to make another stand against the forces of evil in this world.
