Posted on 07/05/2002 5:10:33 AM PDT by CIBvet
http://www.history.navy.mil/birthday.htm
Navy Birthday Information - 13 October 1775
The Chief of Naval Operations has stated that the Navy Birthday is one of the two Navy wide dates to be celebrated annually. This page provides historical information on the birth and early years of the Navy, including bibliographies, lists of the ships, and information on the first officers of the Continental Navy, as well as texts of original documents relating to Congress and the Continental Navy, 1775-1783.
The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. The legislation also established a Naval Committee to supervise the work. All together, the Continental Navy numbered some fifty ships over the course of the war, with approximately twenty warships active at its maximum strength.
After the American War for Independence, Congress sold the surviving ships of the Continental Navy and released the seamen and officers. The Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1789, empowered Congress "to provide and maintain a navy." Acting on this authority, Congress ordered the construction and manning of six frigates in 1794, and the War Department administered naval affairs from that year until Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798.
Not to be confused with the Navy Birthday or the founding of the Navy Department is Navy Day. The Navy League sponsored the first national observance of Navy Day in 1922 designed to give recognition to the naval service. The Navy League of New York proposed that the official observance be on 27 October in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had been born on that day.
In 1972 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized recognition of 13 October as the Navy's birthday. In contrast to Navy Day, the Navy Birthday is intended as an internal activity for members of the active forces and reserves, as well as retirees, and dependents. Since 1972 each CNO has encouraged a Navy-wide celebration of this occasion "to enhance a greater appreciation of our Navy heritage, and to provide a positive influence toward pride and professionalism in the naval service."
This page is intended to support Navy commands in appropriate commemorations of the Navy's birthday."
Zumwalt chops were really busted. No way can a bastard son of the navy be older!
From the sub-menu;
Please notice that the first CiC was Esek Hopkins, Commander in Chief, 22 Dec. 1775
I have a pretty cool "Old Corps"anecdote to relate.
It was my pleasure to meet General Alvin Shoffner, who was a lieutenant in the 4th Marines. It fell to him to actually seek out some Japs to surrender to on Corregidor. Later, he escaped, and was a battalion commander on Okinawa. He was a real character.
He told us that when he was a new lieutenant in the 4th Marines he held a platoon inspection; one of the Marines was not quite up to snuff and he told his platoon sergeant, "you need to shine this guy up a bit."
The next time he saw this private he had two black eyes! Shiners!
Walt
Thank you!
Semper Fi
First of all, Captains have at least 4 years of exeperience, not counting pre commisioning time, which is most probably 4 years of full or part time training. Many of them are prior enlisted too, but with less officer training time. The Sargent Major is supposed to be training those junior officers, without really seeming to be doing so. At least that's what Air Force Chiefs do, and by all reports Navy Chiefs too. I'm sure from the perspective of a junior to mid level enlisted troop, or even junior officer, it seems the Chiefs (or Sgt. Majors or Gunnies) run the servie, but they don't. Not on a policy level, nor on a tactical level beyond the very small unit level. When you get right down to it, the officer's job is to make decisions. Little ones at first, big ones later, if he proves up to it.
Each service has a somewhat different culture, because they have different missions and/or operate under different conditions.
BTW, while Hack does have his points, he is extremly sceptical of anything not painted Army, or sometimes Marine, Green. He has no use for the Air Force, and little for the Navy. He should remember that in both Korea and Vietnam, US ground forces were never attacked from the air, Thanks to the AF and Navy, who were off doing their fighter pilot thing, while Hack thought they should be hitting the troops right in front of him!
What? I keep it up my yazoo or something? What do you think their mission would be- collecting daisies or what?
But lookie here- FM 7-8 the mission of the Infantry:
The mission of the infantry is to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver to defeat or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat, and counterattack.
Marines are part of the Navy, and AFAIK, always have been. So order of March is an internal affair within the Naval Department. That Admiral (Decater maybe?) couldn't have bummped you in front of the Army, nor could an Air Force general bump us tail end charlies up the pecking order. We'll be tail end charlie until the US Space Force is created. :)
PC is part of the problem. The bigger problem is numbers. Every echelon in the Army is under extreme pressure to fill slots with people. Because of that, the quality of the people becomes a secondary issue. It would be far better for the Army to fail miserably to meet its strength figures than to permit substandard soldiers to fill the ranks.
I see that it took you 12 hours to find it. Are you in the infantry? Were you?
I think the Marine Corps still knows what it is about. I am not so sure the Army does.
That latter would be the import of Hackworth's article too.
Walt
Check out #96 in this thread.
Walt
Where was I? In a different time zone in bed asleep ;-) (Scotland)
Not so. Because of a supposed shortage of captains, that rank is now attained in thirty something months, I think thirty-six.
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