Famous People Who Visited
The U.S.S. Little Rock
 MCPON Delbert D. Black
(left)
is welcomed on board USS Little Rock by QMCM Kenneth C. Olsen and by CDR Mark P. Frudden (XO).   |
Delbert D. Black was the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (13 Jan 67 to 01 Apr 71) Born in Orr, Oklahoma, he graduated from high school in 1940 and enlisted in the United States Navy on 14 Mar 41. His duty stations included: USS Maryland BB 46 (on which he was aboard during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 07 Dec 41); Receiving Station, Pearl Harbor; USS Doyle C. Barnes DE 353; Naval Air Base, Samar, Philippines; USS Gardiners Bay AVP 39; USS Boxer CVA 21; USS Antietam CVA 36; U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, Washington, DC; Yokosuka, Japan ship repair facilities; USS Brush DD 745; USS Carpenter DDE 825; USS Norfolk DL 1; Recruiting Duty, Columbia, TN; USS Springfield CL 66; and Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center (FAAWTC), Dam Neck, VA. During his career, he advanced from striking for the rate of Gunner's Mate to the rank of Master Chief. On 13 Jan 67, the Secretary of the Navy announced that Master Chief Gunner's Mate (GMCM) Black was appointed as the first Senior Enlisted Advisor, the position that would evolve into Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. As such, he was the highest ranking enlisted man in the U.S. Navy, serving as the enlisted representative to the Chief of Naval Operations. Upon retirement from active duty, Master Chief Black continued his involvement with the Navy through retired and active duty organizations. He was an active member of the USO Council of Central Florida; the Fleet Reserve Association; and Co-Chairman on the Secretary of Navy Committee on Retired Personnel. He died at his home in Winter Park, Florida at the age of 77. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Master Chief Black's awards and decorations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal (Master Chief Black was the first Navy enlisted man to receive this award), Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Good Conduct Medal (7 stars), China Service Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with 8 campaign stars), World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Antarctica Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (3 stars), Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines), Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal (2 stars), United Nations Service Medal for Korea, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Korean War Service Medal. (Top photo is from USS Little Rock '68-'69 Cruise Book, and bottom photo is official Navy photo.) |
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 Senator James W. Fulbright |
U.S. Senator (Dem), Arkansas, January 1945 – January 1975 Born: April 9, 1905 - Sumner, Missouri Died: February 9, 1995 - Washington, D.C. James William Fulbright was a well known member of the United States Senate representing Arkansas. Fulbright was a Southern Democrat and a staunch multilateralist, supported racial segregation, supported the creation of the United Nations, and opposed the House Un-American Activities Committee. He is also remembered for his efforts to establish an international exchange program, which thereafter bore his name, the Fulbright Fellowships. (Above materiel is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org) On 27 August 1944 then junior Arkansas Congressman J. William Fulbright attended the christening of U.S.S. Little Rock (CL-92) in Philadelphia, PA . On 03 June 1960, Senator Fulbright gave the keynote speech at the re-commissioning ceremonies for the U.S.S. Little Rock in Philadelphia, PA . Click here to see the text of the entire speech, as well as a newspaper article pertaining to that event. Note: Click here for ship christening news article from the Arkansas Gazette. Click here for Ship's Chronology. |
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 Archbishop Makarios |
Born Mihalis Christodoulou Mouskos, August 13, 1913 — August 3, 1977 Archbishop and primate of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church (1950-1977) and first President of the Republic of Cyprus (1960-1977). Mouskos was born in the village of Panayia in the Paphos district on August 13, 1913. In 1926, at the age of 13, he was admitted to Kykko Monastery as a novice, and was educated there, graduating in 1942 with a degree in Theology. He took up the duties of a priest in the Orthodox Church while sustaining an interest in academic theology, and in 1938 received a World Council of Churches scholarship to undertake further study at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA. In 1948, while still studying at Boston, he was elected Bishop of Kition. Mouskos adopted the clerical name 'Makarios' and returned to Cyprus. Makarios was a charismatic and popular figure in Cyprus, but his relationship with the British authorities was fraught. Like many public figures in the Greek Cypriot community on Cyprus, in the 1940s and 1950s he was an active supporter of Enosis, the union of Cyprus with Greece. Makarios III died unexpectedly on August 3, 1977, of a heart attack. He is buried in a tomb in the mountains near Kykko Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 1930s. An imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. He remains a controversial figure. He has been criticized for abandoning the goal of Enosis in favor of independence. Others admire him as a national hero and an Ethnarch. In any case he is possibly the most significant figure in recent Cypriot politics. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Senator Robert F. Kennedy |
Senator (Dem), New York: January 1965 – June 1968 Born: November 20, 1925 - Boston, MA Died: June 6, 1968 - Los Angeles, CA Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, also called "RFK" was one of two younger brothers of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. As one of President Kennedy's most trusted advisors, RFK worked closely with the President during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1964, after his brother's death, Kennedy was elected to the US Senate from the state of New York. He was assassinated shortly after delivering a speech celebrating his victory in the 1968 presidential primary of California at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Robert S. McNamara |
Born June 9, 1916 in San Francisco CA, McNamara is an American business executive and a former United States Secretary of Defense. McNamara served as Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson from 1961 to 1968. McNamara left office on 29 February 1968; for his efforts, the president awarded him both the Medal of Freedom and the Distinguished Service Medal. He resigned that position to become President of the World Bank (1968–1981). Shortly after McNamara departed the Pentagon, he published The Essence of Security, discussing various aspects of his tenure and his position on basic national security issues. He did not speak out again on defense issues until after he left the World Bank. McNamara is also credited with creating the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Supply Agency. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Miss Sophia Loren |
Born September 20, 1934, is considered to be the most famous Italian actress of all time. She was born Sofia Villani Scicolone in Rome, Italy, the illegitimate daughter of aspiring actress and piano teacher Romilda Villani and married engineer Riccardo Scicolone and grew up in poverty in wartime Pozzuoli. Her sister Anna-Maria later married Romano Mussolini. Belying the typical portrayal of the beautiful actress as vacuous and empty-headed, Loren was known for her sharp wit and insight. One of her most frequently quoted sayings is her quip on her diet, "Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti." During the 1960s Loren was one of the most popular actresses in the world, and continued to make popular films in both America and in Europe, acting with all the leading male stars of the time. Her films include: Two Nights with Cleopatra, It's Him, Yes! Yes!, Boy on a Dolphin, The Pride and the Passion, Desire Under the Elms, Houseboat, Heller in Pink Tights, The Fall of the Roman Empire, Quo Vadis, Lady L, A Countess from Hong Kong, The Millionairess, The Voyage, A Special Day with Mastroianni, La Ciociara (Two Women), Prêt-à-Porter, Grumpier Old Men. In 1991, Loren received an honorary Academy Award for her contribution to world cinema and was declared "one of the world cinema's treasures". From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Melvin R. Laird (Time Magazine) |
Melvin Robert (Bam) Laird was born in Omaha, Nebraska on September 1, 1922 and nicknamed "Bambino" (shortened to "Bam" and pronounced like the word 'bomb') by his mother. Laird was a Republican congressman who served as Richard Nixon's Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973. Melvin Laird urged Nixon to follow through on a policy of U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam. He coined the phrase "Vietnamization," meaning that more of the burden of fighting the war should fall to the South Vietnamese forces. He graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota, then entered the United States Navy as an enlisted man. He received an ensign's commission in April 1944 and served on a destroyer, the USS Maddox (DD-731), in the Pacific. A recipient of the Purple Heart and several other decorations, Laird left the Navy in April 1946. On 17 Jun 1970 the Secretary of Defense visited the USS Little Rock in the Mediterranean during her 25th Anniversary. In his final report as Nixon's Secretary of Defense, in January 1973 Laird listed what he considered to be the major accomplishments of his tenure: Vietnamization; achieving the goal of strategic sufficiency; effective burden-sharing between the United States and its friends and allies; adequate security assistance; maintenance of U.S. technological superiority through development of systems such as the B-1, Trident, and cruise missiles; improved procurement; "People Programs" such as ending the draft and creating the AVF; improved National Guard and Reserve forces; enhanced operational readiness; and participatory management. One of Laird's most active initiatives was his persistent effort to secure the release of the American captives held by the enemy in Vietnam. Laird returned to the Nixon administration in June 1973 as counselor to the president for domestic affairs, concerning himself mainly with legislative issues. In February 1974, as the Watergate crisis in the White House deepened, Laird resigned to become senior counselor for national and international affairs for Reader's Digest. Laird received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1974. Since 1974 he has written widely, in Reader's Digest and other publications, on national and international topics. On January 5, 2006, he participated in a meeting at the White House of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss United States foreign policy with Bush administration officials. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Kirk Douglas gets a tour of USS Little Rock 1967 or 1968  Kirk Douglas (Publicity Photo) |
Kirk Douglas (born December 9, 1916) is an American actor and film producer known for his oft imitated and parodied gravel-ridden voice, born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam, NY. To help make his way through college, he thought getting an acting scholar- ship might work. His talents got him noticed at the acclaimed American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where he soon received a scholar- ship, along side classmate Betty Joan Perske (better, and soon to be known as Lauren Bacall). He then served in the U.S. Navy from the outbreak of World War II in 1941 until it ended in 1945. After the war he returned to New York City and started doing radio theater and commercials, while trying to break in on Broadway. Kirk Douglas received four Academy Award nominations for his work in Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life (as Vincent Van Gogh). Douglas did not win any competitive Oscars, but received a special Oscar in 1996 for "50 years as a moral and creative force in the motion picture community." For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Kirk Douglas has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1984, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK. In October 2004, the avenue "Kirk Douglas Way" in Palm Springs, CA was named in his honor. Popular at home and around the world, Kirk Douglas received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and the French Legion of Honor in 1985. In 1996, Kirk Douglas suffered a stroke, partly impairing his ability to speak. Some of Douglas’ films are: * The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) * 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) * The Racers (1955) * Ulysses (1955) * Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) * Strangers When We Meet (1960) * Spartacus (1960) (also executive producer) * Town Without Pity (1961) * Lonely Are the Brave (1962) * The Heroes of Telemark (1965) * To Catch a Spy (1971) * Holocaust 2000 (1977) * The Man From Snowy River (1982) * It Runs in the Family (2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Princess Grace and the Prince of Monaco boarding USS Little Rock July 1969    |
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 - September 14, 1982) was an Oscar-winning American film actress who, as a result of marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. She was the mother of the principality's current reigning Sovereign Prince, Albert II of Monaco. Princess Grace was required to renounce her American citizenship upon her marriage. Kelly was born in Philadelphia, PA, to John Brendan Kelly, Sr. and Margaret Katherine Majer. Though her family had opposed her becoming an actress, Kelly became a fashion model and appeared in her first film, Fourteen Hours (1951), when she was 22. The following year she "starred" with a minor role in High Noon (1952), a generally praised but somewhat controversial western starring Gary Cooper. In 1955, she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl. The musical comedy High Society (1956) was her last film, as her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco marked her retirement from acting. She reportedly was surprised to learn from Rainier that she was expected to give up her film career entirely, but followed his wishes grudgingly. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had three children: Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, Albert II of Monaco, Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth. At the age of 52, in September 1982, Princess Grace suffered a stroke while driving. It resulted in an accident, and she died the next day without regaining consciousness. Princess Stephanie, who was alleged by some sources to have been the actual driver of the car, suffered only minor injuries. Some of Grace Kelly's films: * High Noon (1952) * Mogambo (1953) * Rear Window (1954) * The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) * To Catch a Thief (1955) * High Society (1956) ----------------------
Prince Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi) ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost fifty-six years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th Century. Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American actress Grace Kelly, he was also responsible for reforms to Monaco's constitution and for expanding the principality's economy beyond its traditional gambling base. Gambling accounts for approximately three percent of the nation's annual revenue today; when Rainier ascended the throne in 1949, it accounted for more than 95 percent. After grave illness in March 2005, Rainier died on April 6; his only son, Albert, succeeded him as Prince Albert II. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://wikipedia.org |
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 Miss Deborah Bryant |
Deborah Bryant is an Overseas School Alumnus. She attended General H. H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. She was a member of the class of 1963. After graduating in the top ten of her high school graduating class, Deborah went on to Christian College on a full academic scholarship, during which time she represented Kansas in Atlantic City in the 1966 Miss America Pageant. During her year of service as Miss America Miss Bryant visited the U.S.S. Little Rock in Portsmouth, VA. A photo of her being welcomed by Captain Oscar Dreyer can be seen on Captain Dreyer's biography page. (For the first time, in 1966, the Miss America Pageant was telecast in color.) Deborah currently resides in Arizona with husband, Brent.Together they have five children and four grandchildren. She assists her daughter Kristin in the operation of a unique retail store, Domestic Bliss, in historic downtown Mesa. spoke in support of "Project Concern" which provided medical support to undeveloped countries. |
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 Miss Shirley Cothran Publicity photo above, All Hands Magazine photo below |
Miss Shirley Cothran was the 1975 winner of the Miss America pageant. From the December 1975 issue of All Hands Magazine we know “Sailors aboard ships of the U.S. Sixth Fleet recently hosted Miss America 1975, Shirley Cothran, and her six runners-up. This USO-sponsored show marked the first time any reigning Miss America had entertained military men aboard ships in the Mediterranean.” "Besides Miss Cothran, who is also Miss Texas, .....were: Rhonda Pope, Miss Arkansas; Susan Griffin, Miss North Carolina; Karen Smith, Miss Kansas; Cheryl Johnson, Miss Wyoming; Lucianne Buchanan, Miss California; and Kristen Krull, Miss New York." "Seven sailors from USS Little Rock (CG 4) had the honor of acting as escorts for Miss America and her court during their stay aboard the flagship. They were: Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class William F. Taylor; Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Gary W. Ivey; Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Hans M. Naggor; Lance Corporal John E. Knight; Quartermaster 2nd Class Cristopher J. O’Donald; Personnelman Seaman Daniel R. Sugs; and Operations Specialist 1st Class M. L. 'Pepper' Seaman." After completing her time as Miss America 1975, Miss Cothran (now Dr. Shirley Cothran-Barret) earned: a B.S. in Elementary Education, a M.E. in Guidance and Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and Family Counseling. Dr. Shirley Cothran Barret has been married to Richard K. Barret since 1976. They have four children: David, Julia, John, Mark. Dr. Barret has over 20 years experience speaking to Civic Groups, National Corporations, Local, Regional, and State Education Organizations, Churches, Conventions, Women's Workshops and Retreats, and Spouse Events. She has also served as a judge for the Miss America 1987 and 1996 competitions . |
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 Capt. Douglas Fairbanks Arriving aboard Little Rock |
Douglas Elton Fairbanks, was born in New York, NY, on 9 December 1909. He attended the Bovee School in New York and Collegiate Military and Knickerbocker Grays, New York; the Pasadena Polytechnic Institute, California; and tutored in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles. Fairbanks served first in the Naval Reserve, First Naval District Headquarters, Boston, MA, then aboard USS Mississippi, with Director of Public Relations, Navy Department, Washington, DC, and with the Inshore Patrol, Ambrose Section, Third Naval District. He had additional duty in the Eighth Naval District in connection with the campaign conducted by the Louisiana State Citizens Committee to raise funds for the Navy Relief Society. In April 1942, Commander Fairbanks was ordered to report to Commander, Task Force 39, where he served as Assistant Gunnery Officer, with additional duty as Aide and Flag Lieutenant, and later as Special Naval Observer. He was attached to USS Wasp when she carried airplanes to the embattled Island of Malta in 1942, and to USS Wichita convoying vessels to Murmansk, Russia, in June and July of that year. He had duty as a Special Naval Observer at Headquarters, Commander, US Naval Forces in Europe, London, England. In November 1942 Fairbanks reported to Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet (Administrative Command), and served in amphibious operations as Assistant in the Research and Development Section. In May 1943 he reported to Commander, Service Force, Atlantic Subordinate Command, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia, and from there to duty on the staff of VAdm. Henry Kent Hewitt, USN Commander Naval Forces, Northwest African Waters. In July 1944, he was designated as Special Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Eighth Fleet, being detached in September 1944 with orders to return to the United States. Fairbanks served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, from October 1944 until January 1945, when he was transferred to duty at Headquarters, Commander in Chief, US Fleet. He was later ordered to the US Naval Personnel Separation Center (Officer), Washington, DC, and was released from active duty in the rank of Commander on 5 February 1946. Fairbanks was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp, with bronze "A", the American Area Campaign Medal; the European - African - Middle Eastern Area Campaign Medal with one bronze star; the World War II Victory Medal; and the Expert Pistol Shot Medal. He also has the Decoration and Diploma of Office of the National Order of the Southern Cross, conferred by the Brazilian government; the Legion of Honor (Chevalier), and the Croix de Guerre with Palm, by the Government of France; and the Distinguished Service Cross, awarded by the Government of Great Britain. In civil life, Fairbanks was an actor and writer, and had been assistant producer in the fields of motion pictures and the theater. He was active in foreign affairs through the State Department, and, prior to entering the Navy, was assigned as the President's envoy to certain South American countries on a diplomatic and special mission. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. passed away 7 May 2000 in New York City - - - - - - - On 14 Aug 11 we received the following info from Kenneth Thomas (67-69): "I have info on Mystery Photo #14. It is indeed Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The photo was taken during the 20th anniversary of NATO. This took place in late June 1968. He flew aboard by helo, and was given sideboy honors amidships. I have an uncropped copy or a different photo of this. I was one one of the sideboys (cropped out of this copy). Sorry I can't help with other names. The ships photographer was a friend who gave me lots of photos I was in. At the same time, we greeted SecNav (Paul R. Ignatius), General LeMay CO of NATO, and many others. A reviewing stand was set up on the foredeck to watch the parade of ships as well as a display of naval armaments in action." (Ed: Citations needed) |
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 General James Gavin  James M. Gavin
U.S. Ambassador to France  Ambassador Gavin with USS Little Rock's Marines April 1961 - Bordeaux, France |
Gen. James Gavin U.S. Ambassador to France Ambassador James M. Gavin paid an official visit (as U.S. Ambassador to France) to the USS Little Rock during our official call at Bordeaux, France, in April 1961. Ambassador Gavin is probably best know as "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin, "Slim Jim", or perhaps "The Jumping General", because of his practice of taking part in combat drops James Gavin was the youngest U.S. Major General to command a division during World War II. He was born March 22, 1907 in New York City, NY and died February 23, 1990 in Baltimore, MD. Gavin was raised as an orphan, but applied to and graduated from West Point Military Academy (in June 1929). He began training at the Airborne School in Fort Benning in July 1941, and graduated in August 1941. On October 16, 1941 he was promoted to Major. One of Gavin's first priorities was writing FM 31-30: Tactics and Technique of Air-Borne Troops. He used information about Soviet and German experiences with Paratroopers and Glider troops, and also used his own experience about tactics and warfare. Some of the WWII operations that Gavin participated in include: Invasion of Sicily (February 1943), D-Day (June 6, 1944) and Operation Market Garden (17 September 1944). In the drop into Holland, Gavin landed on pavement instead of grass, injuring his back. He had it checked out by a doctor a few days later who told him that his back was fine. Many years later the doctors at Walter Reed Army Hospital told Gavin that he had broken several disks in the landing. His men respected him a great deal, affectionately referring to him as "Slim Jim" due to his athletic figure. Gavin fought against segregation in the U.S. Army, which gained him some notoriety. Among his decorations, he was awarded:
Some interesting facts about Jim Gavin:
In General James Gavin's memoirs, regarding jumping into Sicily in WWII, he says "When we jumped into Sicily, the units became separated, and I couldn't find anyone. Eventually I stumbled across two colonels, a major, three captains, two lieutenants, and one rifleman, and we secured the bridge. Never in the history of war have so few been led by so many". * * * Thanks to shipmate Henry Stanley LTJG 1959 - 1961 OPS / OR DIV for this lead. * * * |
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 Honorable Paul R.
Ignatius (far left) standing beside VAdm William I. Martin Commander
Sixth Fleet
|
Paul Robert Ignatius, born November 11, 1920 in Glendale, CA, was Secretary of the Navy between 1967 and 1969 and was the Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Lyndon Johnson administration. He served as a commissioned lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in World War II. Ignatius founded Harbridge House, Inc., a Boston management consulting and research firm. Ignatius received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California (Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Tau) and his MBA degree from Harvard Business School. Ignatius is a trustee of the George C. Marshall Foundation and member of the Federal City Council and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs. He has served previously as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Logistics Management Institute; chairman, president and CEO of Air Transport Association; president of The Washington Post newspaper and executive vice president of The Washington Post Company. |
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 Captain Alden W. Whitney
Sixth Fleet Chief of Staff greets General
Lyman L. Lemnitzer,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Lyman Louis Lemnitzer a US Army General served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962, and as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 1963 to 1969. General Lemnitzer was born on August 29, 1899 in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He graduated from West Point in 1920 and was assigned at his request to a Coast Artillery unit. Lemnitzer served in the Philippines but soon began receiving the staff assignments that marked his military career. Lemnitzer was promoted to brigadier general in June 1942 and assigned to General Eisenhower's staff shortly thereafter. He helped form the plans for the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and was promoted to major general in November 1944. Lemnitzer was one of the senior officers sent to negotiate the Italian fascist surrender during the secret Operation Sunrise and the German surrender in 1945. Following World War II, Lemnitzer was assigned to the Strategic Survey Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was later named Deputy Commandant of the National War College. In 1950, at the age of 51, he took parachute training and was subsequently placed in command of the 11th Airborne Division. He was assigned to Korea in command of the 7th Infantry Division in November 1951 and was promoted to Lieutenant General in August 1952. Lemnitzer was promoted to the rank of general and named commander of U.S. Army forces in the Far East and of the 8th Army in March 1955. He was named Chief of Staff of the Army in July 1957 and appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September 1960. As Chairman, Lemnitzer weathered the Bay of Pigs crisis and the early years of American involvement in Vietnam. In November 1962, Lemnitzer was appointed as commander of U.S. forces in Europe, and as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in January 1963.[2] This period encompassed the Cyprus crisis of 1963-1964 and the withdrawal of NATO forces from France in 1966. Lemnitzer retired from the military in July 1969. In 1975, President Ford appointed him to the Commission on CIA Activities within the United States to investigate whether the CIA had committed acts that violated American laws and allegations that E. Howard Hunt and Frank Sturgis (of Watergate fame) were involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Lemnitzer died on November 12, 1988 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Katherine Tryon Lemnitzer (1901 - 1994), is buried with him. Gen. Lemnitzer was played by John Seitz in the 1991 Oliver Stone film, "JFK". |
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 Mlle. Mireille Mathieu |
On July 4, 1976 the USS Little Rock celebrated the American bicentennial in Cannes, France. The USS Little Rock's Navy and Marine Corps marching units as well as 6th Fleet , USS Saratoga and French units participated in a one and one-half hour long Grand Parade through downtown Nice. Later that day Mlle. Mireille Mathieu, the noted French singer performed a series of numbers on the Little Rock, and afterwards was presented a Little Rock plaque by XO Kent R. Siegel. That evening a Bicentennial Dinner was held at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes, followed by a midnight fireworks show. Miss Mathieu's Home Page |
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 Admiral Marc A. Mitscher  Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle with Captain Mitscher aboard U.S.S. Hornet CV-8 |
Admiral Marc Mitscher Marc Andrew Mitscher was born
in
Hillsboro, Wisconsin, on 26 January 1887. He attended elementary and
secondary
schools in Washington, D.C. A 1910 graduate of the United States
Naval
Academy, he was a pioneer Naval Aviator whose early service included
duty
as pilot of the NC-1 seaplane during the 1919 trans-Atlantic flight of
the
NC-4.
He was Captain of the USS Hornet when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and he commanded that aircraft carrier on the Doolittle raids against Tokyo, April 18, 1942, and in the Battle of Midway, June 3-7, 1942. In 1943, he was the overall commander, Fleet Air, Solomon Islands, and was the overall tactical commander of the operations that resulted in the shooting down the aircraft carrying Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto on April 18, 1943. In January 1944, he became commander of Carrier Division 3, which later became Fast Carrier Task Force 58. He stayed in that post, as a Vice Admiral, through the rest of World War II. Welded fast carriers into a fighting team that fought the Battles of Philippine Sea, June 19-20, 1944, and Gulf of Leyte, October 24-25, 1944, and bested the Japanese Kamikazes in the Okinawa Campaign in the Spring of 1945. He was offered the post of Chief of Naval Operations, but turned it down to become commander of the 8th Fleet. He served briefly as commander 8th Fleet and on 1 March 1946 became Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. On 19 September 1946 the USS Little Rock, underway in the Mediterranean Sea diverted to Malta to pick up Admiral Mitscher, who had become ill, and transported him back to Norfolk, VA. Admiral Mitscher died from heart problems on February 3, 1947. He was buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery. Admiral Arleigh Burke eulogized Mitscher with the following words: "He spoke in a low voice and used few words. Yet, so great was his concern for his people, for their training and welfare in peacetime and their rescue in combat, that he was able to obtain their final ounce of effort and loyalty, without which he could not have become the preeminent carrier force commander in the world. A bulldog of a fighter, a strategist blessed with an uncanny ability to foresee his enemy's next move, and a lifelong searcher after truth and trout streams, he was above all else - perhaps above all other - a Naval Aviator." - - - - - - - - - - - -
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 Admiral Thomas H. Moorer Chief of Naval Operations (1967-1970) reenlists three COMSIXTHFLT staff men on board LITTLE ROCK sometime during his visit 26-27 April 1969 |
Admiral
Thomas H. Moorer Chief of Naval Operations - 1967 to 1970 Admiral Moorer from Eufaula,
AL graduated from the United States Naval Academy on 01
June 1933. After completing Naval Aviation training at the Pensacola
Naval Air Station in 1936 he flew with fighter squadrons based on
the aircraft carriers USS Langley, USS Lexington and USS Enterprise.
In addition, Admiral Moorer also qualified in seaplanes and flew with a patrol squadron in the early years of World War II where he flew numerous combat missions. Moorer received a Purple Heart after being shot down and wounded off the coast of Australia in February 1942 and then surviving an attack on the rescue ship, which was sunk by enemy action the same day. Promoted to vice admiral to 1962, and to admiral in 1964, Moorer served both as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet and Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet, the first Navy officer to have commanded both fleets. He served as the Chief of Naval Operations between 1967 and 1970 and also as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 until 1974. Moorer believed that the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was deliberate and that President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the cover-up to maintain ties with Israel. In 1972, Moorer received the Gray Eagle Award, as the most senior active naval aviator, and held it until his retirement in 1974. Adm. Moorer died on 05 Feb 2004, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland at age 91. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. |
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King Constantine II of Greece seen here with Admiral Martin |
King of the Hellenes
Reign 06 March 1964 - 01
June
1973
Constantine II born 2 June 1940 was King of
Greece
from 1964 until deposed in 1973. As a male-line descendant of Christian IX of Denmark he retains the title of Prince of Denmark Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign soon became controversial: Constantine's involvement in the Apostasia of July 1965 made him unpopular in broad parts of the population and aggravated the ongoing political instability that culminated in the Colonels' coup of 21 April 1967. The coup stood on scant legitimate ground until Constantine, as head of state, agreed to swearing the putschist government Greek military junta of 1967, thereby legitimizing it; this act became the subject of much criticism. On 13 December 1967, he was forced to flee the country following an abortive counter-coup against the junta, although he remained de jure head of state until 01 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy and declared a Republic. This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by a plebiscite on 13 December 1974, which established the Third Hellenic Republic. Constantine has never officially abdicated his throne; however, he is not on record questioning the legality or the outcome of the plebiscite, and he asked his supporters to respect the result. Constantine has continued to live abroad since 1967, but enters and leaves his native country freely and has a house on the coastal resort of Saronia, outside Athens. The above is extracted in part from Wikipedia. |
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 Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra of Morocco, with Mrs. and Admiral William Martin |
Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra the only daughter of Mulay Abdul Aziz, the Boy Sultan, devoted her later life to helping the women and other unfortunates of her country, Her principal achievement being the foundation of the Moroccan Women's Union, through which thousands of women gained economic self-sufficiency by means of making carpets, producing honey and breeding sheep and goats. Lalla Fatima Zohra's father had succeeded as Sultan of Morocco in 1894, aged 12, following the death of his father, Mulay Hassan I. Mulay Abdul Aziz was an intellectual and charming conversationalist, with a keen, Western sense of humor. He was, moreover, genuinely interested in reform, however, the young Sultan's tendency to surround himself with Europeans. Mulay Abdul Aziz survived to live in gentlemanly retirement at Tangier, surrounded by the remnants of his extensive harem. Several villas housed his chamberlains, secretaries, slaves, concubines and wives, and it was in one of these that his daughter, Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra, was born on June 13 1926. His other child, a son, was born in 1899. Lalla Fatima Zohra, with her dark eyes and wonderfully calm demeanor, was the apple of her father's eye. The (now former) Sultan was determined that her education would be modern, not that of a princess. Her father planted in his daughter the idea that she would one day serve her country. Fatima Zohra did not know what to do with her life, only that she wanted to be free, so she was horrified when her father mentioned that he had found her the ideal man. It was his cousin Prince Moulay Ben El Mehdi Alaoui, the tall, animated Khalifa of Tetuan, the Sultan's Viceroy in what was then Spanish Morocco. "He had other women, several children," she recalled. "When you are young, you want a husband to yourself." But her father was determined, and in due course she was presented to the Khalifa for their engagement. Shortly afterwards, in 1943, her father died, leaving Fatima Zohra, still only 16, as head of the household and responsible for the care of her father's harem and servants for the remainder of their lives. She trained with the Red Cross and worked as a nurse until her marriage, in 1949, at the age of 21. In 1957 her husband became the new country's first Ambassador to London, followed by a subsequent tour as Ambassador to Italy, before they returned to Morocco in the early 1960s. It was then that Lalla Fatima Zohra, encouraged by her cousin, the newly-crowned King Hassan II, set about creating her women's union, which would fight for the emancipation of her sex. For years to come, she traveled throughout Morocco, visiting the poorest villages and listening to the stories of women who had been beaten, neglected and divorced without pension. She urged them to form themselves into co-operatives. She pleaded with them to send their daughters to school, and to move back the age of marriage. She pushed for women to be represented at elections, and spoke about taboo subjects such as contraception and Aids. After the death of her husband in 1984, Lalla Fatima Zohra was based permanently in her beloved Tangier. Her days began early, with an hour of prayer, followed by an hour of gardening and then an hour of walking. She continued to tour the country to promote the work of the union. The Princess was held in enormous affection and esteem by Moroccans and by the large expatriate community, particularly the British, among whom the late David Herbert, the interior decorator and "Uncrowned Queen" of Tangier, was one of her closest friends. She had a terrific presence and a wonderfully old-fashioned aura, yet no airs; and she was always interested in what others had to say. She died at age 77 on September 15, 2003. She is survived by her daughter, Lalla Keltum, and by three step-children. |