Commander's Corner

“Look, this is a fighting ship. She might get into action, if you’re going to save your lives, you’d better work like hell, night and day. We’re going to be watertight. And you’re going to make damn sure all the guns are working, and the ammunition is readily available.” – Vice Adm. John D. Bulkeley.

Vice Adm. Bulkeley was indeed the quintessential Surface Warfare Officer. When he first took command of the destroyer Endicott, the ship was in poor material condition. He pushed his crew to improve the readiness of the ship and ensure that the crew was properly trained on their battle stations and equipment. He knew that sooner or later, the hard work and sweat that the crew put in to get the ship ready was literally going to be the difference between survival or death.

His actions before the fight, his commitment to material readiness, and his dedication to training was on clear display when he went into battle. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

“The remarkable achievement of Lt. Cmdr. Bulkeley's command in damaging or destroying a notable number of Japanese enemy planes, surface combatant and merchant ships, and in dispersing landing parties and land-based enemy forces during the four months and eight days of operation without benefit of repairs, overhaul, or maintenance facilities for his squadron, is believed to be without precedent in this type of warfare. His dynamic forcefulness and daring in offensive action, his brilliantly planned and skillfully executed attacks, supplemented by a unique resourcefulness and ingenuity, characterize him as an outstanding leader of men and a gallant and intrepid seaman.”

Like Vice Adm. Bulkeley, today, we are facing a myriad of challenges both seen and unseen. Our Navy, our ships and our Sailors are busier than they have ever been, and it’s a deep, demanding busy. A busy that requires fighting in the realm of an invisible enemy, as well as preparing to fight an adversary that competes as hard as we do. It is a busy that demands an unrelenting focus on the fundamentals of our profession – warfighting, operational readiness, and toughness – fundamentals we must refresh daily.

It is a busy that demands vision, collaboration and an uncompromising commitment to standards that were borne out of our service’s storied combat legacy. A legacy like Vice Adm. Bulkeley.

There’s unfinished work that we will get after with a renewed and relentless vigor. We have the necessary ingredients: our ships and weapon systems are the best in the world, our repair capability remains without peer, our training is cutting edge, and our Sailors reflect the very best of our nation’s character traits: accountability, confidence, integrity, ownership, professionalism, toughness, and most important, fearlessness. We are a privileged few to serve in our nation’s Navy and it is not only our job, but our mandate to ensure we remain the most professional, respected, and deadly force ever to sail the world’s seas. Thank you and I looked forward to serving alongside all of you.

Now let’s get after it. *