DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD MEDAL CEREMONY
21 MARCH 2014
2014 AWARD RECIPIENTS Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford ’52, USAF (Ret.) Rear Admiral William C. Miller ’62, USN (Ret.) Admiral Steve Abbot ’66, USN (Ret.) Admiral Michael G. Mullen ’68, USN (Ret.) Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. ’70, USN (Ret.)
MILLER
STAFFORD
ABBOT
MULLEN
GIAMBASTIANI
he 2014 Distinguished Graduate Award medal ceremony marks the 16th year of honoring and celebrating the lives of alumni through the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award program. Each year, distinguished graduates are honored because of their demonstrated and unselfish commitment to a lifetime of service, their personal character and the significant contributions they have made to the Navy and Marine Corps or as leaders in industry or government. They are the living embodiment of the Academy’s mission to develop leaders to “assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.” We honor these five individuals for the principles they stand for—today and always.
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN elcome to the 2014 United States Naval Academy Distinguished Graduate Award ceremony. To this year’s distinguished graduates: congratulations, and thank you for your many years of dedicated service, both in and out of uniform. Your energy, your passion and your life’s work have made an incredible difference. We are especially grateful to your families, who continue to support you in all that you do. Selecting today’s honorees from a field of accomplished alumni was both challenging and humbling; challenging because there are so many truly amazing graduates who deserve recognition, and humbling to have the opportunity to rub shoulders with these and so many other distinguished graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. While each path was different, all of today’s honorees began their lifelong careers of service right here. This great institution continues to serve as the foundation— that shared experience—of patriotism, camaraderie and character that sustained these leaders, and put them on their path to success. To be back here with these truly distinguished graduates, and with all of you future distinguished graduates, is especially meaningful. My special thanks to the selection committee, and to everyone who had a hand in planning and executing today’s ceremony. To the Brigade, our alumni and guests: thank you for sharing this special event, as we celebrate the noteworthy accomplishments and extraordinary careers of our fellow graduates.
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General Peter Pace ’67, USMC (Ret.) Chairman, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Committee
2014 U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD SELECTION COMMITTEE General Peter Pace ’67, USMC (Ret.)—chairman Colonel Arthur Athens ’78, USMCR (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Thomas Lynch ’64, USN (Ret.)
Vice Admiral Cutler Dawson ’70, USN (Ret.)
Mr. Byron Marchant ’78
Admiral Thomas Fargo ’70, USN (Ret.)
Admiral James Stavridis ’76, USN (Ret.)
Captain Wendy Lawrence ’81, USN (Ret.)
Admiral Robert Willard ’73, USN (Ret.)
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PROGRAM MEDAL PRESENTATION 4:30 p.m.
INTRODUCTION OF THE 2014 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES INVOCATION Lieutenant Madison Carter, USN 5th Battalion Chaplain
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WELCOME AND REMARKS Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller ’74, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy
PRESENTATION OF DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD MEDALS Admiral Robert J. Natter ’67, USN (Ret.) Chairman, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees and Midshipman Eugene J. Yang ’14 Brigade Commander
REMARKS Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients
NAVY BLUE & GOLD DEPARTURE OF THE OFFICIAL PARTY 3
LTGEN THOMAS P. STAFFORD ’52, USAF (RET.) o say that Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford ’52, USAF (Ret.), has enjoyed a stellar career would be entirely appropriate: he has piloted no fewer than 127 different types of aircraft, flown four space missions and served as an advisor to Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Upon his graduation with distinction in 1952, Stafford was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He finished first in his class at Air Force Test Pilot School before being assigned to the 54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ellsworth AFB. Upon being selected by NASA in 1962 as a member of the second group of astronauts, Stafford entered the space program. In 1965, Stafford piloted Gemini 6 and completed the first ever rendezvous in space, with Gemini 7. In 1966, he commanded Gemini 9, and in 1969 he commanded Apollo 10 in an exploratory mission to select a lunar landing site for Apollo 11. It was during Apollo 10’s reentry that Stafford earned a Guinness World Record for the highest speed ever reached by human— 24,791 statute miles per hour. He completed his fourth and final space flight in 1975 as commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, a cooperative endeavor between the United States and the Soviet Union. As Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition, Stafford next guided the initial phase of America’s stealth technology program. His knowledge and vision resulted in production of the Stealth Attack F-117A, the advanced stealth strategic B-2 bomber and the F-22 Raptor aircraft. Under his supervision, the CFM-156 (F-108) jet engine was developed; it was ultimately used by commercial airlines and resulted in significant reductions in fuel requirements. Stafford’s current focus is the tripling of air-to-air missile payloads of F-35 fighters operating under stealth conditions. Stafford’s leadership has been evident on the International Space Shuttle Advisory Committee, the COLUMBIA Accident Review Board, the first Hubble Telescope Spacecraft Servicing and Repair Mission and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Board of Trustees. Stafford was also recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He holds seven honorary doctorate degrees, has received numerous decorations, citations and medals, both foreign and domestic, and has appeared in several television and film productions. General Stafford and his wife, Linda, live in Florida.
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RADM WILLIAM C. MILLER ’62, USN (RET.) he leadership, vision, and integrity of Rear Admiral Bill Miller, former Academic Dean and Provost, contributed measurably to the United States Naval Academy’s transition into the 21st century. His 12 years as Dean helped produce a new generation of Navy and Marine Corps officers who are better educated, better trained and better equipped to serve. Graduating in the top 10 of the Class of 1962, Miller later earned his Master of Science and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering at Stanford University. Navy career highlights include tours as Commanding Officer of the frigate MCCLOY (FF-1038) and the destroyer CUSHING (DD-985); Director, Undersea and Strategic Warfare and Nuclear Development; and Commanding Officer, Naval Research Laboratory. Miller’s final uniformed assignment was as Chief of Naval Research. He retired from active duty in 1993. As a civilian, he served as Associate Provost and Professor of Engineering at West Virginia University before being selected in 1997 as Academic Dean and Provost at the Naval Academy, the first alumnus in history to do so. In that position, Miller instituted studies then lacking in the curriculum, such as language instruction in Arabic and Chinese, and introduced five new academic majors including computer engineering, information technology and quantitative economics. His efforts proved prescient in reflecting the Navy’s future needs, and led to the Academy’s recognition as one of the nation’s leading undergraduate engineering schools. The more than 10,000 junior officers who graduated from the Naval Academy on Dean Miller’s watch continue to provide testament to his focused efforts to make the Academy a stronger, more forward-looking institution. Miller also partnered with the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation to raise more than $50 million in philanthropic support for academic programs and worked closely with the director of athletics to significantly improve varsity athlete graduation rates. His military commendations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and four Legion of Merit decorations. In addition, his civilian awards include the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award and the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the highest civilian awards given by both services. He has been designated Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost Emeritus by the Secretary of the Navy. Miller and his wife, Barbara, are the parents, grandparents and parents-in-law of Naval Academy graduates. They live in the greater Annapolis area.
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ADM STEVE ABBOT ’66, USN (RET.) pon graduating with distinction with the Class of 1966, then-Ensign Abbot attended Tartar missile school, then deployed to Vietnam aboard HENRY B. WILSON (DDG-7). He reported to Oxford University in September 1967 as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating three years later with a Bachelor of Arts and an Master of Arts in politics, philosophy and economics. After completing flight training, he was assigned to VA-27 in Lemoore, CA, flying the A-7E Corsair II, and participated in two deployments to the Western Pacific. He next received orders to U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, followed by assignment as a test pilot at Naval Air Test Center Patuxent River, MD, where he participated in the early flights of the F/A-18, T-34C and TA-7C. After a tour as Commanding Officer of VA-86, Abbot attended Naval Nuclear Power School in preparation for command in the nuclear Navy. Assignments followed as Executive Officer of THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71); Commanding Officer of CALOOSAHATCHEE (AO-98); Chief of Staff for Operations at SECOND Fleet; Commanding Officer of THEODORE ROOSEVELT during Operation Desert Storm; and Deputy Director for Operations on the Joint Staff. Upon attaining flag rank, Abbot served as Commander, Carrier Group EIGHT; Director, J-3, of the U.S. European Command; and Commander SIXTH Fleet. He finished his military career in October 2000 as Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command. After retiring from active duty on 31 October 2000, Abbot continued his commitment to the nation and to the Navy, first as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, and, beginning in 2003, as president and CEO of Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. He has generously afforded his talents to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, as well as the Athletic and Scholarship Programs, the Military Officers Association of America, the Naval Aviation Museum and the Theodore Roosevelt Association. Among the awards and medals Abbot received while on active duty are the Bronze Star Medal and the Strike Flight Air Medal. The son, grandson, brother and father of Naval Academy graduates, Admiral Steve Abbot has exemplified service to the Navy, the Naval Academy and the nation. Abbot and his wife, Marjorie, live in Northern Virginia.
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ADM MICHAEL G. MULLEN ’68, USN (RET.) y any measure, the career of Admiral Mike Mullen is an extraordinary one. Over the course of his 47 year journey from midshipman to admiral, both the nation and the military have witnessed unprecedented changes, thanks in part to his dedication and leadership. Consistently grounded in loyalty, integrity and courage, Mullen has advocated for our troops, their families, especially wounded service members and families of the fallen. He advocated as well for the repeal of laws prohibiting gays from serving in the military. After graduating with the Class of 1968, Mullen’s first sea tour was aboard COLLETT (DD 730). He assumed command of NOXUBEE (AOG 56) while still a lieutenant and subsequently commanded GOLDSBOROUGH (DDG 20) and YORKTOWN (CG-48). He received the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Award for Leadership for his tour in command of GOLDSBOROUGH. In 1996, he was named Commander, Cruiser/Destroyer Group TWO ahead of a Pentagon tour as Director of Surface Warfare, OPNAV. His next assignments were Commander, Second Fleet, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic and Joint Task Force 120 in 2000, followed by Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments in 2001. Serving next as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Mullen focused on joint readiness and military support for national security. His duties as principal on the Navy’s Joint Requirements Oversight Council included implementing improvements to the Sea Enterprise effort and resulted in more than $16 billion in savings to the federal government. He commanded more than 17,000 NATO troops in the Balkans in his role as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander, Joint Forces Naples, while simultaneously expanding international military cooperation in the face of worldwide terrorism. In 2005, Mullen assumed the role of Chief of Naval Operations. He was first confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2007 and served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama leading our military in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the fight against terrorists. In retirement, he continues to serve our nation on several federal advisory groups, and he serves on the boards of General Motors, Sprint and the Bloomberg Foundation and as an adjunct Professor at Princeton University. He has served the Naval Academy as a Company Officer and as a Forrestal Lecturer, most recently in 2011, and as a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees.
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ADM EDMUND P. GIAMBASTIANI JR. ’70, USN (RET.) erhaps the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense under Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George H. W. Bush, best characterized the career of Admiral Ed Giambastiani when he referenced words that appear over the doors of the Naval Academy Chapel: Non sibi sed patriae (Not for self, but for country). Admiral Giambastiani’s years of service certainly embody this phrase. Following his graduation from the Naval Academy, then-Ensign Giambastiani entered the nuclear submarine force aboard PUFFER (SSN-652). He was the 1973 winner of the Fleet Commander’s Junior Officer Submarine Shiphandling Competition. Subsequent commands included the deep submergence and ocean engineering Submarine NR-1 and RICHARD B. RUSSELL (SSN-687). Giambastiani also served as Commander, Submarine Development Squadron 12; Commander, Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force; and Commander, Anti-Submarine and Reconnaissance Forces Atlantic. He also was the Director of Submarine Warfare Division, Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Commander of the 1.1 million soldiers, sailors, airman and Marines of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. The capstone of Giambastiani’s career was his appointment as the seventh vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One area he gave specific attention to involved the military’s anti-improvised explosive device (IED) efforts and culminated in the establishment of the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), resulting in a six-fold decrease in casualties caused by IED’s in 2006 and 2007. Giambastiani’s decorations include 12 Distinguished Service medals plus other medals and citations from the numerous foreign governments and NATO. Among the many recognitions he has received, though, he remains most proud of the 19 awards that recognize the efforts of his team as a whole. He is a member of the board of directors of the Boeing Company, Oppenheimer Funds and Monster Worldwide. Since retirement, he has served on a numerous U.S. Government advisory boards, investigations and task forces for the Secretaries of Defense, State, Navy and Interior in addition to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. A consistent supporter of the Naval Academy, he is a donor and Trustee of the Naval Academy Foundation Athletic and Scholarship Programs. Giambastiani has served as Chair of the Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Committee. He enthusiastically supports the Brigade through both mentoring activities and lectures. Giambastiani is the father, brother and brother-in-law of Naval Academy graduates. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Florida.
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ALMA MATER NAVY BLUE AND GOLD Now colleges from sea to sea, may sing of colors true, But who has better right than we, to hoist a symbol hue? For Sailors brave in battle fair, since fighting days of old Have proved the Sailor’s right to wear, the Navy Blue and Gold.
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PAST RECIPIENTS 1999-2013 1999
2003
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer ’33, USN (Ret.)
Ambassador William H.G. FitzGerald ’31
(1912-2004)
(1909-2006)
Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey ’35, USN (Ret.)
2000
(1913-2007)
Dr. John J. McMullen ’40
Rear Admiral Robert W. McNitt ’38, USN (Ret.)
(1918-2005)
(1915-2012)
Admiral James L. Holloway III ’43, USN (Ret.)
Vice Admiral William D. Houser ’42, USN (Ret.) (1921-2012)
Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence ’51, USN (Ret.) (1930-2005)
2004
Major General William A. Anders ’55, USAFR (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak ’34, USMC (Ret.)
Mr. Roger T. Staubach ’65
(1913-2008)
Vice Admiral Gerald E. Miller ’42, USN (Ret.)
2001
Vice Admiral James F. Calvert ’43, USN (Ret.)
Captain John W. Crawford Jr. ’42, USN (Ret.)
(1920-2009)
Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. ’47, USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Charles G. Cooper ’50, USMC (Ret.)
(1925-2007)
(1927-2009)
Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale ’47, USN (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Ronald F. Marryott ’57, USN (Ret.)
(1923-2005)
(1934-2005)
Admiral James D. Watkins ’49, USN (Ret.) (1927-2012)
2005
Captain James A. Lovell ’52, USN (Ret.)
Captain Slade D. Cutter ’35, USN (Ret.) (1911-2005)
2002
Rear Admiral Robert H. Wertheim ’46, USN (Ret.)
Vice Admiral Charles S. Minter Jr. ’37, USN (Ret.)
Admiral Ronald J. Hays ’50, USN (Ret.)
(1915-2008)
Mr. H. Ross Perot ’53
The Honorable James E. Carter Jr. ’47 Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost ’53, USN (Ret.) Colonel John W. Ripley ’62, USMC (Ret.) (1939-2008)
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PAST RECIPIENTS 1999-2013 2006
2010
Captain Thomas J. Hudner ’47, USN (Ret.)
Mr. David J. Dunn ’55
Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee ’51, USN (Ret.)
Admiral Leon A. Edney ’57, USN (Ret.)
(1929-2013)
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch ’64, USN (Ret.)
General Robert T. Herres ’54, USAF (Ret.) (1932-2008)
Admiral Joseph Paul Reason ’65, USN (Ret.)
Admiral Charles R. Larson ’58, USN (Ret.)
General Carlton W. Fulford Jr. ’66, USMC (Ret.)
2007
2011
Rear Admiral Maurice H. Rindskopf ’38, USN (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Robert H. Shumaker ’56, USN (Ret.)
(1917-2011)
Dr. Bradford N. Parkinson ’57
Admiral Thomas B. Hayward ’48, USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General Matthew T. Cooper ’58, USMC (Ret.)
Mr. Ralph W. Hooper ’51
Mr. Corbin A. McNeill Jr. ’62
Admiral Leighton W. Smith Jr. ’62, USN (Ret.)
2012
2008
Admiral Sylvester R. Foley Jr. ’50, USN (Ret.)
Mr. James W. Kinnear III ’50
The Honorable Daniel L. Cooper ’57
Admiral Frank B. Kelso II ’56, USN (Ret.) (1933-2013)
Captain Bruce McCandless II ’58, USN (Ret.)
Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Montoya ’58, CEC, USN (Ret.)
Vice Admiral John R. Ryan ’67, USN (Ret.)
Lieutenant General William M. Keys ’60, USMC (Ret.)
Mr. Daniel F. Akerson ’70
Admiral Henry G. Chiles Jr. ’60, USN (Ret.)
2013 2009
Mr. Roger E. Tetrault ’63
Mr. John E. Nolan ’50
The Honorable John Scott Redd ’66
Admiral Bruce DeMars ’57, USN (Ret.)
Ambassador Richard L. Armitage ’67
Mr. J. Ronald Terwilliger ’63
Admiral Thomas B. Fargo ’70, USN (Ret.)
Admiral Joseph W. Prueher ’64, USN (Ret.) General Peter Pace ’67, USMC (Ret.) For more information on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association’s Distinguished Graduate Award program and recipients, visit www.usna.com/dga. 11
MISSIONS UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION To serve and support the United States, the Naval Service, the Naval Academy and its Alumni; By furthering the highest standards at the Naval Academy; By seeking out, informing, encouraging and assisting outstanding, qualified young men and women to pursue careers as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps through the Naval Academy; and, By initiating and sponsoring activities which will perpetuate the history, traditions, memories and growth of the Naval Academy and bind Alumni together in support of the highest ideals of command, citizenship and government. Serving the Alma Mater and its Alumni since 1886
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
Thank you to the Annapolis Bus Company for generously providing transportation for the 2014 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients. 12