We are veterans of battles in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Our survivors are now approaching or just passing their 90th birthdays.
Our classmates died on foreign shores, blazed new trails, helped conquer space. Our legacy is a proud one. We are the United States Naval Academy Class of 1945.
When Admiral Arleigh Burke was the Chief of Naval Operations from 1955 to 1961, he often visited the Naval Academy. On one visit, the Academy Superintendent, Rear Admiral John F. Davidson, said that he wanted to show the CNO something special in the Yard. They drove out to the seawall and viewed the Triton Light, proudly flashing 4-5, 4-5, 4-5. As Admiral Burke admired this landmark, a Class of '45 gift to the Academy, the superintendent remarked to Admiral Burke's personal aide, Class of '45 member Allan Slaff, "Allan, when I first saw that light it made me damn mad all over."
When asked why, the superintendent responded, "Because my class didn't think of it!"
And so it has been for our Class of '45 over the years, often contributing to our Naval Academy, often leading the way.
A case can be compellingly made that the Class of '45 is one of the truly distinguished Naval Academy classes. The numerous written words of praise we have received from Academy alumni spanning decades offer documentation that the Class of '45 is perhaps the most admired, respected, and innovative Naval Academy class ever. Our record for leadership, performance, example, and innovative Naval Academy giving is well known. Our accomplishments (as are those of classes before and many since) are etched indelibly into the history of the Naval Academy. Our class legacy can be summarized in fourfold fashion: our performance, our innovative gifts, our class spirit, and our class closeness.
Our Performance
Three of our classmates have earned a place in American and world history: Alan Shepard, second person in space, first American in space, fifth man on the moon; Richard McCool Jr., Medal of Honor recipient for his valorous actions during the Battle of Okinawa; and Paul Shulman, first Israeli Navy commander.
Of the 914 of us who threw our caps in the air at graduation, 503 had extended active-duty careers of 20 years or more, serving our country with honor and distinction. Thirty-four classmates attained flag officer and general officer rank (30 Navy and 4 Marine Corps). We are all proud of them.
We are equally proud of the 60 of our classmates who gave their lives while on active duty, serving their country, 18 of whom were killed in action during World War II. Some 600 personal decorations were awarded to our classmates; each decoration testifies to a noteworthy achievement.
And we are proud of the service reputation of our class. Each of us can take great pride in the unsolicited and most moving comments of those from other Academy classes. From the President of the Class of 1946 to the President of the United States, the accolades accrue to us: Class of '46 President (and later Vice Admiral) Charles H. Griffiths noted, "We '46ers are extremely grateful to you
look alivers' for helping us get through our plebe year and the inspirational leadership you provided for our youngster year. We looked up to you guys." And President Jimmy Carter, Naval Academy Class of 1947, wrote to us enthusiastically, "'45 was a special class for us & I'm proud of the way you all trained us in '47. Best wishes, Jimmy C."There have been numerous other comments as well, unsolicited, all laudatory, from classes ranging from the 1930s to the 1980s, praising the "remarkable contributions of the Class of '45 to the Naval Academy," extolling "the spirit and drive of '45."
Our Innovative Gifts
Our three innovative Naval Academy gifts will remind midshipmen of the Class of '45 for decades to come. We enjoy a permanent presence on the prime real estate of the Naval Academy grounds
the seaward corner, famed as the location "where the Severn joins the tide." It is here that our two operational Naval Academy gifts anchor what is now the "Class of 1945 corner" of the Yard.The Triton Light, a charted navigational beacon on the most seaward point of the Naval Academy, will flash forever 4-5, 4-5, 4-5—a reminder to all who observe it, from land or sea, of the Class of '45. Built into the light is a globe holding samples of the 22 seas through which the USS Triton (SSRN-586) passed on her historic 1960 submerged circumnavigation of the world.
The Naval Academy Sea Gate, our other Yard gift, marks the official seaward entrance to the Naval Academy and is a Class of '45 welcome to all who come aboard the Naval Academy from the sea.
The fruits of another significant Class of '45 gift can be sampled in the issue of Proceedings you are now reading: The annual Capstone Essay Contest that we sponsor awards $1,000 prizes to the best service-choice papers submitted by first classmen every year; some of this year's winners can be read in this issue.
In addition to the previously mentioned gifts, the class has made other significant contributions to our alma mater. The Halsey Field House scoreboard features the class logo of a green bowler bedecked with a "45" and our class slogan, "Look alive with '45." The 5th Company wardroom in Bancroft Hall is filled with classmate memorabilia from sea and space. There's also the '45 Wing of the Crown Sailing Center and the "Alan Shepard, America's First Astronaut" portrait on display in the Naval Academy Museum.
Our gifts of almost $4 million rank us in the top half of all classes. In Alumni Hall, 139 Honor Chairs memorialize our classmates. Sixty-five of our candidates entered the Academy as Naval Academy Foundation Honor Scholars, and three more such scholars are funded each year in perpetuity.
Our Spirit
Since graduation, our ingenuity in dress, rhetoric, and spirit has caught the attention of generations of Naval Academy classes. At reunions our prominent green bowlers were everywhere to be seen. And "Look Alive with '45" remains one of the catchiest, most widely recognized, and remembered class slogans. How many of us have been asked, "What's your class
" As we answer, with more than a little pride, so often we have noted the questioner's acknowledging smile and words, "The Look Alive' class!"Years ago I was introduced as a Naval Academy graduate to Jim Lovell ('52) at a ceremony honoring our classmate, Alan Shepard. Jim asked, "What's your class
" I responded "'45." Jim replied, "Oh, the Look Alive' class!" Our slogan and our logo have brought us even closer together as a class, setting an example for others to follow.Our Closeness
So much of who we are and what we stand for, we learned while midshipmen at the Naval Academy. As a wartime class, we had a sense of urgency and purpose that brought us all the more closely together, creating and nurturing remarkable friendships as precious, as meaningful, and as enduring as any we have ever known.
What memories we all have of our classmates
those who are here and those who are not. And what memories of our midshipmen days—the 7 December lockdown, our three wins over Army, the officers who helped mold us into the officers we became.Whenever we gather together, we treasure those memories. And when we convene, we are joined by another special group, our "shipmates-by-marriage," the wives of our classmates no longer with us. Their presence adds so much to our reunions, as we remember their loved ones, our classmates, with fondness, admiration, and respect.
As we now "stand down"—one, by one, by one—each of us can take enormous pride in knowing that there will always be a special corner of the Naval Academy Yard, the Class of 1945's corner—our corner where "the Severn joins the tide." And in that corner, far into the future, perhaps forever, there will be our magnificent navigational beacon, our Triton Light, continuing to salute, yes salute, each one of us and our class as it flashes: 4-5, 4-5, 4-5.