Editor’s note: I wish I had been there to see the ceremony honoring the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. It was held in front of what had been the 14th Naval District on Pearl, and home of The Dungeon, where our pal Mac worked with the legends of naval intelligence. But I wasn’t, and there it is. Thankfully, one of the stalwarts of OPINTEL and the Lovely Islands stepped up to document the solemn but joyful occasion. All current pictures and commentary are Kimo’s, and like you, I am just along for the ride. Enjoy- and remember. The two great fleets were still feeling each other out on this day 75 years ago- the glory and courage were still to come, and the Spooks had done what they could. It was all up to the sailors, airmen and Marines to determine what was going to happen.

– Vic

Good Morning Red Star Rising Comrades, Shipmates, Family, Friends, and most importantly to the Family and Friends of Admiral Showers….ALOOOO-HA!,

I awoke this morning to the gentle trade winds and morning mauka showers coming down over the quiet and uncrowded beach at Fort DeRussy. Like exactly five years ago, this was a morning of calm reflection regarding the events yesterday at Pearl Harbor commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway and the success of Naval Intelligence (now Navy Information Warfare).

The site of the ceremony was conducted in what was then the headquarters of the 14th Naval District, Building #1, and was noted yesterday by many guest speakers, and what many of us still believe, is “hallowed” ground for the men who took the stinging defeat of 7 December 1941 and turned their remorse and sadness into the greatest intelligence success in history.

The event was hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the current Director of Intelligence and Information Operations, CAPT Dale Rielage, deserves great credit for choosing the precise location of the event at the front of Building #1, just a few meters around the corner from the entrance to the basement where the Station Hypo team endlessly worked to decode Japan’s Naval Code 25B…and more importantly, to develop an operational understanding of where Japan’s strike force (Kido Butai) was headed next.

As we’ve been discussing this week, the details of the story are truly remarkable, but it is the men who painstakingly sifted through millions upon millions of numbers and letters trying to decode their meaning in order to build an “operational intelligence” picture that would enable the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz, to move position the carriers at the most decisive spot.

So, yesterday was a day filled with homage and respect to those who went before. In addition to CAPT Rielage’s opening remarks and his description of the basement, apply named the “Dungeon”, where Joe Rochefort and his Hypo team worked, the current Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and former shipmate, Admiral Scott Swift presented his view of the battle and his perspectives on how Admiral Nimitz would have viewed the information he was receiving from his Intelligence Officer, then LCDR Eddie Layton, and Joe Rochefort’s team. Admiral Swift made mention of the importance of innovation and how the aircraft carrier played such a critical role in the actual battle. I found his reference to the continued importance of U.S. aircraft carriers in today’s dynamic environment of the Asia-Pacific region to be revealing. Suffice it to say, Admiral Swift has a long and distinguished career, but what many may not know is the striking similarity in personality between Admiral Swift and Admiral Nimitz. Humble, quiet, contemplative…but most of all decisive in action. Admiral Swift reminded the audience of the importance of taking calculated risks, which is what Admiral Nimitz did with the intelligence he received from his team.

(Admiral Swift (l) and CAPT Rielage).

Immediately following the Admiral’s remarks, the Executive Officer of Navy Information Operations Command Hawaii, CDR James Adkisson, made some remarks about the role of SIGINT and Cryptology in the battle and how that level of effort was needed today in the world of cyber warfare. Most importantly, CDR Adkisson told the story of how the ship’s bell from the USS GRIDLEY (DD-380) had been “liberated” by some of his enterprising Sailors from NIOC Hawaii. The Gridley was one of the USS Enterprise’s escorts out of Pearl Harbor on 28 November, 1941 and she went on to serve in a majority of the naval battles fought across the Pacific from Midway to Adak and to the Philippine Sea. DD-380 earned 10 Battle Stars and her bell was present at the ceremony yesterday as a physical reminder of why those in the Navy Information Warfare (Intelligence and Cryptology) serve—to protect and serve our shipmates at sea.

Following Admiral Swift’s remarks, Rear Admiral (retired) Sam Cox, the Director of the Navy History and Heritage Command gave a rousing speech regarding the role of how the role of intelligence shaped the strategic outcome of the war. The Admiral’s remarks about how this event was a turn around from the defeat of 7 December 1941 was especially applicable in an age of “zero-defect” mentality. He also made a clear distinction about the difference between having good, actionable intelligence and the actual fight. He remarked that you may have a great game plan, but on game day you still need to be able to execute and that is what the Fleet, Army Air Corps and the brave Marines on Midway Atoll did.

Speaking of brave Marines on Midway Atoll, the ceremony this year took on a special meaning as two of the last remaining service members to fight and survive the Battle of Midway were present. Colonel Miniclier was a 20-year old Private 1st Class at the time of the battle, stationed atop a searchlight control tower where he could see U.S. planes take off for battle and he could count the incoming enemy planes. SGT Fox, also age 20 and a Private 1st Class at the time of the battle, was stationed in a machine gun bunker in the far corner of the island. He later went on to serve in the invasion of Iwo Jima. I had the honor and privilege of meeting both men five years ago at Midway Atoll and it was truly amazing everyone gathered to have these two 95 year-old veterans of this most famous battle in our presence. Later on after the ceremony down in the Dungeon, Colonel Miniclier declared that he had never been to Station Hypo and never really appreciated what those men did so many years ago, but after attending the ceremony and walking around in the same spaces, he said one of the most profound things I’ve ever heard. He said, “The work these men did saved my life. I owe them my life.” If there was ever a chill to go up your spine…that was it.

(Marines of the 6th Defensive Battalion on Midway, 1942).

Finally, the last speaker of the day was Dr. Craig Symonds, Professor of History at the Naval Academy and recently announced as taking over a prestigious History chair at the Navy War College. Dr. Symonds presented a detailed description of just what was going on in the Dungeon. He painted a mental picture of the laboriousness of how codes were deciphered, how traffic analysis and patterns were developed, but he also pointed out the very important aspect of what we today call “all-source” understanding of the adversary. Men like Rochefort and Layton had lived in Japan and not only studied the language, but had also demonstrated an intense desire to know why the Japanese thought and acted the way they did. The learned about their culture, religion, and customs…and many years later in those intervening months between 7 December 1941 and 2-6 June 1942, both Rochefort and Layton would use these recollections to supplement and fill in the “blanks” in the partially decrypted messages. Dr. Symonds also made mention of the many, many other people who worked in Station Hypo beyond the names we normally here…and for me this was an important point. The success of Midway wasn’t the result of anyone man (or woman), but was in the truest sense a complete team effort. Something that remains so very, very important today. As many of you will recall, Joe Rochefort used to have a sign on his desk in the Dungeon, it said…”It doesn’t matter who gets credit, so long as the job gets done.’ In an age of politicized intelligence, this admonition and guidance is so very needed to be reestablished as a core principle for our nation.

The above wraps up the description of the formal part of the ceremony. What followed was an unprecedented chance for many people to go down into the basement and enter the exact same spaces where the Station Hypo team labored over 75 years ago. Having personally been involved with these commemorations since 2001, this was the first time that upwards of 100 people were able to come down and get a tour of the basement. The visitors came in three waves and they were fortunate enough to have Mr. Dan Martinez, the Chief Historian for the National Park Service and their WW II Valor in the Pacific National Monuments team. I’ve known Dan for upwards of 18 years since we first began working on the preservation of the history of Naval Intelligence in the Pacific with Admiral Showers and CAPT Dick McDonald starting in 1999. Dan walked the groups through the various areas of the basement and described how the place would have looked and what they would have been doing…but more importantly, Dan shared with us his personal story of meeting Joe Rochefort when Dan was entering his senior year of high school back in the 1960s. It was a wonderful personal recollection that gave us all a deeper insight into this man, Joe Rochefort, who as Admiral Nimitz said, played such a significant role in the victory at the Battle of Midway.

Finally, from me, a few personal observations since retiring from U.S. Pacific Fleet in January 2015. Having served 13 years out of 29 here on Oahu and seeing the USS Arizona was a daily reminder to me about the impact of intelligence when it fails to warn. All those dead Sailors entombed in the Arizona…they are there each and every day…calling out to us to not forget. Indeed, the image of the Arizona is hard to forget, but on a day like yesterday, before the crowds arrived and being able to walk the halls of Building #1 and standing at the topside entrance to the Dungeon and then to have participating in the ceremony…well, what came alive to me were the spirits of these great men whose tenacity to tackle such an enormous and complicated task was still alive today with the Sailors and Officers who are serving today.

When you love something so much, as I did my Fleet Intelligence team, you worry whether or not it will be cared for, nurtured and sustained when you leave active service…thanks to what I saw and experienced yesterday, I can attest to the fact that the “watch” is still being maintained and that the spirits of Rochefort, Layton, Holmes, Safford, Dyer, and Mac Showers (and many others, like Joe Purcilly) are alive and strong. What is needed today, in my opinion, is for that same spirit to be alive and active in Washington with our new leadership in the White House, Defense and State Departments, as we face the threats from China and North Korea.

I’ve attached a few photos to help frame the day and ceremony…and to those who could not be here, notably the Showers and Purcilly family, while we missed you at this years event, you should know that Admiral Showers and Joe were in our thoughts…and Vic Socotra as well! 🙂

Again, warm Aloha from the beautiful shores of Waikiki,

Kimo

(Author Jim “Kimo” Fanell and Park Service Historian Daniel Martinez).

Copyright J. Fanell 2017
www.vicsocotra.com