Adm Willis Lee - Decades before his fame in the Pacific War, young Willis Lee was the most famous admiral of the United States Naval Academy in the last century; A middle-aged friend also spoke of "great potential."
In this special story from Battle Commander Paul Yetwell: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., the future World War II hero proves himself to be a master gunner while at Annapolis - even though he was very blind.
Adm Willis Lee
Willis A. Lee's civil life ended on July 9, 1904. At that time he and Mrs. Oscar Smith, a young woman from Pennsylvania, were in Annapolis for a time. She stayed at Miss Emma Atwell's house on Prince George Street, opposite the Carvel Hall Hotel. (For many years the hotel housed sailors in their day when they came to town for dances and other parties.) Smith and Lee were sworn in as sailors together that July.
File:ancexplorer Willis Augustus Lee Grave.jpg
Son of Judge Willis Augustus Lee Sr. and Susan Arnold Lee, Willis Jr. Born and raised in Kentucky—with history in the future, it's a great place to shoot. Photo courtesy of the author
When Lee arrived at the school, most of the middle class lived in the New Quarters. "New" is the key word in this context, as the building was completed in 1869. It is a four-story red brick building with a circular tower rising to the top. In 1901 construction began on the modern gray stone building, Bancroft Hall, in the then-popular Beaux Arts style. The designer saw architect Ernest Flagg, who designed a building with dormers, a mansard roof, a central section and rotunda, and two wings of midshipmen's quarters. The first residents, including Lee's plebe class, moved into the Bancroft wing in 1904. That original building, completed in 1906, was planned for future expansion and now has eight wings. When Lee was there, the number of students was less than 1,000. There are now more than 4,000 people.
One thing Oscar Smith appreciates about his relationship with the Kentuckian is that the Christmas boxes Lee receives from home make his room a popular place to visit. Years later, Smith wrote: "I still tasted the delicious taste of the local animals that were always found among the gifts." . . . many homeless children at Bancroft Hall.
Marc A. Mitscher of Oklahoma was a middle class who entered the school as a plebe in 1904. Another "middle boy" from that state, Peter Cassius Marcellus Cade Jr., had failed the previous year due to failing school. The nobles began to persecute Mitscher as Cade's agent. Mitscher must say the name of the leaver when asked. What's surprising is that Mitscher got the name "Pete". Mitscher struggled academically, and was also convicted of a misdemeanor. In November 1905, Midshipman James R. Branch died in a battle with his classmates. The survey revealed that 200 mids were affected by the blow. Mitscher was forced to resign, because of his problem and because of the many bad things he found. However, the boy was allowed to return to Annapolis with his studies in 1910. A year after Lee. Their paths cross again 40 years later in the Pacific.
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Lloyd C. Stark from Missouri is a classmate. He graduated in 1908 and remained in the Navy until his discharge in 1911. He returned home to join the family's apple business and later served as a soldier in World War I. He enlisted in politics in 1928 and became the governor of his village. State from 1937 to 1941. In 1940 he ran for the United States Senate and was defeated by Harry S. Truman. After serving as governor, he returned to work at the family nursery.
Stark's time is interesting because he left a diary for September and October 1904. There is no doubt that he was involved in many of the same activities as Lee. This includes physical activity, exercise, and time spent on the USS.
In 1905. According to Stark, the plebes rowed in racing races and practiced small-scale bayonet exercises in the armory. Naturally, there is also small arms fire. Other physical activities include boxing, gymnastics, fencing, and swimming. All of this is the beginning of academic studies in the fall. At one point Stark listed his weight as 137 pounds.
At the school for several years, the Kentucky native soon became "Wah Lee," based on his initials, WA A. John Earle, a classmate, explained: "Lee was given the nickname 'Chink' by his classmates early on. for Plebe Summer because he looked so Chinese. yellow skin.
Mastering The Art Of Command
Over the years, the nickname was changed to "Ching," which was not disappointing, although many of its congregants stuck to the original translation.
(BM-8), which he joined on June 3. It is a bare-bones patrol, equipped with two 12-inch guns. On July 15, he moved
. She is an old ship, a warship. He was Admiral David G. Farragut's commander during the Mobile Bay Civil War in 1864. One summer, Earle Buckingham and Lee were on vacation together in Rockland, Maine, and they passed a laundry with a sign that said. , "The valley." Buckingham and a middleman persuaded Lee to ask the laundress how to change the name into Chinese characters. Lee then used it as another signature.
During his three and a half four years at the Naval Academy, Lee spent time with Edmund Randall Norton. The students in the class were surprised by Lee's ability to pass several classes. Norton himself worked hard and placed second in a class of 201 men who graduated in 1908. Despite his good intentions, Lee devoted himself to what was truly important to him. Norton noted that the two main genres that attracted Lee were shooting and hand-drawing.
Night Battleship Action Off Guadalcanal
Lee (right) and his Navy colleagues. Despite being burdened with evil eyes, Lee has a miraculous shooting talent that is "amazing." He won the national championship in pistol and pistol competition on the same day. Photo courtesy of the author
John Earle was impressed by Lee's steady strength. He remembers that Lee could read what was given to him in one go and retain all the important information. Earle wrote of Lee, "He doesn't seem to be burdened at all by our studies, as most of us are." When you walk into Chink's room, you won't find him in his books. . . He was an expert in math, our most difficult subject, and spent hours trying to fool his classmates into thinking that math was easy." Earle said that Lee seemed to have little social life. He didn't remember Lee being good at dancing, "I'm sure he likes guns more than girls."
Another classmate, Worrall Carter, was scheduled to play a major role in supporting the Navy in World War II. Years later, Carter remembered Lee's drawings. Although Lee and his future wife had no children of their own, Lee still loved children and took pictures for fun. As Carter recalls, "My children had the best wishes for him."
Shortly after graduating with the class of 1907, Lee began his graduate studies. During the cruise, Lee and his classmate Walter Heiberg were assigned to be in charge
Willis Augustus Lee
(C-6). The latter was in command of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay nine years earlier. The Navy was in Hampton Roads, Virginia, for ten days in June to visit the Jamestown Exposition. The exhibition was held throughout the year. The World's Fair marked the 300th anniversary of Jamestown's founding as a British settlement.
On their way to the train, Lee and Heiberg are often in the middle of the show. . The pair closed several women's libraries that hung dollars from the ropes. In a 10-cent shot, the shooter wins a dollar each time his bullet hits. They were so successful that, according to classmate John E. Meredith, "these were Wardrooms' stories of tall ships." As Meredith points out, this work is mentioned in Heiberg's 1908 Naval Academy papers.
John E. Iseman, a classmate, wrote: "When we were with [classmate Andrew Denney], we looked at the women's library in the center. When we stopped, the owner asked 'Call' to help him get any prize, but not to shoot the place.
At the end of the academic year 1906-7, the school presented a prize for "excellence in the achievement of objectives." The host is
Battle Of Glendale (frayser's Farm)
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