Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr., July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006, 38th President of the United States

from Wikipedia
Gerald R. Ford received a commission as ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on April 13, 1942. On April 20, he reported for active duty to the V-5 instructor school at Annapolis, Maryland. After one month of training, he went to Navy Preflight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he was one of 83 instructors and taught elementary seamanship, ordnance, gunnery, first aid, and military drill. In addition, he coached in all nine sports that were offered, but mostly in swimming, boxing and football. During the one year he was at the Preflight School, he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on June 2, 1942, and to Lieutenant in March 1943.
Applying for sea duty, Ford was sent in May 1943 to the pre-commissioning detachment for the new fast aircraft carrier USS Monterey, at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey. From the ship's commissioning on June 17, 1943 until the end of December 1944, Ford served as the assistant navigator, Athletic Officer, and antiaircraft battery officer on board the Monterey. While he was on board, the carrier participated in many actions in the Pacific Theater with the Third and Fifth Fleets during the fall of 1943 and in 1944. In 1943, the carrier helped secure Makin Island in the Gilberts, and participated in carrier strikes against Kavieng, New Ireland in 1943. During the spring of 1944, the Monterey supported landings at Kwajalein and Eniwetok and participated in carrier strikes in the Marianas, Western Carolines, and northern New Guinea, as well as in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. After overhaul, from September to November 1944, aircraft from the Monterey launched strikes against Wake Island, participated in strikes in the Philippines and Ryukus, and supported the landings at Leyte and Mindoro.
Although the ship was not damaged by Japanese forces, the Monterey was one of several ships damaged by the typhoon which hit Admiral William Halsey's Third Fleet on December 18-19, 1944. The Third Fleet lost three destroyers and over 800 men during the typhoon. The Monterey was damaged by a fire, which was started by several of the ship's aircraft tearing loose from their cables and colliding during the storm. During the storm, Ford narrowly avoided becoming a casualty himself. After he left his battle station on the bridge of the ship in the early morning of December 18, the ship rolled twenty-five degrees, which caused Ford to lose his footing and slide toward the edge of the deck. The two-inch steel ridge around the edge of the carrier slowed him enough so he could roll, and he twisted into the catwalk below the deck. As he later stated, "I was lucky; I could have easily gone overboard."
After the fire the Monterey was declared unfit for service, and the crippled carrier reached Ulithi on December 21 before proceeding across the Pacific to Bremerton, Washington where it underwent repairs. On Christmas Eve 1944 at Ulithi, Ford was detached from the ship and sent to the Athletic Department of the Navy Pre-Flight School at Saint Mary's College of California, where he was assigned to the Athletic Department until April 1945. One of his duties was to coach football. From the end of April 1945 to January 1946, he was on the staff of the Naval Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station, Glenview, Illinois as the Staff Physical and Military Training Officer. On October 3, 1945 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. In January 1946, he was sent to the Separation Center, Great Lakes to be processed out. He was released from active duty under honorable conditions on February 23, 1946. On June 28, 1963, the Secretary of the Navy accepted Ford's resignation from the Naval Reserve.
For his naval service, Gerald Ford earned the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with nine engagement stars for operations in the Gilbert Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Marshall Islands, Asiatic and Pacific carrier raids, Hollandia, Marianas, Western Carolines, Western New Guinea, and the Leyte Operation. He also received the Philippine Liberation Medal with two bronze stars for Leyte and Mindoro, as well as the American Campaign and World War II Victory Medals.

RIP, Jerry

Thanks Kenny

I did not realise that the late President had a naval career so I appreciate you bringing it to our attention.

Whilst unrelated we shared the same last name and I remember the man and his presidency with extreme fondness.

I remember his saying "I am a Ford. Not a Lincoln"

May you rest in peace President Ford.

Regards

Sean

With such a strong connection to both the state and university of Michigan, President Ford's death has been quite a topic of interest in these parts lately.

It still amazes me that so many people are unwilling to forgive him for the act of pardoning Nixon.

I certainly do not in any way condone what Nixon did, but leaving office in disgrace and having any legacy of the great things he DID accomplish forever accompanied with a big, "but also was responsible for Watergate" is fitting punishment.

Stepping back from the anger and dislike of Nixon the man, and realizing that the pardon was the ONLY way to put the entire ugly mess behind us and move ON, and realizing that Gerald Ford did it because it was the right thing to do for the COUNTRY, even though he knew it would ruin his own political career, makes you appreciate the bravery and character of the man. For my own part, as a veteran, I was angry with Jimmy Carter when he pardoned all the draft dogers, but that too was the right thing to do. All those who chose that route have to live with that choice and the reaction it generates in those who know. That also is punishment enough.

There are way too few people in "public service" who make that kind of decision today. He'll be missed.

Tom

So true Tom, so true. Having worked around politiians for the last 20+ years, I know how rare it is to have a public servant put the public first. Fortunately, I work for 15 of them. That is why we bounced back from Hurricane Rita quickly.

Now, to lighten the mood. I forgot that you're from Michigan. My uncle lives in Ann Arbor. While reading your post, this was all that I could think of...



Kenny

Actually, Jerry Ford is one of at least 6 US Presidents with Naval service on their record.

Others:
John F Kennedy
Lyndon B Johnson
Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter
George HW Bush

I'll let someone else fill in the rest of the details and find any that I might have missed.

As a matter of fact, George H. W. Bush was at Leyte Gulf on the San Jacinto while Gerald Ford was on the Monterey. Two future presidents, both on CVLs.

I'll save Kennedy for Gunny's campaign.

Gator

Supposedly, George HW Bush was one of (if not the) youngest men ever accepted to Avation Officer Candidate School. He was 18 years old at the time. Today it usually requires a college degree ~22 yo to get considered. Was it different in WWII?

I believe that George HW Bush is generally credited with being the second youngest person ever awarded Naval Aviator Wings.

As you can imagine, with the buildup of the Navy, there was a huge need for pilots during WW II, and there were several different ways to earn wings. The most "traditional" was for Annapolis graduates to apply for flight training, but another was the Aviation Cadet program. Pre-war most of these men were considered as Reservists, but did serve a time with the fleet on Active Duty. However they were NOT ranked as "ensigns" but between ensigns and warrant officers. This lead to a lot of dissatisfaction as you can imagine, but with the outbreak of war this was eventually corrected.

During the pre-war years, there were actually a number of Naval Aviators who were actually enlisted men, (most of the time Chiefs) and the enlisted fliers were extremely good. VF-2 (Fighter Squadron 2) during the late 1930's had almost all of its pilots as enlisted (with the exception of the skipper and a couple of others) and had the distinction of having the "E" for excellence in gunnery on ALL 18 planes in the squadron one year, an almost impossibly difficult task.




Speaking of the Watergate era, when Nixon got upset because he couldn't "control" Special Prosecutor Arcibald Cox, he decided to fire him. The next day the headline in the Washington Post read:

"Nixon Sacks Cox"

Tom

I was wondering about the Navy's selection methods. I seem to recall that anyone who made the initial cut into the Army Air Corps early in the war was immediately sent to flight school. As they washed out of flight school, they were diverted into any number of AAC duties; cook, gunner, radio operator, mechanic, weather guesser, navigator, bombadier...

To get back closer to topic, how did Johnson and Nixon get their commisions?

Just like to say that Gerald Ford was probably my favourite president that I can remember well.

While I am a Canuck, I can't help but admire the gentleman who brought the US out of it duldrums in the the '70's. He just seemed like a 'regular guy', not putting on any airs that many politicians seemed to put on when they get into a position of power.

I salute you Mr. Ford! May you rest in peace.