On 9 March 2001, Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) introduced a bill to authorize the President to promote posthumously Raymond Ames Spruance to fleet admiral of the U.S. Navy. "It is doubtful," wrote Senator Lugar, "any other American in uniform contributed more than this quiet Hoosier to our World War II triumph" at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Lugar thus wishes to honor a favorite son of Indiana.
Fine. Except to do so ignores historical facts, decisions by contemporaneous naval leaders, and a carefully crafted promotion procedure.
Spruance's decision to launch aircraft at the start of the battles was critical to the U.S. victory at Midway, but it was just one in a chain of critical contributions. Several—at least three in this writer's view—were more important, indeed, were indispensable to the U.S. triumph:
- U.S. Navy codebreakers and intelligence analysts in Washington believed the Japanese fleet would strike the U.S. West Coast. Lieutenant Commander Joseph Rochefort and his codebreaking team at Pearl Harbor predicted that the Japanese thrust was aimed at Midway. Immediately after the battle, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz welcomed Commander Rochefort to a staff meeting by saying, "This officer deserves a major share of the credit for the victory at Midway."
- When Commander Rochefort came to Admiral Nimitz with his theories and evidence, the admiral immediately accepted his views and committed every available U.S. carrier, cruiser, destroyer, and submarine to the Midway operation, a considerable risk in view of the few available U.S. warships. If he and Commander Rochefort were wrong, the devil would have their souls and the United States would suffer another date in infamy.
- Lieutenant Commander Clarence McClusky, leading 33 SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the Enterprise (CV-6), arrived at the expected position of the Japanese carriers and found the sea empty. After searching for 25 minutes, with his fuel reaching a critical point, he sighted a Japanese destroyer speeding north. Commander McClusky, reasoning that the destroyer was racing to rejoin the Japanese carrier group, followed her heading and a few minutes later sighted the four Japanese carriers of the Midway striking force. Within minutes three were flaming hulks; the fourth would be struck a few hours later. Admiral Spruance said after the battle, "McClusky is the outstanding hero of the Midway battle. His decision to go on and find the Jap decided the fate of our carrier task force and our forces at Midway and perhaps at Pearl Harbor and the Hawaiian islands."
To single out Admiral Spruance at this time is revisionist history at its worst. In the fall of 1944, the senior Navy uniformed and civilian officials discussed and debated who should receive the five stars of a fleet admiral. Three admirals were selected. For the fourth promotion, the Navy's leadership was unable to decide whether to assign the rank to Admiral William F. Halsey or to Admiral Spruance. At the time, both held major fleet commands; both had acquitted themselves ably in combat. Admiral Halsey was considerably senior to Admiral Spruance, but many believed he had fouled up in the Philippine naval battles in October 1944 and in the handling of the Third Fleet during a subsequent typhoon.
The fourth promotion to fleet admiral was not awarded until 11 December 1945, when it was given to Admiral Halsey—the man who had won the desperate Solomons campaign of 19421943, who led the mighty Third Fleet against Japan (the same men, ships, and planes as Admiral Spruance's Fifth Fleet), and who had held greater responsibilities than Admiral Spruance before the war and in the dark days of conflict before the Midway battle. No facts or intelligence have been revealed since 1945 that should lead Senator Lugar to believe that the Navy's leadership made a mistake in their selection.
In addition, the senator contends that because an Army officer—General Omar Bradley—was given five-star rank in 1950, the Navy is entitled to one more five-star officer. General Bradley was not made general of the army because of his world War II service, but because he was serving as the first formal Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a time when the United States was at war in Korea.
There were many heroes at the Battle of Midway, and many leaders made good decisions. Admiral Spruance's performance was recognized by his later promotions to vice admiral (1943) and admiral (1944). When promoted to four stars, after less than nine months as a vice admiral, Admiral Spruance was the youngest naval officer (at 57) to become a full admiral. He also was recognized by being given command of the Central Pacific Fleet (Third Fleet/Fifth Fleet), receiving major decorations, and the special pay and benefits voted to him by Congress.
If we seek to reopen the history books and change the entries, let us do so for reasons other than political.