The Passing of a Heroes' Hero
You couldn"t help but have a lump in your throat during Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence's funeral service, especially when Senator John McCain called his fellow Vietnam POWs forward to the altar in the standing-room-only Naval Academy Chapel to pay tribute to the man they praise for steadfast leadership during the most trying time of their lives. Admiral Lawrence's selflessness and service to country bolstered his fellow captives nearly four decades ago and his example will live on to inspire present and future generations.
He was a 31-year member and a frequent and popular visitor to the Institute, chatting with the staff and doing research in our reference library and photo archives. Some of that research is part of his oral history. Although the Naval Institute was not able to finish Admiral Lawrence's oral history before his death on 2 December 2005, the most important part of the project, the interviews, had been recorded and their content already approved by the admiral.
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