Captain Lilly is a founding director of the USS Missouri Memorial Association, which operates the Missouri as a memorial and tourist attraction. A Vietnam War combat veteran, his personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and two Meritorious Service Medals. He retired from the Navy after 30 years of service, active and reserve.

Articles by Michael A. Lilly

1945 Nimitz Guam Lanai navy photo

Nimitz at Guam: How He Relaxed from War

By Captain Michael A. Lilly, U.S. Navy (Retired)
August 2023
The move to Guam would bring Nimitz closer to the war, but it “was also farther from Washington” and would perhaps “discourage at least some of the VIP visitors..."
Nimitz

How Nimitz Coped

By Captain Michael A. Lilly, U.S. Navy (Retired)
February 2022
How does one maintain one’s steady resolve while overseeing the largest naval conflict ever fought? For Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the answer was friends and family.

Mobilization as a Deterrent

By Captain Michael L. Lilly, USNR, and Lieutenant Commander Shackley F. Raffetto, USNR
October 1990
No event—not even the threat of thermonuclear war—has deterred the inevitability of armed conflict in 4,000 years, although the post-World War II era has been unparalleled in recorded history for ...