Military Officer - April 2006 - (Page 79)

pagesofhistory Ceremony at Sea A ceremony aboard the new USS Ronald Reagan does double duty honoring 12 veterans and remembering the sinking of the USS Lexington during the Battle of Coral Sea. O n Jan. 29, sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) conducted a burial at sea in conjunction with a wreath-laying ceremony to honor veterans near the site where the USS Lexington (CV-2) was sunk by the Japanese during the Battle of Coral Sea during World War II. The ashes of 11 sailors and one Marine were committed to the sea during the ceremony, marked by a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps. Two wreaths also were tossed into the ocean during the ceremony, one for the USS Lexington and one for the Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho that also was sunk during the battle. Reagan, the Navy’s newest Nimitzclass, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is currently under way in the Western Paciﬁc on its maiden deployment. nam. His plane was shot down Sept. 9, 1965, and he spent more than seven years in captivity. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976. The USS Stockdale will be a Flight IIA variant of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer and will incorporate a helicopter hangar facility into the original design. O Missileers Reunite n Feb. 1, missileers gathered at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., to mark the 45th anniversary of the ﬁrst launch of an Air Force Minuteman missile. About 100 people who worked on various intercontinental ballistic missile programs at the station during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s gathered for a reunion in Cape Canaveral. One of the tour stops was Complex 31, site of the ﬁrst Minuteman launch. The missile performed ﬂawlessly, and after a ﬂight of 4,600 miles its reentry vehicle landed within the designated impact zone. Over the years, three versions of Minuteman missiles were successfully tested there, with the system ultimately going operational and becoming a mainstay of America’s nuclear deterrent forces. In all, 92 Minuteman I, II, and III missiles were launched from Cape Canaveral between Feb. 1, 1961, and Dec. 15, 1970. MO APRIL 2006 T New Destroyer he Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer will be named in honor of Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale (19232005), the legendary leader of American POWs during the Vietnam War. Stockdale was the highest-ranking naval ofﬁcer ever held as a POW in North VietTHIS MONTH IN HISTORY ■ President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies of a Members of the honor guard’s rifle team fire off a salute to remember 12 veterans during a burial at sea ceremony. cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., April 12, 1945. The only man to be elected to four terms as president of the United States, Roosevelt is remembered for his leadership during World War II. PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPHER’S MATE AIRMAN CHRISTINE SINGH, USN MILITARY OFFICER 79

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - April 2006

Military Officer - April 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Lap of Luxury Magic Carpet of the Rails Blue Ridge Wonderland Salud, Santé, Cin Cin! Cover Story: Wounded Warriors On Duty MOAA Scholarship Donors MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Calendar Advertising Index Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - April 2006

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