Rarely does a nation have the opportunity to bury a person of such enormous stature. And ever more rarely are such heroic leaders interred anywhere but at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. But the admiral rejected the presidential suggestion, insisting instead that he preferred to be buried in the West near the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by men who had made his victories possible.
When the attack came at Pearl Harbor on Dec. Two days later, Nimitz was jumped two grades to the rank of full admiral. The appointment as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet stunned and embarrassed the normally modest Nimitz.
Now the highest ranking officer in the fleet, the appointment had elevated Nimitz over 28 more senior flag officers. At Pearl Harbor, on the deck of the submarine Grayling, Dec. During the course of the next four years, Nimitz created a single team of forces from all of the U. Ultimately, he molded the mightiest naval force in world history. He directed a 5,ship Navy and just over 16, aircraft.
His command included two-million men in a vast area of operation that included 70 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. An unlikely hero, Nimitz lacked the arrogance and personal charisma so often associated with other military commanders the ilk of MacArthur and George S. Patton Jr. As a bonus, another close friend and architect of all major Pacific amphibious landings, Admiral Richmond Kelley Turner already occupied a grave very close to the Nimitz plot. Nimitz recalled.
Lockwood agreed with the plan as well. Nimitz died February 20, , with his wife Catherine at his side. He was laid to rest on the cold and blustery afternoon of February 24 his 81st birthday. Admiral Spruance, recovering from the flu, respectfully stood at attention in his uniform throughout. Nimitz found some humor in the day when an uninvited sailor who had served in the Pacific Fleet arrived at the grave dressed in his best cowboy boots and hat. While this circumstance would likely have annoyed many, this type of admiration from those who served under him embodied the leadership style of Nimitz.
Funeral of Fleet Admiral Nimitz. Procession about to begin journey from the chapel to the gravesite at Golden Gate National Cemetery, February 24, Keywords: Admiral Nimitz Chester W. If you are a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with our caring, qualified responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves. Get more resources at VeteransCrisisLine.
An official website of the U. He was raised by his mother and his paternal grandfather, Charles H. The grandfather, a German immigrant and lover of the sea, built a steamboat-shaped hotel in Fredericksburg, the Nimitz Hotel, that still existed at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Young Chester listened with wide eyes to stories of his grandfather's youth in the German merchant marines. Nimitz graduated from the U. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on January 30, , seventh in a class of For thirty-five years Nimitz performed his duties in the U.
Navy, rising to the rank of admiral. On December 17, , ten days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was appointed commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet.
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