\"Eisenhower’s Chief Naval Operations” Arleigh Burke Hand Signed TLS Dated 1966 for Sale

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\"Eisenhower’s Chief Naval Operations” Arleigh Burke Hand Signed TLS Dated 1966 For Sale

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\"Eisenhower’s Chief Naval Operations” Arleigh Burke Hand Signed TLS Dated 1966:
$299.99

Up for sale "Eisenhower's Chief Naval Operations" Arleigh Burke Hand Signed TLS Dated 1966.

ES-4677

Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901

– January 1, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy who

distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51),

the lead ship of its class of Aegis-equipped guided

missile destroyers, was commissioned in Burke's honor in 1991, during his lifetime. Burke was born in Boulder, Colorado, on October 19, 1901, to Oscar Burke and

Clara Mokler. His grandfather, August Björkgren, was a Swedish immigrant to the US and changed his surname to

'Burke' (a popular Irish surname) to sound more 'American'.[1] Due to the 1918 influenza outbreak, schools

were closed in Boulder and he never graduated from high school. Burke won an

alternate appointment to the United States Naval

Academy given by his local congressman. He graduated from the

academy in June 1923, and was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy. He

married Miss Roberta Gorsuch (1899–1997) of Washington, D.C. Over the next 18 years, Burke and earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering at the University of Michigan.

When World War II came, he

found himself, to his great disappointment, in a shore billet at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. After persistent efforts on his part, in

1943 he received orders to join the fighting in the South Pacific. Burke spent the

remainder of the war in the South Pacific. He successively commanded Destroyer

Division 43, Destroyer Division 44, Destroyer Squadron 12, and Destroyer Squadron 23.[3] DesRon 23, known as the "Little Beavers",

covered the initial landings in Bougainville in

November 1943, and fought in 22 separate engagements during the next four

months. During this time, the Little Beavers were credited with destroying one

Japanese cruiser, nine destroyers, one submarine, several smaller ships, and approximately 30

aircraft. Burke's standing orders to his task force were,

"Destroyers to attack on enemy contact WITHOUT ORDERS from the task force

commander." After reviewing the Navy's early unsuccessful

engagements with the Japanese, he concluded that uncertainty and hesitation had

cost them dearly. The lesson was driven home to him at the Battle of Blackett Strait,

when his radar operator made first contact with a ship near the shore but Burke

hesitated to fire. A battle soon unfolded which ended in a US victory, which

only Burke was unhappy with. Reflecting on the events Burke asked a nearby

ensign what the difference was between a good officer and a poor one. After

listening to the ensign's response, Burke offered his own: "The difference

between a good officer and a poor one," said Burke, "is about pushed his destroyers to just under boiler-bursting speed, but while en

route to a rendezvous prior to the Battle of Cape St. George,

a boiler casualty to USS Spence (a

jammed boiler tube brush used for cleaning) limited his squadron to 31 knots,

rather than the 34+ of which they were otherwise capable. His nickname was

"31 Knot Burke," originally a taunt, later a popular symbol of his

hard-charging nature. An alternative explanation is provided by Jean

Edward Smith in his biography of Eisenhower: "During World War Two, Burke

mistakenly led his destroyer squadron into a Japanese minefield. Admiral Halsey

radioed to ask what he was doing in a Japanese minefield. ‘Thirty-one knots,’

replied Burke”. In March 1944, Burke

was promoted to Chief of Staff to the Commander of Task Force 58, the Fifth Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force,

which was commanded by Admiral Marc Mitscher. The transfer stemmed from a directive from

the Chief of Naval Operations,

Admiral Ernest King, that required

a surface commander such as Admiral Raymond A. Spruance to

have an aviator as Chief of Staff, and an air commander, such as Mitscher, to

have a surface officer as Chief of Staff.[7] Neither Mitscher nor Burke were happy with the

arrangement, but as time passed Burke realized he had been given one of the

most important assignments in the Navy, and his hard work and diligence

eventually warmed Mitscher to him. Burke was promoted to the temporary rank

of Commodore, and

participated in all the force's naval engagements until June 1945, near the end

of the war. He was aboard both USS Bunker were hit by Japanese kamikaze aircraft during the Okinawa campaign. After the end of the

war, Burke reverted to his permanent rank of captain and continued his naval

career by serving in a number of capacities, including once more as Admiral

Mitscher's chief of staff, until the latter's death in 1947. Burke then took

command of the cruiser USS Huntington for

a cruise down the east coast of Africa. He was promoted to rear admiral in

1949 and served as Navy Secretary on the Defense Research and Development Board