RADM and Mrs. Robert N. Colwell in 1986. Bob Colwell was the person who got me into Naval intelligence.  A Professor of Forestry and Resource Management at Berkeley for almost four decades, he taught courses in aerial photo interpretation and was a respected international figure in remote sensing.  He also did a lot of recruiting while serving as the first Director of the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program (DNRIP) between 1974-77.

Admiral Wesley McDonald when he was Commander Atlantic Fleet in 1985.  I got to know him through my involvement with the Association of Naval Aviation, of which I am a life member. Admirals have to be effective people managers to carry out their tasks and they make great mentors.  Admiral McDonald told me the most important trait of a naval officer was the ability to judge other men’s character; then strive to get the best people you can onto your team.  I was fortunate to have worked under four different admirals during my naval career.

Navy Secretary John Lehman greeting President and Mrs. Reagan aboard the battleship Iowa for 100th anniversary celebration of the Statue of Liberty on July 4, 1986 in New York Harbor.

Navy Secretary John F. Lehman, Jr, in front of Turret No. 1 on USS Iowa on July 4, 1986.  Dr. Lehman signed my commissioning certificate and our Navy Reserve careers were similar in that they were unusual and varied: both of us earned doctorates prior to our commissions and we both earned our wings as drilling reservists.

President Ronald Reagan speaking to the nation from the battleship Iowa in 1983.  Ronald Reagan was an inspiring speaker and well loved by the uniformed services.  I initially met him when he was Governor of California and I was an Eagle Scout.

Retired Chief of Naval Operations James L. Holloway III (left) and myself at the annual convention of the Association of Naval Aviation in San Francisco in May 1987.   After I introduced him to my wife Trinka as the most decorated naval officer of the Post-World War II era, he replied that his wife Dabney tells everyone he was given a medal for every six months he was away from home!

In October 1988 I sponsored several boys as part of the Make a Wish Foundation to meet the Blue Angels up close and personal when they visited the San Francisco Bay Area for Fleet Week.  This shows me with Daryn Seelye next to one of the Blue’s F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.

President Bush aboard the USS Belknap (CG 26) in Marsaxlokk Bay in Malta awaiting his first meeting with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev on December 2-3, 1989.  Gorbachev came to Malta aboard the German-built cruise ship Maxim Gorkey.  An escorting Soviet Slava Class guided missile cruiser lies at anchor in the background.

This shows me with retired CDR Butch Voris, World War II ace and the original team leader the Blue Angels from 1946-47, when they flew F6F Hellcats and F8F Bearcats.  He returned in 1952 to lead them in transition to flying F9F Panther jets.   I emceed the annual Blue Angel Reception sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Squadron of the Association of Naval Aviation between 1987-91.  This was taken in October 1990.

GEN Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, standing on an
anchor windlass speaking to the crew of the USS Wisconsin in the Persian
Gulf on Sept. 1, 1990, during Operation Desert Shield.

Questions or comments on this page?
E-mail Dr. J David Rogers at rogersda@mst.edu.