The picture here is of James Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. In World War I, he enlisted in the Navy and ultimately became a Naval Aviator. He eventually reach the rank of Lieutenant. After the war, he returned to Wall Street and made his fortune. He also became involved with the Democratic Party and helped Franklin Roosevelt become president. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Forrestal)
Forrestal became Secretary of the Navy in May of 1944 and Forrestal led the Navy through the closing year of the war and the painful early years of demobilization that followed. As Secretary, Forrestal introduced a policy of racial integration in the Navy!
You might wonder why I would write about Forrestal here in my blog. When I was going through my father's papers from the war years, I found the following letter that was sent to him from Secretary Forrestal. I was very impressed with the tone of the letter, especially in contrast to the tone of politics today. Enjoy the letter.
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