Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Taylor M DiMartino | 160603-N-CL550-076 ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Jun 3, 2016) Guest speaker Patrick Weadon, curator...... read more read more
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By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor DiMartino, Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Maryland
Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Maryland celebrated the 74th anniversary of the Battle of Midway with a commemoration ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Annapolis, Md., June 3.
The Battle of Midway is considered by many to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific theater and the Allies’ first major naval victory against the Japanese. The battle, fought from 4-7 June 1942, saw American naval and air forces strike a decisive blow to Japan’s fleet.
“This is one of the most pivotal naval battles in history and one of the greatest victories for the U.S. Navy,” said Lt. Clinton Woods, the event coordinator assigned to NIOC Maryland. “This ceremony is a great opportunity for us to stop, look back at our history, and remember what the Marines and Sailors did during that time of great importance 74 years ago. They faced what looked like an insurmountable force and stopped them, turning them on their heels for the remainder of the war.”
Woods stressed the importance of recognizing past cryptologic efforts, especially those of Sailors working at Hawaii’s Station HYPO during WWII, whose signal intelligence and code breaking were critical to the U.S. victory at Midway.
“I feel it’s important for cryptologists, especially the Sailors at NIOC Maryland to remember how the Battle of Midway was won,” said Woods. “Victory was only enabled thanks to the diligent work of cryptologists who cracked the Japanese code.”
Capt. Jeffrey Scheidt, NIOC Maryland’s commanding officer, stressed the importance of legacy to today’s cryptologic efforts in an address to the more than 100 Sailors and guests in attendance.
“We are fighting different battles today against different enemies, using newer tools, yet the way we apply our guile and tenacity is a significant aspect of our overall combat power, just like what was displayed in 1942,” said Scheidt. “Commemorations like this one give us a great opportunity to refresh our focus, find strength in our legacy, and tackle tough issues with a renewed tenacity and bold, intellectual candor.”
American forces entered the battle with 28 ships, including three aircraft carriers. They faced a Japanese force of more than 88 ships with four carriers at their disposal.
“The Army has Normandy, the Marines have Iwo Jima, and the Air Force has its various air battles over Europe,” said guest speaker Patrick Weadon, curator of the National Cryptologic Museum. “The Battle of Midway is to the Navy what these incredible feats are to those other branches of service. I would say that most Americans don’t realize how scary it was to be facing the Japanese fleet at the time, how desperate and difficult the Battle of Midway really was.”
By the end of the battle, American forces had sunk all four of Japan’s carriers and had only suffered 307 casualties to Japan’s 3,057.
“What turned the odds in the Navy’s favor?” Weadon asked attendees. “One word: information. It all comes down to people making critical, important decisions at critical moments in history with crucial intelligence at their disposal.”
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2016 16:00 |
| Story ID: | 200249 |
| Location: | ANNAPOLIS, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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