Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary S Eshleman | 180714-N-VS214-0234 FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (July 14, 2018) Rear Adm. Andrew Mueller gives...... read more read more
Subscribe
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (NNS) – The Inaugural Hometown Heroes organization held a ceremony to honor the life of a local hero, the U.S. Navy’s 24th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. Frank Kelso, II, hosted at Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum, July 14.
Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Rear Adm. Andrew Mueller was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to speak about one of the greatest naval leaders of our time, Admiral Frank Kelso,” said Mueller, who made the trip from Millington, Tenn. to be present for the occasion.
Kelso was born in Fayetteville, July 11, 1933, and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952, following one year of school at the University of the South at Sewanee. After graduating in 1956, he served on the cargo ship USS Oglethorpe (AKA 100) for one year before attending submarine school in 1958.
Over his 38-year career, he served all over the world, on six submarines, commanded the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School, and worked his way up to Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, before becoming the CNO. As CNO, he oversaw the slimming of U.S. Naval forces following the Cold War. At the same time the Navy was getting smaller, he pushed the introduction of new platforms and systems that improved capabilities, and he led the Navy during Operation Desert Storm.
A driving force behind Kelso’s leadership was the belief that the future of the Navy depended on the character of each Sailor. This is why the Navy adopted its current core values — honor, courage, and commitment — under his leadership. He also directed the establishment of the Sailors’ Creed, which every Sailor commits to memory, still to this day.
In keeping with his emphasis on ethics, Kelso was also a strong advocate for women, and under his leadership, women in the Navy saw a large increase in opportunity and the ways they could serve. He assigned women to warships for the first time, and he made the Navy the first service to put women into tactical aircraft.
“It took courage for Admiral Kelso to change Navy culture,” said Mueller, “And our Navy is better for it.”
Kelso retired in 1994, and he and his wife, Landess, moved back to Fayetteville in 2003 for the remainder of their lives. He passed away Sunday, June 23, 2013 leaving a legacy of accomplishments and relationships, which he had built with family and friends in Fayetteville.
Kelso’s life inspired members of the Inaugural Hometown Heroes to partner with local mayors and the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum Association to hold the ceremony in his honor.
“Long before a Sailor joins the Navy, their values, judgement, morals, work ethic, and character are shaped and influenced by their families, their friends, and their communities,” said Mueller. “Admiral Kelso received that nurturing and influence right here in Fayetteville. The foundation of his life was forged during his formative years here in this town.”
The newly formed group, Friends of Adm. Frank B. Kelso Committee, has led the push for this event, and their Chairman, Dwight Lowdermilk, who retired as a Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy Supply Corps, helped to establish July 11th Admiral Frank Kelso day in Fayetteville.
“I had been thinking for a while about how we could honor Admiral Kelso for his contributions to the citizens of Fayetteville and Lincoln County as well as being the CNO,” said Lowdermilk. “In January I spoke with Jon Law, mayor of Fayetteville, and Bill Newman, Lincoln County mayor, along with several city alderman and county commissioners about honoring Admiral Kelso with an Admiral Frank Kelso Day. They all agreed.”
He was not only from the area, but he was also deeply involved in the community. He was the chairman of the church council at the Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, would regularly be a guest speaker for Leadership Lincoln and he donated all of his Navy memorabilia to the Lincoln County Museum.
“He left a lasting legacy both here in Fayetteville, and in the Navy, and he was one of those Navy leaders that all of us today who wear the uniform wish to aspire to,” said Mueller. “He was a true patriot, he loved his country, he loved his family, he loved his hometown, and he loved his Navy.”
From now on, Kelso’s birthday, July 11, will be set aside to honor other hometown heroes. Through this and the lives he’s touched, Kelso’s legacy will live on in Fayetteville.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting) and on Twitter (@usnavyrecruiter).
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 21 Navy Recruiting Districts and 5 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups. The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the globe. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2018 12:53 |
| Story ID: | 284311 |
| Location: | FAYETTEVILLE, TN, US |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Deputy CNRC Honors ADM Kelso at Hometown Hero Event, by PO2 Zachary S Eshleman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT