 This week we celebrate the 77th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. From December 1941 until May of the following year, the Japanese inflicted an almost unbroken string of defeats on Allied forces, from Pearl Harbor to Southeast Asia. But in June of 1942, code-breaking, operational deception, risk-taking, and no small measure of luck combined to create a major opportunity. Senior leaders like Admiral's Nimitz and Spruance are credited with the courageous decisions that set the stage for victory. But the battle was fought in one by a joint force of airmen, Marines, and sailors, operating at sea and from Midway Island. The aviators and aircrew in particular, many of them straight from flight school, pressed home their attacks with great gallantry. They suffered heavy casualties, but they sank four carriers and inflicted the first major defeat on the Imperial Japanese Navy. Long before we codified them, these men embodied our Navy Corps values of honor, courage, and commitment. Lead well this week.