 Okay. First of all, I'd like to welcome everybody here. Welcome to the Naval War College by way of Zoom and happy St. Patrick's Day to everybody. I see Scott's got green on. I know Jim's got something green. So everybody out there, happy St. Patrick's Day to everybody. It's my honor and my privilege to welcome Ms. Muzeta Zoomwalt Weathers to the college here today via Zoom. Muzeta is Emeril Zoomwalt's youngest daughter. She was 12 years old when he became our youngest CNO. Emeril Zoomwalt is, was a remarkable leader. And his legacy is still evident in the Navy today. I'm just going to put a quick aside on one of my very favorite books. Emeril Zoomwalt wrote with his son. And I really, really enjoy this book. It's a plug for the book. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do that. But please join me in welcoming Muzeta Zoomwalt Weathers. Muzeta over to you. Thank you very much. I just want to start off by saying that this, this is a story that covers two continents. It touches upon three wars. It spans four generations beginning with both sets of my grandparents and their progeny with each generation sharing the same name, Elma Russell Zoomwalt. It's a, it's a narrative about the pain of loss and the power of resilience and love and courage. It's a, it's really kind of a testimonial, I think, to how one man in partnership with his wife made a profound difference in the lives of others. Dr. Tom Gibbons, thank you for this invitation today. It's a privilege to share this story. And for those of you that are attending online, thank you for sharing your precious time to hear the story. In 1970, President Nixon appointed Bud Zoomwalt to become Chief of Naval Operations, member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was selected over 33 senior admirals and became the youngest ever in our nation's history to attain the rank of Chief of Naval Operations. He was only 49 years old at the time. He came into office at the height of the Vietnam War with a declining defense budget, rapidly aging fleet. He took over the most racist and sexist of all of the military services. And transitioning into an all volunteer force, the Navy reenlistment rates were abysmal, as quality of life for the average sailor was horrible. So, Zoomwalt implemented directives known as Z-grams. And a 2016 publication of the Sextant best describes these Z-grams as follows. The Naval History and Heritage Command recently completed transcribing each of Zoomwalt Z-grams in order for people to learn more about just how profoundly the Navy's 19th Sino impacted and changed the Navy during his tenure from 70 to 74. On Zoomwalt's tombstone is the word reformer. This is apt because he probably did more to change and advance the Navy than anyone since World War II. Via directives called Z-grams, he shattered barriers for women and minorities to advance and paved the way for them to be treated the same as their colleagues. He embraced equal rights for all and he fought hard for the Navy to embrace them too. Before issuing Z-gram 66 titled Equal Opportunity in the Navy, Zoomwalt sat down with black officers and enlisted men and their wives and discussed the issues of discrimination and racism. Let me stop for just a second. I want to make sure I'm seeing two slides here on my screen. You see you. Okay, good. So in this photo here, he's basically talking to the sailors. I think it's considered one of Navy's top 10 photos. But we don't see the slide. There's my problem. Hold on one moment. I'm going to escape out of that and I'm going to close out and try one more time. You know, Tom, all the planning we do and this happens. Just take your time. I frankly lose that. I've been right there. Hold on one moment. We're fine. Do you see this photo? We don't see a photo. You know what? I think I somehow lost the sharing privilege. Are you able to get me to reconnect with sharing privileges? There we go. Something's happening. Okay. Hold on. Let me do share screen. Share here. Looking good. You're going to get there. Almost there. Nice. You see it me now? Got the PowerPoint with you on the side, depending. Okay, let me get to it. I love that picture. That's a great photo. It really is. Slide show from present, from current slide. Okay. So this is one of the Navy's top 10 most popular photos. And at the time when someone sat down with these folks, he, in fact, let me just quote here. He said that prior to these meetings, he says, I was convinced that compared with the civilian community, we had relatively few racial problems in the Navy. However, after exploring the matter in some depth with these two groups, I have discovered that I was wrong. We do have problems. And it is my intention to take prompt steps toward their solution. He admitted in the same message that any solutions he implemented would only be first steps, but that beginning to solve the problem of discrimination within the Navy was nonetheless among his top priorities. In Zeequam 66, entitled Equal Opportunity in the Navy, Zumwalt stated, quote, I am convinced there is no place in our Navy for insensitivity. We are determined that we shall do better. Ours must be a Navy family that recognizes no artificial barriers of race, color, or religion. There is no black Navy, no white Navy, just one Navy, the United States Navy. And you can imagine with 33 senior admirals at the time of his appointment, he faced bitter, bitter opposition. Under Zumwalt's watch, women were allowed to enter the Naval Academy. And for the first time ever, women were allowed to enroll in college, campus, Navy, ROTC programs. Females were finally permitted to attend the Naval, the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, and your own U.S. Naval War College there in Rhode Island. And I have to say bravo Zulu to Rear Admiral Chatfield for being the first female president of the War College since 2019. Under Zumwalt's watch, the first female Admiral received her stars, and the first African American Admiral received his stars. The first female aviator earned her wings. And the first female chaplain, both in the Navy and frankly, Department of Defense-wide, was commissioned. Even the U.S. Navy band hired its first female. In 1970, there were about 17,000 Filipino Americans serving in the Navy. So, basically, Zumwalt inherited a Navy where Filipino American sailors were restricted to the ratings of steward, which basically met cooks or dishwashers or cleaning facilitators, valets. In other words, 80% of the 17,000 Filipino Americans were stewards. Zumwalt implemented changes which allowed Filipinos to serve within a much broader range of Navy ratings, including increased opportunities to move up the line for officer billets. Time magazine hailed him as not only the greatest leader since World War II, but that Zumwalt brought the Navy, quote, kicking and screaming into the 20th century. In November of 2000, then-CNO, Vern Clark stated, quote, most historians will tell you it takes at least 20 years to change a culture. Admiral Zumwalt did it in four. At Zumwalt's funeral, President Clinton said, quote, when our historians look back on the century we have just left, they will certainly recall that Bud Zumwalt was the conscience of the United States Navy. Bud Zumwalt stood out for his moral courage and for saying what he thought was right, regardless of the consequences. Okay. Admiral Zumwalt retired from the Navy at the age of 54 and breaking the rigid ceremonial traditions of the Navy, he brought his beloved Musa, my mother, up to the podium to thank her for her constant and unwavering support of his reforms. The Admiral had a whole other life after retirement, but for now I want to go back in time and I want to talk about Bud Zumwalt, the boy. This is my father, Elmo Russell Zumwalt, at six months of age born in Tulare, California. He was the second child of two doctors. His father, Dr. Elmo Zumwalt, served in World War I and then re-enlisted. Are you all able to see the full slide? Okay, good. And then re-enlisted so that he could serve in World War II. He ended up retiring as a full colonel and he played a major role in the liberation of a German Nazi camp where the folks were literally hours away from dying and in much needed care, urgent care. This is his mother, Dr. Francis, who was also a physician. She graduated the University of California Medical School in 1915, which means that basically she was practicing medicine in her country before she had the right to vote for her country. Bud was the first of three children, the first of three boys, actually. His sister, who was 18 months older, struggled with the word brother. So her version was Bud and that name stuck for the rest of Zumwalt's life. Pictured here are just a couple photos of Bud and his siblings. The four children were very close. They had a wonderful childhood, playing games, going to Pisma Beach in the summers, etc. And in a photo that might be foretelling of his future, Bud on the left dressed up as a pirate. He played the clarinet for years in his elementary school band, and he was very active as a Boy Scout in this photo, but is 13 years old. And it was then when he experienced his first tragedy in life. And that is when his younger brother, Bruce Craig, contracted tubercular meningitis and was dead within three days. The cruel irony here is that despite having two physician parents, neither was able to save their son's life as the disease was just too raging. Bruce Craig was only 10 years old, and this is the last photo that was ever taken. In high school, Bud was an honor roll student. He played on the football team, and he was an ardent member of the debate team. Bud was 16 years old when he was awarded the Eagle Scout badge, which this is a good place for me to share a condolence letter written to my mother in 2000 after the death of my father, because it sheds insight on Bud as a boy and as a man, and I will read as follows. Dear Musa, I am one of Bud's high school classmates. I was perhaps not his closest friend during our school days, but we shared many activities and classes. I recall an incident that might amuse you. We both had an assignment in a sixth grade class in which we were to invent a business and create a name, an advertising slogan. I can't remember my own, but Bud came up with a name using his initials, which impressed me as extremely clever at the time. It was the easy radio shop, easy on the eyes, easy on the ears. The letter continues, Bud is the only genuine hero I have ever known closely, and I cherish his friendship, which has enriched my life. My admiration for him is boundless. He was, at the same time, gallant and humble and courageous. He never forgot his boyhood friends. He had the courage to follow his convictions and seemed totally unafraid to do what he knew was right, whether it was the popular thing or not. I trust that the Navy and I hope the American people have come to appreciate what he did for them. From what Bud has said and written, I know that your love and companionship meant more than anything in the world to him and gave him the strength to accomplish what he did in his remarkable career. End quote. In 1938, Bud graduated high school. He was a class valedictorian and in his valedictory speech, Bud directed himself and others to quote, nourish all that is ideal and beautiful in life. End quote. Bud planned to be a doctor like his parents, but in June of 1939, he received an appointment to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. His mother, Dr. Francis, was in the final stages of breast cancer and she was bedridden when he went in to say goodbye before taking the long train trek across the country. Air travel was an unaffordable luxury at that time and Dr. Francis made him promise not to return for her funeral because she knew that a lengthy train ride would certainly have a negative impact on a very competitive plea beer at the Naval Academy. Dad would tell us the story that he casually and awkwardly said goodbye, went out the front door down the sidewalk, then realizing he would never see her again. He rushed back in for a proper goodbye to find his mother crying. Bud said they embraced, they held each other and cried together for a long time. Dr. Francis died two months later, Bud kept his promise not to make the long train ride back. And for Bud, this was a life lesson that he would share with us that no matter how mad, no matter how frustrated you are with your loved one, that the importance of making certain that you say a proper goodbye and that you tell your loved one I love you because it could be the last. He learned that lesson at 13 with his brother Bruce Craig and he learned it again at the age of 18 with his mother. And in a side note, maybe kind of interesting, you know, still not sure over the years in those years whether he wanted to make the Navy his career, Bud applied to medical school and was accepted each time in 1946, 1947, and again in 1948. Bud thrived at the Naval Academy. He took leadership positions in the literary and cultural societies of Trident and Quarterdeck. He earned the distinguished gold watch for public speaking two years in a row. He was company commander, regimental three striper, participated in collegiate debating and he graduated in the top 3% of his class. Due to World War II, the Naval Academy was accelerating midshipmen through their studies. He was the class of 43 but graduated in 1942 and was signed aboard destroyers where he participated in crucial battles including the battle of Leite golf where he was a bronze star with Valor recipient. And I think it's kind of an interesting side note that there are four generations of Zumwalt's all receiving the bronze star with Valor. Dr. Zumwalt received it in World War II, Bud Zumwalt, I'm sorry, Dr. Zumwalt World War II, Bud Zumwalt in World War II, Elmo Zumwalt the third received it in Vietnam and James Zumwalt, Bud Zumwalt's grandson received it in Iraq. After the end of World War II in August of 1945, Zumwalt continued to serve through December of 1945 as the prize crew officer of a 1200 ton Japanese river gun boat that they captured with a crew of 200 prisoners. In this capacity, he and his crew took the first American controlled ship since the outbreak of World War II up the Angsy River to Shanghai. There he and his crew helped to restore order and assisted in disarming the Japanese. Now one can't talk about my father without also talking about my mother for theirs was a partnership in which they had a shared vision and together they made a profound difference in the lives of many. So let's leave Bud Zumwalt behind right now as prize crew officer of the Ataka in 1945. This is my mother, my mom, Musa Andreevna Kutle-du-Roshe. Her mother was Anna Mikhailovna Habaraba, a fashion designer born in Russia. Her father was Andreevna Kutle-du-Roshe born in Russia. He was descended from French nobility and held a dual citizenship as both French and Russian. He served in the Tsar's army. Andreevna and Anna married in Blagovochensk, Russia and as members of the nobility their lives were endangered during the chaos of the Russian revolution. So bringing only what they could carry, they escaped. Traveling south across the Russian border, 325 miles into China. Anna and Andreevna emigrated with 200,000 other white Russians, meaning non-communist Russians who also escaped for their lives. These white Russians were considered stateless because Russia disavowed their citizenship. Harbin was actually the largest outpost of Russians than anywhere else in the world. There were approximately 22 Russian Orthodox churches that were established. My mother's Russian Orthodox faith played a major role in giving her a source of strength during very difficult times in her life. Musa would be the first to say she had a full and joyous life, but I think it came at the cost of great pain because freedom is not free. This is my mother at the age of four and, you know, born in Harbin, it was a multicultural city. She was well-schooled in the arts, literature and music. She spoke five languages, Russian, Japanese, French, Chinese. She was working on English. She was classically trained and piano and played at the level of a concert pianist. Andreevna and Anna did much to create a good life for Musa. They worked hard to re-establish themselves in this new world of Harbin, but there's no doubt Musa grew up feeling her parents' own sense of loss, having to leave their homeland and remaining stateless. Musa was 10 years old when she experienced further loss, the loss of freedom. As a bit of background before sharing the next event in my mother's life, this is a slide of China. And in the area circled in red, that of course is known as Manchuria. And in the 1930s, when countries were becoming more industrialized, Manchuria, that area, Manchuria, accounted for many of the rich natural resources of China. 90% of China's oil was there, 70% of its iron, 55% of its gold and 33% of its trade. So obviously Manchuria's resources presented an irresistible lure for neighboring Japan, Russia and Korea. Japan was expanding its empire and so in 1932, Japan invaded and took over Harbin, establishing a puppet government that eventually took hold in all of Manchuria. This is Musa with her mother and her father, about age 11 or 12, although she was 10 when the Japanese invaded. Every family in Harbin was required to give up a room in their home for a Japanese soldier to live in while occupying the city and that lasted for years. The citizens, including my mother, were forced to bow to the puppet emperor, forced to line the streets from time to time as the imperial army would march up and down spouting propaganda and all kinds of restrictions were in place. By 1939, the local citizens of Harbin were no longer allowed access to the scarce medical care and supplies which were in reserve for the imperial soldiers. Musa's mother was suffering with cancer. She was in desperate need of medical care. She was given a six-day visa to travel to a hospital in Peking but could be accompanied by only one family member. Musa's father was faced with a difficult choice. Does he go and leave young Musa behind or does he send Musa knowing that she is equally at risk of facing the ruthlessness of the Japanese soldiers who were famous for their ethnic cleansing horrors? Musa and Anna left, planning to return to Harbin in six days. However, the Japanese sealed the borders of Harbin, allowing no passage in or out. Musa and Anna were never able to return and the fate of the Russians became worse and worse in Harbin. Musa's mother died nearly one year later and Musa went to live with her mother's sister in Shanghai for the next five years, desperately trying to get letters into her dad, who was now living 1400 miles away. The year is 1945. Musa's mother is deceased and she's been living. Musa has been living with an aunt and uncle for five years. Occasionally, Musa and her father have been able to get a few letters exchanged, but the borders of Harbin remain closed. Father and daughter have been unable to return overnight. If you recall, it's at this point in time 1945 that Lieutenant Bud Zumbold is the prize crew officer of the Japanese gumboat, the Otaka. And in a 40-page letter that he wrote to his dad at the time, Bud describes a meeting with Musa at a dinner party hosted by her aunt and uncle. In the letter, he describes Musa's uncle and aunt, and he also describes Musa as follows, quote, Dear dad, about a week after we entered Shanghai, I was invited to a dinner party by a Navy Lieutenant who had met some members of the Russian community. We entered the room on the second floor above the court, the dining room, empty of people, but beautifully decorated, covered with delicious and artistic Russian dishes, meats, liver paste, zakushka, and other dishes whose names I never learned. No sooner had we absorbed the background of the setting when the Russians entered from another room. First, a stout and jovial looking man. Second, a tiny woman about the same age, 45, who walked with a regal manner as though a person of importance. After that came four girls. The first was a gorgeous blonde, lithe, and well-formed with a lovely soft complexion and the same air of regality, almost aloofness as the older woman. The second one entered, and my heart stood still. Here was a girl I shall never be able to describe completely. Tall and well-poised, she was smiling a smile of such radiance that the very room seemed suddenly transformed, as though a fairy waving a brilliant wand had just entered the room. I never saw the remaining two girls. End quote. That dinner party took place on October 1st of 1945, but visited moves every day for the next six days. And on October 7th, he asked her to marry him. So they were married on October 22nd in the Russian Orthodox Church in Shanghai. And there is no doubt that Bud Zumwalt was a man of decision. Bud's namesake and firstborn child, Elmora Zumwalt, the third, was born in Bud's hometown, Tulare, then a secondborn son, Jim, who is now a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel, a third child, a girl, and then a fourth child, which includes me. I am very proud to say that I am my mother's namesake and that the diminutive of Muzza is Muzeta. I am often referred to as such, but my birth name is Muzza. In a letter that Bud wrote in response to the question of what is the first memory of the most important person in his life and why, Bud states, quote, my first memory of the most important person in my life is a meeting with my wife at a dinner party in Shanghai. Muzza's contribution to my career was immense. Within a very short time, she adapted to our culture and became house mother to the young officer's wives and the wives of the enlisted men in my three subsequent ship commands, while presenting me with four beautiful children along the way. My outlook on life was impacted by her ability to fill the role of both parents during my long deployments. Without that capability on her part, I could not have been a capable naval officer. I can't imagine what life would have been like without her. Bud's career progressed rapidly and he continued to make history. He was at the time the youngest ever to receive two stars and the youngest ever to receive three stars. That is a photo of me putting the hat on my dad as part of his promotion ceremony. When dad attained his three star position, he headed to Saigon as commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam, where he was in charge of the Brownwater Navy, which consisted of all of the small craft that patrolled the coasts, the harbors, and the rivers of Vietnam. At the same time that Bud was headed to Vietnam, his son, Elmo Zumul III, my brother, this is Elmo on the left with me and I'm 11 years old, but Elmo had volunteered to go to Vietnam to serve in what was considered the most dangerous job in the Navy, a swift boat commander with a crew of five men. These are the swift boats of the Brownwater Navy that traveled up and down the narrow ravines and waterways. In 1969, a one-year tour of duty serving on board these swift boats meant you had a 72% chance of being killed or wounded. The reason for this was because of the dense jungle foliage, as you can see in this next photo. Follage along the rivers provided excellent coverage for the enemy and our Swifties were sitting ducks along these canals and rivers. Vice Admiral Zumul knew the safety of these men needed to be improved. The Army had been using the defoliant Agent Orange for years and Bud asked the right questions of the chemical companies and they informed him that there was no data showing danger to humans, which we now know is incorrect. So he approved the spraying of Agent Orange, which resulted in dropping the death and casual rate from 72% to 6%. And you can see why in this next photo, why it worked. This is the same aerial view as the previous photo, but now the foliage destroyed. Ironically, what we know about the health risks associated with Agent Orange, despite such lives were saved. Elmo, my brother, believed that his was one of the many lives saved due to the spraying of Agent Orange. Having survived Vietnam, Elmo returned home and married his beautiful fiance, Kathy. He got out of the Navy that same year. He went to law school and eventually practiced law in North Carolina. Elmo and Kathy went on to have a daughter and then a son who was named Elmo Russell Zumul IV. He was better known as Russell. In an ironic twist of fate, 15 years after returning from Vietnam, Elmo was diagnosed with lymphoma. He chose to watch and wait, and a year later was diagnosed with a second unrelated cancer. At the same time, Russell was diagnosed with severe learning disabilities. But Zumul believed that Elmo's cancers and Russell's learning disability were the result of Elmo's exposure to Agent Orange. Elmo's cancer was raging and eventually Elmo needed a bone marrow transplant, which was highly experimental in 1985, 1986. And there was no bone marrow registry, which meant that if Elmo didn't have a family match, it would be certain death. Elmo had one sibling, only one sibling with an exact match. And that was me, which I felt blessed for. So Elmo, at the age of 39, underwent a bone marrow transplant. Doing so allowed him an additional two and a half years of relatively good quality of life, but most importantly for his young children to have more time with him. Sadly, Elmo passed away one week after his 42nd birthday. His kids were 13 and 11. Rather than be paralyzed by the loss of their son, Bud and Musa chose to do something about the low odds of finding a bone marrow match by creating a registry of potential donors in the national marrow donor program and be the match, which has funded and facilitated over 105,000 bone marrow transplants. And this has been since its founding in 1988. And Bud served as chairman of both organizations until his death. Bud was convinced that Agent Orange exposure was responsible for many cancers that veterans were experiencing and felt that it was unfair these vets could not get benefits for treatment. Bud worked pro bono and headed up a study to look at the ill effects of Agent Orange and worked tirelessly to get coverage for veterans. Before he died, 13 of the 22 diseases that he identified as more likely than not, resulting from Agent Orange exposure were approved so vets could get health coverage, including the two cancers to which my brother was exposed. Today, nearly all 22 of the cancers Bud Zumwalt included in his report have been proven to be caused by Agent Orange. In 1998, President Clinton awarded Zumwalt our nation's highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clinton stated, quote, Admiral Zumwalt is a genuine patriot with an astonishing life story that includes a remarkable wife, Musa, whom he met in China, but more than most Americans who have served our country with distinction. Admiral Zumwalt paid a deeply personal price for his leadership of the Navy during the Vietnam War. For his son, a junior officer in the war, died of a cancer linked to his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The remarkable thing was Admiral Zumwalt's response. He dedicated himself to fighting for those with war-related ailments. He established the first national marrow donor program to help cancer patients in need. He never stopped fighting for the interests, the rights, and the dignity of those soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines and their families. He is also one of the greatest models of integrity and leadership and genuine humanity our nation has ever produced, end quote. But always reminded everyone that half of the Presidential Medal of Freedom belonged to his beloved Musa. And two years after receiving our nation's highest honor, Admiral Zumwalt passed away from mesothelioma due to his best dose exposure from serving on board ships in his early in his career. He was 79 years old. Upon hearing the news of Zumwalt's death, a former Secretary of the Navy very solemnly stated, quote, in the end it is Bud's service to his country that killed him, end quote. At Zumwalt's funeral, President Clinton extolled the man who took charge of a demoralized Navy in 1970, end quote. By putting humanitarian instinct ahead of military instinct, made it a more hospitable and inclusive place to work, especially for minorities and women. Beyond his physical courage, Bud Zumwalt stood out for his moral courage. Of all the things he inspired, perhaps the greatest impact he had was on the ordinary men and women who served under him. Today, we say goodbye to a sailor who never stopped serving his country to a man whose love for his family, his nation, and his Navy were as deep as the oceans he sailed, end quote. In May of 2018, on the occasion of the Jewish State 70th anniversary, the Israeli Embassy in D.C. celebrated 70 of the greatest American contributors to the U.S.- Israel relationship. Admiral Zumwalt was number five on that list. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Zumwalt played a crucial role in airlifting supplies to Israel, directly contributing to Israel's victory. In October of 2018, the Military Officers Association of America published its list of top 100 veterans from all branches of service who have made our nation great over the past 100 years. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the First Armistice Day, Military Officers Association highlighted these veterans not solely on their valor or leadership, but also to paint a picture of the last 100 years of service. Admiral Zumwalt is on this list along with Dory Miller, Lieutenant General Chesty Puller, Arlie Burke, and General Schwarzkopf, just to name a few. In 2019, the book entitled Sailing True North, Ten Admirals, and the Voyage of Character, was published. The author was Admiral James Stavritis, who was the former Allied Supreme Commander of NATO. Stavritis looks to the last 2,500 years spanning ancient Greece to the 21st century and offers an intimate human accounting on the lessons of leadership and character contained in the lives and careers of history's most significant naval commanders. Among this group of top 10 is the name Admiral Elma Zumwalt. Stavritis refers in his chapter to Zumwalt as the Angel of Change and in the last paragraph he writes, quote, there is an overwhelming amount to admire about Bud Zumwalt. I have admiration for every Admiral in this collection to one degree or another, but my deepest affection is reserved for this energetic, enthusiastic, highly original and idealistic leader. His character is the one I've most sought to emulate throughout my own voyage of character, end quote. In closing, my parents' final resting place is on the beautiful Severn River upon a hill at the U.S. Naval Academy surrounded by youth and hope. Bud's epitaph simply reads Reformer and his beloved Musa truly was his strength. Bud wrote love letters and poetry for Musa throughout their marriage. They had a love affair that lasted 54 years before my father passed in 2000. And with that, I conclude this presentation and I am happy to answer any questions if there are any. I have a quick question, Rosetta. Yes. Can you tell us about your father's relationship with other folks in the Navy, particularly other admirals, how that went? It's a very interesting question that you asked, because I'm trying to... I'm thinking of Admiral Rickover. Yeah, Admiral Rickover was, I mean, he made my dad's job very, very difficult. They... Admiral Rickover's no surprise was really not one of the most pleasant individuals ever to deal with. And there's a chapter in a book, the first book that my father wrote entitled On Watch, where dad had an incredible knack for almost a verbatim memory of conversations that took place. And there's an interview with Admiral Rickover when dad was trying to possibly get a position for a command of a nuclear submarine. And he got the position, but he turned it down, which didn't help his relationship with Rickover at all. But I think it's... This is an interesting place to also mention that I had alluded to the fact that dad was selected over 33 senior admirals. And in Stavridis' book, Sailing True North, he mentions in there, and I'd really forgotten how dark it was. He mentions in their quote, when Bud Zumwalt was chosen for CNO, there was not a single admiral that supported his appointment as CNO. And you could imagine there were... That's a little extreme, but I think it also speaks to the dynamic of how hard it was for him. He was going upstream, trying to update the Navy. So thank you for that question. Other questions from the group? I'll ask one more question. Was that, what do you think your dad's legacy is? What's his legacy? And I know what I think his legacy is, but what do you think his legacy is in the Navy today? Well, I would please love to hear your input on that. I will just say that I think one of the biggest challenges I've had, and even trying to put this very lengthy talk together, is how do you compile everything? I mean, there's still so many more stories, so many other things that he impacted. He did things to help Vietnamese children get prosthetics. He did so much to bind the wounds of the Vietnam War and try to reestablish relationships. I mean, the list goes on and on. And I think one of the biggest challenges is how do you succinctly convey what his impact was? And I still keep going back to his, I think he was visionary and he had the courage of his convictions, which was basically to follow his heart with what is the right thing to do and his humanitarianism. I think we can all learn lessons for each of us in our given day when we're struggling is like in sailing true north, maybe your compass needs to be follow your heart in the humanitarian side of things and perhaps the rest of it will follow. That's, I don't know any other way, but that and I'd love to hear your feedback on what you think. And I agree with you. And that's why I'm so happy that you were able to come and talk to us today, because you really bring emeralds and waltz to life for the rest of us, just like my good friend Jim Stockdale whenever he comes to talk about his father. You were able to share stories about your dad that many of us would never ever see because we read all the books. But I've got a question here from Scott Smith. And Scott says, there's a wonderful story about kissing the female admiral. Could you share that from your recollection? Thank you for that question. My father, you know, the context of the days, this was a Navy that really didn't have women serving certainly didn't know women serving in very many officer positions, let alone there were no admirals. And he had a dear friend of his that he it was a Naval Academy classmate that Dave Bagley wrote him when dad had it was announced in the papers that Bud Zumwalt had become well not had become CNO but that Bud Zumwalt had just announced and placed the stars on the first female admiral in the Navy. And his friend Dave wrote him and said, Dear Bud, I never thought I would live to see the day when an admiral was kissing another admiral, because the pictures all showed the two of them, you know, embraced in kissing. Dad wrote back and said, My dear friend, you need to know that no one ever becomes admiral, let alone chief of naval operations without having kissed a lot of admirals. I love that story. And that's the thing too, I think with that, you know, Scott with that question, one of the things that I marveled at, as I was growing up and now that I'm older and look back I marvel even more was my dad's ability to not take himself so seriously. I mean, he knew when to take seriously issues. But you know, that's a gift to be able to separate yourself from something that is so serious. And so he had the ability to laugh at himself, which which I love. And I think that's a gift. Other questions from the group? And if you're, you know, if there are no questions, that's fine. I do want to say that in Stabritis' book Sailing True North, he mentions the book on watch that he actually had gotten a signed copy from my dad had met my dad. And he mentioned in this chapter that he keeps on watch. He says it's one of his really favored and preferred, you know, favorite books that he keeps in his library shelves, but that the number of times he continues to open that book and dig down deep for not only leadership pearls, but organizational pearls. And I would encourage, you know, it's no longer in print. You can get it on eBay. I have several copies. If someone wants to get my email and send me a note, I'm happy to send them a copy of that book. But it is a good book that still, it was published in 1976, and still many of the flag rank officers refer to that book for pearls of information. Okay, Mozzetta, I want to thank you from everyone here at the Naval War College. I want to thank everybody for participating today. Because like I said, you're able to bring animal zoom wall to life for the rest of us. And with the stories and the pictures and things that you show, that really helps us to understand who exactly he was. And it's important, I think, for the Navy to make sure that we keep his legacy alive. So thank you again. Thanks to everybody. Jim, it's great to see you. Scott, thanks for coming. John Heller, thanks for coming from the Coast Guard Academy. I see Jean Anderson from out in California. My boss, Jay Hickey. So thanks everybody for signing on. Mozzetta, again, thanks again, and I'll talk to you later. Thank you for the opportunity. Take care. Two things, who are the Navy? Who are? Thanks a lot.