Battle of Midway

The 67th Battle of Midway Commemoration ceremony held at the U.S. Navy Memorial featured nine survivors who traveled from all over the country to attend and be honored by the Navy.  Guest speaker Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead spoke to more than 900 active duty Sailors in attendance and the event was carried live on the Pentagon Channel. See photos that were taken, a video of the entire ceremony, read ADM Roughead's remarks and become a member of the Battle of Midway Anniversary Community in the Navy Log Community.

Events that took place at the Navy Memorial are listed below. There is more detailed information about the Battle of Midway in the International Midway Memorial Foundation's online newsletter.

2009 Battle of Midway Commemoration at the United States Navy Memorial

June 4, 2009
Free & open to the public

Battle of Midway Symposium: “A Critical Review of Myths and Myth-Makers”

8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Burke Theater, US Navy Memorial’s Naval Heritage Center

Sponsored by: International Midway Memorial Foundation & U.S. Navy Memorial 

• Introduction: RADM Jay DeLoach, Director, Naval History & Heritage Cmd.
• Moderator: Dr. James M. D’Angelo, President, IMMF
• Panelists:
  • CAPT Jack W. Crawford, USN (Ret.) Midway Veteran, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
  • Joseph Sanes, Midway Veteran, USS Hammann (DD-412)
  • James Perry, Ph.D., Northrup Grumman
  • Richard C. Thorton, Ph.D. Prof. of History & Intl. Affairs George Washington Univ.
  • William Price, National Security Agency (Ret.)

67th Anniversary Battle of Midway Wreath Laying Ceremony

2:00-3:00
Navy Memorial Plaza

Sponsored by: Naval District Washington/CNO

• Midway Veterans in attendance:
  • Captain Jack Crawford, USN (Ret.), of Bethesda, Maryland, was serving as a newly-minted surface warfare officer aboard USS Yorktown when it was attacked during the Battle of Midway. He abandoned ship and was rescued by a nearby ship after spending a few hours in the ocean. After more than 20 years in the Navy, he retired and pursued a second career in nuclear engineering and is a pioneer in the field of nuclear propulsion. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
  • Captain Ken W. Simmons, USN (Ret.), of Alexandria, Virginia, served in the Navy for twenty-eight years, after receiving a commission from the Naval Academy. Captain Simmons served as a turret officer aboard USS Minneapolis during Midway. After Midway, Captain Simmons went on to command the destroyer escort USS Greenwood, the destroyer USS Stribling, and the cruiser USS Oklahoma City, the flagship of the 7th Fleet.
  • Petty Officer First Class Bernard Cotton, of Spring Hill, Florida, served as the Chief Fire Controlman aboard USS Hornet during Midway. His brother, a member of the gallant Torpedo Squadron 8, had been slated to fly during Midway, but was ultimately transferred to another day, avoiding the attack run which resulted in all fifteen of the squadron’s aircraft being shot down. After serving twenty years in the Navy, Petty Officer Cotton ultimately settled in Spring Hill, Florida. 
  • Chief Petty Officer Estel Hunter, of Arlington, Texas, manned the 1.175 mm anti-aircraft guns on the heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis during Midway. He had burned his hands a month before at the battle of the Coral Sea after joining the U.S. Navy in July 1940. He was offered a commission but declined the offer. He served six years active duty in the Navy and 22 years in the naval reserve. After leaving the Navy, Hunter settled in Texas where he ranched for six years and worked for Vought aircraft as a fireman.
• Speakers:
  • ADM Gary Roughead, USN, Chief of Naval Operations
  • GEN James F. Amos, USMC, Asst. Commandant of the Marine Corps

Reception

3:00-4:00
Presidents Room, Naval Heritage Center

Sponsored by: Lockheed Martin, WBB Consulting 
Soft drinks provided by American Beverage Assn.