FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Affairs Office
Naval District Washington
Washington Navy Yard
1411 Parsons Ave. SE Suite 212
Washington, DC 20374-5007

POC: Mr. Ed Zeigler
(202) 433-2678/FAX: 433-2158

MEDIA ADVISORY

67th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY COMMEMORATION

WASHINGTON – Naval District Washington will host a wreath laying and commemoration of the 67th anniversary of the historic Battle of Midway June 4 at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Navy Memorial in downtown Washington, D.C. (701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, across the street from the National Archives). The featured speaker will be Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughhead. The event will also feature several veterans who survived the battle and more than a thousand sailors from the Washington, D.C area. Veterans attending include:

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.

On June 4, 1942, a vastly outnumbered and outgunned U.S. fleet defeated the finest of the Imperial Japanese navy in the waters off a small Pacific atoll named Midway. Their daring combination of intelligence, tactics, courage and sacrifice forever changed the course of the war and world history. It is believed by many military scholars to be the most important of American naval victories.

This event is open to the public. For further information or to arrange interviews with veterans, please contact the Naval District Washington Public Affairs Officer, Ed Zeigler at (202) 433-2678 or send email to edward.zeigler@navy.mil.