The document discusses various perspectives on racial issues within the U.S. Navy, highlighting fears among white officers regarding discussing performance with minority and female subordinates due to potential EEO complaints, rooted in historical racism and sexism. It emphasizes the need for representation at higher ranks, the importance of acknowledging and addressing systemic injustices, and the necessity for proactive measures to ensure equity and diversity in military leadership. The contributions of notable figures in advancing civil rights and the ongoing fight against social injustice are also emphasized.

2. ple ofthis would be using maritime patrol
aircraft as spotters, identifying targets,
and passing wget tracks along to shooters
who do not use active search techniques
to maintain themselves out ofadversary's
eyes. Only the aircraft would be at risk of
being deteeted within the EM spectrum.
Elements within the different Navy
communities and the largerjoint force
should begin looking at how they can
support being part of a visual-only com-
munications network and what they need
to do to support. We need to begin test-
ing this at sea, soon.
-LT Avery Sheridan, USN
THE PROCEEDINGS PODCAST
(Air date: 2 July 2020)
THE BURDEN OF A BLACK
NAVAL OFFICER
(See D. Walker, online, June 2020)
RECENTLY AN OLD COLLEAGUE of
mine, Lieutenant Commander Desmond
Walker, was interviewed on the Proceed-
ings Podcast regarding his article, "The
Burden ofa Black Naval Officer." The
hosts, both ofwhom are white males and
retired naval officers, noted that they and
many oftheir white male officer peers
were hesitant or even scared to discuss
and/or confront their black/minority or
female subordinate officers regarding
their performance ifthey deemed it was
below performance expectations. Both
admitted on air that what drove their
fear was the beliefthat the subordinates
would file an Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity (EEO) complaint or grievance.
The thing that I find striking about
these revelations is that they (the moder-
ators) truly believed there is something
devious in the nature ofthese blaclc/mi-
nority/female officers that would cause
them to resort to slander and destroy the
careers of superior officers who were just
doing their job. Unfortunately, this irra-
tional belief is rooted in a long and vile
form ofracism and sexism that naturally
assigns devious intent-such as conning,
scheming, and manipulation-to black
Americans and minorities, as well as the
stereotype as11igned to women officersas
ucold-hearted female!!,"
This wicked taint is theexact reason
why police in the United States dispro-
portionately harass and kill black folk~
the killing ofGeorge Floyd being just one
recent example. It is exactly the reason
why black folks and other minorities are
followed and spied on in stores and malls.
It is also a significant reason why black
and minority officers have a problem ad-
vancing to the general and flag officer
ranks in the Navy and other services.
It is stunning to note that the hosts
did not seem to have this same con-
cern when dealing with white male sub-
ordinates whose performance was·sub-
standard, even though white males can
file EEO complaints just like their black
peers. The hosts never noted where this
fear of an EEO complaint came from,
nor did they claim to know of or provide
supporting evidence ofwhite officers
wrongly accused ofracism or sexism re-
sulting in these officers' careers being
destroyed. From this writer's perspec-
tive and research, whenever the Navy or
other military services has made a deter-
mination ofracism, discrimination, or
sexism against an accused, it is because
an investigation found evidence ofrac-
ism, discrimination, or sexism-in some
cases, all ofthe above.
I believe both hosts are decent, hard-
working, and patriotic Americans. Unfor-
tunately, like the rest ofus, they are vic-
tims ofthis country's racist legacy, which
has deeply permeated every aspect of so-
ciety from education, to history, to social
interaction, to cultural and political life.
Until we, as a society, commit serious
economic and psychological resources to
overcoming these deeply held beliefs and
perceptions, the nature of black people
will always be perceived as "devious"!
-CAPT Jerome D. Davis, USN (Ret.)
EDITOR'S Nore: I shared my story on the pod-
cast because I realized how wrong I was at
the time to fear such a reaction and because
I realize now that such fear is part of the in-
stitutional racism that Commander Canady
and Lieutenant Commander Walker were
talking about-and, hopefully, to allay such
fears among white leaders in the Navy to-
di)',Thank you for pickingupon It and writ·
In;abOUtIt,Icouldnot aQree withyoumore.
- CAPT 1111 Hamblet, IJSN(Adt,),
Edltor-ln•Chltt, p,oc,,d/1111,
and Podcast coho•t
ON THIS JUNETEENfH.2020,amid
recent unrest across the nation and the
world, I feel inspired to write aboUt my
experience and perspective as a black of•
fleer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
America is on fire. On top ofthe eco-
nomic shambles caused by the pandemic,
there is blatant social injustice toward
African Americans at the hands of law
enforcement that we can no longer ig- .
nore. The people we should trust to serve
and protect us have caused the deaths of
Breona Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and-
most viciously-George Floyd, unarmed
and in police custody. Mr. Floyd's inhu-
mane death has incited a movement that
has spread across America and around
the world.
Unfortunately, after many years of
progress towards racial inclusion, even
after the country elected its first Afri-
can-American president, the facts speak
for themselves. In 2020, there are still
racists living in our midst.
But we should not throw the baby out
with the batl!water. Despite the racists
among us, all ofAmerica is not racist.
The vast majority ofAmericans are de-
cent, fair-minded, and hardworking peo-
ple, and the United States is still by far
the greatest country on earth.
America is not perfect, but it aspires
to be the light that shines in the dark-
ness, with equal justice under the law for
all of its citizens. I believe in our shared
humanity. I believe that you have every-
thing.you need to be a great success. You
can do anything you set your mind to in
this country.
Only in America can a black kid from
Hawaii with a funny name grow up to
one day become the (historic) first Afri-
can American president. Orily in America
can a young Austrian with just $20 to his
name become the highest-grossing ac-
tor in the world and the "Govemator" of
(Continued on page BS)
AUGUST 2020 I PROCEEDINGS I

3. COMMENT & DISCUSSION
COMMENT I DISCUSSION
(Continued from page 9)
California. Only in America can a poor
black girl from Mississippi become the
most beloved and popular talk show host
in TV history and the wealthiest woman
on the planet.
And only in America can a preacher
from Atlanta help lead a civil rights
movement that would provide civil rights
for an entire segment ofthe American
population, bringing the country closer to
its original ideal: "We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are cre-
ated equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Lib-
erty and the pursuit of Happiness."
America is an exceptional place. My
godfather used to say, "12 million illegal
immigrants cannot be wrong." America
must be very special for millions ofpeople
to risk their lives to come to our shores.
Despite much progress toward equal
justice, we still have a lot ofwork to
do. We need a majority ofAmericans to
speak up and fight social injustice any-
where and everywhere it might be found.
We cannot remain silent anymore. We
cannot stay indifferent in our privileged
bubbles. There is a significant portion of
our population that is hurting right now;
we need all hands on deck to do what-
ever each ofus can, even in small ways,
to right a wrong, and contribute toward a
more perfect union.
For us as sailors, the best way to do that
is to live out our core values ofHonor,
Courage, and Commitment and to reaf-
firm our solemn oath to support and to de-
fend the Constitution ofthe United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
-LCDR Bob F. Zlnga, USN
FLAG OFFICERS OF
THE NAVAL SERVICES
(See pp. 103-16 and 119-24, May 2020)
IN THESE TIMES ofheightened ra-
cial tensions in the United States, I have
started noticing things I had not noticed
before. In 20 years in the Navy, I be-
815 PROCEEDINGS I AUGUST 2020
lieved my service gave every rnember an
equal chance. But looking through the
photographs in the flag list I was start1ed
by the lack of diversity at the flag level in
the Navy and in the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
I found zero people of color at the admi-
ral level, and only one among the rear
admirals. The Marine Corps was better,
but not by much. We can-we must--do
better, not just for minority service mem-
bers, but for the health of our services
and the health of our nation.
-LCDR Monica Arnold, USN (Ret.)
NAMING THE FUTURE
DORIS HILLER (CVN-81)
(See R. Alley, p. 8, March 2020; L. Moyer,
p. 88, April 2020; T. Phillips, pp. l•H-:-48,
May 2020; and E. Coop, p. 9, July 2020)
THERE ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH
sailors and Marines who have been
awarded decorations for valor to solve
the ship naming problem once and for
all. Many ships have been and continue
to be named for individuals who have no
connection to or place in naval history, a
distasteful practice that has gone unchal-
lenged for too long.
Like many problems, however, the
solution is simple. Any ship named for a
person will be for a sailor or Marine who
has been awarded the Silver Star or higher
(and ifwe run out ofthose, we've got a
great problem on our hands, as we've cer-
tainly surpassed the 350 ship mark!)
Ships currently in the fleet whose
names do not meet that criteria should be
immediately added to a list for renam-
ing. Exceptions should not be made. This
means renaming a large portion ofour
carrier fleet. So be it.
I served on board the USS Rentz (FFG-
46), named after the only Navy chap-
lain in World War II to be awarded the
Navy Cross, granted posthumously after
the USS Houston (CA-30) was sunk by a
Japanese submarine in 1942 in the Sunda
Strait. Chaplain Rentz sacrificed his life
jacket-and life-for a shipmate. Why do
I know this? Because the Navy was wise
enough to name my ship after him.
-CDR Brent T. Meyer, USN
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER PHILLIPS•
critical analysis of aircraft carrier nam.
ing brought back my concern about the
naming of submarines. Initially, subma.
rines were identified by numbers, letters
or a combination. From about the I930s'
to well into the 1970s, attack submarines
were named after fish. In the l960s, the
first ballistic-missile submarines were
named after famous Americans and pres-
idents. Currently, submarines of both
types are named for states, cities, people,
and historical events or places.
Only one active sub, the USS Seawolf
(SSN-21), retains the name ofa fish. And
a very important name it is, as it reflects
the World War II submarine fleet, the ma-
jority ofwhich were named after fish.
The Navy has lost a total of 52 sub-
marines over the years, 48 of which
were lost during World War II, most by
combat action, including the USS Sea-
wolf(SS-197). We need to continue
naming at least one or two new attack
submarines with the name of a "fish
boat" that never returned. Of the 48 that
never returned, there are several fish-
named subs whose valiant actions reflect
the Navy's fighting tradition, remind us
ofWorld War II history and the many
sacrifices made, and honor those that
never returned.
I have no objections to the naming
of future submarines for cities, states,
and deserving Americans, as submarines
have graduated from "boats" to capital
ships ofthe line. But wouldn't it be great
if a whole new class were named after
the USS Wahoo (SS-238)?
-CAPT Robert J. Decesarl, USNR (Ret.)
INCIDENT AT LADD REEF
(See E. Cerne-lannone and P. Farace,
pp. 68-72, July 2020)
THE AUTHORS DO A GOOD JOB de-
scribing the final days ofthis ship and
the effective work ofthe USS Cod
(SS-224) in rescuing the crew. However,
the reader ~ight wonder why a Dutch
submarine with a British liaison staffon
board was based in Australia when it was
transiting the South China Sea.