This pithy but true observation was made by the character Winston Wolfe in the great movie Pulp Fiction. If you’re familiar with the movie Winston had been dispatched to extricate Samuel L. Jackson & John Travolta from a rather “sticky” situation.
But this is Veterans Day, and I’m not here to critique or comment on Pulp Fiction. Instead, I want to take a few minutes to celebrate the life of Vice Admiral Harry C. Schrader, who was to become the second captain I served under while stationed aboard the USS Long Beach (CGN-9). Captain Harry Schrader was a character in the sense that long after I’ve seen him, I remember him and how he handled himself and how he commanded a ship. And he had enough “character” for half a dozen men.
I had been aboard the Long Beach for almost a year and had gone on one overseas deployment aboard her. I was about to meet Captain Schrader for the first time.
The occasion was the change-of-command ceremony that all Navy ships undergo when a new Commanding Officer takes over. Captain Schrader was reviewing the entire crew, assembled on the pier for his review.
He made his way down the ranks of my division. I had temporarily been assigned to Supply as a mess cook. When he reached me, he glanced at my rating badge (I was a journalist) and asked, “What are you doing in this division?”
“The ship was short of mess cooks, Captain, and my division sent me to fill one of the open spots.”
He nodded and moved on.
The next time I saw Captain Schrader was when the Long Beach went to sea for the first time under his command. I was his phone-talker on the bridge, I would relay all his orders for handling lines, working with the tugs towing us away from the pier, etc.
As his phone talker, I spent a lot of time on the bridge and had the chance to observe Captain Schrader under a wide variety of situations.
He was one of a rare breed: He truly was a “sailor’s sailor.” He handled the Long Beach with the finesse that some men might drive a sports car. The Long Beach was not his first sea command, he had been the skipper of two nuclear-powered missile submarines prior to taking command of the Long Beach. As even a civilian might realize, the Navy does not give the command of such ships to anyone but their most experienced officers.
The similarity between Winston Wolfe and Captain Schrader was this: they were both “troubleshooters,” men who stepped in to take care of a “sticky” situation and set things right.
When Captain Schrader arrived on the Long Beach, it had the lowest “retention” rate in the 7th Fleet. This meant fewer sailors were re-enlisting on the Long Beach than on any other ship in the 7th Fleet. It was Captain Schrader's job to correct this situation.
He brought a formidable array of talents to this task. He was an incredibly intelligent man, he had a Master's Degree in Physics and had graduated from the Navy War College. He had a great sense of humor and loved a good practical joke, but most of all, he was truly a people person. I don't know if he set it as a personal goal to meet and talk to every member of our 1200-man crew, but you never knew where he might pop up. He loved talking to his men, hearing about their problems, listening to their suggestions, and doing what he could to solve those problems. He was a man of great integrity and honesty and this was something that drew the crew to him. He wanted to make the Long Beach the finest cruiser in the world and he drilled us relentlessly, but his efforts paid off. By the time he turned the Long Beach over to her next skipper, the Long Beach had the highest retention rate in the 7th Fleet.
In the process, his high standards, his demands for professional behavior and conduct had a huge impact on those who served under him. Many of them went on to other commands and successful careers because of the lessons they learned serving under him.
Captain Schrader could easily have retired and gone into business. His experience and skills would have been in high demand in the nuclear-power industry.
Instead, he dedicated over 30 years of his life to serving his country. He spent long deployments away from his family, his home, to do so. It was his calling and he made it a noble one.
That is why I wanted to tell you a little of his story. On Veterans Day, we celebrate the sacrifices and heroism of the veterans who have served us and this country. We should have a special place in our hearts for men such as Captain Schrader who made it their career to serve their country.
I served four years in the Navy and am proud of my service. I am even prouder than I served under such a fine commanding officer and that I am still using some of the lessons that he taught me nearly 40 years later.