A Lesson in Tolerance from the Navy’s First African American Four-Star Admiral
Thirty years ago, I learned a valuable lesson in leadership and tolerance from the man who would become the U.S. Navy’s first African American four-star admiral. That lesson guided me through the rest of my military career and beyond.
By Captain Chris Bott, U.S. Navy (Retired)
June 2020
Sunrise over the Oregon coast on 6 June 1990 came at 0524. The crew of the USS New Jersey (BB-62) was already awake preparing for a challenging navigation up the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon. The transit from Long Beach, California, had been uneventful, but what would happen next could have been a game changer.
World War II-era Iowa-class battleships are big, displacing 60,000 tons, and, at 888’ in length with a draft of 40’, not the sort of vessel you typically take up a fast-moving river for more than 100 nautical miles. But that’s what Captain Ron Tucker and the crew intended to do that day: sail up the Columbia River shepherded by a pilot and local tugboats, to arrive in Portland for the city’s annual Rose Festival.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/june/lesson-tolerance-navys-first-african-american-four-star-admiral
