By MC2 Patrick Dionne

Service Members, retirees and civilians participate in a memorial dining out at NPS’s Barbara McNitt Ballroom to honor the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, June 3rd.

The dinner was headed by Capt. Rich Wiley, commanding officer Naval Support Activity Monterey, who acted as President of the Mess for the ceremony that included toasts, trivia, singing of traditional hymns and remarks from guest speaker NPS Professor of Operations Research retired Capt. Jeff Kline. Kline honored the memory of the Battle of Midway, a decisive naval battle often considered a turning point in the Pacific theatre, with praise for the sailors who answered the call to serve.

“The Battle of Midway showed us many examples of relatively junior officers that were put in unfamiliar crisis situations which demanded action on their part,” said Kline. “Using their technical knowledge, innovative approaches, and courage they found sound bold courses of action. This is the tie to the Naval Postgraduate School today.

“As an institution we keep that spirit alive by providing technical know-how, in context of operational and tactical situations, and challenge our students to produce innovative solutions to real world problems, Kline continued. “From exploring concepts of swarming unmanned aerial vehicles to smart warheads on torpedoes, we advance graduate and professional education synergistically.  That is our niche, that is our uniqueness, and that is our contribution to the nation’s future security.”

The theme of the dinner was titled “From Midway to Monterey: Leveraging Initiative and Technology” and focused heavily on the importance of continuing to educate Sailors in preparation for future conflicts and situations that have not been encountered before. The ceremony was attended both officers and enlisted, past and present, including two veterans of the Word War II Pacific Theatre.

“I think what makes events like this dining out so significant is that gives our guests an opportunity to be entertained and learn about important Naval traditions and core values,” said Lt. Ryan Clifford, The Vice President of the Mess for the event, whose role was to help move the ceremony along and reiterate the history of the battle of midway and traditions involved in the ceremony. “This is my first time that I have served as Vice and it was a huge honor to help carry on the memory and traditions of such an important time in our history.”

Taking place from June 4-7 1942 the Battle of Midway saw the sinking of four Japanese carriers causing devastating damage to the Japanese fleet that proved irreparable and paved the way for further U.S. victories throughout the war.