4 August Daily Shipmate

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

1944 - Task Group 58.1, under RADM Joseph J. Clark ’17, USN, attacks Japanese convoy 4804 off the Bonin Islands. Naval gunfire and carrier aircraft sink eight Japanese vessels. Along with Task Group 58.3 under RADM Alfred E. Montgomery ’12, USN, the force attacks the Bonin Islands the following day.

 

1951 - LTJG Henry Rathbone ’47, USN was lost when his F4U-4 Corsair fighter lost power and crashed while taking off from USS Boxer (CV 21). He was departing on a combat mission near Korea at the time. A native of Rhode Island, Henry was known for being “way ahead, be it at academics, dragging [dating], or bridge.” He was survived by his parents. Other alumni lost on this day are listed at Virtual Memorial Hall.

 

1964 - The destroyers Maddox (DD-731) and Turner Joy (DD-951) are allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats while operating in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. They return fire on the radar contacts, claiming to have possibly sunk two of the enemy craft. Bad weather hampers the operations of F-8 Crusaders sent from the carrier Ticonderoga (CV-14) to assist the destroyers, preventing a visual sighting of the torpedo boats and causing speculation over whether any actually attacked.

 

Content in “Today in Navy, Marine Corps and USNA Memorial Hall History” is generously provided by our partners and fellow alumni at the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Run to Honor SIG, which supplies the USNA Memorial Hall content. We are grateful for their partnership in preserving and sharing this history, and the Daily Shipmate is proud to serve as a distribution platform. You can learn more or provide feedback through their respective websites hyperlinked above.

Academy & Graduate happenings

The enemy gets a vote, too. That military aphorism took on a chilling immediacy for Brandon Tseng ’08 when he was training for an Afghanistan deployment as a Navy SEAL in 2012. His team was simulating clearing a house of enemy fighters when the Naval Academy graduate was suddenly shot in the face. Fortunately it was just a paintball, not a real bullet. “I’d followed my training exactly as taught,” he remembers—but it didn’t matter. One point of the exercise was that preparation isn’t always enough, because adversaries are smart and unpredictable. “If that was real-life combat, I would’ve been killed.” Clearing hostile buildings was part of the daily grind for the United States military post-9/11. It is extraordinarily dangerous work and killed or injured several people Tseng knew. When he left the military in 2015 after seven years, he couldn’t stop thinking of ways that AI and autonomy tech could reduce risks to troops, like by letting them scan inside structures before they barged in. Tseng convinced his older brother, Ryan, already a successful entrepreneur who had sold his wireless charging company to Qualcomm, and Andrew Reiter, an engineer with a master’s in robotics from Harvard, to join him in starting a drone company they called Shield AI.

The Pat Tillman Foundation selects exceptional military service members, veterans and spouses and invests in them for life through scholarships, leadership development, career architecture and community and events. Nearly 1,000 Tillman Scholars are proven leaders. Each year, up to 60 exceptional military service members, veterans and spouses join a lifelong community of leaders who are applying their skills to be the next generation of leaders making an impact around the world. Tillman Scholars are solving real problems. With less than 3% of applicants selected each year, every Tillman Scholar in this community has a proven track record and a commitment to the impact that they want to make next. Naval Academy alums have a tradition of being selected for this prestigious scholarship.

Andy Coen ’17 - Attending Stanford University for his MBA. “Access determines who survives. I’m building aerospace technology to deliver critical resources to communities the world has forgotten, before disaster forces the world to remember.” Andy Coen was raised in the small Gold Rush town of Placerville, California. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and commissioned as a Naval Flight Officer in 2017. Andy served as a Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander aboard the P-8A Poseidon, leading aviation teams across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Central America, and he flew the first search-and-rescue mission in Antarctica.

Ben Jackson ’18 - Attending Harvard University for his MBA. “Innovation cannot outpace thoughtfully constructed policy designed to govern it. I aim to lead teams that move fast but are rooted in strong moral values of service and human dignity.” Born in New London, Connecticut, Ben Jackson grew up moving across the United States and overseas while his father served as a Navy emergency medicine physician. Influenced by a family legacy of service spanning Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq, Ben attended the U.S. Naval Academy and commissioned into the Navy, completing SEAL training after graduating in 2018. As a Navy SEAL, Ben deployed multiple times. There, he witnessed firsthand how poverty, insecurity, and violence intersect, and how disciplined, well-coordinated intervention can provide communities with the stability they lack the means to secure themselves. These experiences shaped his commitment to service rooted in both action and responsibility.

From the Podcast Fleet

In our first podcast episode, given the choice between a lifeline on the moon or 8 ounces of fuel, Brig Gen Charlie Duke ’57, USAF (Ret.) naturally chose the fuel. While the lifeline would’ve linked him to another astronaut on the moon in case of an emergency, that fuel could get them further on the lunar surface. Duke dreamed of flying as a child in Lancaster, SC. He took his chances in the Air Force out of the Naval Academy and he threw caution to the wind for his moon walk. He was a calculated risk taker who exemplifies the honor, courage and commitment values ingrained in Bancroft Hall.

 

Duke was the youngest of 12 men to walk on the moon and one of three Naval Academy alumni in that exclusive club. We had the privilege to interview Charlie as the first guest of the Voices From Orbit podcast which launches on 4 August 2026. This monthly podcast, hosted by Shipmate Editor Jimmy DeButts, will feature moon walkers, Space Shuttle pilots, NASA administrators, commercial astronauts and the next generation of astronauts who will return to the moon and set the path for Mars landings.

 

Join us for the premiere episode of Voices From Orbit as Charlie shares his incredible journey from small-town South Carolina to Annapolis to Air Force aviator to lunar module pilot for the Apollo 16 mission. Please listen to season 1 episode 1 of our new podcast on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.

Government & Military News

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to form a new commission focused on improving the lives of military spouses and families and addressing the challenges they encounter. The new commission, called the President’s Military Spouse Commission, will be chaired by Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It will advise the commander in chief on challenges faced by military spouses, including healthcare, employment, childcare, education and others. “America cannot have the strongest military in the world without the love and devotion of our remarkable military spouses, who make the extraordinary sacrifices for our country,” Trump said in the Oval Office, with Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in attendance.

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS San Antonio transit Panama Canal

On 1 August 2026, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) — operating as Littoral Combat Force-24 (LCF-24) — aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17), completed a transit through the Panama Canal while operating under United States Southern Command. Marking the first time a Marine Expeditionary Unit has navigated the canal since 2008, this large-scale maneuver is a demonstration of the Marine Corps’ capacity for rapid global mobility, maritime dominance, and seamless power projection. Since its completion, the Panama Canal has served as a vital strategic pathway for the United States and its allies. The canal allows naval vessels to rapidly shift between the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, saving weeks of travel around South America. Navigating this critical maritime shortcut ensures the U.S. military can maintain a flexible, responsive posture — surging ships and troops to meet emerging crises across hemispheres without delay.

The Navy last week announced its latest round of guidance regarding facial hair grooming requirements and religious and medical accommodations. Commands are now instructed to produce monthly facial hair accountability reports, specifically for those service members diagnosed with skin conditions such as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae, or razor bumps, according to the 31 July NavAdmin. Commanding officers are instructed to maintain a log of personnel requiring medical facial hair treatment plans, the memo said. Commands must then “forward a Facial Hair Accommodation Accountability Report using Excel Spreadsheet by the 15th of each month, commencing August 2026.”

Local, Education & other academy news

“For the third year in a row - we as Service Academy Women are excited to announce applications are now being accepted for the annual Renewal & Recovery Retreat, a five night/six day In-Person Survivor Retreat for Military Service Academy (MSA) alumnae who are survivors of sexual assault, taking place from 14 - 19 October 2026 in Ohio. This is a very special opportunity to experience an immersive healing experience with other service academy alumnae, and will be facilitated by Rooted Within, an all women-led facilitator team. This retreat brings together up to 24 women survivors of sexual assault to build connection, shared understanding, and renewal in a warm, highly supportive community.

 

Past events have been profoundly healing for attendees. “This retreat was life-changing forme. For the first time, I was able to open up about my experiences with other veterans in a space that felt truly safe. Being surrounded by women I deeply respect—who have endured similar challenges and continue to move forward with strength and dignity—created a level of healing and connection I have not found elsewhere, even in one-on-one therapy.” Spots to attend are highly limited so don't delay: email Karen at [email protected] to receive your application or ask any questions about the retreat. See the attached infographic and this application information link for details."

 

When the first class of the Air Force Academy arrived at Lowry Air Force in Denver, they were welcomed with an air show featuring bombers and fighter jets. “Most of us were overwhelmed,” recalled retired Col. Max Miller, the president of the Class of 1959. They were allowed to watch the show, but some were too nervous to look up after an intense few hours learning to march on their first day, recalled retired Gen. Bradley Hosmer. Young officers from West Point and Annapolis were charged with training the 306 cadets who showed up on 11 July 1955, to Lowry, Miller said. The base with its World War II barracks would be home for the next three years because the campus in Colorado Springs had not been built yet.

Naval Academy Athletics News

Staubach ’65 named to The Sporting News College Football All-Decade All-America Team

Former Navy quarterback and 1963 Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach ’65 has been named to The Sporting News College Football 1960s All-Decade All-America Team. The honor recognizes the greatest college football players of the decade, with Staubach selected at quarterback alongside a roster that includes numerous future Pro Football Hall of Famers. Staubach led Navy to a 9-1 record and a Cotton Bowl appearance in 1963 while capturing the Heisman Trophy. Known as “Captain America,” he later enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys and remains one of the most celebrated players in Navy football history.

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