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Arleigh Burke

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (October 1, 1901-January 1, 1996)
    Born in Boulder, Colorado
    Admiral in the United States Navy and hero of WWII and the Korean War
    Awards included; the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Legion of Merit four times
    Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy presidencies
    BS from the Naval Academy and a MS from the University of Michigan
    Namesake of the Arleigh Burke class, guided missile destroyers, the primary surface warfare ship of the United States Navy.

Why he might be annoying:

    He didn't graduate high school and only got into the Naval Academy as an alternate.
    When he was made Chief of Naval Operation, he was only a two star admiral and was promoted to a four star admiral over far more senior officers which caused some resentment.
    He got along with civilian politicians waaay too well.
    For better or worse, his ideas for the Navy cost billions of dollars.
    He was kind of funny looking.
    He smoked.

Why he might not be annoying:

    A commander of a destroyer task force during WWII, he was known for his aggressiveness, ordering his ship's captains, 'Destroyer are to attack the enemy on contact' and once said, 'The difference between a good officer and a poor one is about ten seconds.'
    Two of his decorations were for rescuing trapped sailors on damaged ships.
    He was a tremendous worker; fifteen hour days six days a week was reportedly his norm and was described as an 'excellent leader and manager.'
    He was behind the idea and the move to place nuclear missiles on nuclear submarines.
    He supported strong fail-safe measures to prevent the accidental launch of nuclear missiles.
    His three tours as Chief of Naval Operations was a record.
    He's one of the few people in the history of the modern US Navy to have ship named after them while they were still alive.
    His headstone at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland reads simply - 'Sailor.'

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 209 Votes: 51.20% Annoying