The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-02-19


world. It will be read with interest
by all here, especially by Older eiti-
zens who remember Frank Fletcher
as boy: ..
WHO is this man Fletcher of whom
We hear so much these days, where
did he come from, and what is the
secret of the great confidence that
President Wilson, Secretary OF the
Navy Daniels, and everybody else who
knows him or anything about him
has in him. Is question that has
been asked many times recently by
those of the American people who
have kept in touch with the situation
in revolution-rackcd Mexico o..
Only last week Secretary Daniels,
speaking in Baltimore to gathering
of men of affairs. took occasion to
emphasize the fact that the reason
Rear Admiral Frank +. Fletcher. U.
S. NJ, is kept in Mexican waters is
because both the president and my
self have the: utmost confidence in
the ability, the discretion and the
tact of Admiral Fletcher" But oven
Secretary Daniels, we're he asked to
I tell you something about the talented
swer that about all he knew Of Fetch
| or was that he was efficient and cap.
| able. and also that his reputation i'm
the service was that Of an officer who
| is a strict disciplinarian, of quick de.
| cision, always the master of himself
and any situation that he faces, absO-
| lutely just in all his dealings with
those who are under his command and
| loyal to the last degree to the coun
! try and the government he serves.
If you look in Who's Who in Am
erica" you will find a paragraph about
Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher,
but about all that you will find out
will be that he was born in Iowa,
that he was graduated from Annap-
oils, in 1875, that he has held various
commands, afoat and ashore, and that
at the present time he is one of the
| division commanders Of the United
States Atlantic fleet.
So this little sketch is intended to
give the American people a little ad-
ditional information concerning this
man of action and efficiency, who at
this moment is exercising to "the en-
tire satisfaction of the president" the
! most important command that has de-
volved upon any officer of the Ameri-
can navy since the Battle of San
tiago.
To begin with. the boyhood of the
man whose pennant flies from the
foremost of the battleship Louisiana,
the flagship of the Third division of
the United States Atlantic feet, he
was born near tile little Iowa city OF
Oskaloosa, Nov. %, 1855. He was q
wide-awakc, very smart. and strictly
on the square country boy. who i'm.
proved his every opportunity, and So
it was that soon. after he celebrated
his fifteenth birthday he decided TO
enter the lists for the Annapolis ap.
pointment from the Fourth Iowa con.
gressional district. The yOungster
had prepared himself for the test and
when the examination was held he
won the appointment with flying col.
Ors. Ftl- Z. ~
The Naval Academy during the five
years that Fletcher was there mum.
bered among its. midshipmen a great
number of youngsters who were des.
tined to make brilliant record in
tlreir countrys service. Charles J.
Badger, now the commander in chief
of the Atlantic feet. was one class
ahead. of Fletcher: Frank T.. Beatty,
named the other day as the success,
sor Of Cameron MGR. WinSlow, was
one class behind, while Winslow, who
just now shares with Fletcher the
best chance OF being the next com.
nlander In chief of the feet, was a
classmate.
Others I'm the academy with FletCll.
or were Bradley A. Fiskc, Nathaniel
II. Usher, Reginald Fairfax Nichol.
son, Austin Melvin Wright, and
Thomas Benton Howard, of Carabao
fame. every one mentioned now cx.
erGising the flag rank, two as com,
manders in chief of feet. and at least
one other, Howard. as the designated
future commander of the AsiatiC
feet 49,.
In June. 1875, Fletcher was grad.
uated one of the honor men of bril-
liant class For a single year he
! served as midShipman on sea scrv-
ice, and In 1876, just one year and
one month after his graduation, he
! was made an ensign, his first promo.
ton.
| AS an ensign, Fletcher served in
| the various fleets into which the serv.
ice afioat was then divided. He was,
as a brother officer who served with
him in those days put ii last week, a
studious officer a great observer, a
man who minded his own business.
and one who was learning all the
| time. He made a specially of ord
nance, i'm which branch of the service
| he was subsequently TO become one
of the nayy's greatest authorities, as
| well as an inventor of note. f'". s..
On April l.. 1882, Ensign Fletcher
was congratulated by his brother Of
ficers on his promotion to lieuten.
ancy of the junior grade. Seven years
pass and Lieutenant Fletcher has be.
come one of the best known of the
younger ordnance experts in the navy.
The men of the navy who do things
and talk little appreciate him, but the
people generally then, as now. knew
little of the gifted man from Iowa
and the future commander off Vera
Cruz and Tampico, in 1918, Ten
years pass and the records show that
Fletcher is now a full-hedged lieuten.
ant of the senior grade and still
climbing, and now recognized as one
of the services most talented officers
and one of the really great ordnance
experts of the navy.
A fau mora wars and tho Gnanich