Evening star., 1942-10-25
HaIsey Has Taken
Big Role in War
In South Pacific
New Chief of Naval Forces
There Led Roid on Gilbert
And Marshall Islands

And Marshall Islands
Vice Admiral William Frederick
Halsey, Jr.. new chief of naval forces
IN the South Pacific, was born to the
Navy and has devoted his life to
that branch of the Nations fight
Ing forces. az
This shaggy browed former Wash
mgtonian, nearing his Goth year,
has taken leading role in the Pa
cif1c war and Navy logs show he
has done good job.
Admiral Halsey commanded forces
that avenged Wake Island. He led
the attack on the Gilbert and Mar
shall Islands.
Air fighters under his command
Ignore the "if feasible" phrase usu-
ally appended to all directives for
action. With Admiral Halsey, they
say, everything is feasible; the job
is not completed until the farthest
objective has been struck.
No "Ifs" In Vocabulary.
The vengeance raid on Wake was
good example of this attitude.
The raiders were given their or
ders with Wake Island as their main
objective. Then there was an "if
feasible" order to strike Marquis
Island, Japanese plane ferrying
base. Both phases of the raid were
completed. Admiral Halsey's flyers
know there are no eff" clauses in
their commanders fighting vocabu-
larry.
Admiral Halsey's promotion is the
second honor he has received since
the war started.
Last February President Roose-
velt awarded him the Distinguished
Service Medal for his command of
the force that attacked Marshall
Island.
This citation accompanied the
award: For distinguished service
in a duty Of great responsibility as
commander of the Marshall raiding
force, United States Pacific Fleet,
and especially for his brilliant and
audacious attack against the Mar
shall and Gilbert Islands on Jan
uary 81. 1912. BY his great skill
and determination this drive in
f1lcted heavy damage to enemy ships
and planes"
Admirals Other Medals.
This is the most coveted of all
MS awards, which include the Navy
Cross, Mexican Service Medal, the
Victory Medal with clasp, the Gold
Cross OF the Chevalier of the Order
OF the Savior, presented by Greece,
and the AL Merito, First Glass, of
the Chilean government. Added to
these is the American Service
Medal, feet clasp.
Admiral Halseys love for the
Navy is an inheritance from his
father, William Frederick Halsey,
a Navy captain. who died in 1928.
Admiral Halsey was born October
81, 1882. in Elizabeth, N. j., and in
1900 was appointed to the Naval
Academy by President Mckinley.
His first command, 1911 to 1913.
was the destroyer Fluszer. He went
TO the bridge of the U. S. S. Jarvis
Tor Two years and then spent two
years on the executive staff at the
Naval Academy.
Admiral Halseys was ordered to
Queenstown, Ireland, at the height
OF the World War for duty with
the destroyer force, and his World
war accomplishments won him the
Navy Cross with this citation:
For distinguished service in the
line of his profession as command
Ing officer of the U. S. S. Benham
and the U. S. S. Shaw, engaged in
the important, exacting and hazard
Gus duty of patroling the water in
tested with enemy submarines and
mines, in escorting and protecting
vitally important conveys of troops
and supplies through these waters,
and in offensive and defensive ac-
ton, vigorously and unremittingly
prosecuted against all forms CT en-
emy naval activity"
Served as Naval Attache.
Admiral Halsey was in command
OF the destroyers Chauncey, John
Francis Burnes and Wickes, in that
order, during 1920 and 1921.
Later he was taken from the
bridge Of the U. S. S. Great North
ern to become naval attache of the
American Embassy in Berlin. In
addition he served as naval attache
at Christiana, Norway; Copenhagen,
Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden.
In 1924 he commanded the U. S.
s. Dale and the following year was
transferred to the Osborne. Next
he served as executive officer of the
battleship Wyoming, and later was
placed in command of the U. S. S.
Reina Mercedes, station ship at the
Naval Academy. He served at An
napolis for three years, leaving in
1880 to command Destroyer Squad
ron IA, Scouting Fleet.
After completing the course at
the Naval War College, Newport, R.
l., he took charge of the recruit
ing training school at the Naval
Training Station, Norfolk, Va.
Completing a course at the Army
War College early in 1884, Admiral
Halsey enrolled at the Naval Air
Station at Pensacola, Fla, and quail
ified as a naval aviator.
Admiral Halsey served as COM
manding officer of the aircraft car
rier Saratoga from July, 1885, to
June. 1887, and for one year was
commandant of the station at Pen
sacola. In June, 1898, he became
commander of Carrier Division 2,
Aircraft, Battle Force, and was in
charge of organizing and training
new aviation sduadrons for the