“A Strenuous Life” Inspiration to Exercise from Navy History

by LT E.J.A. Prevoznak, National Museum of the American Sailor Volunteer

New year, new you, as they say, and one of the most popular ways to find a “new you” is by resolving to get into better physical shape. The ushering in of the new year has many hoping they can lose weight, gain muscle, and perhaps even participate in a physical fitness or sporting competition. However, numerous studies show most people who make health and fitness-oriented resolutions quit before February 1. Fitness app Strava has dubbed January 17 “Quitter’s Day.”¹ Other reports state the best time to buy fitness equipment is in February because most fitness resolutions have failed, and remaining equipment is put on steep discount.² Many people fail because they do not strive to live a “strenuous life” as Theodore Roosevelt famously declared.³ Teddy’s quote underscores an important element that many fitness resolutions lack – consistency to inspire them throughout the year. For sailors, failing to maintain their fitness resolutions can come with a steep price, which is why sailors make great inspiration for those seeking to turn around their physical fitness.

USS Sanctuary: An Experiment in Integration

by Tricia Menke, Curator of Education at the National Museum of the American Sailor

When President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into effect on June 12, 1948, it did not automatically translate into ‘smooth sailing’ for women in the United States Navy. Despite the act’s signing, the Navy continued to segregate men and women, both during training and while in service. For many female sailors in the post-World War II era, the fight for equal opportunity remained. In perhaps the most obvious instance of inequality, it would be an additional two decades before women were allowed to serve at sea, side-by-side with their male shipmates.

A Life of Valor: The Navy’s Most Decorated Enlisted Sailor

by Tricia Menke, NMAS Curator of Education

The stories of sailors from the American Revolution to today consistently highlight the  Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment. in the s. Yet perhaps no sailor embodies these ideals more fully than Boatswain’s Mate First Class James Elliot “Willie” Williams. Over the course of Williams’ almost twenty-year career, he continuously demonstrated the leadership and dedication necessary to become the most decorated enlisted sailor in Navy history.

Beyond the Lens

by Faith Thrun, NMAS 2021 Collections Intern

As the saying goes, a photograph is worth a thousand words, but what happens when you have an entire archive filled with photographs from dozens of people and time periods? The stories contained in the photographs at the National Museum of the American Sailor tell a range of stories from individuals that combine to tell the collective experience of the enlisted sailor. Although the main subjects are the protagonists of these stories, it is also important to look at the context behind them as well. These details are what build the stories of the people in them and who took them. 

Scurvy Me Timbers

By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Deputy Director

It’s that time of year again where we enter into the heart of winter. While many of us now wrap ourselves in warm blankets, eat soup with healthy vegetables, and grab any fruit imaginable off the grocery store shelf, sailors in the past were not always so lucky.

Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery Tour on October 13, 2018

By Dan Smaczny, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator

The National Museum of the American Sailor invites the public to attend our annual Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery Tour on October 13, 2018 at 10:00am and 2:00 pm.

Blood Chits: Say What Now?

By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator

What exactly is a blood chit? The term “blood chit” comes from “chit”, British slang for a note, and “blood” possibly comes from the blood downed pilots might have spilled in front of confused foreign civilians. Simply put, blood chits are notes written in local languages meant to be presented to any civilian who might be able to help a lost service member in foreign territory. Typically, blood chits are sewn into the back of flight vests, jackets, and suits, making them easy to carry and find.

One Among Thousands: The First African American Navy Women

By Martin Tuohy, National Museum of the American Sailor Archivist

Since America’s earliest decades, African American women lived and worked maritime lives. Today, the U.S. Navy reflects that truth; African American women are seasoned sailors.  But who chose to be the Navy’s first African American women sailors, and why?

New Year’s Deck Log Poems: What Rhymes with Lovell?

By Dan Smaczny, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator

U.S. Navy vessels record events like inspections, speed changes, and their location in a chronological manner in official deck logs. Logs are sent to the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C. and stored for thirty years before being transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration. Deck logs are usually written in a matter-of-fact style with one exception, the first deck log entry of the New Year.

Dog Tags and Infamy: Remembering Pearl Harbor

By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy.” During the Japanese attack, 2,403 Americans were killed, of them 2,008 were sailors with another 710 sailors wounded. In total, the Navy lost eighteen ships including five battleships.