Green Faces, Blue Jeans: Blue Jeans during Vietnam

by Tricia Menke, NMAS Curator of Education

The jungles of Vietnam in the midst of the Vietnam War may not seem like the best place to make a fashion statement, but the U.S. Navy SEALs have never played by the rules. The “men with green faces” quickly discovered upon arrival in Vietnam that the climate was harsh and Navy-issued pants were not necessarily cut out for the environment. To contend with the pests and the unforgiving jungle, SEALs turned to a tried and true American classic: the blue jean.

“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.

Standing Watch in Santa Hats: Holidays at Sea

by Tricia Menke, NMAS Curator of Education

The twinkling of bells and Burl Ives fill the air with holiday cheer, with a nip of snow in the wind and arms laden with bright shopping bags filled with toys. The magic of the holiday season is upon Americans from coast to coast. Meanwhile, sailors are standing watch in the cold and in the heat, always vigilant, no matter the date on the calendar. The Navy’s mission never stops, but that doesn’t mean sailors don’t find ways to celebrate December’s major holidays.

Gratitude During the Storm: Thankfulness in a Sailor’s Life

By LT Jamieson Prevoznak, Museum Volunteer

The Grateful Dead song, “Lost Sailor” sings the tale of a lonely seafarer who has “been way too long at sea.” On the ship, the compass is spinning uncontrollably and there is no one at the helm. The “ghost wind” is blowing, calling to the sailor, saying there is “no place in this world you can be.”¹ Many sailors know this feeling, but the winds of gratitude and thankfulness is what propels them back to safe harbors.

We Were Into This Very Much Before It Was Cool: Sea Shanties and the United States Navy Sailor

by Dr. Jennifer Searcy, Museum Director and Tricia Menke, Curator of Education

In 2021, the United States Navy Band released a sea shanty-styled cover of popular music singer and songwriter Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” The cover became a viral hit with hundreds of thousands of views and introduced the United States Navy Band to new audiences. When promoting a video of the cover, the Navy’s Chief of Information and Office of Information (CHINFO) highlighted the United States Navy sailor’s long relationship with the sea shanty genre, tweeting “We were into this very much before it was cool.”

Hitler, Reporting for Duty

by Tricia Menke, NMAS Curator of Education

It’s 1944 and a dark-haired young man enters a New York City U.S. Navy recruiting office. The officer on duty asks the same question he’s asked hundreds of young men, but the officer is about to get an unexpected answer. “What’s your name, son?” “Hitler.” The recruiting officer laughs at the ‘joke’ and replies, “Glad to meet you Hitler. I’m Hess.”[i]

Except it was no joke. The dark-haired young man really is named Hitler and he shares more than just a last name with the Nazi leader. He’s William Patrick Hitler, Adolf Hitler’s nephew, and he’s joining the United States Navy. It may come as a surprise that Hitler’s blood relative was joining the Allies, but William’s relationship with his uncle was already famously tumultuous.

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.

Finding Love in Service

By Kim Ortega, NMAS Museum Technician

Joining the U.S. Navy comes with the beginnings of many new things. From learning a new way to speak, the proper way to march and salute, all the way to honing their specializations in time to join the fleet. However, one of the things that isn’t necessarily expected is finding or nurturing new relationships, including young love. Here at the National Museum of the American Sailor, we often hear stories of how someone’s enlisted grandfather met his future bride, a Navy WAVE, during World War II at a USO dance. Or a sailor stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes met a local girl and married her during or after the war. Examples of this unexpected “perk” can be found throughout several collections in the National Museum of the American Sailor’s permanent collection.

Boots on Ice: The U.S. Navy in Antarctica

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

“Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.”[1] – Admiral Richard E. Byrd

From Commander Charles Wilkes early exploration in 1839 to 2019’s Operation Deep Freeze, United States Navy Sailors called upon the “resources dwelling within them,” when it came to braving the bitter cold of Antarctica.