Believe it or not (for those of us who remember the older man as President), this is Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Commander) Gerald R. Ford, during his assignment to the USS Monterey, a ship which, along with his fire crew comrades, he made a great and courageous contribution to saving from the internal conflagration caused by igniting aircraft fuel.  Ford fulfilled a number of duties on the ship, including physical training officer (he was a former American football star at college), and assistant navigator.  Best regards, JR.

Red-White-and-Blue Hero - Gerald R. Ford.

Light aircraft carrier USS Monterey engaged in battle with Mother Nature - and not doing so very well, December 1944.  

The USS Monterey was commissioned in June, 1943, and took part in numerous operations in the Pacific until December, 1944.  This month found her with Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey's Third Fleet off the Phillipines.  Advised of the approach of Typhoon Cobra by Hawaiian weather stations, but relying (perhaps too heavily) on their advice as to its likely path, Halsey discontinued refueling operations, but elected to keep the Fleet on station in what turned out to the direct path of the typhoon.  In the early stages of the storm's advance - at which time it appeared that it would be possible to ride out its "near miss", the Fleet lost a number of aircraft (which could not land due to the turbulence) but managed to recover the pilots.  Later, however, the Fleet suffered the storm's full wrath, with ships being tossed around by 70-foot waves.  Halsey was forced to order all ships to make their best way to safety (some of them had already been forced to do so).  Not all made it.  Several destroyers went down, some 150 aircraft were destroyed in their bays on the carriers, and over 800 men died.   A court of enquiry later criticized Halsey's judgment in the situation, but did not recommend disciplinary action.

In the case of USS Monterey, the main problem, in this watery maelstrom, was fire.  Aircraft in the hanger bays were torn loose from their moorings like the loose cannons of old; however, in this case, they were fuelled up for action and, on collision with each other, tended to explode.  Soon, the ship was burning internally "from end to end".

That the ship survived this was down to the ship's firefighting crew, led by one Lieutenant Gerald Ford.  After several hours, they managed to put out the fires, thus saving many comrades, and the ship, at great risk to their own lives.  The ship made it to land, but was declared unfit for service, and remained so to the end of the war.  However, most of the crew lived to fight another day.  Including Lieutenant Ford, who was eventually honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and went on to become President of the United States.  Best regards, JR.

"Halsey's Typhoon" - USS Monterey in trouble.

Aviation cadets await their training sessions at Kingsville Field, NATC, Corpus Christi, Texas, November 1942.  Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs. (Navy)
Exact Date Shot Unknown
NARA FILE #:  080-G-475184
WAR &amp; CONFLICT BOOK #:  734