People

People

Admiral (Ret) Cecil D. Haney

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1955, Admiral Haney attended D.C. public schools before graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978. His career as a Submariner included assignments aboard USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN-630), USS Frank Cable (AS-40), USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), USS Asheville (SSN-758), and Submarine Squadron 8, culminating in command of USS Honolulu (SSN-718) as well as multiple shore assignments. Admiral Haney retired after serving as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command as a four-star Admiral, which is the highest rank in the U.S. Navy.
Learn more
People

Charlotte L. Berry

Charlotte L. Berry was born in 1897 and graduated from Washington Business High School in 1915. She took her secretarial skills to the Navy Department and in 1916 petitioned Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels for an appointment in the Navy to free men for combat duty by relieving them of clerical responsibilities; he said no. In March 1917, with the U.S. entry into war imminent and the Navy desperate for clerks and stenographers, he changed his mind and Mrs. Winters and her sister, Sophie, enlisted. By the end of WW I, over 11,000 women, designated Yeoman (F), served as clerks, translators, recruiters, camouflage designers, fingerprint experts, and nurses. Yeoman Winters served as a clerk at the Navy Yard until her discharge in 1919. She then served as a civilian secretary until her retirement in 1953. She was the oldest surviving female who had served in WW I at the time of her death in 2007.
Learn more

Attorney Kerwin E. Miller, Esq

A Third Generation Washingtonian and military veteran, Attorney Miller graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975, serving as a Surface Warfare Officer.  Graduating Cum Laude from the Howard University School of Law, Attorney Miller earned his Master of Laws Degree in 1989 from the George Washington University National Law Center.  Appointed as a law clerk to Judge Shellie F. Bowers, he later served as an attorney in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of General Counsel (OGC), where he was awarded the Secretary of VA’s’ Outstanding Volunteer Award. DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams appointed–and the DC Council unanimously confirmed–Attorney Miller as the Director of the newly established DC Office of Veterans Affairs.  He was reappointed by Mayor Adrian Fenty until retiring in 2008. Inducted into the 2019 Washington DC Hall of Fame, Attorney Miller was awarded the Politics and Government Legacy Award for his lifelong committed public service to the DC Community.  
Learn more

First Class Fireman John Rush

The first Washingtonian to receive the Medal of Honor (MOH) was First Class Fireman (F1) John Rush.  Born 21 February 1837, John enlisted in 1856, serving aboard USS Powhatan on China Station before being assigned to USS Richmond as part of Admiral Farragut’s squadron to blockade Confederate ports.  On 14 March 1863, the squadron headed up river towards the enemy port.  Damaged by a 6-inch solid rifle shot which shattered the starboard safety-valve chamber and port safety value, USS Richmond was forced to withdraw.  Realizing the ship was in danger of exploding, F1 Rush and three others wrapped wet cloth around their faces, entering the steam-filled steam room to haul out the fires, relieving one another when overcome by heat.  Their actions saved the ship;  Secretary of the Navy Welles presented the MOH on 10 July 1863.  After the war, he returned to DC and worked at the Treasury Department until resigning due to his war disability.  He died 29 April 1916 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  
Learn more
People

Admiral (Ret) Joseph Paul Reason

Born in 1941, Admiral Reason graduated from McKinley Technical High School in 1958 and attended a number of universities before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated in 1965 and entered the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program serving onboard USS Truxton (DLGN-35), USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Mississippi (CGN-40), and commanded the USS Coontz (DDG-40) and later the USS Bainbridge (CGN-25). Admiral Reason served in multiple shore commands, including as the naval aide to President Jimmy Carter, and was the first African American promoted to four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet before retiring in 1999.
Learn more
People

Rear Admiral (Ret) Sinclair Harris

A native of Washington, D.C., Admiral Harris attended Gonzaga College High School and later graduated from James Madison University. His early sea assignments included tours aboard USS Long Beach (CGN-9), USS Vincennes (CG-49), USS Jarrett (FFG-33), USS Coronado (AFG-11), USS Benfold (DDG-65) and commanded USS Comstock (LSD-45). During his command tour, he supported Operation Enduring Freedom as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as a non-combatant evacuation of Lebanon in 2006. Admiral Harris served in multiple shore assignments including as the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet and Vice Director for Operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff before retiring in 2015.
Learn more
History

John Philip Sousa

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1854, John Philip Sousa served as a Navy bandmaster from 1917 to 1919. Known most often for his work as head of the United States Marine Band in the late 19th century and his own band in the early 20th century, Sousa was brought back into naval service during World War I at the record age of 62. He was commissioned a lieutenant commander in the United States Naval Reserve and led the Navy Band at Great Lakes Naval Station outside of Chicago, Ill. This marked the first time any Navy musician became a commissioned officer. Among his best-known marches are "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (National March of the United States of America) and "Semper Fidelis" (official march of the United States Marine Corps).
Learn more
History

John W. Warner

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1927, John William Warner served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, and was a five-term U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 2009. Warner enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II in January 1945, shortly before his 18th birthday. He served until the following year, leaving as a Petty Officer Third Class. After the outbreak of the Korean War, Warner joined the United States Marine Corps in October 1950, and served in Korea as a ground aircraft maintenance officer with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Warner's service continued in the Marine Corps Reserves, and he eventually attained the rank of Captain.
Learn more