US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

The First Thirty Years 45
Ensign Turner had dreamed again about having shore duty before his
initial five years’ sea service was completed, and particularly he had dreamed
about it in January 19 I I, and in May 1912, when he officially requested
shore duty via the postgraduate route. However, it was not until 30 Septem-
ber 1913, that Lieutenant (junior grade) Turner with five years of sea
service and watchstanding under his belt, reported into the Naval Academy
for postgraduate instruction in Ordnance. Three years later, and after several
disturbing sea duty interruptions, he had his postgraduate degree, and was
headed for a job in the Gunnery Department of the Flagship of the U. S.
Atlantic Fleet, the good ship Pennsylvania. However, the interruptions at sea
gave him his first amphibious training, since he had been a midshipman.
In the fall of 1913, there were 13 of the Class of 1908 and one oi%cer
who had come up from the ranks in the “Under Instruction, Naval Academy”
category. Ten of Lieutenant (junior grade) Turner’s classmates came from
the first 15 percent of the 1908 graduating class. Four were taking the postgraduate
courses in Ordnance, the rest in Engineering or Electrical Engineer-
ing. The competition was bound to be intelligent, determined, and tough.’”
Lieutenant ( jg) Turner almost didn’t stay at postgraduate instruction.
The Bureau of Navigation, having in August 1913 ordered him to post-
graduate duty, five months later, discovered that he had not signed an
“Agreement of Post Graduate students to serve eight years in the Navy.”
So the Bureau sent him the form to sign.
Lieutenant (junior grade) Turner bounced it back with the following
letter:
1. Returned herewith unsigned is Enclosure (A) transmitted to me with
Bureau’s letter above referred to.
2. This agreement is unsigned for the following reasons: that I was ordered
to the Post Graduate Course without having requested the assignment, and did
not at the time know of the existence of the agreement nor that its projection
was contemplated; that I beIieve the agreement should be presented at the
time of issuing orders to this duty and an opportunity be given for a free
decision at that time without detriment to the officer concerned, instead of at
this time when several months have been spent in the course with no knowledge
of the existence of the agreement; that while I have every intention
never to leave the Navy, I desire not to engage unqualifiedly to remain in
the Navy. . . .’20
The Bureau could easily have judged this letter harshly and bounced its
author to the Asiatic Station, since the other three Ordnance students signed
“ Naval Regi~/er, 1 Jan. 1914,
‘mBUNAV letter 25545/145D of 6 Mar. 1914 and RKT reply.