June’s Sack Lunch Presentation – “Admiral Eddie – The Story of America’s
Greatest Naval Aviator” featuring author/grandson Edward O.M. Barry
Let’s shine our historical microscope onto the first half of the 20th century,
focusiing our view down from universally-known global events all the way to one
single man, Edward Orrick McDonnell….and what he and his life can inform us both
of American exceptionalism, and, the power of ideas informing life choices and
actions. Our guide along this month’s Sack Lunch historical path was Edward Orrick
McDonnell’s adopted grandson, Edward Orrick McDonnell Barry. A compelling
ideological path it was…!
Edward O. (“Admiral Eddie”) McDonnell (1891-1960) entered this world about
the time the effects flowing from the life activities of this month’s “John Wesleys”
had begun to influence the daily lives of Americans in general: Colorado became a
state in 1876; John Wesley Powell’s life work was nearing its end and most
Americans likely knew more about “the mountain west” (which Powell explored,
documented and mapped) than had their parents when they were of similar ages);
Colorado was in the process of becoming “a settled state” everywhere within its
borders, and its two big industries of that day (cattle and mining) were being joined
by agriculture. Save for the inevitable layering effects of the ongoing industrial
revolution (telegraph, telephone, electricity, today’s “high tech,” etc.), most
Coloradans of that time would easily recognize today’s Colorado.
Eddie McDonnell was born into a world and United States soon to experience
global events (e.g. world wars) and staggering technical inventions (e.g. airplanes
and ultimately easy global travel). Though “the western frontier” had been officially
declared “settled” (and thus vanished) by 1890, the nation still seethed with
youthful vigor and optimism. Youngsters like Eddie were raised in environments
encouraging them to seek a life of service to mankind and their nation…to help
build something bigger than themselves. I don’t know if the concept of “American
exceptionalism” was one Eddie ever encountered in his lifetime, but his life arc
epitomized it from the time he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1908
until he was murdered (along with 33 others) by a mentally disturbed, suicidal, man
who packed a bomb into his carry-on luggage on an airline flight. Author Edward
O.M. Barry, with enthusiasm and energy, did a great job of conveying some of the
essence of a grandfather he never knew to June’s Sack Lunch audience. I suspect
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Admiral Eddie would have been proud of a grandson having zero blood-relation to
him, just as he was proud of the daughter whose adoption efforts added her Dad’s
namesake to her pre-existing family. Author Edward O.M. Barry was born just 3
weeks after his adoptive mother’s father was murdered. And so, although June’s
Sack Lunch topic was nominally about Admiral Eddie, it was also inextricably about
its presenter as well, even though Edward Barry (as distinct from Admiral Eddie)
made no attempt to focus on that aspect. It just “was.”
That noted, because Edward Barry’s book (Admiral Eddie can be borrowed
from the Brush library…been there, done that [and bought a personal copy as
well]!), I’ll make no attempt here to synopsize Admiral Eddie’s exceptional American
life, choosing instead to focus on a few philosophic aspects associated with Edward
Barry’s presentation…and there are many which spring to mind.
As a history fan, I enjoyed Admiral Eddie, which at perhaps its simplest level
can be accurately described as a paean to a little-known WW-II admiral. “Littleknown?” you ask. History books routinely mention (e.g.) Admirals Ernest King,
Chester Nimitz, William (“Bull”) Halsey, Frank-Jack Fletcher, and others because
they were at the leadership tip of the U.S. Navy’s WW-II Pacific spear…career naval
officers all. Some accounts even mention Admiral John McCain, Sr., one of many
admirals leading sub-task forces under the Halseys and Fletchers of the Navy. But
save for the inadvertent and entirely unexpected (by U.S. forces) engagement
during the Philippines’ invasion, east of the San Bernardino Strait, between the main
Japanese gun-fleet and a “jeep-carrier-based” guard-force (which rightly could have
been expected to be annihilated by the overwhelming Japanese Fleet forces), only
rarely is a “jeep carrier” task force commander named in general-audience
historical accounts. Before reading Admiral Eddie I’d never encountered his name.
Historically speaking Admiral Eddie had the “misfortune” to earn his
Congressional Medal of Honor (the nation’s highest military honor) in a “little war,”
while a mere ensign, and without (obviously/directly/measurably) saving lives of
“grunt brothers” around him. He did so while waving signal flags…under fire for 2
days while men were killed and wounded around him. He exhibited courage in great
measure. Four months later the Great War broke out, focusing the world’s attention
elsewhere for the next two decades; “banana republic wars” instantly moved to –
and remain on – the back pages of history.
Eddie remained on active naval duty until shortly after the armistice, when a
service airplane he was piloting crashed, nearly costing him his life, and forced his
retirement from active naval duty….he subsequently joined the naval reserves. As a
civilian once more, he made his way as an investment banker during the booming
1920s and the not-so-booming 1930s, while maintaining friendships with naval
contemporaries among other significant life-contacts. One friendship was with
Ernest J. King, who ultimately became FDR’s Chief of Naval Operations (the Navy’s
highest position) throughout WW-II, and a man of historically notoriously prickly
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disposition, who suffered no fools. Eddie managed to convince King to secure him a
battle command, something practically unheard of in the tradition-bound U.S. Navy
for flag-level reserve officers, and he was one of the tens of thousands of
unheralded men operating – sometimes under fire – in support of fighting men on
the front lines. He commanded a jeep-carrier-based supply task force in the central
and western Pacific. In total, he served his country in active and reserve capacities
for 43 years, as a grunt, pioneer aviator, and ultimately task force commander.
After the war he continued to carve as a private citizen an arc among
business leaders that most business school undergraduates would kill for if they
could define their business futures. All of this and more is chronicled in Edward
Barry’s Admiral Eddie. His truly was a life epitomizing American greatness both as
an ideal and in fact, and a grandson he never knew first learned most of it from the
stories and accompanying pictures, artifacts, etc., shared with him by a loving
mother whose greatest life shock was losing her beloved father due to the actions
of an unhinged mind. At that, Edward’s mother arguably suffered less enduring
anguish than did Admiral Eddie himself, who lost his only son in WW-II in the North
African theater, shot down in a P-40 over the Mediterranean. The loss wasn’t only
directly tragic, but doubly so as it adversely affected his – eventually alcoholic – wife
for the rest of their lives.
In closing, June’s Sack Lunch speaker, Edward Barry, is a very lucky
man…who knows it and daily appreciates how he was so incredibly fortunate to be
adopted into a loving family lacking nothing in the way of economic security and
privilege. As the father of 3 children, college graduates all, each solidly established
making their roads through life while concurrently trying to justify their existences
economically and morally, Mr. Barry has chosen to dedicate this time of his life to
honoring his mother and grandfather by – nominally – using the example of his
grandfather’s remarkable suite of life experiences as a hook to inspire generations
coming behind him. Time being the final arbiter of all things, a measure of his
success can be sensed simply from knowing Admiral Eddie will be an item supplied
by the U.S. Navy to every incoming Annapolis Naval Academy cadet. Meanwhile, Mr.
Barry enjoys personally spreading word of his grandfather’s life, and proselytizing
those aspects of it he strove mightily to inculcate into his own offspring as moral
and life guidelines…a value system, if you will. June’s attendees benefited!
Lest you imagine what you are reading is one person’s projection of his own
core beliefs onto another’s words, here are some paraphrased statements made by
Mr. Barry during his presentation:
- “What’s going on in D.C. is a disgrace.” (General audience applause)
- “American exceptionalism consists of critical thinking applied to recognizing
problems and solving problems related to them.” (Admiral Eddie did this throughout
his life.)
6 - Mr. Barry’s proudest achievement is “my 3 children.” (One accompanied his dad to
our Museum presentation, the day after climbing 14,068’ Mt. Humboldt in the
Sangre de Cristo Range the day before. He modestly admitted to feeling “a bit sore,
today,” while volunteering it’s considered one of the easier fourteeners to climb. No
self-puffery visible! He also admitted to having made [at least?] one unsuccessful
attempt to climb Longs Peak.)
Thank you Mr. Edward O.M. Barry!
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