TENNESSEE PATRIOT
TENNESSEE PATRIOT
THE NAVAL CAREER OF VICE ADMIRAL
WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE, U.S. NAVY
WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE AND ROSARIO RAUSA
NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS
Annapolis, Maryland
The latest edition of the work has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
© 2006 by Mrs. William P. Lawrence and Rosario Rausa
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-61251-443-7 (eBook)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Lawrence, William P.
Tennessee patriot: the naval career of Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence, U.S. Navy / William P. Lawrence with Rosario Rausa.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Lawrence, William P. 2. Admirals—United States—Biography. 3. United States. Navy—Biography. 4. United States—History, Naval--20th century. 5. United States Naval Academy—Biography. 6. Fighter pilots—United States—Biography. 7. Vietnam War, 1961-1975—Prisoners and prisons, American. 8. Prisoners of war—United States—Biography. 9. Prisoners of war—Vietnam—Biography. 10. Nashville (Tenn.)—Biography. I. Rausa, Rosario. II. Title.
E840.5.L39A3 2006
359.0092--dc22
[B]
2006019674
Print editions meet the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
131211109876987654321
CONTENTS
Foreword
Prologue
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
Chapter One. Nashville
Chapter Two. Annapolis
Chapter Three. Training Command
Chapter Four. Alan Shepard and the Mangy Angels
Chapter Five. Fast and Faster
Chapter Six. Out of the Cockpit
Chapter Seven. Phantoms and Family
Chapter Eight. Black Shoe Duty
Chapter Nine. Back into the Cockpit
Chapter Ten. From Fighters to Faraway Places
Chapter Eleven. Combat
Chapter Twelve. Midnight to Noon – Noon to Midnight
Chapter Thirteen. Incarceration
Chapter Fourteen. 1,900 Days
Chapter Fifteen. Visit to Calcutta
Chapter Sixteen. Persevering
Chapter Seventeen. Something in the Wind
Chapter Eighteen. Going Home
Chapter Nineteen. Aftermath
Chapter Twenty. Orders
Chapter Twenty-One. Valley of the Jets
Chapter Twenty-Two. On to Annapolis
Chapter Twenty-Three. Campus Life
Chapter Twenty-Four. Women Under Fire
Chapter Twenty-Five. Superintendent’s Business
Chapter Twenty-Six. Third Fleet
Chapter Twenty-Seven. BUPERS
Chapter Twenty-Eight. Mission Complete
Epilogue
Index
FOREWORD
BILL LAWRENCE LAY ON HIS BACK on a concrete slab in a seven-foot-square prison cell. His ankles were secured to the slab by iron cuffs, severely limiting any motion. He had been caught tap-coding a message to fellow captives in the notorious Hanoi Hilton prison compound in North Vietnam and was committed to solitary confinement. Any form of conversation among prisoners of war (POWs) was a supreme violation of camp regulations, but Lawrence was a relentless advocate of communication as a way of sustaining positive morale within the growing cadre of captured American servicemen.
It was summer and the temperature had soared above 100 degrees, making the crude chamber unbearably hot. To avoid aggravating the blistering sores that covered Bill Lawrence’s body, he remained motionless. He was in immense pain, not only from the harsh heat but also from injuries stemming from daily torture sessions.
He played mind games, hoping his imagination would serve as a buffer against pain. He built houses in his mind. He worked out math problems. He composed poetry in his mind. This helped, but only up to a point. He was on the threshold of despair, and despair under brutal conditions of incarceration that could lead to death.
A small, rectangular open space high up on the opposite wall allowed him to look out of his cell. Using every ounce of his waning strength, he began a crude sit-up. Bill remembered, “I stretched as far to my side as I could and I saw through the opening the top of the courtyard wall. Then, above the wall, I saw a patch of blue sky. In one beautiful instant, I felt cool water washing over every part of my body and God’s hand on my head. At that moment I knew I would be able to prevail, that I would be OK.”
Every day of his almost six-year confinement he lived the words of Winston Churchill: “NEVER GIVE IN. NEVER GIVE IN. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!”
Bill Lawrence surely prevailed as he had his whole life, from boyhood in his beloved Nashville, through a remarkable military career and beyond. His is a great and enlightening American story, one of triumphs and tragedies, devotion to family, and dedication to the United States Navy. During his lifetime, he knew the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows.
Bill and I were midshipmen two classes apart at the Naval Academy, and it was my privilege to work with him in developing the Academy’s “Honor Concept,” which is in force today at Annapolis. We were close friends ever since. Even in our student days it was clear to me that Bill was marked for success: he possessed all the necessary ingredients of intelligence, physical strength, compassion for others, a steady demeanor, and an unyielding desire to succeed and to do the right thing. Then, and throughout his remarkable thirty-seven-year career in uniform, he was a tougher-than-steel leader.
Not only was he ranked number eight academically out of his class of 724, but he also was Class President, was Commander of the Brigade of Midshipmen, and lettered in three varsity sports. After graduation he won his gold wings as a naval aviator. Following his first tour of duty, he attended the Naval Test Pilot School, graduating number one in his class.
He worked hard, married, and had three children along the way. He earned accolades for his performance as a naval officer whatever the assignment, whether it was as a junior officer flying jets from a carrier, Superintendent of the U. S. Naval Academy, Commander of the U. S. Third Fleet, or Chief of Naval Personnel.
Unfortunately, Bill Lawrence was forced to retire from active duty as a result of illness when he was about to earn the fourth star of a full admiral. In retirement he suffered from melancholia, a stroke, and other maladies. Thankfully, his wife, the marvelous Diane, continued her faithful vigil alongside this wonderful man. Her epilogue to this book provides a fascinating, if sometimes heartbreaking account of the sickness that drastically changed life for both Bill and Diane.
Happily, their children personify individual success stories: Bill Jr. is an Information Specialist Engineer and a published author on the subject. Frederick is a Specialist Engineer at Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corporation. Laurie is a highly regarded physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Navy Captain Wendy Lawrence is a naval aviator and astronaut with over 1,200 hours in space.
Tennessee Patriot: The Naval Career of Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence, U.S. Navy gives exemplary lessons for all of us, young and old. They are not limited to the keys of a successful military c
areer. Indeed, inherent in this volume is the portrayal of the stepping stones to a fully rewarding life with all of its downs and all of its ups.
I am honored to have been associated with Bill Lawrence, the embodiment of an AMERICAN HERO OF HEROES!
H. Ross Perot
PROLOGUE
I WAS AT 40,000 FEET in a cloudless blue sky over the sun-baked desert, traveling at .9 Mach number in a single-seat jet, sleek as a spear. I was twenty-eight years old, a Navy lieutenant, a fighter pilot flying from aircraft carriers, and now a test pilot, having graduated from the Navy’s Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Streaming along, high over the earth, alone in the cockpit, feeling the immense power of the F8U-3, I thought, “It just can’t get any better than this.”
I lit the afterburner in the Crusader, executed a zero G pushover, and accelerated to transonic airspeed. I leveled at 35,000 feet, still accelerating, aimed at the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base. I felt like I was speeding down a highway with no traffic in sight. I became transfixed, observing the airspeed indicator and fuel flow increasing at a prodigious rate. I was surprised by how hot it became in the cockpit because of the aerodynamic heating. I had to constantly reduce my temperature thermostat as the acceleration run progressed. I will never forget the feeling of seeing my airspeed indicator reading one thousand knots as I went through Mach 1, racing toward Mach 2.
There were no surprises as the aircraft and I rode through Mach 2 uneventfully. Nearing Mach 2.1, I remembered the admonition by Vought engineers to retard the throttle until an engine bleed valve opened before coming out of afterburner. Otherwise, the engine could encounter severe compressor stalls, which the Vought pilots told me sounded like artillery shells exploding next to the cockpit.
I brought the throttle back and shut down the afterburner with no adverse engine reaction. The immediate deceleration thrust me against my shoulder straps, similar to a carrier landing. With a feeling of exhilaration, I returned to base and made a couple of touch-and-go landings before returning to the flight line.
I derived heavy satisfaction from this successful test flight, but it was not until I was back at Pax River several months later, discussing the matter with other pilots, that it dawned on me that I realized I was the first naval aviator to fly Mach 2 in a Navy airplane. What a thrill to be a Navy test pilot during the 1950s!
This was but one of the many rewarding events I was so fortunate to experience as a U.S. naval officer. With this book I hope to share the multitude of experiences, good and bad, but mostly good, that life has provided.
William P. Lawrence
Crownsville, Maryland, 2005
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to profoundly thank and acknowledge the following people for their invaluable assistance in writing this book: Paul Stillwell, historian, whose oral history of Vice Admiral William Lawrence was of immense value throughout the project and, alphabetically: Frank A. Aukofer; Lieutenant Tiffani E. Bell, United States Navy (USN); Captain Roland Brandquist, USN (Ret.); Daniel B. Bozung; Mr. and Mrs. Erwin T. Buckemaier; Diane L. Clingerman; Captain Raymond P. Donahue, USN (Ret.); Lieutenant Commander Harry Errington, USN (Ret.); Captain Jack Fellowes, USN (Ret.); Captain Barbara Ford, USNR; Guy Hanson; Katherine G. Jakobsen; Laurie M. Lawrence, MD; Captain Wendy B. Lawrence, USN; Captain John P. Leahy, USN (Ret.); Ray Madona; Rear Admiral Kathleen L. Martin, USN (Ret.); William C. Miller, PhD; Fleet Master Chief James R. Mitchell, USN (Ret.); Captain Kathleen D. Morrison, USN (Ret.); H. Ross Perot; Peter V. Rabins, MD; Esther N. Rauch; Frederick W. Rauch; Marguerite C. Rauch; Lieutenant David A. Schwind, USN; Captain E. A. Shuman, III, USN (Ret.); William L. Stine; Colonel David A. Vetter, USMC (Ret.); and Captain Edward C. Wallace, USN (Ret.); Mrs. Lynne T. Waters.
ACRONYMS
AAA
(triple A) antiaircraft artillery
ANA
Association of Naval Aviation
AOC
Aviation Officer Candidate
ASW
antisubmarine warfare
AT
aviation electronic technician
BDA
bomb damage assessment
CAG
carrier air group commander
CBU
cluster bomb units
COD
CNO
chief of naval operations
CNP
chief of naval personnel
CO
commanding officer
CVL
light cruiser
DACOWITS
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service
DME
distance-measuring equipment
DMZ
demilitarized zone
EMC
electronic countermeasures
FRS
Fleet Replacement Squadron
GAO
Government Accounting Office
HARM
High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile
JAG
Judge Advocate General
LDO
limited-duty officer
LSO
landing signal officer
MIA
missing in action
NAMI
Naval Aviation Medical Institute
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATOPS
Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures
NFO
naval flight officer
NIS
Naval Investigative Service
NROTC
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
OD
officer of the day
OOD
officer of the deck
POW
prisoner of war
PAO
public affairs officer
PPBS
Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System
pulse rate frequency
RAG
Replacement Air Group
RIMPAC
Rim of the Pacific
RIO
radar intercept officer
ROTC
Reserve Officers Training Corps
RPM
revolutions per minute
SAM
surface-to-air missile
SDO
squadron duty officer
SERE
survival, escape, resistance, and evasion
SOA
speed of advance
SSBN
ballistic missile submarine
TACAN
Tactical Air Navigation
TLAM
Tactical Land Attack Missile
TOT
time on target
TPS
Test Pilot School
UHF
ultrahigh frequency
USN
United States Navy
USNA
United States Naval Academy
VAST
Versatile Avionics Systems Test
VSTOL
vertical, short takeoff and landing aircraft
XO
executive officer
TENNESSEE PATRIOT
Chapter One
NASHVILLE
“Young man, you never ask to be removed from a game. The only time you come out of a game is on a stretcher!”
I WAS BORN DURING THE DEPRESSION to a stern taskmaster of a father and a compassionate and charming mother. They were loving parents, and I had a magical youth. My father, Robert Lawrence, was gainfully employed, our schoolteachers were tough but fair, I had three great brothers, and we played sports year round—football, basketball, and baseball. I was the youngest until Tommy came along thirteen years after me. Bobby was the oldest and Eddie was the next before yours truly. Our mother, Tennessee Brewer, who was known as Tennie, was the embodiment of southern gentility.
Our family even had a car, relatively uncomm
on at the time. Segregation was fully entrenched long before my birth date, January 13, 1930, but in my youthful innocence I was unaware of any segregation problems.
In those days just about every school in the south posted two pictures on the wall—one of Robert E. Lee, the other of George Washington. There was no sign of Abraham Lincoln. It wasn’t until I reached my adult years that I realized Lincoln was a great American. He just wasn’t discussed in my southern school.
I’ve always had an appreciation of history, and I like knowing about my ancestors. They hailed primarily from the British Isles and were various combinations of Scots, Irish, English, and Welsh. My maternal great-great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War, following which he was awarded land in what was then known as the new territories. He settled in an area now known as Tennessee (which became a state in 1796), was a farmer and a politician, ultimately becoming speaker of the state senate. Sterling Brewer Junior, my great-grandfather, was a Methodist minister and educator. My grandfather, another Sterling Brewer, was a schoolteacher and writer.
On my father’s side, my great-great-grandfather also was a Revolutionary War veteran and received a land grant in the Tennessee region. He was a sheriff and a justice of the peace. His son, my paternal great-grandfather, was a successful traveling salesman of dry goods, did considerable public service work, and settled in Nashville in the early 1900s.