Raymond Spruance was born in Baltimore on July 3, 1886, the son of Alexander

and Annie Spruance. He attended grade and high schools in East Orange, N.J., and in

Indianapolis. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. His father wanted him to go to West

Point, but young Raymond yearned to go to sea. He managed to gain an appointment

from Indiana to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He readied himself at Stevens

Preparatory School in Hoboken, New Jersey, and entered Annapolis in July 1903 at age

seventeen. He studied hard, and when he graduated in September 1906, he stood 26th in

his class.

Out of all the great leaders during World War Two in the Pacific, the one I admire

most is Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. He was not originally going to be an

Admiral in this war, but when is good friend, Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey Jr.,

could not continue as Fleet Admiral because of a skin condition that covered his body he

recommended Spruance for the job. He went on to play roles in The Battle of Midway,

Battle of the Philippine Sea, Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa, and Battle of Leyte

Gulf. Spruance’s combination of coolness plus his caution at just the right moment and a

large dose of plain luck helped him exceed in all theses battles.

Spruance was a very good Admiral, in times of distress he kept a cool head. He

commanded his men well, they had much respect for him, as he did for them. However,

because of his modest, retiring nature, Spruance was never a popular hero in the manner

of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, and Mitscher. Spruance disliked personal publicity and had

a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. All these qualities add up to

one good admiral. That is why I admire Admiral Spruance most.