by Larry Berman
oratorical and debating skills of, 50–53, 57–59, 67, 120, 139, 381
personal papers of, 8, 443
personal tragedies of, 3, 9–10, 19, 35–36, 37, 39–40, 44–46
physical exercise of, 47, 175–76, 178
poetic tributes to, 152–53, 165, 375–76
political and academic appointments of, 3, 6, 8
pranks and hell-raising of, 27, 39
search for CNO successor of, 355–60
seasickness of, 73–74, 75, 452
siblings of, 4, 26, 27–28
speeches of, 263–64, 285–87, 290, 291, 296–97, 362–63, 378, 412, 422
spiritual strength of, 81–82
Tarzan yell of, 252
threatened firing of, 288–89, 293, 295, 297, 298, 301, 306–7, 324, 345
three principles of, 83
Top Secret clearance of, 120
weight loss of, 74
“Z-gram” memos of, 2, 14, 31, 244, 245–50, 252, 255–56, 261–62, 264–65, 267–69, 282, 284, 287, 291, 292, 293, 295, 298–300, 355, 473
Zumwalt, Frances Pearl Frank (mother), 31–33, 67, 76, 446
childhood and adolescence of, 31–33
illness and death of, 19, 36, 37, 39–41, 43–46, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 63–64, 83, 448
Jewish family background of, 31–33
medical career of, 4, 27, 30–31, 37
pregnancies and motherhood of, 30, 34, 35, 61
Zumwalt, Gretli (sister-in-law), 101, 108, 400
Zumwalt, James Brown, 28–29
Zumwalt, James Eleazar (grandfather), 29
Zumwalt, James G. (son), 8, 25–26, 205, 396, 400, 446, 468
birth of, 107
education of, 219–20
Marine Corps service of, 20, 374, 413
relationship of ERZ and, 219–20, 413
Zumwalt, James Gregory (brother), 26, 87, 443, 448
childhood and adolescence of, 35–36, 44, 55–59, 65, 67, 74
education of, 100, 108
on ERZ, 27, 164
ERZ III and, 100–101, 400–401
Marine Corps service of, 99
marriage of, see Zumwalt, Gretli
Mouza Zumwalt and, 99–101
political views of, 4, 380
relationship of ERZ and, 4, 35–36, 55–56, 85, 100, 101, 103–4, 108, 155, 380, 463
Zumwalt, Jane Carey (wife), 66–67, 98
marriage and divorce of ERZ and, 67, 69–70, 74–76, 83–85, 92, 451, 452
Zumwalt, Kathy Counselman (daughter-in-law), 204, 226, 391–92, 394–95, 397–98, 400, 402–3, 409, 468
Zumwalt, Lydia DeWitt, 29
Zumwalt, Mabel Ford (grandmother), 28, 29
Zumwalt, Maya (granddaughter), 392, 394–95, 397
Zumwalt, Mouza Coutelais-du-Roché (wife), 21–22, 88–101, 173, 197, 270, 371, 413, 421, 422, 424
background of, 5, 88–89, 105, 454
character and personality of, 5–6, 8, 114, 162, 261
courtship and marriage of ERZ and, 5, 19, 89–92, 97
pregnancy and motherhood of, 5, 94–95, 99–101, 107, 109, 197–99
relationship of ERZ and, 5, 6, 15, 17–19, 22, 89–95, 98–99, 104, 109–10, 151, 167, 204, 217–18, 224, 227–28, 258, 316–17, 360, 378, 402–3, 454, 455, 461
Zumwalt, Mouzetta (daughter), 15, 19, 204, 224, 227, 374, 402
bone marrow and platelets given to ERZ III by, 394–98, 401, 488
childhood and adolescence of, 167–68, 388
Zumwalt, 422, 424
Zumwalt Meadows, 29
Zumwalt Wild Ideas (ZWIs), 172, 180–82
PICTURE SECTION
Contemplating the day’s catch at Hockett Meadows, 1937. This was Bud’s father’s favorite fishing spot in the Sierras. The following summer Bud would depart for Rutherford Preparatory School in Long Beach. (Photograph VA047627, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud as a midshipman at the Naval Academy. He graduated summa cum laude with one of the most demanding extracurricular loads of any midshipman. (Courtesy of Zumwalt family.)
Lieutenant Elmo Zumwalt on the deck of the USS Robinson in the South Pacific just before the end of World War II. He received the Bronze Star for meritorious conduct in action in the Battle of Surigao Straits, during which the Robinson and other destroyers launched a torpedo attack against Japanese battleships. (Photograph VA047591, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
As prize crew officer of HIJMS Ataka, Lieutenant Elmo Zumwalt is seen with Japanese prisoners on a dock in Shanghai, China, October 9, 1945. He worked closely with Rear Admiral Milton E. “Mary” Miles, the commander of U.S. naval forces in China disarming the Japanese. (Photograph VA047641, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Celebrating with the Robinson crew, Bud Zumwalt (seated third from the right) as a lieutenant in Shanghai, 1945. (Photograph VA014785, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
The Russian Orthodox wedding of Bud Zumwalt and Mouza Coutelaisdu-Roché in Shanghai, China, October 22, 1945. The Robinson was scheduled to depart the next morning. (Courtesy of Zumwalt family.)
Wedding photograph. (Courtesy of James G. Zumwalt and Ann Zumwalt Coppola.)
Bud’s visit to Pinehurst, North Carolina, and conversation with General George Catlett Marshall changed the course of his life by keeping him in the navy. Second from left is the iconic Christina Wright, whom everyone called “Aunt Tina.” She was close friends with Mrs. Marshall and arranged for Bud and Mouza ( far right) to meet the Marshalls. Young Elmo is in front of General and Mrs. Marshall. (Courtesy of James G. Zumwalt.)
The family in 1953: newborn Ann, Elmo (born 1946), and Jim (born 1948) on his father’s lap. Mouzetta would join the family in 1958. (Photograph VA020755, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
As naval aide to Paul Nitze during the Kennedy administration, Bud was able to expand his policy portfolio. His apprenticeship under Nitze provided him the equivalent of a PhD in foreign policy. (Photograph VA047640, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
“To Mouza, My beloved wife, with whom life is never dull. Love, Bud. July 10, 1961.” (Photograph VA047639, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Paul Nitze and daughter Ann shoulder board the new rear admiral in 1965. Bud then took command of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Seven with the flagship USS Canberra in July. (Photograph VA017484, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
With Captain Arthur W. Price, commander, River Patrol Force (CTF 116). Until Bud arrived in Vietnam, the Brown Water Navy got little respect. Bud had a new aggressive strategy, and his helicopter became a frequent sight in the field. (Photograph VA046910, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
“For the men upon whom we all depend” was Bud’s way of recognizing the bravery of his sailors. A commander’s responsibility was a commitment to the welfare of those who served under him. Sailors never forgot what their admiral was doing for them. (Photograph VA046917, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Admiral Tran Van Chon and Bud developed an extraordinary affinity and respect for each other. Each used the word “brother” to describe their lifelong relationship. (Photograph VA015203, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud beams his pleasure to Chon with the product of a Vietnamese navy animal husbandry project at An Thoi naval base. Similar programs were under way at naval bases throughout South Vietnam as part of Operation Helping Hand. (Naval Histo
rical Foundation.)
Bud described the relationship with Paul Nitze as “Plato and Socrates.” The two men remained close personal friends and political allies throughout their lives. (Photograph VA047216, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud receives his fourth star from Mouza and General Creighton Abrams at the change of command aboard the USS Page County (LST-1076) moored on the Saigon River, May 15, 1970. General Abrams also awarded Bud the Distinguished Service Medal. (Photograph VA018656, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Secretary of the Navy John Chafee and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas Moorer welcome Zumwalt to Washington just prior to his assuming the position of chief of naval operations. (Photograph VA014979, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
With their hands on the same Bible that Admiral Faragut used aboard his flagship, the USS Hartford, during the Civil War, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird and the navy’s staff judge advocate administer the oath of office to the new CNO at the change-of-command ceremony in Annapolis. (Photograph VA014965, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Titled “26 Years Later”: Elmo’s birth certificate bore his name, Elmo R. Zumwalt III; his father’s, Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.; and the name of the doctor, Elmo R. Zumwalt, Sr., M.D. (Photograph VA014775, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
This family portrait was taken on Elmo and Kathy’s wedding day in July 1970. Elmo had just returned from Vietnam and was beginning law school. (Photograph VA047645, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
It was another proud day for Bud when his son James G. Zumwalt II transferred from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Marine Corps and was commissioned a second lieutenant. The ceremony took place on July 16, 1971, in the office of commandant of the Marine Corps, General Leonard F. Chapman, Jr. (Photograph VA015156, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
As CNO, Bud often returned to Vietnam. Here he talks with members of U.S. Navy SEAL Team One at Nam Can Naval Base. The photo also evidences Bud’s relaxed regulations on facial hair and sideburns. (Photograph VA014891, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud receives a briefing from his special assistant Lieutenant Commander William S. Norman before speaking to the National Newspaper Publishers Association Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Bud credited Norman with helping him lay the foundation for a new navy family that recognized no barriers of race, color, sex, or religion. (Photograph VA016623, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
In Yokosuka, Japan, Bud speaks with the human relations council at the Fleet Activities. These meetings furthered the CNO’s goal of achieving true equal opportunity by sensitizing navy personnel to the barriers that impaired effective race relations. (Photograph VA014883, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
With Secretary of the Navy John W. Warner looking on, Bud took a lot of ribbing for this photo of him congratulating Alene B. Duerk, the first woman to reach the rank of rear admiral. Bud liked to joke that one does not become CNO without having kissed a lot of admirals. (Photograph VA016078, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Mouza played an integral role in Bud’s career. When Bud became CNO, he saw to it that a ship was named after the brave navy SEAL John C. Brewton, whose death was the one Bud never forgot. Here Bud looks on with evident pride during the commissioning ceremony for the escort ship USS Brewton (DE-1086) in 1972. (Photograph VA015858, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
The most popular letter in the navy identifies its wearer, CNO Admiral Bud Zumwalt, talking with Marine Major Rusty Hansen, commanding officer of a helicopter attack squadron aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland. (Naval Historical Foundation.)
A view of the bulletin board where Admiral Zumwalt’s Z-grams were posted. (Naval Historical Foundation.)
Bud and Admiral Hyman Rickover sparred throughout their careers. By his own admission Bud was fascinated by Rickover’s style and the way he was able to achieve his goals. (Photograph VA019541, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
By 1973–74, there was no Nixon-Zumwalt relationship of which to speak. The president sent no thank-you note for Bud’s service to the nation as CNO. Indeed, he instructed the secretary of defense not to present Zumwalt with the Distinguished Service Medal at the change-of-command ceremony. (Photograph VA018495, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
One of the cherished moments in Bud’s life came when he and his seventy-nine-year-old father returned to Tulare for “Zumwalt Day.” The city renamed a park in honor of both men, even unveiling a special Z-gram for the occasion. Four thousand citizens turned out to acknowledge the family’s lifelong service to the community and nation. (Photograph VA047594, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
President Ford kept his promise to Bud by speaking at the change-of-command ceremony at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Bud was relieved by Admiral James L. Holloway III as chief of naval operations. (Photograph VA014561, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud and Mouza depart the change of command, but this was hardly the start of retirement. Bud adhered to General Marshall’s maxim that a commander of forces in wartime had two lifelong responsibilities: first, to care for those who fought under you, and second, to assist in the reconciliation process by healing the wounds of war with the enemy in order to build a stable peace. (Photograph VA015302, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
On the campaign trail for Senate in 1976. Looking on is a young Doug Feith, the future undersecretary of defense for policy from July 2001 until August 2005, then a volunteer on the campaign. (Photograph VA018712, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
Bud and Mouza at their fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. (Photograph VA017301, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
In January 1998, Bud was one of fifteen Americans honored by President Clinton to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Parts of the citation read, “In both wartime and peacetime, Elmo Zumwalt has exemplified the ideal of service to our nation. . . . For his dedication, valor, and compassion, we salute Bud Zumwalt.” (Courtesy of Zumwalt family.)
Mouza greets President Clinton, who would preside over Bud’s memorial service in the United States Naval Academy chapel on January 10, 2000. (Photograph VA047601, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
The president spoke of “a man who was our friend and whose love for his family, his Nation, and his Navy were as deep as the oceans he sailed.” (Photograph VA047283, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University.)
In 2003, Tran Van Chon, at the age of eighty-three, came to honor and say good-bye to his friend. Bud’s son Jim is standing in uniform behind Mouza’s wheelchair. “I loved him like a brother and I know that he felt the same way,” said Chon. (Getty Images.)
Artist rendition of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer, America’s next generation, multimission naval destroyer, serving as the vanguard of an entire new generat
ion of advanced multimission surface-combat ships. (Courtesy of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a pleasure to acknowledge those who helped me along the way. In this case, my debts are many and significant. At the start is my agent, John Wright, who believed in the book, and Bruce Nichols, who signed us to Harper. My former editor, Elisabeth Dyssegaard, provided encouragement and advice in the formative stages. I was living under the right star when Bill Strachen inherited the book. Bill’s support, guidance, and common sense enabled me to reach the finish line. Associate editor Kathryn Whitenight provided indispensable support. Copy editor Gary Stimeling did a masterful job helping me to clarify points throughout the narrative.
I am especially pleased to single out a few friends and colleagues for their help. Jim Reckner was a constant source of advice on all things navy and read multiple drafts of the manuscript. Paul Stillwell read the complete draft, catching many errors and proffering valuable suggestions. Larry Serra, a former NILO, also read the entire manuscript, providing cogent insights and commentary.
I heard from many of “Big Z’s” sailors. With sincere apologies to anyone I may have inadvertently omitted, I acknowledge Tom Glickman, Ralph Christopher, John Woody, Jerry Wages, Joe Muharsky, Jimmy Bryant, Bob Powers, Jim Davie, Kirk Ferguson, Bob Matthews, James “Oke” Shannon, Richard Della Valle, Joe Ponder, Ken Delfino, Jim Thompson, Bob Matthews, Jim Morrison, Joe Calamia, Gary Holmes, Bob Tipton, Mike Wiley, Max (Gab) Gabriel, Bill Ferguson, Wade Sanders, Curtiss Johnson, Don Mathews, Jim Morgan, Mike Worthington, Al DeRoco, Bob Monzingo, and Richard Anderson.
