Just published – “Rear Admiral Larry Chambers,” Ric Murphy’s (ricmurphy.com) new biography of his uncle. Murphy’s third historical book is already out of stock on Amazon, pre-order for all your holiday gifting.
The first African-American aircraft carrier commander, Rear Admiral Lawrence Cleveland Chambers (1929- ) played a prominent role as captain of the USS Midway during the Vietnam War. During the evacuation of Saigon–known as Operation Frequent Wind–he famously ordered several UH-1 helicopters pushed overboard to make room for an escaping South Vietnamese Air Force major to land his Cessna. Chambers, who had only commanded Midway for a few weeks, gave the order believing (wrongly) that he would be court-martialed for the $10 million loss.