Rommel, Herbert Fox, Jr., CAPT

His main career and passion were with the Navy, and he was a well-known veteran and sailor. Rommel enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1934 as an apprentice seaman and was commissioned as an ensign in 1938. He reported for active duty aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma in 1940. He was on board the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, preparing to attend a pistol match when he heard the explosions. "I went to see what was going on," Rommel said in an interview published in Newport Life Magazine. "As I reached the deck, I saw a plane with bright red balls beneath its wings fly right over me. The officer of the deck sounded air defense on the bugle. I ran aft toward the turret. On the way, I grabbed the intercom and announced over the loudspeaker, "This is a real air raid. This is no (expletive deleted)." Rommel went on to serve aboard the USS Gridley for the next three years of the war. During his war service, he collected 12 battle stars and a Bronze Star with combat "V". He was promoted until he became the commander of the USS Wilkes at the end of the war. "That was the most damn fun I ever had," Rommel told friends. He was one of only four Naval Reserve officers to command a destroyer during World War II. He broke the tradition that only regular Navy men were allowed to drive. He first came to Newport after the war to attend General Line School, "to learn what I should have known during the war," he later said. After officers school, he became commanding officer of Naval Station Washington, D.C. During the next two decades, he commanded five different ships and enjoyed four tours of duty in Newport. He retired in 1969.

USS HERBERT (DD-160): Seaman USNR - 1934-1937
USS Oklahoma (BB-37): Ensign - Commanding No 4 Turret Division - 1940-1941
USS GRIDLEY (DD-380): Commissary Officer / Navigator / Executive Officer - 1942-1944
USS WILKES (DD-441): Command - 1945-1946
GENERAL LINE SCHOOL, Newport - 1946
USS BURKE   (DE-215/APD 65): Command - 1947 - 1948
NAVAL WAR COLLEGE, Newport: Pupil - 1949
GENERAL LINE SCHOOL (USN): Staff - 1950
USS HAYNSWORTH (DD-700): Command - 1950 - 1952
OP NAV (STRATEGIC PLANS DIVISION): Staff - 1953
USS WORCESTER (CL-144): Executive Officer - 1954 - 1955
NAVAL WAR COLLEGE, Newport: Staff - 1956-1960
USS AMPHION (AR-13): Command - 1960-1961
CINCLANTFLEET: Staff - 1962
USS HYADES (AF-28): Command - 1962-1963
NAVAL STATION, Washington DC: Commander - 1963-1966
NAVAL STATION, Newport: Chief of Staff - 1967-1969