Harry S Truman...

(Truman Presidential Library)

Harry Truman is one tough guy. I'm reading "To Conquer Hell" and I have to say it is a very tough book to read. Not that it's written poorly, but rather it is written so well. It's very easy to get into the story and quite frankly the story is about as tough as one can get. The Americans are getting massacred and much of it is due to the incompetence of their own superiors. However, one of the bright spots is this plucky captain from Missouri who's breaking the rules (shelling a battery of German guns that are outside of his area of responsability but right out in the open) and telling off superiors (telling his colonel who called to yell at him for shelling said German guns to "go ahead" and court martial him because he'd do that anytime he saw a bunch of targets out in the open like that) and apparently being a stand up guy as the Germans are preparing to mount a counter attack, Truman's battery levels their guns to shoot using their sights while a French battery leaves. (The Germans didn't attack but one of Truman's artillerymen got to punch a French captain for telling them to leave.)

So Mr. Truman, my opinion about you went from you being an okay president to...(drumroll please)... A PRESIDENT WHO DESERVES TO HAVE A CARRIER NAMED AFTER HIM.

Yes Harry, you join the ranks of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, your predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt and your successor Dwight D. Eisenhower.

One may notice that I have not listed all the presidents who happen to have carriers named after them. My criteria and that of the Navy differ in that I adhere the following criteria:

1. Has the person been dead for 30 years.
2. How has their presidency been evaluated by now?
3. Did they do something special (fight in a war, help save France, Berlin Airlift, etc.)?

If 1 is yes and 2 is "They are regarded as one of the greatest presidents in our nation's history." and 3 is "yeah they did something extraordinary." Then in my opinion you deserve a carrier named after you. 1 can be overridden if they died in office.

Oh and Harry, nice motto you left for the men of your ship:

"The buck stops here!"