Admiral Michelle Howard came to Bucks County in 2017 to speak to the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce. She was wearing her winter uniform adorned with ribbons and gold stripes and was greeted with a military color guard and all the pomp the local chamber could muster.
Howard was back in Bucks County in September wearing casual civilian clothing. Nevertheless, she was greeted with a flag salute and and an audience standing in respect. She had been to New England for a conference and was on her way to Washington for a Senate hearing when she got off the Amtrak train in Trenton and was driven to the Spring Mill Country Club to speak to the chamber a second time.
She came as a friend to Vail Garvin, the chamber president, who has had a special interest in federal government operations. The women met years ago at sessions of the Naval War College, one of Dr. Garvin’s special interests.
On the first visit Howard spoke about leadership; on the second she spoke about goals – she has set many goals and achieved more than most men or women. But she was warned long ago by a commanding officer, “If you’re riding two horses at the same time, it’s time to leave the circus.” Staying focused has been an overriding theme of her goals.
One of her first goals was being admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978 after graduation from Gateway High School in Aurora, Colo.
Years later, following a pattern of promotions, Howard became the first African-American woman to command a Navy ship. She commanded the amphibious dock landing ship Rushmore in 1999.
She was a rear admiral upper in 2009 as she assumed command of Virginia Beach-based Expeditionary Strike Group Two and was deployed to thwart pirates in the Gulf of Aden aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer.
And that’s where she earned her biggest claim to fame. Within a week of assuming her command, as leader of Task Force 151, Howard was a key figure in the rescue of Merchant Marine Capt. Richard Phillips, commanding officer of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was seized by Somali pirates.
According to news reports, on April 8, 2009, four pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama then southeast of the Somalian port city of Eyl. With a crew of 20, the ship had departed from Salalah, Oman, en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.