Naval History and Heritage Command
Director's Corner
NHHC Director Samuel Cox, left, and Pearl Harbor survivors Wetzel Sanders and Geb Galle attend the remembrance ceremony for the crew members of the USS Nevada (BB-36) killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 8 December 2016 (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando).
In November 2016, Director Cox initiated a series of "H-grams." Inspired by the late Admiral Zumwalt’s series of Z-grams used to communicate with Sailors throughout the Navy, H-grams are an avenue by which NHHC provides significant historical context to aid today’s decision-makers. H-grams and associated attachments reflect Director Cox’s personal assessment, aided by NHHC historians, of significant events in U.S. Navy history. Each H-gram draws on archival material, historic imagery, and written and oral history. In addition to the H-grams reproduced here, you’ll find links to Director Cox’s regular contributions to The Sextant, NHHC’s blog. The linked content explores a variety of topics, but consistently emphasizes the importance of honoring the service of Sailors throughout history and understanding the relevance of the past to today’s Navy.
In his H-Gram 043, Director Cox recounts the ordeal of the carrier Franklin (CV-13), which, on 19 March 1945, suffered the greatest damage and highest casualties of any U.S. ship that did not subsequently sink. He also includes an update tracking with the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War and, in light of the current pandemic crisis, a reprise of his 2018 H-gram article on the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918–19.
Click the links below to access previously issued H-grams and earlier blogs from Director Cox. For biographical information and text of speeches given by Director Cox, please see his biography page.
