Yates Stirling Jr.
Yates Stirling Jr. (April 30, 1872 – January 27, 1948) was a decorated and controversial rear admiral in the United States Navy whose 44-year career spanned from several years before the Spanish–American War to the mid-1930s. He was awarded the Navy Cross and French Legion of Honor for distinguished service during World War One. The elder son of Rear Admiral Yates Stirling, he was an outspoken advocate of American sea power as a strong deterrent to war and to protect and promote international commerce. During Stirling's naval career and following retirement, he was a frequent lecturer, newspaper columnist and author of numerous books and articles, including his memoirs, "Sea Duty: The Memoirs of a Fighting Admiral", published in 1939. Describing himself, Stirling wrote, "All my life I have been called a stormy petrel. I have never hesitated to use the pen to reveal what I considered should be brought to public attention, usually within the Navy, but often to a wider public. I seem to see some benefits that have come through those efforts. I have always believed that a naval man is disloyal to his country if he does not reveal acts that are doing harm to his service and show, if he can, how to remedy the fault. An efficient Navy cannot be run with 'yes men' only."
Burns Tracy Walling
After serving in several assignments, including conduct of a survey of the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America, Walling served as an instructor in the department of physics and chemistry at the United States Naval Academy from December 1886 until September 1892. He was inspector of ordnance and equipment for the reconstruction of the three gunboats raised by Admiral George Dewey after the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War. In May, 1904, Walling began duty as commandant of the U. S. Naval Station, Culebra, Puerto Rico. He was the first captain of the USS Birmingham (CL-2) from April 11, 1908 to May 9, 1909 and Captain of the Yard at Naval Station New York from May 9, 1909 to October 28, 1909. Just before his retirement, from August 6, 1910 to June 30, 1911, when he retired at the grade of commodore, he commanded Naval Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico.