James Forrestal - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

James Forrestal was born in Matteawan, New York on February 15, 1892. He originally enrolled in Dartmouth College but transferred to Princeton after his freshman year. While at Princeton he served as the editor of “The Daily Princetonian.” He left Princeton just prior to graduating and went to work for the William Read Company in 1916, rising through the ranks, becoming a partner in 1923,Vice President in 1926 and finally as President of the company in 1937. Forrestal left the company in 1940 when he was appointed him Undersecretary of the Navy. In 1944, Forrestal became Secretary of the Navy and led that branch of the military during the closing years of World War II. As the Secretary he introduced a policy of racial integration in the Navy. While serving as Secretary he often traveled to combat zones and witnessed the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. It was here after a five-day battle that a detachment of Marines raised the American Flag at the summit of Mount Suribachi. This was the first that the U. S. Flag had flown on Japanese Soil. An interesting side note to this event is that Secretary Forrestal, who had just landed on the beach, claimed the flag as a souvenir. It was a second larger Flag, raised as a replacement that photographer Joe Rosenthal captured in his famous photograph. In 1947, President Harry Truman appointed him a new cabinet post, the Secretary of Defense. During his term as the first Defense Secretary, Forrestal due the ire of the press and congress for his position against the partition of Palestine on the grounds it would offend the Arab countries who supplied oil to the United States. He position was that the Arab community could harm the United State Economy. National columnist Drew Pearson once said that he believed Forrestal to be the most dangerous man in America. Many in both the press and in Congress called for Truman to remove him as Defense Secretary. On March 31, 1949, President Truman bowed to the pressure and removed him for the post. On April 2, 1949 was hospitalized at Bethesda Naval Hospital, and while it was widely reported that his removal had caused Forrestal to suffer a nervous breakdown, family members denied it. On May 22, 1949 the day he was to have been released from the hospital, James Forrestal was found dead on the hospital roof. The sash his bathrobe was knotted around his neck. The coroner ruled his death as a suicide. James Forrestal is resting Section 30 at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Description: James Forrestal was born on February 15, 1892 and worked for the William Read Company from 1916 until 1940. In 1940, he was appointed Undersecretary of the Navy by President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1944, Forrestal became the Secretary of the Navy and was present at Iwo Jima when the first of two flags was raised on Mount Suribachi. In 1947, President Harry Truman nominated Forrestal to become the first Secretary of Defense. During his term as Defense Secretary, Forrestal became the target of the press and congress for his position on Palestine. He did not want to offend the Arab community who controlled the majority of the oil used by the United States. He argued that the Arab countries could adversely control the United States Economy. Eventually the call for President Truman to replace Forrestal became so great that he dismissed him as Defense Secretary on March 31, 1949. On April 2, 1949, Forrestal entered Bethesda Naval Hospital for treatment for an undisclosed illness. Forrestal remained in the hospital until May 22, 1949 when he was found dead on the hospital roof from an apparent suicide. James Forrestal was buried in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery. Date of birth: 02/15/1892 Date of death: 05/22/1949 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight Savings Time Daily - 7 a.m. - 8. p.m. Winter Hours 7 a.m - 5 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   03/26/2022 Don.Morfe visited it