Plebe to WWII Hero

The Battle of Midway is considered a major decisive Allied victory in World War II, as well as one of most significant battles in the entire history of naval warfare. The encounter in June of 1942 between the U.S. Pacific fleet and the Japanese navy dealt a stunning blow to the Japanese military just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The conflict resulted in 307 U.S. casualties. Among them was, Robert Scott Whitman, Jr. "Scottie" was mortally wounded in an attack by floatplanes from the Japanese carrier, Chinose. His PBY-5A was shot down but he was able to land the plane in the ocean and several of his crewmates survived. He would be the only patrol plane commander to die in the action in Midway.

Scottie was a prolific letter-writer. From his days as a cadet at the Naval Academy at Annapolis to the time just before his death in the Battle of Midway, a span of seven years, he sent home to his family a total of 268 letters typed on a manual typewriter.

When his son lost his life in battle, Scottie's father, Robert Scott Whitman, organized the letters written to home as a manuscript and attempted to publish the book. Eventually, I inherited the raw manuscript from my father, George Whitman, Scottie's brother. It came to me wrapped in brown paper bearing a return address label from Simon and Schuster. For unknown reasons, Simon and Schuster turned down the project and returned the hand-typed manuscript to my grandfather.

Scottie's father, my grandfather, passed away in 1944 and sadly never had the chance to see his son's letters published as a book. I decided to make good on my grandfather's intention to preserve his son's legacy and publish his book. He titled his book, "Love to all, Scottie" which you will see is how Scottie signed off on nearly all the letters he sent home. The title of the book was changed to Plebe to WWII Hero to make it more descriptive of the content of the book.

My uncle and namesake went down with his plane in the line of duty nearly 80 years ago at the onset of the Battle of Midway, a major turning point in the War of the Pacific. He was considered a war hero and had a ship named after him, the USS Whitman. He is recognized in the U.S. Naval Academy Memorial Hall of Honor as one of 692 honorees killed in the line of duty in World War II and remembered for their service. Scottie also was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously.

This book provides insights into the day-to-day life of a naval cadet going through Annapolis prior to World War II, the journey after graduation serving on the USS Quincy to becoming a Naval Aviator at Pensacola, and the ultimate sacrifice Robert Scott Whitman Jr. made for his country at MIdway.