Battle of Midway Celebrations in the Capital Region

The Commodore turned out to be a great venue to gather to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (L-R): CAPT (Ret) Bob Allen, CAPT (Ret) Steve Shepard, CDR (Ret) Sean O’Connor, CAPT Melissa Maclin, and CAPT Kevin Barnard.

CAPT (Ret) John and Judy Rodgaard on the balcony of the Army Navy Country Club during the Battle of Midway Victory Dinner, 4 Jun 2026.

Fifteen U.S. Navy midshipmen and one Marine Corps second lieutenant from four academic institutions were also present to assist with the event (shown here receiving their instructions from Mr. Peter Pennington).

4 June 2026 marked the 84th anniversary of the Battle of Midway — a battle that holds great significance for the Navy, and Naval Intelligence in particular, and Naval Intelligence professionals in the National Capital Region embraced the opportunity to mark the occasion in a few ways. 

During the day, NIP member CAPT (Ret) Steve "Shep" Shepard spoke at a Midway anniversary event at the Office of Naval Intelligence. The Nimitz Warfare Analysis Center, one of ONI’s centers of excellence, hosts a Midway event annually for the ONI enterprise. At this year’s event, CAPT Kevin Barnard, Nimitz's commanding officer, spoke about the historical significance of the Battle of Midway and what it means for Naval Intelligence professionals. CAPT Shepard, in his comments, contrasted the different approaches the U.S. Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy had to intelligence, and he discussed the many lessons and constants from the battle Navy personnel can draw upon in the performance of their duties today. COMONI RADM Mike Brookes and RADM (Ret) Sam Cox, Director of Navy History and Heritage Command, were also in attendance. 

Later in the day, CAPT Melissa Maclin, Joint Staff J2 Navy element commander, organized a happy hour in Old Town, Alexandria at the Commodore bar for J2 staff members and NIP members to commemorate the battle. It was an informal gathering, with approximately 15 to 20 people, that provided a nice opportunity to remember a key battle and offer a toast in its honor. 

On a more formal level, the National Capital Naval Consortium held its annual Battle of Midway Victory Dinner at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. NIP members CAPT (Ret) John Rodgaard and his wife Judy, along with retired CAPTs Jeff Johnson and Albert Angel, attended the festive event, which was complete with a Color Guard; singing of the national anthem; remarks by the U.S. Navy Memorial’s CEO VADM (Ret) John Nowell; and a talk by CDR (Ret) Len Santiago, the chief engineer of the USS Midway Museum, on “Keeping the USS Midway Museum 80 Years Young.” The keynote speaker was CAPT (Ret) Kevin Miller, author of The Silver Waterfall: A Novel of the Battle of Midway. The evening ended with toasts and a benediction led by CAPT Angel. "The dinner was, by all accounts, the most successful one since I have been involved with it over the last 15 years,” said John Rodgaard.