National Affairs: ARMED FORCES

Stopped Cold

Hard-hitting Arleigh Burke was always a handy man to have around in a fight. In the South Pacific campaign he won the nickname "31-Knot Burke" from the speed with which he pushed his destroyer squadron into action. He became chief of staff in Marc Mitscher's mighty Task Force 58, won a chestful of medals, was promoted to the temporary rank of commodore. When the Navy's own war against the Air Force and the Defense Department broke out, Burke was assigned to head "Op-23," a compact and more or less secret Navy Department task force told off to organize and publicize...

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