6
Commander
Robert L. Turnage
EXECUTIVE
OLD....
Commander Turnage was an Eagle Scout and
valedictorian of his high school class in Grenada,
Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State one year
before entering the U.S. Naval Academy, from which
he graduated in 1952. He is a graduate of U.S. Naval
Postgraduate School in Engineering Electronics and
the Armed Forces Staff College. He has a Master of
Science degree in Financial Management from
George Washington University.
Sea tours for Commander Turnage have in–
cluded duty as: Gunnery Officer in
USS
MEREDITH(DD-890);
Gunnery Officer, First Lieute–
nant and Assistant Engineer Officer in
USS FORT
SNELLING (LSD-30);
Main Propulsion Assistant in
USS PRINCETON (CVS-37)
and
LPH-5);
Staff
Squadron Engineer, Squadron Engineer, Squadron
Operations and Project Officer
DESDEV 2;
Weapons
Officer
USS LEAHY (DLG-16);
Weapons Officer
USS
WORDEN (DLG-18);
and Executive Officer
USS
HENRY B. WILSON( DDG-7).
He was a member of
the commissioning crews of
FORT SNELLING
and
WORDEN.
He served as Commanding Officer
USS
DUNCAN(DD-874)
from December 1969 to October
1970. During this period he was awarded the Bronze
Star for the
DUNCAN's
performance in Southeast
Asia. He reported aboard
USS CHICAGO
for duty as
Executive Officer in December 1970.
From 1966 to 1969, Commander Turnage was
Head of the Plans Division for Surface Missile
Systems Project in Washington, D.C. and participated
in the Chief of Naval Operation's 1967 Major Fleet
Escort Study.
A deacon in his church and active in Little
League baseball , Commander Turnage is an avid ten–
nis player.
He is married to the former Rebecca Johnson of
Winona, Mississippi, and they have three children ,
Edwin , Terry Constance and Jeffrey.
Commander Turnage, our former Executive Officer,
presents a cake to the pilot of the 500th helo to land
during this WESTPAC deployment.