Month: December 2017

If anyone knows me, you know I am very serious about my job. It’s always been that way. That is, until recently.

Two days ago, a very prominent figure in the field with a penchant for very loud ties came by the office to talk to the historian. When I told him he wasn’t there, he began to talk about his many accolades, adding:

“As you know, naval historians have a stigma of being primadonnas that are hard to work with. You don’t have that problem because you’re not a historian.”

I gave him the same look I’ve given these assholes every time something like this is said to me. It’s not the first time, but it will be the last.

Me: “Why am I not a historian?”

Him: “Do you have a Ph.D.?”

Me: “No. Is that a requirement?”

Him: “Well No, but….you know what I mean.”

Me: “No, I don’t. But okay.”

He looked awkward at me before I gave him the universal “it’s okay to leave now” gesture. This little interaction isn’t the reason why I have grown to distaste the field, but it is surely indicative of why I feel no shame in turning my back to it.

He is right. I’m not a historian. And he was in his eyes. He wins. But you know what? Who the fuck cares? I know what I am. I worked in the field of naval history and did some cool stuff. I succeeded some and failed a lot, but I enjoyed it. I don’t have to tell people about it like a status symbol. So many naval historians do. The best and brightest people in naval history are also the most humble. My many experiences with the McMullen Naval History Symposium taught me that.

So what am I? Good at my job – a job that became thankless over the last year. So it was time for me to go. I think, in other areas, my career in naval history would be better (it was great for the most part at Hampton Roads), I slowly grew disenchanted with the entire genre of military history. If my ultimate goal was to bring naval history out of the hands of academics and into those of the general people, then I have to say that I failed (with a caveat of small successes here and there). Also: fuck that guy and his stupid fucking ties.

Naval history as a whole refuses to move forward. Although there are some individuals who are doing remarkable things in the field (you know who you are), in general, I have seen an apathetic approach to moving the discipline towards the general public. Sure, they will get their fix every December 7th or discovery of a shipwreck, but the buck stops there.

For the most part, the true consumers of naval history are the ones who say that Donald Trump is doing a good job because Fox News says so. Hey. Don’t blame me. These are demographics. I have the proof if you don’t believe me.

I gave my heart and soul to naval history when I was 22. I dedicated my life to it. When my other friends partied on weekends, I made craft projects and educational programs. I am leaving NHF and naval history and going to a place that applauds that work ethic. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to get back to EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, not watching the same small group of old white men jerk each other off with their publications nobody reads.

So I must say goodbye to naval history. I’m not mad, but clearly a little bitter. That will subside in time. I don’t know if it will be forever, but it will be a very long time before I see a historic photo of a battleship without cringing. We had some good years together, but like all relationships built entirely on passion, the fire dies eventually.

So, here is my exit interview. Five suggestions for the REAL historians with Ph.D.s who want to further the field for the future:

1. Listen to museums. They’re way more important than you will ever acknowledge. Trust me.

2. Get creative. It doesn’t always work (in fact, it only works a quarter of the time), but take risks in your research. There are many younger men and women that are doing this now. Recognize them.

3. Get over yourself. You don’t need a Ph.D. to be an established historian. You don’t need a degree or any of that. It doesn’t make you any better than anybody else and does nothing to further the field. All you are doing is pushing good people away. There are people in the field who recognize this (literally the most senior naval historian IN THE WORLD has told me this in person), so it’s nothing new.

4. Millenial historians are better than you were in your youth. Millennial currently studying naval history (and there are a few) are doing amazing work right now. It’s more sustainable than the stuff you did in the 1970s. It’s better overall work than you did as well. Blame it on all the avocado toast we are all eating.

5. Naval history requires a different approach to move forward. Get out of the “old way” that history is written, published, and taught and move forward before it’s too late. I truly mean this.

I still thank “naval history” for giving me a profound start to my career. It’s hard to say goodbye, but easy letting you go. Maybe we’ll see each other in another life when the fighting stops.