ROBERT W. BRIGHTMAN, ENS, USN

Robert Brightman '45

Date of birth: September 21, 1921

Date of death: December 18, 1944

Age: 23

Lucky Bag

From the 1945 Lucky Bag:

Robert Weis Brightman

Clovis, New Mexico

This big healthy hunk of humanity came to the Academy with two years of military experience behind him and fell into the system perfectly. Football and good-looking women occupied most of his time. With blood in his eye, his main ambition was to play against and to beat Army. A little on the non-reg side, Bull ran counter to the ever present Executive department, many, many times. His wavy hair and constant smile were so attractive to the fair sex that few midshipmen surpassed him in popularity. If it takes a he-man to make a naval officer, "Bull" will make a good one.

Varsity Football 4, 3, 7, 1945, N; Newman Club 4, 3, 1.

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The Class of 1945 was graduated in June 1944 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Robert Weis Brightman

Clovis, New Mexico

This big healthy hunk of humanity came to the Academy with two years of military experience behind him and fell into the system perfectly. Football and good-looking women occupied most of his time. With blood in his eye, his main ambition was to play against and to beat Army. A little on the non-reg side, Bull ran counter to the ever present Executive department, many, many times. His wavy hair and constant smile were so attractive to the fair sex that few midshipmen surpassed him in popularity. If it takes a he-man to make a naval officer, "Bull" will make a good one.

Varsity Football 4, 3, 7, 1945, N; Newman Club 4, 3, 1.

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The Class of 1945 was graduated in June 1944 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Robert was lost when USS Spence (DD 512) capsized and sank in Typhoon Cobra on December 18, 1944. Three hundred seventeen men were lost from Spence; only 24 of her officers and crew survived. Unable to determine what Robert's billet was aboard, or when he reported.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in New Mexico.

The men and ships involved in Typhoon Cobra are extensively chronicled in "Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II" by Bruce Henderson.

Related Articles

Henry Oates '45 and James Reid '45 were also in 6th Company.

Class of 1945

Robert is one of 59 members of the Class of 1945 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

• ← Eugene Captain '45
• John Bock '45 →