National Association of Naval Photography
03 MAY 2006
Honorary Chief Photographer's Mate Nomination
Daniel A. Bernath Dan Bernath Daniel Alan Bernath
By Dale Potts, Captain, United States Navy (Reserve, Ret.)
Thomas Gardner
1978 Butternut Street
Charleston SC 29414
Gentlemen,
I am honored to nominate my former shipmate, Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel A. Bernath for Honorary Chief status in your organization. I have known Dan Bernath since our days serving together on the carrier USS Yorktown in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam in 1967, through the cruise around South American and the NATO North Atlantic cruise to Europe in 1969.
I was the Public Information Officer on the USS Yorktown and worked closely together with Photographers Mate Bernath on many projects. I remember that he always presented a good image with his trim squared-away military appearance and easy going manner. One of his quarterly reports states that, “he adds much to the moral of the division” and I can see why that was so because as he arrived on the scene of a photographic assignment, he put the participants at ease even though they might initially be intimidated by the large camera and flash equipment.
He was good at directing all US Navy personnel for the photographs whether they were seaman or the Commanding Officer and thereby presented a good image for all Navy Photographers.
Photographers Mate Bernath left the US Navy and entered a journalism career that had him move constantly from NYC to Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, back to New York City and because of that his wish to remain in the US Navy Reserve could not be fulfilled. Bernath’s attitude however is “I was a part of the US Navy. The US Navy will always be a part of me.“
Bernath‘s leadership abilities were recognized by the Navy and he was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class in three years. I’ve heard him say, "My greatest regret in life is that I didn't get promoted to Chief Petty Officer. If I could have stayed in the Navy I would have done it. That is one goal I wanted but because of my journalism career could not attain."
From 1970 to 1982 he was an award winning journalist (using the "on the air" name of Daniel Abernathy) primarily on radio but also on television in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans, Milwaukee where he won awards for "newscast contributing most to the community", "best spot news" and the like and to support and contribute to the Navy always looked for and featured US Navy stories to broadcast.
Bernath constantly went out of his way to put the local US Navy recruiters on the air, spoke on the air about the grand life of a US Navy Photographer in talk shows, thus giving the US Navy free publicity that reached millions of young potential recruits.
Photographers Mate Bernath later became a highly successful lawyer but because of his affection for people and love of photography that he gained by working with his Photographers Mate Chiefs James A. Herry and Emiliano Relleve, he also stayed a photographer. He volunteered to completely reorganize our local VFW website and it is now such a professional site that we are a the leading contender to have our VFW website named as the Best VFW Website in the Country (located at www.patriothall.com for renters and for the veterans www.tualatinvfw.com )
Bernath, using the skills he learned from years before at the direction of Photographers Mate Master Chief Emiliano Relleve of the USS Yorktown, in making portraits of US Navy officers, made US Navy quality portraits of our VFW membership, which increases the morale of the veterans and again enhances the image of US Navy Photographers.
His greatest accomplishment, contribution and action in support of US Naval Photography was his becoming the webmaster of www.ussyorktown.com. That is the website of the USS Yorktown Association but it has turned into a useful tool of the current US Navy. When Bernath took command of the website it consisted of 3 pages and a history of the association page. It was rarely visited on the internet.
From that, he contacted US Navy Photographers from around the country and had them donate pictures that they had created or obtained of the men and machines of the US Navy. There are now over 400 pages contained 2,200 pictures almost all photographs made by US Navy Photographers through the decades.
Most amazing is that since taking over this, approximately 2,400,000 visits have been made to that website to view the photographs that the members of your fine organization and all US Navy photographers created through the years. Therefore, Bernath has exposed millions of people around the world to the work and efforts of US Navy Photographers. The website has been a source of veterans to download US Navy pictures to show to classes when they give lectures about US Navy history. Many young men and women have been drawn to the US Navy career because of the US Navy Photos and words of US Navy veterans found at the website that Photographers Mate Bernath created, expanded and maintains. Photographers Mate Bernath has united photographer’s mates and other shipmates who haven't talked to each other in sixty years as they go onto ussyorktown.com, post their names on the ussyorktown.com forum and find old combat buddies.
Using the famous combat footage of World War Two, he compiled and put into the Academy Award Winning movie "The Fighting Lady", and "Victory at Sea" converted it to be played on the internet and has posted it on ussyorktown.com. This has permitted the world to see this fabulous combat footage of US Navy Photographers, greatly supporting US Naval Photographers through the decades. He also has obtained US Navy combat photographs from the Gulf Wars of the 21st Century US Navy Photographers Mates and permanently displayed them for the world to see 24 hours a day as well.
Some of the most famous still photographs are from Chief Petty Officer Alfred M. Cooperman, who bravely photographed the "flaming Kate" as it made the kamikaze run on the fleet and was being shot down by US Navy gunners of the USS Yorktown.
Also on display are the Kamikaze attacks filmed by Navy Photographers Mate Jeff Corey (who later went on to be a movie actor with John Wayne, Dustin Hoffman), the dramatic, striking, courageous photography done by legendary US Navy Photographers Lt. Charles Kerlee and Captain Ed Steichen (as compiled in Victory at Sea). It is all on display 24 hours a day for the entire world to see and because of the efforts of Photographers Mate Bernath, and have so far been viewed by over two million four hundred thousand people-thus greatly contributing to and supporting US Navy Photography.
The USS Yorktown Sea Scouts have taken the US Navy Photographs from this website and posted them on their website and encourage the young people to visit www.ussYorktown.com where they will view all the history captured by the US Navy Photographers.
He has provided links from this high traffic www.ussyorktown.com website to the National Associations of Naval Photography website and has provided a comprehensive history of US Naval Photography using the source material from “Eyes of the Fleet” by PHC Art Gilbertson USN (ret) and in the manuscripts of LCDR George Carroll and Master Chief Photographer’s Mate John Reimer, USN (ret), PHC Milt Putnam (ret.) and other Chief Photographer’s Mates.
The tracking programs show that active duty US Navy personnel regularly visit the website and on the forum page, where people can post comments and send messages back and forth, active duty US Navy personnel regularly post messages after looking at the work of the US Navy Photographers.
US Navy veterans outside of the US Navy Photographer Community have honored him. In 2000 he was unanimously elected to the Board of Directors of the USS Yorktown Association, a group of World War Two, Korean War and Vietnam War naval combat pilots, aviators and crewmembers of the CV 5 and CV 10. In October 2001 he was given an award by the USS Yorktown Association;
“For Exemplary Service in War
aboard the "Fighting Lady"
and unselfish Devotion in Peace to
the Yorktown Association.
From your Shipmates,
a Heartfelt "Well Done".
Other award to Photographers Mate Bernath for his Contribution and Support of US Naval Photography include;
"Photographers
Mate Bernath, you have an impressive site and our editors
are enthusiastic about recognizing your efforts
[The USS Yorktown Association through]
Daniel A. Bernath, Petty Officer 2nd Class Photograp
hers
Mate
|
|
"Congratulations! Display it proudly US Navy River Patrol Force, Vietnam |
|
In recognition for the many decades of service to our
country in peace and war, and the USS Yorktown Association is hereby awarded the |
During the last six years,
with over 7 million visitors (5,500 daily), the War Stories!
Top Site Award! has been granted fewer than 24 times.
"I am impressed by your thoroughness and dedication to telling the stories and history of the USS Yorktown. Simply outstanding! I often receive requests from other associations or webmasters to be awarded the War Stories! Top Site Award!, and rarely award it even when those homepages are excellent. You are to be congratulated."
Don Poss Danang Air Base 1965-66, USAF, 366th Security Police Squadron
**
I agree with the other veterans, Photographers Mates and Chiefs who have honored Daniel Bernath and I therefore concur in the nomination of Daniel Bernath as Honorary Chief of your fine Association.
Using the photographs of the US Navy that he created and which the members of your association created and all other US Navy Photographers, Bernath has contributed to and supported US Navy Photography and Photographers Mates, aided in the recruiting of new members of the US Navy, inspired active duty US Navy personnel and millions of other Americans using US Navy Photography and therefore I recommend to you that Photographers Mate Bernath should be honored with this award as Honorary Chief.
Respectfully,
Dale G. Potts
Dale G. Potts
CAPT, USN-ret
Commander,
VFW Post 3452
Tualatin, Oregon