This Week

This week we look forward to the celebration of Memorial Day. For most it’s a three day weekend filled with parties and the introduction to a new summer — one no longer marked with 100% of social distancing and masking. The pandemic lockdown is mostly over, around the country and in Tennessee.

For others the weekend is a time to reflect on the sacred sacrifice of American men and women who wear the nation’s uniform. That sacrifice in war and peace has undergirded the freedom and prosperity that we enjoy and many take for granted. But those who are close to America’s warriors who were lost in the line of duty know that freedom is not free.

Pardon me as I reflect here on one of those who was close to me.

Otis Vincent “Vince” Tolbert was born in Tennessee and grew up outside the Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. Vince was a Navy “brat,” moving around in a family headed by a Naval Aviator dad who flew A-7 Corsair attack jets, one of the first black pilots to do so. Vince excelled in academics and athletics, winning a football scholarship to Fresno State. A neighbor, a Navy flight surgeon, said of him, “He was a scholar and a leader by example and one of the finest young men I ever knew. This isn’t grief talking. He was one of this country’s gems.”

Vince joined the Navy to pursue a career following in his Dad’s foot steps, as a Naval Aviator but he was medically deferred – football knees – and took up the craft of a Surface Warfare Officer, driving big gray ships. He was selected to become a Naval Intelligence Officer and went on to serve aboard the carrier Constellation, a ship assignment we had in common although at different times.

I met Vince, the “Big O,” when he arrived at U.S. Central Command headquarters. For a time he worked in a branch that I headed, performing analysis of maritime issues and terrorist threats to U.S. interests — including Al Qaeda — across the 21 nations of CentCom from East Africa, across the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia. Being two Navy guys on a staff filled with multiple services and sharing the Constellation experience in common we became great friends.

Vince was a terrific intelligence officer. He attacked analytical and operational problems with energy and intellect. His work was instrumental to the security and safety of U.S. interests in a turbulent part of the world. We parted when I retired from the Navy in 1998 returning to Washington, DC to take up a new career. As is the case with the military, people go in different directions and I didn’t know that Vince’s next assignment was the Pentagon.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I was headed to the Pentagon and then on to meetings in downtown Washington when I learned of the attacks at the World Trade Center. I returned home to see what was happening about the time a plane hit the second tower. Having worked in analysis of the emerging Al Qaeda threat, as an intelligence officer, I was shocked but not surprised that bin Laden had mounted an attack on America. Moments later I heard the sound of the impact of American Airlines Flight 77 into the west side of the Pentagon, not knowing what it was until the news crews started broadcasting the images. On the 12th, in the evening, I went to the Pentagon to observe the scene — the gruesome sight of the wounded building, the huge American flag draped from the roof’s edge, the many lights illuminating the scene and the dozens of news trucks and reporters.

It was the next day that the casualty list was released and I quickly scanned it only to learn that Vince’s name was on the list, along with many other Navy intelligence shipmates I had known over the years. The Navy’s newly refurbished intelligence office was in the wedge of the Pentagon that received tremendous carnage from the airliner attack.

Lieutenant Commander Otis Vincent Tolbert, U.S. Navy, was buried in sight of the west side of the Pentagon alongside many others of the 125 9/11 casualties, military and civilians lost that day. He left behind his wife and three children and many family and friends. In tribute to his service, the U.S. Central Command christened its new state of the art Intelligence Center in Tampa in his name. “The Vince” is its nickname.

You can read more about Vince in his Pentagon Memorial page here and a Los Angeles Times article here.

So, this weekend please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice of men and women, like Vince, the hundreds of thousands who gave their all. That’s what Memorial Day is about.

The Tennessee World Affairs Council will continue to include programs highlighting the work of our service members around the world in our global affairs awareness and education efforts.

Sincerely,

MARK THE CALENDAR

THE POWER OF DIPLOMACY WITH AMBASSADOR CAPRICIA PENAVIC MARSHALL

On JUNE 1 AT 7PM we’ll be talking about diplomacy. From 2009 to 2013, Capricia Penavic Marshall was Chief of Protocol of the United States, bearing the rank of Ambassador and setting the stage for diplomacy at the highest levels. In this capacity, she worked to leverage U.S. relationships with foreign governments developing strategies to transform global engagement. Ms. Marshall oversaw six State and Official Visits, countless Working Visits, the G20, Nuclear Security, APEC, G8, NATO and Sunnylands Summits, and the protocol arrangements during travel with the President and Secretaries of State to forty-two countries. Details/Registration.

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SCRATCH YOUR TRAVEL ITCH WITH A CONVERSATION WITH RICK STEVES

Rick Steves turned backpacking across Europe as a young man into a travel industry. Books, tours, television programs, web specials, merchandise — if it has anything to do with travel to Europe, Rick Steves name comes to the top of the list. We’ll be talking with Rick on JUNE 15TH AT 7PM CT about his experiences in international travel, what we should expect in the post-pandemic era and the ability of travel to remove barriers and build bridges. Small fee for non-members. Free for new and existing paid members. Details/Registration.

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