(Captain Phil McKnight, USN-Ret. A Great American. RIP).
We lost another Great American yesterday. I suppose it is inevitable, but I am getting tired of it.
Our pal Joe summed up our collective memory of Phil McKnight nicely this morning- he was on travel yesterday and didn’t get the word that Phil had left us until he read the sad news in the electronic chatter this morning.
He commented to the usual suspects that he “hadn’t had time to comprehend the impact of his loss to me personally and Naval Intelligence more broadly, and I thought more of you ought to know about his passing and his loss.”
I agree. Joe was the chief of the photo lab (back when we had such things) at the Office of Naval Intelligence during the craziness at Suitland, Maryland, in the early 90’s when Phil was the Chief of Staff. The community was trying to deal with the end of history at the time, or at least as proclaimed by scholarly expert Yoshihiro Fukuyama the pundit, political scientist, economist and author.
I don’t blame him for being wrong- we all did a lot of crazy stuff at the time. It was something in the water, I think.
I mean, the Soviet Union’s collapse and the apparent triumph of American arms in the Gulf War drove all sorts of bizarre decisionmaking.
Once the troops were home from the Gulf War, we immediately embarked on harvesting the “Peace Dividend” to divert the budget from the Cold War footing to all sorts of other great ideas. Fukuyama’s book “The End of History and the Last Man” (1992) was a sort of codicil for what the smart money was thinking. He argued that the worldwide spread of liberal democracy and free-market capitalism signaled the end of humanity’s sociocultural evolution and become the final form of human government.
Hahahaha. Didn’t work out that way, as we discovered to our dismay. In fact, quite the opposite.
It was a little embarrassing to be in the intelligence business at the time, since we missed predicting the end of Communism (as it turned out, quite the opposite) but we had to deal with the improbable appearance of the long-programmed Naval Intelligence building being built on the campus of the Census Bureau at Suitland, Maryland.
(The National Maritime Intelligence Center, home of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Image courtesy USN).
We called it the “Last Cold War Building,” since it had been programmed to replace the 1940s-era buildings that comprised the Naval Intelligence Command (NIC) Buildings One and Two on the sprawling federal reservation. There were several hard elbows thrown over that mess, since Navy initially thought it should have gone to Anacostia to be near our Big Brother, DIA.
Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer had other ideas about that, and it was an education for all of us in the raw power of politics in watching where it actually was built.
Heck, we didn’t even have a fence around the property then, and all sorts of things could be found on the grounds in the morning there, including corpses.
Phil was in the middle of the whole thing, with budgets coming down, fights with Congress and the new building being delivered, and uncertainty all around. This morning, Joe wrote that “Phil was constant source common sense, calmness, and good humor. His advice up and down the chain of command was highly valued.”
Phil also understood the importance of Naval Intelligence having a creditable professional association and he was one of the founding forces behind the Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP). Having labored long in those vineyards myself, I honor his volunteer service, which I know for a fact, is worth exactly what you pay for it.
Joe noted this morning that “without his knowledge, Phil provided numerous course corrections, a sterling professional example to emulate, and was just a great person to know and be around. I will miss Phil immensely, but I am grateful that he has been an important part of my life. Rest in peace shipmate, we have the watch.”
Here is what the family wanted his shipmates and pals to know:
Taps:
19 March 2015. Captain Phillip F. McKnight, USN, Ret., age 78.
Phil was born in Ventura, California on July 3, 1936 to the late Cecil and Helen McKnight. He graduated from Ventura High School and the University of Redlands with a degree in Political Science. Additionally, Phil completed graduate education work at George Washington University.
He joined the Navy and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. After completing training, he joined the ranks of Air Intelligence (1355, Air Intelligence, Reserve). He augmented to the regular Navy and became a Special Duty- Intelligence Officer when the AI’s were integrated with the intelligence branch (1630).
The Navy afforded him a chance to see the world. During his naval career, he served his underway time aboard the carriers USS Oriskany (CV-34) and USS America (CV-66). He was posted to London England, Naples Italy, Colorado Springs, CO, and Alexandria VA.
His final and the proudest assignment was Command of the Naval Intelligence Processing System Support Activity (NIPSSA) during the Navy’s early days of computer automation.
Following his retirement, he worked as a security consultant for PFM Corporation, a company he formed. He also worked for Dolphin Technology as a consultant.
Phil remained very active after retirement. While living in Alexandria, VA he chaired the city’s Republican Party. Additionally, he was a member of the Army-Navy Club in downtown DC as well as serving as a Board member for the Naval Intelligence Professionals and the Naval Art Foundation, which has allowed the Office of Naval Intelligence to display some of the historic combat art at the building at Suitland.
Upon moving to Clinton, NY he was a member of St. James Episcopal Church where he served as Warden and also as Treasurer for the Dioceses of Central New York.
Finally feeling the need for a less demanding climate, he moved to Aiken, SC, where Phil remained active and engaged in the his new community. He was a member of his local Episcopal Church, the Steeplechase Association, the Polo Club, and the historic Green Boundary Club.
Phil was always a sailor, and gave back to the veterans of the Global War on Terror by volunteering for the Aiken Warrior Project. He also served as Treasurer for the American Legion Post #26 and the Aiken Military Officer’s Association of America chapter.
Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Barbara; his daughters Lisa and Emily; a son, Tim; five grandchildren; a sister and brother-in-law, Peggy and Joe Schuster; a brother-in-law and his wife, Jim and Becky Lorraine; sister-in-law and her husband, Nancy and Ron Frazee, and many nieces and nephews.
Phil was preceded in death by his parents and son, Ron.
If you are in the area, funeral services will be held at 5:30 PM Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at St Thaddeus Episcopal Church. Interment with full military honors will follow in the historic church cemetery. The family will receive friends immediately following the services in the Stevenson- McClelland Building on the church grounds.
The family wishes to specifically thank the Tri-County Hospice, and particularly nurse Ralph Smith, for the love and care they provided to Captain McKnight in his last days.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, 125 Pendleton Street, SW, Aiken, SC 29801.
The Historic George Funeral Home, 211 Park Ave., SW, Aiken, SC 29801 (803.649.6234) is in charge of arrangements. – See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/aikenstandard/obituary.aspx?n=phillip-f-mcknight&pid=174448335#sthash.LFNIvIBH.dpuf
Copyright 2015 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303