World War I - The Great War

CDR Theodore G. Ellison, USN, Class of 1905 (Naval Aviator #1)

Although many can claim the title of Naval Aviator, only one can be called the first. CDR Theodore “Spuds'' Ellison (b.1885 - d.1928) is the man distinguished as Naval Aviator Number 1. His grave maker in Section 4, Plot 557, bears this title.  A member of Class of 1905, Ellison would serve on various ships until in 1910 he was ordered to North Island, San Diego for aviation instruction. He would become the first airborne naval officer in January of 1911. Ellison would go on to act as a flight instructor and in 1917 was assigned to the Naval Academy. In 1918 he would be assigned to join a submarine chaser squadron and be awarded the Navy Cross for his development of successful tactics during World War I. After the war he would serve in many roles before his untimely death in 1928. On his 43rd birthday Ellison was killed when his aircraft crashed into the Chesapeake Bay.

LT Clarence Crase Thomas, USN, Class of 1908 (Cenotaph)

A cenotaph in Section 3, plot 297, marks the memory of LT Clarence C. Thomas. He was appointed a midshipmen from California and graduated from the Academy in 1908. He would be appointed the officer over the armed navy guard aboard the USS Vacuum, a merchant ship, to protect it from German forces. In April of 1917 he would give up his life defending the vessel. When a lookout spotted a German U Boat, Thomas would take to the ship’s after gun. Moments later the Vacuum was struck by a torpedo and the ship sunk only minutes afterward. Although Thomas was among the survivors fished from the water shortly after, he would die from cold and exposure. He was the first Naval Officer to die in the war with Germany and would receive the Naval Cross for his heroism. 

Capt Edward Fuller, USMC, Class of 1916

Capt Edward Fuller was the son of Major General Ben H. Fuller who served as the 15th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Both General and Captain Fuller are interred in Section 3, Plot 369. Although the exact details of his death are unclear, what is known is that he fell while defending the marines under his command during the Battle of Belleau Wood. For his valiant efforts he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and a Silver Star. When his body was returned from France, he was interred in the Naval Academy Cemetery.