A tribute to Navy Adm. Archie Clemins

Boise lost one of its finest and most accomplished citizens recently. Retired Navy Adm. Archie Clemins passed away with his family at his bedside, losing a long battle he waged in his usual stoic and courageous manner. Marilyn, Archie’s wife and partner for all of those Navy years, their daughter Becky and son, Travis, much to his father’s pride a Naval officer in his own right, were there to say goodbye.

Archie and I met when my wife, Kathy, and I were invited on a public affairs tour on the guided missile destroyer, U.S.S. Benfold, during its maneuvers in the South Pacific. That morning in 1997, before we boarded the Benfold, we received a call from Adm. Archie Clemins, who was in Hawaii at the time as Commander of the Pacific Fleet. (To put this position in perspective, this responsibility fell to Adm. Chester Nimitz in World War II.) The admiral, an Illinoisan, welcomed me as then Illinois lieutenant governor. As we spoke, we realized that we and our wives were all graduates of University of Illinois. (Kathy and Marilyn would discover later that they lived in sorority houses next to each other.)

In 2003, in my first month on the job at Boise State, I received an email from Archie. He reminded me we spoke the day of our Benfold cruise and that he and his wife now lived in Boise. Archie and Marilyn became dear friends over the years. Trips to the movies, dinners afterward to critique the films, catch up on our lives and then conversation would drift to what we were reading and its relevance to the world today, something about which Archie — and Marilyn — cared deeply.

In those moments when we did talk about the Cleminses’ Navy past, we were always impressed with how Marilyn complemented and supported Archie’s professional life, always the loyal, yet independent Navy spouse who managed home and child-rearing when Archie was away on duty for extended periods of time.

Archie’s devotion to his country and the concern he had for the direction it was heading in recent years should come as no surprise from a man who gave his nation a lifetime of military service. It should come as no surprise from a man who distinguished himself as a transformative leader in the U.S. Navy and remained a true patriot until his dying day.

Titles are impressive, and four-star Adm. Clemins who served as Commander of the Pacific Fleet ranked among the highest Navy brass. Yet, his rank hardly acknowledges the impact this kid from Mt. Vernon, Illinois, who joined Navy ROTC at the University of Illinois had on the U.S. Navy. For one thing, I detected in those few moments when Archie would talk about his Navy days that he took special pride in climbing to the top of the Navy career ladder without having attended the U.S. Naval Academy. But that’s another story.

Few who served will ever match what Adm. Archie Clemins did for the U.S. Navy. Archie Clemins has been recognized as the father of “hi-tech” in the U.S. Navy and the man who led the Navy into the information age.

As early as 1993, Vice Adm. Clemins could be seen on board a ship or in the Pentagon with a laptop tucked under his arm. That was long before laptops would become a staple of our digital lives. In one key moment of his career, he would put his laptop and his expertise in technology to good use when China was beating its drums over Taiwan, and President Clinton ordered two carrier battle groups to the region.

Adm. Clemins saw an opportunity to use the latest technology to improve the slow and painstaking processes of Navy decision-making. After his Power Point presentation to the Joint Chiefs of Staff when most of them had never seen Power Point, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was so impressed, he asked for Adm. Clemins to put it on a plane and get it over to him. In helping the Joint Chiefs understand how the Navy could communicate in this new age, Archie asked for the chairman’s email so he could send it immediately. No need for a plane ride!

The chairman was so impressed that he ordered the Power Point on every joint command and, as cybersecurity expert, Richard Stiennon, points out, “this was the moment when the military changed forever. Network-Centric war fighting was born.”

Adm. Clemins’ leadership would become legendary in the U.S. Navy. Much of the shipboard innovations in computers for command, control and communications for how the Navy Fleet should operate can be traced to his vision. The notice of Adm. Clemins’ death sent to all flag officers in the Navy credited his sensitive and dangerous submarine missions as having altered the course of the Cold War.

By the time his Navy career came to a close, Archie would earn nine Presidential Unit Citations, 10 Navy Unit Commendations and 13 Navy Expeditionary medals.

The man who gave so much in service to his country would continue to give back as one of Boise’s most distinguished citizens. He served governors who called upon him, he served on a number of boards, including the Andrus Center for Public Policy, and he remained engaged in the public affairs of Idaho and his home of Boise.

Thanks for your service, Archie, and thanks for being such a valued member and friend of our community.