Strean - Bernard Max
(Thanks so much to his niece, Cindy Strean McGuire for the suggestion we add this great man to our Fountain County Who’s Who)
Bernard was born in Big Cabin, Oklahoma (born December 16, 1910) but grew up in Fountain County, Indiana. A graduate of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1933. He retired as a US Navy Vice Admiral. A WWII veteran, he was in the Fighting Squadron 1, Division USS Yorktown. He received the Navy Cross as Commander Bernard Max Strean, for “extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in action against the enemy fleet in the vicinity of the East Philippine Sea on 20 June 1944. While leading his squadron against the Japanese fleet, he scored a direct bomb hit upon an enemy aircraft carrier. His courage, skill and determination in leading and making the first attack under the most hazardous conditions were so inspirational as to be largely instrumental in the success of an extremely difficult operation … his great personal valor in the face of grave peril was in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service.” (https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/20987 ).
While at Annapolis he was a member of the crew and football team. Besides the Navy Cross mentioned above, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Legion of Merit. After the war, he was a naval aviation instructor. Very exciting, in the 1960s, he commanded the first all-nuclear-powered carrier group. He was later Chief of Personnel for the Navy, as well. His last command was in Florida where he was instrumental in establishing the Naval Air Museum in 1963 along with Capt. Magruder H. Tuttle and then Capt. Bernard Strean. These two men thought it logical that new Navy personnel should know the history of the Navy and the tour guides, all retired Navy folks, often have stories about flying or being on one of the aircrafts (AOPA Pilot Oct 1, 2018 online). He retired in 1971 after 38 years of service and passed away at the age of 91 on June 1, in 2002 (LA Times June 10, 2002) of pneumonia in a hospital at Arlington, VA. His nickname was “Smoke,” and he is appropriately buried at the US Naval Academy Cemetery at Annapolis, Maryland. His wife was Janet Lockey and they had one child, Bernard Max.
Not many have a plane named for them but the C-131F is nicknamed “Streanliner” and is a fine plane, as was the commander for which it was named. In 1940, he was stationed at Pearl Harbor as a Lt. and of course is listed with a four-year-college degree. Their family represents a typical service family, Bernard born in Oklahoma, Janet, in Montana, Bernard Max in Florida and their youngest, Richard in California.
Although Bernard didn’t spend many years in our county, he did spend most of his growing-up years where he received his education and graduated from Attica High School in 1928. His parents, Ralph Lester and Maude (Hopkins who lived to be 90) Strean are buried in Riverside Cemetery. Rest In Peace, sir!
WWI
