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Byrnes class leader anchors Navy's Third Fleet
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By JASON SPENCER, Staff Writer
Published May 28, 2007
Reprinted here by permission of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal Newspaper
'Shock and awe'
 After serving on four ships, Locklear was given command of the USS Leftwich. His father was able to fly to Hong Kong to attend that ceremony.
"It was quite an experience," said Samuel Locklear Jr., 78, from his home in Greer. "It's something that I really enjoyed, really admired. It makes you feel exceptionally well, because your son had accomplished that goal."
Locklear assumed several other commands, and in 2003 was put in charge of the Nimitz Strike Group - which consisted of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, two cruisers, four destroyers, two submarines, nearly 100 aircraft and various support ships.
The strike group arrived in the Persian Gulf during the early phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom. When Locklear got there, four other aircraft carrier strike groups were in the gulf, and two more were in the Mediterranean.
""I would have been perfectly happy to have gone my entire career without ever having to use force against anybody in the world, to use these magnificent platforms and the people who were on them as a deterrent or an influence to help as we spread peace and security through the world," Locklear said. "When called to do that … by the leadership of the nation, we were ready to do it. We were well-prepared, we were well-manned and well-equipped. But, to be honest, for me and most of the sailors on there, combat of any kind is a pretty somber occasion."
At home in Greer, Locklear's family would watch the "shock and awe" of American cruise missiles falling on Baghdad.
'A long way to go'
 Locklear has held several other leadership positions - aboard ships, at the Naval Academy and in Washington, D.C. But through the years, the same boy from Byrnes shone through.
Henderson said she saw him at a Spartanburg restaurant a few years ago, and he hugged her and they talked about old times.
"He's just down to earth. None of this has ever gone to his head, that he's so big in the Navy," she said.
Earlier this month, he was appointed to command the Third Fleet, one of five active fleets in the Navy. Becoming a three-star admiral requires a nomination from the secretary of defense, a subsequent nomination from the president and confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
His typical day is divided into thirds, with staff members on hand to make sure his time isn't wasted. He spends part of the day learning more about the complex organization he's in charge of, part of it talking to the men and women under his command - finding out how they feel about themselves, the fleet, their job - and part of it performing the day-to-day operations required of running a Navy fleet.
Locklear has two daughters and two grandsons. He and his wife live in San Diego, and he makes it back to Spartanburg two, three or four times a year.
So, does he believe he reached the success that his classmates predicted for him 35 years ago?
"There's success in a lot of ways," Locklear said. "Certainly, from my professional perspective inside the Navy, I feel like I've had a fair amount of success, but I'm also privileged to have the opportunities that I've had.
"So far, so good. There are certainly other people in that class who have been successful by other measurements."
Jeff Greer was Locklear's best friend at Byrnes. He was in Locklear's wedding, and served 20 years in the Navy. The two never served together, but Greer says he often heard about his buddy from others who had served with him. His professional reputation preceded him.
"I don't think he's reached the pinnacle of his success yet," said Greer, 52, who currently is living in Charleston. "He's got a long way to go. The same qualities that led him to be class president, or most likely to succeed, are the same qualities that I believe will lead him to be chief of naval operations. I believe he'll get that fourth star."
Photos of Vice Admiral Locklear courtesty of the United States Navy
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