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Nelson was the weapons officer on the USS Higbee (U.S. Navy Photo).
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Capt. Barron T. Nelson
Loss Of Limb Couldn't End Determined Naval Officer's Career
By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Military.com Contributing Writer
Medical officers at the Oakland Naval Hospital, Calif., had to keep a sharp eye on Lt. Barron Nelson. Such was his determination to return to active duty that he would exchange 10-pound weights for 27-pound weights during his physical therapy sessions. Nelson, whose right leg had been amputated below the knee after an accident in the line of duty, wanted "to drive ships -- to command Navy ships of war." He wasn't going to let the loss of a limb result in the loss of his career.
On the night of May 18, 1969, then-Lt. Nelson was the weapons officer on the USS Higbee, anchored off the coast of Vietnam. Since there was no pier, it was necessary to beach the ship's motor whaleboat. Ironically, Nelson was in a strategic position "so no one would get hurt" when the operator accidentally put the engine in gear. Nelson lost his balance and his right leg hit the prop. "I looked down and saw my foot float to the surface," he said.
As Nelson healed, his battle became both physical and bureaucratic. Less than six months after arriving at Oakland, he walked out wearing an artificial limb. While the Navy believed he was headed straight for retirement, Nelson fought for and was granted a one-year trial on limited duty.
However, his dream of driving ships would not die. His hospital stay had strengthened his stubborn determination, along with his muscles. During a stint at the Newport, R.I., Naval Destroyer School, Nelson wrangled a face-to-face meeting with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt. It was one step in the road to a change in naval regulations that now states any Navy person who loses an arm, leg, or eye can remain on active duty if he or she so desires.
For those who qualified, the right to command ships was included in this change -- and that was what Nelson desired. In August 1971, he returned to full active duty and was named skipper of the USS Tawasa, an ocean-going tug that took part in the Operation End Sweep Task Force during mine clearing in Haiphong Harbor.
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