Statehouse resolution honors West Lafayette commander of USS Spruance

Deanna Watson, Lafayette Journal & Courier
·2 min read
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — "I know it will be hard," Navy Cmdr. Douglas A. Robb told the Journal & Courier in 2001 as an incoming cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy, "but the end will justify the means. I want to get a world-class education."

That military appointment has also provided a world tour of sorts as the West Lafayette High School graduate's deployments have included points in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa.

United States Navy Cmdr. Douglas A. Robb, of West Lafayette High School, was honored by a concurrent resolution of the Indiana Senate and House upon his assumption of command over the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance.
United States Navy Cmdr. Douglas A. Robb, of West Lafayette High School, was honored by a concurrent resolution of the Indiana Senate and House upon his assumption of command over the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance.

Robb, the son of Judge Margret R. Robb of the Court of Appeals of Indiana, was honored last week by a Concurrent Resolution of the Indiana Senate and House upon his March assumption of command over the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance.

The concurrent resolution honored Robb's "17 years of loyal active-duty service, congratulates him on his new command, and wishes him fair winds and following seas."

When told of the honor, Robb said "nobody succeeds by themselves," according to information provided by the Court of Appeals of Indiana communications office.

“I am very proud," Judge Robb said of her son. "He has worked hard for his achievements but he is also very appreciative of the support he has received from many people."

Robb, a national qualifier in high school debate, graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 2005 with a bachelor of science in political science, his military profile highlights. The concurrent resolution noted Robb earned the American Legion Prize for the highest academic standing among all political science majors.

In this 2018 file photo from the KItsap Sun, sailors on the fo’c’sle aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111), right, maintain tension on a phone and distance line during a refueling-at-sea with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).
In this 2018 file photo from the KItsap Sun, sailors on the fo’c’sle aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111), right, maintain tension on a phone and distance line during a refueling-at-sea with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).

He holds master of arts degrees in national security studies with honors from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and with distinction from the U.S. Naval War College.

The USS Spruance (DDG-111), first launched in 2006, was named for Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, who commanded American naval forces at the Battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea, according to the military.

According to the Pacific Daily News, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided missile destroyer USS Spruance landed on Guam on March 2, 2022, for a port visit.

Deanna Watson is the executive editor at the Journal & Courier. Contact her at dwatson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @deannawatson66.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Resolution honors Navy commander Douglas Robb of West Lafayette