Scattered Far and Wide: The Naval Academy Class of ’38 at War

Scattered Far and Wide follows the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1938 as they rise from junior officers to combat leaders in World War II’s most pivotal battles. Through firsthand accounts and deep research, Justin Laborde brings their stories of courage, sacrifice, and survival vividly to life.

Scattered Far and Wide tells the war stories of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen from the Class of 1938. Commissioned on the eve of World War II, they faced the trials of combat as new officers from the early days of American involvement and as ships captains, pilots in leadership positions, and submariners in charge by VJ Day. Tested as young leaders, they bore the new burden of command while at the fore of the Pacific War’s largest and most pivotal campaigns. They felt the wind and spray in their faces and the percussion of ships’ guns and depth charges at the pivotal moment in their lives and careers, making their experiences unusually compelling, heartbreaking, and--most assuredly--instructive.

From Pearl Harbor through the end of the war, these men fought and struggled for survival as part of the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic Fleet. In the early months of the conflict, they tried to stem the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Some were captured and sent to brutal prisoner-of-war camps. Others took to the air from aircraft carriers as members of torpedo, bomber, and fighter squadrons during the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. Later in the war, a number served aboard submarines, experiencing some of the most legendary patrols in the history of the Silent Service.

Author Justin Laborde’s grandfather, Alden Laborde, was a member of the Class of 1938. Upon his death, Justin obtained a 1938 edition of The Lucky Bag, the Naval Academy’s yearbook. Reading the memoirs of Alden’s classmates, Justin realized he was well placed to tell the fascinating and unreported story of this class’s experiences in World War II. He spent five years gathering primary materials and researching the histories and wartime tales. The young men who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1938 left Annapolis on the eve of war and faced its perils around the world. In the process, these junior officers earned medals and fame, left legacies of heroism and loss, and sparked tales of renown and bravery that reverberate today.

Dr. Justin Laborde is a communications scholar, strategic consultant, and frequent speaker on consumer trends business growth strategies at Fortune 500 companies. he brings to this project a passion for WWII history, a researcher’s training, and a unique personal connection to the Naval Academy’s Class of 1938. The genesis of and overall motivation for this project was personal. His grandfather, Alden Laborde, was a member of the Naval Academy’s Class of 1938 and, after obtaining a copy of the ’38 edition of the institution’s yearbook, The Lucky Bag, upon his grandfather’s death and perusing the memoirs of his classmates that he already had in his possession, Justin realized he was uniquely positioned to tell the fascinating and unreported story of this class’ experiences in World War II. He has spent five years gathering primary materials and researching the histories and wartime stores of this class’ members.