Captain Thomas Sherwood Sedaker (1918-94)

[R Leonard]

In the middle 1950's the USN was still working its way through the glut of wartime promotions.

On 1 Jan 1945 Sedaker was promoted to LT, this was a temporary rank based on his entering date from enlisted status on 23 Sep 1943. Jumping ahead, in 1949 Sedaker was still a LT, but that now was his permanent rank, nothing temporary about it. He was indeed promoted to LCDR with a date of rank 1 Aug 1951; and this was now his permanent rank. He was promoted to CDR as of 1 May 1956, BUT his permanent rank was LCDR.

This is not unusual to see. When my father was promote to CAPT on 1 Jul 1956, his permanent rank was CDR.

By 1958, the notation of one's permanent rank went away which meant that whatever rank one held, CDR for Sedaker, CAPT for my father, for examples, was a permanent rank. By then enough officers had retired or had been separated that it was no longer necessary to keep a general order of seniority based on permanent ranks.

Oh, Sedaker's designator was 1310, 1 for line, 31 for naval aviator, 0 for a regular Navy officer ensign or above.