Some photos capture history in motion. This is one of them.
This WWII era press photo from 1943 shows Brigadier General David A.D. Ogden (3d Engineers Special Brigade) standing on the stern of a fast-moving command vessel, gripping the ropes as waves crash behind him. He’s not just along for the ride. He’s watching, evaluating, making sure his Army Engineer Amphibian Unit is ready. It’s June 16, 1943, and war is tearing through Europe and the Pacific. The U.S. military is deep into preparations for the next phase of the fight—one that will be won on hostile beaches, where men, machines, and strategy must come together in perfect timing.
Ogden is outfitted for the job with a special amphibian’s cap, waterproof overalls, and the grit of someone who doesn’t lead from a desk. He’s not back at headquarters getting reports—he’s out there, in the thick of it, standing on the edge of the war before it even starts!
Press Photo’s Caption
“GENERAL RIDES THE SURF”
Coastal Training Site – Brigadier General David A.D. Ogden, commander of an Army Engineer Amphibian Unit in training for invasion, watches maneuvers of his landing boat fleet from the roped stern of a fast command vessel. He wears the amphibians’ special cap, and waterproof overalls to protect him from ocean spray. (Signal Corps)
6/16/43
The Work Behind the War
When people think about World War II, they often picture the battles—D-Day, Iwo Jima, the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific. But before those battles could happen, there had to be men like Ogden training soldiers, testing equipment, and making sure that when the time came, the landings wouldn’t be a disaster.
Amphibious operations were some of the riskiest and most complex military maneuvers of the war. Landing boats had to hit the beach at just the right moment. Troops had to get from water to land under fire. Engineers had to clear obstacles, build makeshift docks, and keep supplies flowing. It wasn’t just about fighting—it was about figuring out how to even get into the fight in the first place.
Ogden’s unit was one of the teams responsible for solving these problems. They trained in conditions as close to real battle as possible, running drills over and over to get everything right. If they failed in practice, they’d fail in combat—and failure in combat meant men would die before they even had a chance to fight.
A Leader in the Water, Not Just on Paper
Brigadier General David A.D. Ogden wasn’t a household name, but officers like him were the backbone of the war effort. He commanded the 3d Engineers Special Brigade, which in part, meant he was responsible for making sure troops could land on foreign shores and get the job done through the amphibious unit he led.
What makes this photo powerful isn’t just what it shows, but what it means. A general standing on a moving boat, holding onto ropes, soaking in the ocean spray—this isn’t the image of someone removed from the action. It’s someone who’s there, feeling the motion of the waves the same way his men do. It tells you something about how seriously he took his role.
Leadership in war isn’t about barking orders from a safe distance. It’s about knowing the challenges firsthand. It’s about being there.
Ogden eventually made the rank of Major General in 1951.
What This Photo Represents
World War II was full of moments like this—training sessions, planning meetings, drills that didn’t make headlines but made all the difference when the real battles came. Every landing, every invasion, every step forward started somewhere, often in places like this, on the deck of a boat, with a leader watching and making sure everything was ready.
The war would push men like Ogden and the soldiers under his command into battles where they wouldn’t get a second chance. If they got it wrong during training, they wouldn’t survive the real thing.
This photo is a rare look at the work behind the war—the moments that didn’t get the glory but made victory possible.
Ogden’s gaze is steady, his stance solid. He’s riding the waves, but he’s not just riding them. He’s preparing for what comes next.
Further Reading
“The Story of Our War” by James A. Pounds
This book narrates the experiences of the 3rd Engineer Special Brigade, detailing their formation, training, and combat operations in the Pacific Theater. It offers firsthand accounts of the brigade’s challenges and achievements during the war.