A Tribute to My Blue and Gold Officer

By Henry P. Aszklar Jr. ’81

In the spring of 2024, I was writing the acknowledgments page of my Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Cambridge and reflected upon people who had profoundly impacted my life. 

One person in particular, my Blue and Gold Officer (BGO), came to mind. However, it had been 47 years since our meeting, and I could not remember his name—yet I did not want this person to go unrecognized for his critical role in my life.  

I grew up under McChord Air Force Base's flight pattern, watching C-141s and F-102s, and at a young age decided to be a pilot. 
As a high school senior in 1976, I was summoned to the guidance office to meet my BGO.

I still recall him asking why my application to the Naval Academy did not include sports, scouting or club activities. I stressed my desire to be a pilot and that I worked full-time to pay for flying lessons. 

Furthermore, I had just obtained my private pilot’s license and wanted to major in aerospace engineering. Being the son of a Korean War refugee and second-generation Polish immigrant, I had no idea how to convey my drive and determination in my application; however, my BGO certainly did. 

I credit my BGO with getting me into the Naval Academy and changing the trajectory of my life. Despite applying to all the service academies and ROTC programs, I was only accepted to the Naval Academy. The only person I met that fall was my BGO, and I am forever grateful that he took the time to get to know me and reflect on my potential in his report. 

I initially turned to the BGO program office, but their records did not go back that far. I then reached out to an archivist at Nimitz Library, who amazingly found the report signed by my BGO! 

However, the report did not include a printed name, and the signature was unclear. I then asked the archivist to look up the signatures on two other applications of classmates from the same region, and the name Harry Petersen emerged! 

An alumni directory search produced a Harry Jeffery Petersen from the Class of 1974, who seemed too young to have been a BGO in 1976.

Crossing my fingers, I contacted Harry Jeffery Petersen ’74, who goes by Jeff. Jeff confirmed that the signature was his dad’s, who served as the BGO in the mid-1970s in western 
Washington State. Captain Harry Jess Petersen, USNR (Ret.), not a graduate of the Naval Academy, had unfortunately passed away in 2014. I told Jeff my story, and it made his day.

Harry Jess Petersen was born in 1926 in Tacoma, WA. He enlisted in 1944, and served in World War II as a Navy hospital corpsman. Harry was an educator at heart and became a teacher and school administrator serving at Tolt, Clover Park and Lakes High Schools. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s of education and served on the Yelm School board and the Washington State board of education. He was commissioned as a U.S. Navy reserve officer and became a BGO, ultimately running the BGO program for the state of Washington. 

Harry loved the idea of service to others. In addition to his decades of service to the country, he actively volunteered in the community through civic organizations, such as the Thurston County Conservation District, Lakewood First Lions Club, Yelm Lions Club, American Red Cross Services to Armed Forces and the Nisqually River Council. Harry loved nature, raised cattle and timber on the family farm, and agreed to a conservation easement with the Nisqually Land Trust, preserving the family farm and its natural habitat for future generations. 

I met with Jeff Petersen during his 50th reunion in September. 

“My dad loved the Navy and was a great ambassador for the Naval Academy,” he said. “He focused on the motivation of young men who could thrive at the Academy and contribute to the Navy and the country he loved so much.” 

So, I pay tribute to Harry Jess Petersen, my BGO, and his critical role in my life. This led to graduating with USNA Class of 1981 with a B.S. in aerospace engineering, which led to an M.S. from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. 

Without Harry Petersen’s help in the autumn of 1976, I probably would not have gained acceptance to the Naval Academy, where I met my lovely wife and eventually had two wonderful and accomplished daughters. 

Henry P. Aszklar Jr. ’81 became a surface nuke after failing his eye exam and served as the E2 division officer on Eisenhower and the MPA on Bainbridge. After leaving active duty, he started a career in the energy industry, eventually becoming the CEO of Globeleq, Africa’s leading independent power producer. He lives in Annapolis with his wife, Lisa.