Cliff Bream’s father taught Naval Aviators survival techniques during WWII, and during Cliff’s childhood was the Chief of Rehabilitation in the Veterans Administration. The Bream family was one of the prominent Gettysburg families in the mid-nineteenth century, and his father had participated in both the 50th and 75th Anniversary remembrances of the 1863 battle. This tie to the battlefield nurtured one of Cliff’s lifelong passions for studying Gettysburg, and military history in general. This love for history, and his father’s service in the Navy, led Cliff to the Naval Academy, where he joined the Class of ’67. Serious knee injuries incurred on the football field prevented him from commissioning as a line officer or in the Marine Corps, and he became an Engineering Duty Officer upon graduation, working in both the Philadelphia and San Diego Navy Yards before leaving the service. While stationed in Philadelphia, he earned an MBA at Wharton. Entering the business world, he worked for Proctor & Gamble in brand management before transitioning to the computer, software, and telecommunications industries.
In this interview, he talks about his childhood, his family’s history in Gettysburg, and his experiences at the Naval Academy. He describes working on the battleship USS New Jersey during her recommissioning for service in Vietnam, and building LSTs in San Diego. He discusses his business career, and how his experiences in the military prepared him for success in industry. He explores his passion for Gettysburg, and his plans for rehabilitating Culp’s Hill, returning it to its 1863 condition. Finally, he reflects on what the Naval Academy means to him.
