William A. Navas, Jr.

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William A. Navas, Jr.
Born 1942
Major General William A. Navas, Jr.
Place of birth	Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (Army) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (twice) Bronze Star
Other work	Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Major General William A. Navas, Jr. (born in 1942) is the first Puerto Rican to be named Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

1 Early years
2 Military career
3 Assistant Secretary of the Navy
4 Military decorations awarded:
5 Note
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Early years

Navas was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico into a family with a long military tradition. His grandfather, Col. Antonio M. Navas served in both World Wars. His father Capt. William A. Navas, Sr. served in World War II and had a successful career in civil engineering upon his retirement from the military. Navas, Jr. received his primary and secondary education in his hometown of Mayagüez. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico.

[edit] Military career

He joined the ROTC program in the Mayagüez campus of the University and in 1965, graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. In the University he joined the Beta-Activo Chapter of Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity. Instead of joining his family's construction business (Navas y Moreda)upon graduation, as expected, he went on to join the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. During the next five years, Navas was stationed in West Germany and served a tour in the Vietnam War.

By 1970, Navas was married with two children and stationed in Puerto Rico. He resigned his Army commission and went to work for the family business (Navas y Moreda). He did however, continue to serve in the Puerto Rican Army Guard. Navas enrolled in the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and earned a Master's Degree in Science in Management Engineering.

He quickly rose in rank and in 1980, he stopped working in the family business in order to assume greater responsibilities with the military. By 1995, he was a Major General and was appointed Director of the Army National Guard in Washington, D.C..

[edit] Assistant Secretary of the Navy

He retired from the military in 1998 and became the Chairman of the American Veteran's Committee for Puerto Rico Self-Determination, an organization which he co-founded.

On June 6, 2001 Navas was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) and was sworn in on July 17, 2001. He acts on matters pertaining to manpower and personnel policy within the Department of the Navy.