| Thomas Hinman Moorer | |
|---|---|
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer |
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| Born | February 9, 1912 Mount Willing, Alabama |
| Died | February 5, 2004 (aged 91) Bethesda, Maryland |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1933-1974 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Chief of Naval Operations Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Battles/wars | World War II Vietnam War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal (5) Silver Star Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Gray Eagle Award |
Thomas Hinman Moorer (February 9, 1912 – February 5, 2004) was an Admiral and naval aviator in the United States Navy who served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1967 to 1970, and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974.
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Moorer was born in Mount Willing, Alabama. His father, a dentist, named his son for his favorite Professor at Atlanta-Southern Dental College, Dr. Thomas Hinman. Moorer was raised in Eufaula, Alabama; and then went on to the U.S. Naval Academy graduating in 1933. After completing Naval Aviation training at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in 1936, he flew with fighter squadrons based on the aircraft carriers Langley, Lexington and Enterprise.
In addition to his fighter experience, Moorer also qualified in seaplanes and flew with a patrol squadron in the early years of World War II. Serving with Patrol Squadron Twenty-Two at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked in December 1941, his squadron subsequently participated in the Dutch East Indies Campaign in the Southwest Pacific where he flew numerous combat missions. Moorer received a Purple Heart after being shot down and wounded off the coast of Australia in February 1942 and then surviving an attack on the rescue ship, which was sunk by enemy action the same day. Moorer also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor three months later when he braved Japanese air superiority to fly supplies into and evacuate wounded out of the island of Timor.[1]
Promoted to Vice Admiral to 1962, and to Admiral in 1964, Moorer served both as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) and Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet — the first Navy officer to have commanded both fleets. He served as the Chief of Naval Operations between 1967 and 1970, at the height of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. He also served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 until 1974.
Moorer believed that the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was deliberate and that President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the cover-up to maintain ties with Israel.[2]
In 1972, Moorer received the Gray Eagle Award, as the most senior active naval aviator, and held it until his retirement in 1974.
Moorer died on February 5, 2004, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland at age 91. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The middle school in Eufaula, Alabama is named for Admiral Moorer.
The National Guard Armory (Fort Thomas H. Moorer Armory) in Fort Deposit, Alabama is named for Admiral Moorer.
He also has been decorated by thirteen foreign governments:
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Thomas_Hinman_Moorer Thomas Hinman Moorer] at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by U.S. Grant Sharp, Jr. |
Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet 26 June 1964 – 30 March 1965 |
Succeeded by Roy L. Johnson |
| Preceded by Harold Page Smith |
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic 30 Apr 1965 – 17 Jun 1967 |
Succeeded by Ephraim P. Holmes |
| Preceded by Harold Page Smith |
Commander in Chief of the United States Atlantic Command 30 Apr 1965 – 17 Jun 1967 |
Succeeded by Ephraim P. Holmes |
| Preceded by Harold Page Smith |
Commander in Chief of the United States Atlantic Fleet 30 Apr 1965 – 17 Jun 1967 |
Succeeded by Ephraim P. Holmes |
| Preceded by David L. McDonald |
United States Chief of Naval Operations 1 August 1967 – 1 July 1970 |
Succeeded by Elmo R. Zumwalt |
| Preceded by Earle G. Wheeler |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff July 2, 1970 – July 1, 1974 |
Succeeded by George S. Brown |
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