Thomas Hinman Moorer

Thomas Hinman Moorer
February 9, 1912(1912-02-09) – February 5, 2004 (aged 91)
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
Place of birth	Mount Willing, Alabama
Place of death	Bethesda, Maryland
Resting place	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 a U.S. admiral who served as both Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Biography

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. Dr. Hinman also has the honor of having one of the largest dental meetings in the nation named after him, which is held in Atlanta every March. 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]

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.

Awards and decorations

U.S. military personal decorations, unit awards, campaign awards

Senior U.S. Navy commanders pose around an illuminated globe in 1968: Admirals John J. Hyland, John S. McCain, Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Moorer, and Ephraim P. Holmes.

	Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
	Navy Distinguished Service Medal with four Gold Award stars
	Silver Star
	Legion of Merit
	Distinguished Flying Cross
	Purple Heart
	Presidential Unit Citation
	American Defense Service Medal with A Device
	American Campaign Medal
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two stars
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
	World War II Victory Medal
	Navy Occupation Service Medal with Europe and Asia Clasps
	China Service Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Vietnam Service Medal
	Philippine Defense Medal
	Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960- device.

Foreign personal decorations

He also has been decorated by thirteen foreign governments:

• Portugal (Military Order of Aviz);
• Greece (Silver Star Medal, First Class);
• Japan (Order of Double Rays of the Rising Sun) and (First Class of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun);
• Republic of China (Precious Tripod (Pao-Ting) Medal) and (Order of Cloud and Banner (Yun Hui) with Special Grand Cordon);
• Philippines (Legion of Honor rank of Commander)
• Brazil (Order of the Naval Merit, Grande Oficial);
• Chile (Gran Estrella al Merito Militar);
• Venezuela (Order of Naval Merit 1st Class);
• Republic of Korea (Order of National Security Merit, 1st Class);
• Netherlands (Grand Cross, Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords);
• Federal Republic of Germany (Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit);
• Italy (Knight of the Grand Cross);
• Spain (Grand Cross of Navy Merit);
• Norway (Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olaf).

Civilian awards

He also has the following special awards:

• Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence by the Navy League of the United States (May 1964);
• Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree awarded by Auburn University (1968);
• General William Mitchell Award, Wings Club of New York City (February 1968);
• Member, Alabama Academy of Honor (August 1969);
• Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree awarded by Samford University (May 1970);
• Frank M. Hawks Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Aviation by the American Legion Air Service Post 501, New York City (January 1971) and
• the Gray Eagle of the United States Navy Award presented at the Washington Navy Yard on June 29, 1972.

Notes

References

• "Thomas H. Moorer, Admiral, United States Navy". Arlington National Cemetery website. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/thmoorer.htm. 

Further reading

• U.S. Department of Defense (February 05, 2004). "Death of Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Thomas M. Moorer". Press release. http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2004/nr20040205-0327.html. Retrieved 2005-03-24. 

• RADM Clarence A. (Mark) Hill, Jr.,USN (Ret) (24 February 2004). "In Memory of Adm. Thomas Moorer (eulogy)". http://www.newtotalitarians.com/InMemoryOfAdmThomasMoorer.html. Retrieved 2005-03-24. 

v • d • e Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Bradley • Radford • Twining • Lemnitzer • Taylor • Wheeler • Moorer • Brown • Jones • Vessey • Crowe • Powell • Jeremiah (acting) • Shalikashvili • Shelton • Myers • Pace • Mullen