Vice Admiral Emmett Hulcy Tidd (October 6, 1923 – March 20, 2018) was a flag officer of the United States Navy.

Early life and education

Tidd was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, on October 6, 1923. After graduating from Central High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he attended the University of Oklahoma at

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

; his college time was cut short due to his early commissioning, and he completed his bachelor's degree in 1948.

Naval career

Tidd enlisted in the Navy Reserve as a seaman apprentice in 1942, and joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps while at Oklahoma University. Commissioned an ensign in 1945, he was assigned to the pre-commissioning crew attached to the destroyer , and became that ship's assistant first lieutenant and damage control officer upon its commissioning on July 2, 1945. He departed ''Gyatt'' in 1946, and left active duty to complete his degree, continuing in the Naval Reserve. At the outbreak of the Korean War, Tidd volunteered for active duty, received promotion to Lieutenant junior grade, and was assigned to , which had been recommissioned for Korean War service. While aboard ''Evans'', he participated in the Siege of Wonsan in 1951. He served in the Officer Procurement Office in the Bureau of Naval Personnel from March 1952 to April 1954, and was selected for transfer to the active duty force during this time. Upon completing his tour at BUPERS, he served as operations officer aboard , participating in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands off the coast of China. While aboard ''Radford'', Tidd was assigned as antisubmarine warfare and gunnery officer on the staff of Escort Destroyer Squadron One. Tidd took command of in November 1956, and participated in special operations in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; he also received promotion to lieutenant commander during this tour. After completing his command tour aboard ''Force'', he attended the Naval War College Command and Staff Course from August 1958 to June 1959, and afterwards served in the Strategic Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the first of two tours in that division. Promoted to commander, he assumed command of in May 1961. While in command of ''Anderson'', the ship participated in Operation Swordfish, standing duty as the standby firing ship and surface scientific camera party platform for the first-ever firing of an ASROC anti-submarine rocket equipped with a nuclear warhead. ''Anderson'' also deployed to the Eastern Pacific during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

. In April 1963, then-Commander Tidd assumed command of , relinquishing command the following June and beginning his second stint in the Strategic Plans Division. In June 1968, having been promoted to captain, Tidd assumed command of , followed by a tour as Chief of Staff and Aide to Vice Admiral

Elmo Zumwalt Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. (November 29, 1920 – January 2, 2000) was a United States Navy officer and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Zumwalt played a m ...

, then serving as

Commander, Naval Forces Vietnam Naval Forces Vietnam was a command of the United States Navy, active from 1 April 1966 to 29 March 1973.Marolda (2002), p 386 COMNAVFORV also commanded the Naval Advisory Group and the Seabees of the 3rd Naval Construction Brigade; the Military ...

. Following his Vietnam tour, Tidd was assigned to assume command of , but was redirected to Washington after being selected for promotion to rear admiral. Tidd was promoted to rear admiral in 1970, and served, as a rear admiral designee, as Special Assistant to the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

(by then now-Admiral Elmo Zumwalt) and

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the Chief of Naval Opera ...

for Decision Coordination (OP-09C), a position he held from June 1970 to August 1971. Upon leaving Washington, he assumed command of Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla Six, and embarked aboard as Commander Task Group 56.2 and Commander Task Group 502.2. In April 1972, Tidd assumed command of

Navy Recruiting Command The United States Navy Recruiting Command (NRC or NAVCRUITCOM) is located in Millington, Tennessee. It aims to recruit both enlisted sailors and prospective commissioned officers for the United States Navy. NRC covers the entire United States wit ...

, and was tasked with preparing for the transition to an all-volunteer force. He was promoted to vice admiral in 1974, and remained in his position as NRC commander. In June 1975, Todd assumed command of Naval Surface Force, Pacific Fleet; while serving in this position, the Navy completed efforts to combine all Pacific Fleet surface, amphibious, and SEAL forces under the SURFPAC umbrella.

Retirement

Vice Admiral Tidd retired in August 1976. After retiring, he served on the board of directors for Atlas Van Lines and the Armed Services YMCA, serving as the latter's chairman in 1981 and 1982. He died on March 20, 2018, at the age of 94.

Awards

Tidd's awards include: * Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars * Legion of Merit * Navy Commendation Medal with two gold stars and Combat V * Navy Unit Commendation with star * Naval Reserve Medal * American Campaign Medal * World War 2 Victory Medal * China Service Medal * National Defense Service Medal with bronze star * Korean Service Medal with three stars * United Nations Service Medal * Vietnam Service Medal

Personal life

Tidd married his wife Margaret in 1945. His sons also became Navy flag officers; Kurt Tidd is a retired admiral (2018), and Mark Tidd retired in 2014 as a rear admiral and Chief of Navy Chaplains. A daughter in law also served in the Navy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tidd, Emmett Hulcy 1923 births 2018 deaths United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Louisiana People from Shreveport, Louisiana Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Navy admirals University of Oklahoma alumni