Gordon Paiea Chung-Hoon (July 25, 1910 – July 24, 1979) was an admiral in the United States Navy, who served during World War II and was the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

flag officer. He received the Navy Cross and

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

for conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary heroism as commanding officer of from May 1944 to October 1945.

Early life

He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 25, 1910. His father, William Chung-Hoon Jr., a Chinese-English-Hawaiian, was a county treasurer and his mother Agnes Punana, a Hawaiian, was a member of the Kaʻahumanu Society. Chung-Hoon was the fourth of five children born to his family. He graduated from

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...

in 1929.

Military career

Chung-Hoon attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in May 1934, becoming the first Asian American graduate of the academy. While a student he gained national prominence as the football team's halfback and punter, and in 1934 starred on the team that broke an 11-year winless streak against the Army team. In 1958 '' Sports Illustrateds Silver Anniversary All-American issue featured Chung-Hoon as one of its 1933 football stars. After graduation Chung-Hoon was assigned to the cruiser as an ensign. As of January 1937 he was serving as an ensign aboard the destroyer . He was a lieutenant (junior grade) on as of January 1939.

World War II

Chung-Hoon served on the battleship as a lieutenant, but was in Honolulu on a weekend pass during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Chung-Hoon heard the attack from Honolulu and attempted to return to his ship but was delayed by roadblocks and traffic jams. By the time he reached the ''Arizona'' the ship had already exploded and sunk. After the sinking of ''Arizona'', Chung-Hoon served as a naval liaison officer with coastal artillery before becoming

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

on a destroyer in 1942, working convoy details in the Atlantic."Chung-Hoon, Former Grid Great at Academy Still Winning Letters on Pacific Navy Team" by Laurie Johnston, The Honolulu Advertiser, 1945. He also served on board the cruiser .TESTIMONIAL TO GORDAN PAEIA CHUNG-HOON, Captain USS SIGSBEE 14 May 1944 to 19 June 1945
by John R. Williams, Signalman Second Class, USS Sigbee website, accessed 7/25/16. From May 1944 to October 1945 Chung-Hoon commanded the destroyer . In the spring of 1945, ''Sigsbee'' assisted in the destruction of 20 enemy planes while screening an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

strike force off the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese island of

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. On April 14, 1945, while on radar picket station off Okinawa, a kamikaze crashed into ''Sigsbee'', reducing her

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

engine to and knocking out the ship's port engine and steering control. Despite the damage, then

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Chung-Hoon kept his antiaircraft batteries delivering "prolonged and effective fire" against the continuing Japanese air attack while simultaneously directing the damage control efforts that allowed ''Sigsbee'' to make port under her own power. The damage had been severe enough that Admiral

William Halsey, Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the other ...

told Chung-Hoon to scuttle the ship. However, Chung-Hoon declined to do so, telling the admiral "No, I have kids on here that can't swim and I'm not putting them in the water. I'll take her back." The next day Chung-Hoon led a burial at sea for the dead. One crewmate said of Chung-Hoon during the burial, "I often remember that the only man tough enough not to duck, was also the only man tender enough to cry." For Chung-Hoon's service aboard ''Sigsbee'' he received the Navy Cross and the

for conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary heroism. During the war, two of Chung-Hoon's brothers served in the army in the Pacific theater.

Postwar

After ''Sigsbee'' was inactivated following the end of the war, Chung-Hoon was transferred to Pearl Harbor in November as officer in charge of the Special Activities Division of

Service Force, Pacific Fleet Service Force, United States Pacific Fleet, usually known as COMSERVPAC, was a service support command of the United States Pacific Fleet from 1942 until 1973. It was the reincarnation of the former Base Force. The Service Force comprised the suppl ...

, responsible for various administrative duties. From August 16, 1950, to March 7, 1952, Chung-Hoon commanded the destroyer during the Korean War. Under Chung-Hoon's command the destroyer operated as part of the 7th Fleet, patrolling off the coast of Korea and taking part in gun bombardments. He was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 1 July 1953. Chung-Hoon served as captain of the

guided missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket ...

testing ship between July 1956 and August 1957. He was subsequently transferred to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C., his last post. Chung-Hoon retired in October 1959 and was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

upon retirement, making him the first

flag officer of the United States Navy.

Later life and legacy

He was appointed to be the director of the

Hawaii Department of Agriculture Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

by the first Governor of the State of Hawaii, William F. Quinn, and held that position between January 1961 and June 1963. Chung-Hoon subsequently worked as a

Realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

. He made a foray into politics by running as a Republican for one of the four seats representing the Hawaii 7th State Senate District in 1966, but finished fifth in the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

. Chung-Hoon died on July 24, 1979, at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. The , commissioned in 2004, is named for him.

Personal life

Chung-Hoon first married Anita Corson while serving aboard ''Dent'' in December 1938; she died of cancer in 1950. He married Ola Luckey in 1952; she died of cancer in April 1960, months after they had returned to Honolulu following his retirement; Chung-Hoon retired in order to spend more time with his wife. He married his third wife, travel consultant Jean Carlisle (died 2001), in January 1961, adopting her son, Perry White; Chung-Hoon was otherwise childless.

Navy Cross citation

References

External links

United States Navy biography

"Lest We Forget", By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler & Arthur D. Baker III. Proceedings, November 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chung-Hoon, Gordon Paiea 1910 births 1979 deaths American football halfbacks American football punters American military personnel of Chinese descent United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Navy Midshipmen football players Punahou School alumni United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy rear admirals Agriculture in Hawaii People from Honolulu American military personnel of Native Hawaiian descent American people of English descent United States Navy personnel of the Korean War American real estate brokers