James A. Symonds (born February 7, 1954) is an American retired

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 ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who last served as Commander, Navy Region Northwest, based in Silverdale, Washington. He was the former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier . He had a prominent, symbolic role in the

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

of former United States President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in 2004.

Early life and education

Symonds is a native of Sodus,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He attended the State University of New York at Albany and graduated with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in mathematics in 1975. He later was commissioned at the Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

that September and was designated a Naval Flight Officer in July 1976.

Military career

Symonds served one operational tour assigned as an A-6 Intruder bombardier/navigator in Attack Squadron 115, aboard the aircraft carrier . In 1983, he became a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

after being selected for pilot training and returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. He then participated in two additional operational tours with Attack Squadron 196, and was deployed on board and amidst

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. In October 1992, Symonds was promoted to

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 ...

of Attack Squadron 165 on and took full command the following October. In 1995 he attended Navy Nuclear Power Training. Symonds was later assigned as executive officer of , and led the ship on a 1998 deployment order to the Mediterranean Sea; he assumed command of in 2001.

USS ''Ronald Reagan''

In August 2003 Symonds became commanding officer of , the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. He presided over the ship's transfer from

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

to its homeport in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. On June 5, 2004, while Symonds was commanding officer, former president

, the ship's namesake, died at his home in California. Upon former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

's request, the commanding officer of USS ''Ronald Reagan'' would present her the American flag that draped the president's casket; at the time, it was Symonds. Following a national funeral service in the Washington National Cathedral and six days of public mourning, Symonds presented Nancy Reagan with the flag at President Reagan's gravesite at the

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the larg ...

prior to his interment.

Recent career

Symonds turned over command of USS ''Ronald Reagan'' to Captain

Terry Kraft Terry B. Kraft is a retired rear admiral of the United States Navy, formerly commanding the U.S. Naval Forces Japan. He is a Naval Flight Officer whose previous commands include Electronic Attack Squadron 131 (VAQ-131), , and . Education Kraft ...

on November 17, 2005. His more recent posts have been Navy Director of Environmental Readiness and commander of the Navy Region Northwest, a position he took up in July 2007.

Awards

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(three awards) * Meritorious Service Medal (four awards) * Strike Flight Medal * Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards) * Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards)

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symonds, James Living people United States Navy admirals University at Albany, SUNY alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal People from Sodus, New York People from Silverdale, Washington 1954 births