John Augustine Tyree Jr (3 Oct 1911 – 8 Apr 2004), was a decorated submarine commander during World War II who reached the rank of Vice Admiral in 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 ...

. He was born in born in

Blackstone, Virginia Blackstone, formerly named Blacks and Whites, and then Bellefonte, is a town in Nottoway County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 3,621 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was founded as the village of "Blacks and Whites" ...

. He graduated from the Submarine School in 1943 and on 23 February 1943 he assumed command of . He commanded ''Finback'' on its fourth through eighth war patrols and was awarded two

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

es for his actions in command which he relinquished on 16 May 1944. He was then appointed as naval aide to President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and continued to serve as aide to President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

attending the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...

with him. Rear Admiral Tyree was placed in command of the combined Latin America-U.S. Task Force 137, the Naval quarantine of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

References

United States Naval Academy alumni 1911 births 2004 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy vice admirals {{US-military-bio-stub