John Joseph Hyland Jr (September 1, 1912 – October 15, 1998) was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the United States Navy who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1967–1970. 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 ...

, he was a champion of the

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 ...

Biography

Hyland was born in 1912 in Philadelphia, the son of a naval officer. He graduated from the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

in 1934 and completed naval aviation training in 1937. Posted to the Philippines, he was located there when the Japanese

attacked Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

to begin US involvement in World War II. He participated in the defense of the Philippines, and the subsequent Allied withdrawal to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing a British airman in the Molucca Sea. He then became the personal pilot of Admiral Ernest King, then

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 ...

. Upon returning to the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in 1943, he took command of an air squadron based on . He participated in numerous operations, earning a

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 leading a ground attack against the Japanese at Kure on March 19, 1945, and another Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for other missions against the Japanese. Admirals Hyland, McCain, Moorer, Holmes 1968

Admirals Hyland, McCain, Moorer, Holmes 1968

After the war, he served stints as a test pilot, then took command of the carrier in 1958.USS Saratoga (CV-60) History and Background
" www.saratogamuseum.org Retrieved July 22, 2011. He later commanded Carrier Division Four, then moved to a staff position at the Strategic Plans Division in Washington DC. In 1965, President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

selected him ahead of 72 more senior rear admirals for promotion and command of the

US Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

, then operating off Vietnam and heavily involved in US operations there. Hyland commanded the fleet for nearly two years before being promoted again and taking command of the entire Pacific Fleet in 1967, a four star billet. He played a central role, not only in ongoing operations in Vietnam, but also in two major incidents during this time: the fallout of the capture of by North Korea, and the fatal accident and fire on USS ''Enterprise''. Admiral Hyland retired on January 1, 1971. In retirement, he maintained an interest in naval aviation, served in business directorships, and settled in Honolulu. He was married to the former Florence Day Whiting, who died in 1991; they had four children: sons John J. Hyland III and Whiting Walker Hyland and daughters Nancy Arnold and Pamela Hyland.

Awards

A non-exhaustive list of military awards is as follows: Admiral Hyland was also granted the John Paul Jones Award for leadership by the Navy League in 1966.

References

External links

Citations for Admiral Hyland's awards from the Military Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyland, John 1912 births 1998 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Burials in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific