Kent Liston Lee (July 28, 1923 – August 11, 2017) was a Vice Admiral 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 ...

. The 36-year veteran of the Navy saw combat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and commanded 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 ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He is best known for his work in driving the development and procurement of the

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

Life and career

Lee was born to R. Irby and Hettie (Floyd) Lee in

Florence County, South Carolina Florence County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 137,059. Its county seat is Florence. Florence County is included in the Florence, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county' ...

. He enlisted in the United States Navy on August 15, 1940. In 1942, he entered the flight training program, and was designated

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 ...

and commissioned

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

on August 7, 1943. He served with Bomber Squadron 15 and Fighter Squadron 15 on the carrier . With Fighter Squadron 15, he shot down one Japanese aircraft. VADM Kent Lee

After the war, the Navy sent him to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he studied

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. During the

, Lee served with Attack Squadron 115 flying from . In 1954, he received a master's degree in physics from the post-graduate Naval Academy. His command assignments included Attack Squadron 46,

Carrier Air Wing Six Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be ...

, , and . His staff command posts included director of the Office of Program Appraisal, deputy director of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, and commander,

Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the successor to the ...

. There he was instrumental in the development and acquisition of the

fighter aircraft. Lee retired from that billet on October 31, 1976. Lee retired in

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

.KENT LEE Obituary
/ref> He and his wife, Mary Edith "Mimi" (Buckley) Lee (July 2, 1924 – March 3, 2019), were married for 69 years and had three daughters and nine grandchildren. Kent Lee died in August 2017 at the age of 94. Lee and his wife are buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

1923 births 2017 deaths People from Florence County, South Carolina United States Naval Aviators United States Navy pilots of World War II Columbia University alumni United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Naval Postgraduate School alumni United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal People from Charlottesville, Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from South Carolina {{US-navy-bio-stub