Robert Burns Pirie (18 April 1905 – 9 January 1990) was a 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 Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for air when he retired in 1962.

Biography

A native of

Wymore, Nebraska Wymore is a city in Gage County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2020 census. History Wymore was platted in 1881 as a railroad town, on land donated by Sam Wymore. The "Welsh Capitol of the Great Plains," Wymore became ...

, he was a 1926 graduate of the

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

. He joined the Navy's air arm in 1928. 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 opposing ...

he was executive officer of the carrier in the Atlantic. After the war he headed the aviation department at the Naval Academy and commanded two carriers, the and the , before assuming division and fleet commands. He was named Deputy Chief of Naval Operations in 1958, serving until his retirement. NH 95737 Vice Admiral Robert B

In the 1950s, he was allowed to wear facial hair, unusual then, reportedly because of a skin condition. It was a distinguished-looking

Van Dyke beard A Van Dyke (sometimes spelled Vandyke, or Van Dyck) is a style of facial hair named after the 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). The artist's name is today normally spelt as “van Dyck", though there are many variant ...

. While serving as Deputy Chief of Navy Operation (Air) 1958-1962 and was credited with maintaining the Navy’s air traffic controller program, following the enactment of the

Federal Aviation Act of 1958 The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 was an act of the United States Congress, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that created the Federal Aviation Agency (later the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA) and abolished its predecessor, t ...

. The Air Traffic Controller of the Year award, named in honor of Vice Adm. Robert B. Pirie, is presented for outstanding contributions to operational readiness and safety applied by individual Navy and Marine Corps Air Traffic Controller. In 1958, Pirie also became an inaugural member, along with Hugh Dryden, Abe Silverstein and Ira Abbott, of the Civilian-Military Liaison Committee, which sought to coordinate the space-related activities of the Department of Defense with those of the newly created NASA. He helped to assemble the original January 1959 list of more than 500 test pilot volunteers which would quickly be whittled down to the April 1959 list of

Mercury Seven The Mercury Seven were the group of seven astronauts selected to fly spacecraft for Project Mercury. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1. Their names were publicly announced by NASA on April 9, 1959; these sev ...

astronauts. Pirie retired from active duty in November 1962. After he left the Navy, he held management positions with the

Aerojet General Aerojet was an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California, with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange and Gainesville in Virginia, and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet was owned by GenCorp. I ...

Corporation. He was a former president of the Naval Academy Foundation and the

National Naval Aviation Museum The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its cur ...

in Pensacola, Florida. He was inducted into the

Naval Aviation Hall of Honor The United States Naval Aviation Hall of Honor, located at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, recognizes individuals "who by their actions or achievements made outstanding contributions to Naval Aviation." Since its inception ...

in 1986. After Pirie's death in 1990, he was interred at the

United States Naval Academy Cemetery The United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. History In 1868 the Naval Academy purchased a 67-acre piece of land called Strawberry Hill as part of their effort ...

Awards

Vice Admiral Robert Burns Pirie received a lot of high military decorations for valor or for distinguished service. His military awards included Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with Gold Star or Bronze Star Medal. Here is his ribbon bar:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirie, Robert B. 1905 births 1990 deaths People from Gage County, Nebraska United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery