William J. McDaniel
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William J. McDaniel (born 26 February 1943) is a 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. He served in the Medical Corps and was commander of the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in
Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...
.


Background and education

McDaniel was born on a farm near
Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...
, on February 26, 1943.Office of Public Affairs, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Public Affairs Office
"1992-1995: William J. McDaniel, Rear Admiral: Medical Corps, U.S. Navy,"
''Navy Medicine''. Accessed June 20, 2015.
He grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from Blackwell High School in Blackwell, Oklahoma."OSU Hall of Fame to Induct Zink,"
''Tulsa World'', March 4, 1994. Accessed June 20, 2015.
He attended college at Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of the varsity wrestling team. He graduated from OSU in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in physiology. He then entered the
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine History The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine was founded in 1900 as a medical department of the University of Oklahoma at its main campus in Norman. Lawrence N. Upjohn, M.D. is regarded as the "founding dean" and served from 1900-1904. ...
, and he graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1968. He completed his residency in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at St. Francis Hospital.


Navy career

McDaniel received his commission into the United States Army Medical Corps in 1969. He was trained as a flight surgeon at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida. He served as a flight surgeon at Marine Corps Air Stations in El Toro, California, Futema, Okinawa, and
Whidbey Island, Washington Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, Island County, Washington (state), Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington Sta ...
. He also served aboard the USS Tripoli off the coast of Vietnam. McDaniel began his Orthopedic Surgery Residency in 1973 at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. He later served as Chief of the Department of Orthopedics and then Acting Commanding Officer and Director of Clinical Services at the Naval Hospital in Rota, Spain. He then was Orthopedic Surgeon at the Naval Regional Medical Clinic, Department of Orthopedics, U.S. Naval Academy. He served aboard the in Yokosuka, Japan as the Seventh Fleet Surgeon and then as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Hospital in
Oak Harbor, Washington Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The population was 22,075 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915. History Oak Harbor - otherwise kn ...
. In 1988, he became Commanding Officer of the Naval Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1989, he was promoted to rear admiral. He became the U.S. Pacific Command Surgeon at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, in June 1990. From 1992 to 1995, he was the Commander of the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia. He retired from the Navy in 1997.BUMED Historian’s Office
"The Wrestler,"
''Navy Medicine LIVE'', May 20, 2015. Accessed June 20, 2015.


Athletics

During his Navy career, McDaniel was Navy Wrestling Champion from 1973 through 1977, Interservice Wrestling Champion in 1975 to 1976 and World Silver Medalist in the 1974 CISM Military World Games in Rome, Italy.Stensland, Jessie

''Whidbey News Times'', July 4, 2012. Accessed June 20, 2015.
McDaniel was U.S. Team Physician for the U.S. 1984 Olympic Team, and he continued to be involved in Olympics medical care through 2000."Admiral who helped with Asian tsunami named OSU homecoming Grand Marshall,"
''OSU News and Information'', September 15, 2005. Accessed June 20, 2015.
Throughout his navy career, McDaniel continued to wrestle, and wrestling matches between him and fellow staff members were occasionally organized at the medical centers he commanded.


Retirement

In 2001, McDaniel served as Johns Hopkins University's liaison to the federal government after the September 11th attacks. McDaniel was a contestant on Season 2 of the American reality TV Series, ''The Mole'', which aired in the U.S. from 2001 to 2002. In 2005, McDaniel led Naval Hospital Ship USNS Mercy in its tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, where he worked in
Banda Aceh Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...
and Nias Island. He also was part of
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
relief efforts. He currently serves on the Patriot Support Advisory Board of the Behavioral Health Division of
Universal Health Services Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) is an American Fortune 500 company that provides hospital and healthcare services, based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In 2021, its annual revenues were $12.6 billion. Company history Alan B. Miller, ...
."Military Support:Behavioral Health Division establishes Patriot Support Advisory Board,"
''Universal Health Services, Inc.'', Accessed June 20, 2015.


Personal life

McDaniel is married to the former Shirley Blair of Tulsa, Oklahoma. McDaniel appeared as the mole on Season 2 of ABC's '' The Mole'' and wrote a book about his experiences.


Awards

McDaniel's military awards include: *Defense Superior Service Medal *Legion of Merit (two awards) *Meritorious Service Medal *Joint Service Commendation Medal *Army Commendation Medal *Meritorious Unit Commendation *National Defense Service Medal (two awards) *Humanitarian Service Medal In addition to his military awards, McDaniel has also been inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame, and he served as OSU's 2005 Homecoming Grand Marshall.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniel, William J. 1943 births Living people Oklahoma State University alumni Participants in American reality television series People from Oahu Military personnel from Tulsa, Oklahoma Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy Medical Corps officers United States Navy rear admirals University of Oklahoma alumni