David Lamar McDonald (September 12, 1906 – December 16, 1997) was an 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 ...

, who served as the 17th Chief of Naval Operations from 1 August 1963 to 1 August 1967 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...

era.

Early life and education

McDonald was born in

Maysville, Georgia Maysville is a town in Banks County, Georgia, Banks and Jackson County, Georgia, Jackson counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The population was 1,798 at the 2010 census, up from 1,247 at the 2000 census. History The Georgi ...

, on September 12, 1906. He originally sought to go to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, receiving a nomination from Representative

Thomas Montgomery Bell Thomas Montgomery Bell (March 17, 1861 – March 18, 1941) was an American politician who served as House majority whip from 1913 to 1915. Bell was born in Nacoochee Valley, near Cleveland, Georgia. He graduated from Moore's Business Univ ...

of the 9th Congressional District. After learning he was 2 months and 12 days too young, he opted to attend

Riverside Military Academy Riverside Military Academy is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for boys in grades 6 through 12 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States. History Riverside Military Academy was founded in 1907 by local Professors and Busines ...

first, then entered 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 ...

, graduating in 1928.

Naval career

Before becoming a naval aviator, McDonald was assigned to the battleship and the battleship .David Lamar McDonald, 91, Former Senior Naval Officer, New York Times, December 23, 1997
/ref> He spent three years, from 1935 to 1938, as a flight instructor at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

in Pensacola, Florida. Between 1938 and 1955, he served as flag secretary of the aircraft command of the

United States Atlantic Fleet United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

, commander of the Naval Operational Training Command, executive officer of the aircraft carrier in the

Pacific 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 contine ...

and assistant chief of staff for operations of the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

. During the mid-1950s, McDonald commanded the aircraft carrier . In the early 1960s, before becoming Chief of Naval Operations, he served as Commander,

United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

. At the time of his selection as Chief of Naval Operations, he was the youngest full admiral in the navy, and had only received his fourth star a month prior. While serving as the Chief of Naval Operations, he denounced the cover-up surrounding the 1967 USS ''Liberty'' incident: “I think that much of this is extraneous and it leaves me with the feeling that we’re trying our best to excuse the attackers…Were I a parent of one of the deceased this release would burn me up. I myself do not subscribe to it.” https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2017/june/spy-ship-left-out-cold In 1976, nearly a decade after he retired, McDonald wrote in his autobiography of his participation in the escalation of the Vietnam War: The airfield at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, is named after McDonald.

Awards

* Navy Distinguished Service Medal with gold star * Legion of Merit * Bronze Star Medal with "V" device *

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with "V" device and gold star * Presidential Unit Citation with bronze star *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

with "A" device *

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one silver and one bronze star *

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...

Navy Occupation Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the U.S. durin ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

with star *

Philippine Liberation Medal The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on 20 December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The d ...

with two stars

References

External links

Photo of McDonald as Commander, Sixth Fleet – from the Naval Historical Center

* ttp://www.victorianmaysville.com/history/notables/dlm/dlm1963.htm 1963 interview with McDonald {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, David L. 1906 births 1997 deaths Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Chiefs of Naval Operations United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Maysville, Georgia