Wesley Lee McDonald (July 6, 1924February 8, 2009) was a

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 ...

admiral and naval aviator. He led the first air strike against

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

after the Gulf of Tonkin incident and was the commander in charge of Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada to rescue American citizens.

Early life and education

McDonald was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on July 6, 1924. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1946 and married his high school sweetheart.Norma Joy McDonald Dies
''The Washington Post'', July 26, 1989, retrieved February 15, 2008. He began his career as a naval aviator in 1950, serving in several carrier fighter and attack squadrons.. ''Atlantic Flyer'', August 20, 2004, retrieved February 4, 2008. In 1964, McDonald was the skipper of Attack Squadron VA-56 flying

A-4 Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed ...

s aboard the USS ''Ticonderoga''.Commander of Attack Squadron VA-56
James Stockdale Biography, retrieved February 14, 2008.Alvarez, ''Chained Eagle'', p. 9.Grossnick, ''Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, p. 109. On August 5, 1964, he served as a flight leader for

Operation Pierce Arrow Operation Pierce Arrow was a U.S. bombing campaign at the beginning of the Vietnam War. In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident when the destroyers and of the United States Navy engaged North Vietnamese ships, sustaining light damage as ...

, the first retaliatory strike against North Vietnam following the Gulf of Tonkin incident. McDonald led his Skyhawk strike force against oil tanks at

Vinh Vinh () is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of north-central Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The city is ...

, destroying 90% of the facility.Mersky, ''US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War'', Chapter 3.

Career

Senior leader

McDonald's career led him to the highest levels of the

's command structure. He attended the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

's National War College, graduating with the class of 1969. From 1970 to 1971, he commanded the USS ''Coral Sea''.USS Coral Sea Commanding Officers
. USS Coral Sea Tribute Site, retrieved February 4, 2008. In 1972, as a rear admiral, McDonald was assigned as the carrier group commander.Birzer, ''US Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War'', p. 73. He later served as deputy chief of Naval Personnel in

in 1975. In the fall of 1977, as COM2ndFLT, The U.S.S. Harry E. Yarnell (CG-17) served as his flagship during NATO exercises in the North Atlantic. In 1978, as Commander, U.S. Second Fleet, he embarked on the USS ''Arthur W. Radford'' on the way to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

exercises in the North Atlantic.Embarked on USS Authur W. Radford
Haze Gray & Underway DD-968 page, retrieved February 14, 2008. In 1982, McDonald was appointed Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT), one of two supreme commanders of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. At the same time, he assumed command of the

U.S. Atlantic Command United States Atlantic Command (acronym from 1947-1993 USLANTCOM, after 1993 USACOM) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense. In 1999, U.S. Atlantic Command was renamed and given a new mission as United Stat ...

(CINCLANT) and U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT). In 1983, McDonald, in his role as CINCLANT, was placed in overall command of Operation Urgent Fury—the invasion of Grenada to rescue U.S. nationals.Grenada: Operation Urgent Fury FAQ
Naval Historical Center, retrieved February 14, 2008.Cole, ''Operation Urgent Fury Grenada'', p. 3. He later summed up the success of the operation in an address before the

House Armed Services Committee The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of De ...

McDonald was the last

admiral to command all three organizations ( Allied Atlantic Command,

, and U.S. Atlantic Fleet) at the same time.SACLANT Historical Note
Naval Historical Center, retrieved February 4, 2008. He relinquished command of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet to Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost, USN, on October 4, 1985, and command of the

and Allied Atlantic Command to Admiral

Lee Baggett Jr. Lee J. Baggett Jr. (January 11, 1927 – August 10, 1999) was a four star admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief Europe in 1985 and Commander in Chief of the United States Atlantic Command from 1985 to 1988. A native ...

in November 1985.NATO SACLANT Commanders
NATO web site, retrieved March 28, 2008.

Later life and death

After his retirement from the Navy in 1985, McDonald played an active role in the aviation community in his leadership positions with the

National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...

(NAA) and the National Aviation Club (NAC). He helped orchestrate a merger of interests between NAA and NAC bringing benefits to both organizations. McDonald has also served on the boards of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, the U.S. Naval Aviation Museum and the Armed Services YMCA. McDonald also often guest lectured an honors senior seminar led by Ford Foundation Fellow Professor Karl von Vorys at the University of Pennsylvania, and often took groups of students on personal tours of the Pentagon. His first wife, Norma, died in 1989. McDonald later remarried and lived in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

with his wife, Helen until he died February 8, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia. He has one son and three daughters, and is buried at

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 ...

, in

.Sullivan, Patricia, "Admiral Led Grenada Invasion", ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'', February 12, 2009, p. B7.

Awards and decorations

Honors and recognition

McDonald's awards include the

Defense Distinguished Service Medal The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...

, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

, and awards from several European and South American nations.McDonald Biography
Stratizon Board of Advisors, retrieved February 16, 2008. In 1990, McDonald was elected Grand Paramount Carabao, leader of the UN Medal MINURSO ribbon bar

Military Order of the Carabao The Military Order of the Carabao is a social club open to officers of the U.S. military and war correspondents who served in the Philippines or on overseas official military campaigns. The order was initially created to satirize the pompous an ...

.Past Grand Paramount Carabaos
Military Order of the Carabao, retrieved February 4, 2008 In 2004, McDonald was presented with the

's Cliff Henderson award for his 56 years of support to American aviation.. ''Naval Aviation News'', Nov–Dec 2004, p. 29, retrieved February 13, 2008. In 2007, the

renamed its Elder Statesman of Aviation Award in honor of McDonald, who was a past chairman of the organization.Elder Statesman of Aviation Award Renamed to Honor McDonald
. National Aviation Club, retrieved February 7, 2008. McDonald was a Senior Fellow of the

. A number of awards are named in honor of McDonald, including: * The Admiral Wesley L. McDonald Leadership Award, jointly sponsored by Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, the San Joaquin Valley Squadron of the Association of Naval Aviation (ANA) and the Greater Kings County Navy League.McDonald Leadership Award
/ref> * The Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award, sponsored by the

Notes

References

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External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Wesley L. 1924 births 2009 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Burials at Arlington National Cemetery