John Hyland

John Joseph Hyland Jr (September 1, 1912 – October 15, 1998) was an admiral in the United States Navy who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1967–1970. A naval aviator, he was a champion of the aircraft carrier.

For the British Olympic boxer, see John Hyland (boxer).
John J. Hyland
Admiral John J. Hyland
Born(1912-09-01)September 1, 1912
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1]
DiedOctober 25, 1998(1998-10-25) (aged 86)[1]
Honolulu, Hawaii[2]
Place of burial
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1934–71
Rank Admiral
Commands heldU.S. Pacific Fleet
U.S. Seventh Fleet
Carrier Division Four
USS Saratoga
Squadron Commander, USS Intrepid
Battles/warsWorld War II
Vietnam War
AwardsNavy Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
Air Medal (5)

Biography

Hyland was born in 1912 in Philadelphia, the son of a naval officer. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1934 and completed naval aviation training in 1937. Posted to the Philippines, he was located there when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor to begin US involvement in World War II. He participated in the defense of the Philippines, and the subsequent Allied withdrawal to Australia, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing a British airman in the Molucca Sea.[2] He then became the personal pilot of Admiral Ernest King, then Chief of Naval Operations. Upon returning to the Pacific Theater in 1943, he took command of an air squadron based on USS Intrepid. He participated in numerous operations, earning a Silver Star for leading a ground attack against the Japanese at Kure on March 19, 1945, and another Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for other missions against the Japanese.[2]

Admiral John Hyland, left, with fellow admirals John S. McCain, Thomas Moorer, and Ephraim P. Holmes in 1968.

After the war, he served stints as a test pilot, then took command of the carrier USS Saratoga in 1958.[3] He later commanded Carrier Division Four, then moved to a staff position at the Strategic Plans Division in Washington DC. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson selected him ahead of 72 more senior rear admirals for promotion and command of the US Seventh Fleet, then operating off Vietnam and heavily involved in US operations there.[2] Hyland commanded the fleet for nearly two years before being promoted again and taking command of the entire Pacific Fleet in 1967, a four star billet. He played a central role, not only in ongoing operations in Vietnam, but also in two major incidents during this time: the fallout of the capture of USS Pueblo by North Korea, and the fatal accident and fire on USS Enterprise.[2]

Admiral Hyland retired on January 1, 1971. In retirement, he maintained an interest in naval aviation, served in business directorships, and settled in Honolulu.[1] He was married to the former Florence Day Whiting, who died in 1991; they had four children: sons John J. Hyland III and Whiting Walker Hyland and daughters Nancy Arnold and Pamela Hyland.

Awards

A non-exhaustive list of military awards is as follows:

RibbonDescriptionNotes
Naval Aviator Badge
 Navy Distinguished Service Medalwith one gold award star
Silver Star
 Distinguished Flying Crosswith 2 gold award stars
 Air Medalwith 4 gold award stars
 Navy Presidential Unit Citationwith one bronze service star
Army Presidential Unit Citation
 American Defense Service Medalwith service star
American Campaign Medal
 Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith seven service stars
World War II Victory Medal
China Service Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal
 National Defense Service Medalwith service star
 Vietnam Service Medalwith two service stars
Unidentified decoration
National Order of VietnamCommander
Vietnam Gallantry Crosswith palm
 Philippine Defense Medalwith service star
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Admiral Hyland was also granted the John Paul Jones Award for leadership by the Navy League in 1966.

References
  1. John J. Hyland Shadowbox profile TogetherWeServed.com Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  2. Saxon, Wolfgang. "Adm. John Hyland, 86, Dies; Championed Naval Air Power" New York Times. November 1, 1998. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  3. "USS Saratoga (CV-60) History and Background Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine" www.saratogamuseum.org Retrieved July 22, 2011.
Military offices
Preceded by
Roy L. Johnson		 Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet
1967–1970		 Succeeded by
Bernard A. Clarey
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