Product Code Database
Wesley Lee McDonald (July 6, 1924February 8, 2009) was a United States Navy admiral and naval aviator. He led the first air strike against North Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident and was the commander in charge of Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada to rescue American citizens.
McDonald was the last United States Navy admiral to command all three organizations (Allied Atlantic Command, U.S. 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 U.S. Atlantic Command and Allied Atlantic Command to Admiral Lee Baggett Jr. in November 1985. NATO SACLANT Commanders NATO web site, retrieved March 28, 2008.
Several awards are named in honor of McDonald, including:
Later life and death
After he retired from the Navy in 1985, McDonald played an active role in the aviation community in his leadership positions with the National Aeronautic Association (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, with his wife, Helen until he died on February 8, 2009, in Arlington, Virginia. He has one son and three daughters and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.Sullivan, Patricia, "Admiral Led Grenada Invasion", Washington Post, February 12, 2009, p. B7.
Awards and decorations
Honors and recognition
McDonald's awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, 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 Military Order of the Carabao. Past Grand Paramount Carabaos Military Order of the Carabao, retrieved February 4, 2008 In 2004, McDonald was presented with the National Aeronautic Association'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 National Aeronautic Association 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 National Defense University.
Notes
External links
Categories: 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, Recipients Of The Meritorious Service Medal, 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
|
|
