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Elmo Russell Zumwalt Jr.American naval officer
Date of Birth: 29.11.1920
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Naval Academy Years
- World War II Service
- Post-World War II Career
- Naval College and Bureau of Naval Personnel
- Political Appointment and Return to the Navy
Early Life and Education
Elmer Russell Zumwalt Jr., renowned as the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, was born in San Francisco, California, on November 30, 1920. His parents, Elmer Russell Zumwalt Sr. and Frances Zumwalt, were rural doctors. Elmer Sr. was a direct descendant of Swiss immigrants, while Frances was adopted as a baby by a Franco-Canadian family after her biological parents succumbed to an outbreak of smallpox.
Encouraged by his foster parents, Frances pursued medicine, following in her deceased parents' footsteps. Young Zumwalt excelled in his studies and earned the prestigious Eagle Scout and Eagle Scout Merit Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He attended Tulare Union High School in Tulare, California, graduating as valedictorian. He also attended Rutherford Preparatory School in Long Beach, California.
Naval Academy Years
Originally aspiring to become a doctor like his parents, Zumwalt shifted his plans and enrolled at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1939. As a midshipman, Zumwalt achieved notable achievements. He served as president of the Trident Society, vice president of the Holdridge Society, and won the June Week Oratorical Contest twice (1940-41). He also participated in intercollegiate debates, held the position of company commander (1941), and was regimental commander (midshipman captain).
Graduating with distinction on June 19, 1942, Zumwalt was commissioned as an ensign. He went on to receive an honorary doctorate from Texas Tech University.
World War II Service
Upon graduation, Zumwalt was assigned to the crew of the destroyer USS Phelps (DD-360). In August 1943, the Phelps was assigned to the Operational Training Command in the Pacific. In January 1944, Zumwalt joined the USS Robinson. While serving on the Robinson, he earned the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for "heroic service as Battle Information Center plotting officer" during the Battle of Leyte Gulf against Japanese battleships on October 25, 1944.
After the war ended in August 1945, Zumwalt remained in service. On December 8, he boarded the 1,200-ton Japanese gunboat Ataka, which had been a part of the United States Third Fleet since 1933. In this capacity, he accepted the first American-controlled vessel captured in or outside the United States since the outbreak of World War II. While there, he met his future wife, Mouza Coutela du Roche, from a Franco-Russian family living in Shanghai. They were married and returned to the United States together.
Post-World War II Career
Zumwalt continued to serve in various roles after the war. He was a senior watch officer on the destroyer USS Souffley and, in March 1946, transferred to the destroyer USS Zellars as executive officer and navigator. In January 1948, he was assigned to the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of North Carolina, where he remained until June 1950. That month, he assumed command of the USS Tillman (DE-513), an escort destroyer in reserve status. The ship was commissioned at the Charleston Naval Shipyard on November 21, 1950. Zumwalt commanded the ship until March 1951, when he joined the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64) as navigator. He served on the Wisconsin during its Korean War operations.
Naval College and Bureau of Naval Personnel
In June 1952, Zumwalt was detached from the Wisconsin and graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1953. In June 1953, he was assigned to head the Shore and Oversea Base Branch of the Bureau of Naval Personnel in the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C. He also served as liaison officer and legislative officer for the Dependents Medical Care Program.
After completing this assignment, he took command of the destroyer USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869), serving two deployments with the United States Seventh Fleet. In this role, he received a commendation from the Commander Cruisers and Destroyers, Pacific Fleet, for his ship's victory in a battle efficiency competition and attaining excellence in engineering, gunnery, anti-submarine warfare, and operations. In July 1957, he returned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel for further duty.
Political Appointment and Return to the Navy
In December 1957, Zumwalt was transferred to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Personnel and Reserve Forces) and served as a special assistant for personnel matters to the Secretary of the Navy until November 1958. He served as special assistant and naval aide until August 1959.
