Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Jonas Howard Ingram (October 15, 1886 – September 9, 1952) was an officer 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 ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He commanded the United States Atlantic Fleet during World War II and was a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

for his actions in 1914 in Veracruz, Mexico.

Early life and sports

Playing career

As a youth, Ingram attended Jeffersonville High School and Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, then was appointed to 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 1903, at the age of 17. During Ingram's time at the academy, he was a member of the school's rowing, track and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

teams, leading the latter team to the Midshipmen's first victory in six years over their bitter rivals from

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

by scoring the lone

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

in the 1906 clash. His athletic exploits helped earn him the academy's prestigious Athletic Sword and induction into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

in 1968.

Coaching career

As a lieutenant, Ingram was named the 15th head football coach of the United States Naval Academy and he held that position for two seasons, from 1915 until 1916, compiling a record of 9–8–2.

Military career

Following his graduation in 1907, Ingram served in several battleships, cruisers and destroyers. As turret officer of the battleship , he established a world's record for firing guns. On April 22, 1914 he landed at Veracruz, Mexico with the ''Arkansas'' battalion and was later awarded the

for "distinguished conduct in battle" and "skillful and efficient handling of the artillery and machine guns".

World War I and interwar years

During World War I, Ingram was awarded the Navy Cross for his services on the staff of Rear Admiral

Hugh Rodman Admiral Hugh Rodman KCB (6 January 1859 – 7 June 1940) was an officer in the United States Navy who served during the Spanish–American War and World War I, later serving as the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1919 to 1921. ...

, Commander, Division Nine, Battle Force, Atlantic Fleet. Earning the rank of commander in 1924, Ingram became the commanding officer of the destroyer before returning to the United States Naval Academy to serve as both athletic director and football director from 1926 to 1930. Ingram moved on to command the battleship for a period of time after that, before serving as Officer-in-Charge of the Public Relations Branch. Prior to his promotion to captain in 1935, Ingram served as an aide to the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

, then returned to the sea as commander of

Destroyer Squadron A destroyer squadron is a naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be used for larger a ...

Six. Ashore, he was Captain of the Yard, New York Navy Yard in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York before returning to sea, in command of the battleship .

World War II

In the early years of World War II, Ingram was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

on January 10, 1941 and served as Commander Task Force Three prior to his designation in September 1942 as Commander South Atlantic Force, United States Atlantic Fleet, with the rank of vice admiral. This force, with headquarters in Brazil, guarded shipping in the coastal waters south of the Equator and throughout the United States zone of responsibility in the South Atlantic. Ingram's command included air and surface units of Brazil which were brought to a high state of efficiency through his leadership and coordinating efforts. The ability to develop and maintain harmony and close cooperation with Brazilian naval forces contributed to the control of the South Atlantic achieved by the Allies. He assumed personal responsibility for properly equipping and training the Brazilian Navy and for their combat operations against U-Boats and German raiders and later for the important task of maintaining the air and sea rescue patrol for ultimate deployment in the Pacific. For his services in these important commands, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and a gold

award star A inch star (9.7mm) is a miniature gold or silver five-pointed star that is authorized by the United States Armed Forces as a ribbon device to denote subsequent awards for specific decorations of the Department of the Navy, Coast Guard, Publi ...

in lieu of a second award. On November 15, 1944, Ingram was appointed Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet, with the rank of

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

. In this command he played a major role in assuring the steady flow of troops and materials to Europe across the Atlantic during the later phases of World War II. He also directed Atlantic Fleet efforts in containing and destroying the German U-Boat fleet. For exceptionally meritorious service during his command, he was awarded a gold

in lieu of a third

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Retirement and last years

Detached from duty as Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet, during September 1946, he subsequently retired from active duty on April 1, 1947 after 44 years of service. Ingram was named commissioner of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

. Serving until resigning in 1949, Ingram went on to serve as a vice president for the

Reynolds Metals Company Reynolds Group Holdings is a New Zealand based packaging company with roots in the former Reynolds Metals Company, which was the second-largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third-largest in the world. Reynolds Metals was acquire ...

. In August 1952, Ingram suffered a heart attack while serving as the superintendent of summer schools at Culver Academies, then was stricken again with another attack on September 9, while at the United States Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. He died the following evening. Admiral Ingram and his wife Jean Fletcher (1892–1954) are 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

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 ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, U.S. Navy. Born: October 15, 1886, Jeffersonville, Ind. Accredited to: Indiana. G.O. No.: 177, December 4, 1915. ;Citation

For distinguished conduct in battle, engagement of Vera Cruz, 22 April 1914. During the second day's fighting the service performed by him was eminent and conspicuous. He was conspicuous for skillful and efficient handling of the artillery and machineguns of the Arkansas battalion, for which he was specially commended in reports.

Additional awards

* Navy Cross * Navy Distinguished Service Medal with two

award stars A inch star (9.7mm) is a miniature gold or silver five-pointed star that is authorized by the United States Armed Forces as a ribbon device to denote subsequent awards for specific decorations of the Department of the Navy, Coast Guard, Publi ...

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

(for wounds received during an encounter with a German submarine "wolf-pack" in 1942) * Mexican Service Medal * World War I Victory Medal (United States) with "Grand Fleet" clasp *

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 bronze "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 ...

* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal * World War II Victory Medal Ingram also held the following foreign decorations:

Order of the Southern Cross Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 1 ...

(Brazil); Grand Officer of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil);

Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) The Order of Naval Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Naval) is a Brazilian military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD M ...

;

Order of Aeronautical Merit Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

, Degree of Grand Officer (Brazil); Order of Leopold II (Belgium); and

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(Great Britain).

Legacy

The destroyer , commissioned in 1957, was named in his honor.

Head coaching record

References

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, Jonas Howard 1886 births 1952 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Order of Leopold II Navy Midshipmen athletic directors Navy Midshipmen football coaches Navy Midshipmen football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Jeffersonville, Indiana People of the Spanish–American War United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals Battle of Veracruz (1914) recipients of the Medal of Honor Culver Academies alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery