Huntington Hardisty (February 3, 1929 – October 1, 2003) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

four star admiral who served as

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer and functions as the principal deputy of the Chief of Naval Operations, chief of naval operations. By statute, the vice chief is appo ...

from 1987 to 1988; and Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Command from 1988 to 1991.

Early life

Hardisty was offered a Major League Baseball contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

but opted for a scholarship to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. He later transferred to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

where he played football.ADM Huntington Hardisty 1929–2003, Wings of Gold magazine
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Naval career

After graduation in 1952, Hardisty attended pilot training and earned his wings in 1953. As a test pilot in 1961, he set a low level speed record in an F4H-1 Phantom II of 900 miles per hour at 125 feet above the ground, a record which remained unbroken for 16 years.Honolulu Advertiser & Star-Bulletin Obituaries, January 1 – December 31, 2003, H
The actual F4H-1 'Sageburner' is now in storage at the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States, dedicated to history of aviation, human flight and space exploration. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, ...

in Washington, D.C. Headstone of Huntington Hardisty

Hardisty's assignments included command of Carrier Air Wing Eleven, and . As a flag officer he was President of the Naval War College, commanded the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay in the Philippines; commanded Carrier Strike Force Seventh Fleet; and served as Director for Operations, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Deputy and Chief of Staff, United States Pacific Command; Vice Chief of Naval Operations; and Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Command. He also received the Gray Eagle Award.

Later career

Hardisty was one of the technical directors for the movie '' Hunt for Red October''. After retiring from the navy in 1991, Hardisty was a board member of several corporations and served as president of Kaman Aerospace International in Connecticut. He belonged to numerous organizations, including the Association of Naval Aviation, and served as chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. Hardisty died on October 1, 2003, in Hartford, Connecticut, at the age of 74. He was later interred on December 5, 2003, in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Awards and decorations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardisty, Huntington 1929 births 2003 deaths United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Naval Aviators Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Presidents of the Naval War College Vice chiefs of Naval Operations Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam) 20th-century American academics