Ralph Wynne cousins
Ralph Wynne Cousins (born July 24, 1915 in Eldorado , Jackson County , Oklahoma , † August 5, 2009 in Newport News , Virginia ) was an American officer who reached the rank of admiral in the United States Navy .
Cousins attended public schools, the college in Ironwood , Michigan, and finally from June 1933 the United States Naval Academy . He completed this in June 1937 and became a naval pilot in 1940.
When the Second World War broke out , he was assigned to the USS Lexington as a naval aviator . In the Battle of the Coral Sea , in which the USS Lexington was sunk, Lieutenant Cousins was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism as pilot of a dive bomber for Squadron TWO (VB-2). He then served as an officer in the Battle of the Solomon Islands. He received 2 Air Medals for leading his squadron against enemy troops. In the further course of the war he built up a program for training naval aviators in the use of missiles.
From 1945 to 1965 he had u. a. Commands as
- Commanding officer of Annapolis Naval Base
- Commanding officer on the USS Nantahala
- Commanding officer on the USS Midway
During the Vietnam War he was in command of the Attack Carrier Striking Force . In this capacity he was responsible for all attacks and combat support missions flown by aircraft carriers from the Gulf of Tonkin against military opponents and supply lines. With his promotion to the rank of admiral, he became Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) in 1970 . From October 31, 1972 to May 30, 1975 he was Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) and at the same time commander of the US Atlantic Command .
Orders and decorations
- Navy Cross
- Two Air Medals
- Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars
- Legion of Merit with Gold Star
- Air Medal with Gold Star
- National Order of Vietnam
- Gallantry Cross with Palm
- Presidential Unit Citation
- Navy Unit Commendation with three Bronze Stars
- American Defense Service Medal
- Fleet Clasp
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four Bronze Stars
- American Campaign Medal
- World War Two Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Medal
- Europe Clasp
- National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two Bronze Stars
- Vietnam Service Medal with one Silver and four Bronze Stars .
Further life
After retiring from the Navy in 1975, he became Assistant to the President of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and in 1977 its President. In 1979 he became chairman of Tenneco Europe , based in London . In September 1985 he moved back to Newport News, where he lived with his wife Mary for many years. He died on August 5, 2009, at the age of 94 at the Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News.
Sources and web links
- Newspaper article of the Dailspress
- Article in the Dailypress
- Newspaper articles
- Dailypress article
- Newspaper articles
- items
- Newspaper articles
- Newspaper articles
- Schudel, Matt (August 21, 2009). "Ralph W. Cousins, 94: Admiral Commanded NATO Forces, Led Naval Air Operation in Vietnam" (Newspaper article). Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
Horns | Edwards | Ramsey | Radford | Price | McCormick | Duncan | Felt | Russell | Ricketts | Rivero | Clarey | Cousins | Weisner | Holloway | Bagley | Shear | Long | Watkins | Small | Hays | Busey | Hardisty | Edney | Johnson | Arthur | Prueher | Johnson | Gehman | Pilling | Fallon | Mullen | Nathman | Willard | Walsh | Greenert | Ferguson | Howard | Moran | Burke
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cousins, Ralph Wynne |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American naval officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Eldorado , Oklahoma |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 5, 2009 |
| Place of death | Newport News , Virginia |