David S. Bill III
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David S. Bill III | |
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![]() Rear Adm. Bill in October 1992 | |
Born | Norfolk, Virginia[1] | August 27, 1944
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1966–1998 |
Rank | Rear Admiral |
Commands held | USS Wisconsin (BB-64) USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) USS Mahan (DDG-42) |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War Gulf War |
Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (7) |
David Spencer Bill III (born August 27, 1944)[1] is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy.
He is a native of Norfolk, Virginia.[2] His father was a captain in the Navy, his grandfather was U.S. Representative Winder R. Harris.[3]
Career
Bill graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1966. He would serve aboard the USS John King (DDG-3) before being deployed to serve on River Boats in the Vietnam War, where he made 150 combat patrols in the Mekong Delta, was wounded in action, and received the Bronze Star for valor.
Later, he was assigned to the
From 1981 to 1983, he was stationed in
During the Gulf War, Bill commanded the USS Wisconsin (BB-64). While in command he was responsible for the Tomahawk launches that started the war. Wisconsin fired over 350 16-inch rounds in support of allied ground forces and entrenched Iraqi troops. Several days before the start of the ground war, Wisconsin's bombardment of an Iraqi headquarters site on the Persian Gulf coast precipitated the premature destruction of numerous oil wells in Kuwait as a defensive measure against the anticipated ground attack by coalition forces. On February 23, 1991, the Wisconsin launched a Pioneer to Failaka Island, the Iraqi Armed Forces surrendered immediately before a shot was fired after realizing the Wisconsin's Pioneer had seen them.[4] This marked the first time enemy troops surrendered to an unmanned aircraft controlled by a ship.
Selected for Flag Rank during the first Gulf War, Admiral Bill subsequently served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, was Operations Officer and then Deputy Commander Atlantic Fleet, Commander of Cruiser Destroyer Group Twelve, The USS Enterprise Battle Group, and Deputy Commander US Naval Forces Europe.
Awards he has received include a
Retiring after over 32 years of active duty in 1998,[5] Admiral Bill was executive director of a Development Company that created Cherokee Plantation in South Carolina and the Carnegie Abbey Club in Newport, RI. He held a chair at the Naval Postgraduate School, was executive director of the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, was CEO of a start up technology company, CEO of the Northern California Golf Association and currently sits on several privately held company boards.
References
- ^ a b "Certificate of Birth". Births, 1864-2016. No. 42275. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Health. 1944.
- ^ "Commanding Officers". USS Wisconsin (BB-64) Association. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "David Bill Jr". Sikeston Standard Democrat. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
- ^ "Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
- ^ Ottmar, Ken; Teeing, Ken (June 13, 2007). "The admiral takes command". Monterey Herald. Retrieved 2021-06-29.