Forrest Sherman
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Forrest Sherman | |
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Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Purple Heart |
Forrest Percival Sherman (October 30, 1896 – July 22, 1951) was an admiral in the United States Navy and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations until Admiral Elmo Zumwalt in 1970. The Forrest Sherman-class destroyer and the airfield at Naval Air Station Pensacola (Forrest Sherman Field) were named for him.
Early life and education
Born in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Sherman was a member of the United States Naval Academy class of 1918, graduating in June 1917 due to America's entry into World War I.
During and shortly after World War I, Sherman served in European waters as an officer of the gunboat USS Nashville and destroyer USS Murray. In 1919–21, Sherman was assigned to the battleship USS Utah and destroyers USS Reid and USS Barry, serving as commanding officer of the latter.
Following duty as Flag Lieutenant to Commander Control Force,
Promoted to the ranks of lieutenant commander in 1930 and commander in 1937, during that decade Sherman served at the Naval Academy, commanded
Commander Sherman worked closely with then US Army Major
The Victory Plan predicted the future organization for an army that did not yet exist, outlined combat missions for a war not yet declared, and computed war production requirements for industries that were still committed to peacetime manufacture." Captain Forrest Sherman's personal relationship with Major Albert Wedemeyer "ensured a community of planning effort between the two services and pointed to a future in which the services would acknowledge that mobilization planning was a joint responsibility that one service alone could not conduct adequately.
— Charles E. Kirkpatrick, Writing the Victory Plan of 1941
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Forrest_Sherman_1918.jpg/150px-Forrest_Sherman_1918.jpg)
In May 1942, after reaching the rank of captain, Sherman took command of the carrier USS Wasp, taking the ship through the first month of the Solomon Islands campaign.
After Wasp was sunk by a Japanese submarine on September 15, 1942, Sherman was awarded the Navy Cross for his extraordinary heroism in command of the carrier during the opening days of the South Pacific operations. Sherman then became Chief of Staff to Commander Air Force, Pacific Fleet. In November 1943, Rear Admiral Sherman was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. He held that position for the remainder of World War II, playing a critical role in planning the offensives that brought victory in the Pacific, and was present when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. Following a short tour as a carrier division commander, in December 1945 Vice Admiral Sherman became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations.
Sherman's next assignment, beginning in January 1948, was to command the navy's operating forces in the Mediterranean Sea. He was recalled to Washington, D.C., at the end of October 1949 to become Chief of Naval Operations, with the rank of admiral. During the next sixteen months, he helped the navy recover from a period of intense political controversy (as in the so-called "Revolt of the Admirals"), and oversaw its responses to the twin challenges of a hot war in Korea and an intensifying cold war elsewhere in the world.
On July 22, 1951, while on a military and diplomatic trip to Europe, Admiral Forrest Sherman died in Naples, Italy, following a sudden series of heart attacks. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 27, 1951.
Legacy
Also named in his honor was
Decorations and medals
Admiral Sherman's decorations include:[1]
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Naval Aviator Badge | ||
Navy Cross | Navy Distinguished Service Medal | Legion of Merit |
Purple Heart (award for wounds received aboard the USS Wasp) | Victory Medal with "Patrol" Clasp | American Defense Service Medal with "Fleet" clasp |
American Campaign Medal | battle stars
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World War II Victory Medal |
Navy Occupation Service Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal with one battle star |
References
- ^ "The Admiral". Ussforrestsherman.org. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- The quotes[which?] from the "Victory Plan of 1941" and Captain Forrest Sherman are from Writing the Victory Plan of 1941, Charles E. Kirkpatrick, Center of Military History, Washington, D.C., 1942
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Some material is from the official site of USS Forrest Sherman, produced by the navy and therefore in the public domain.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Material on Forest Sherman at the US Navy Historical Center
- ANC Explorer
- Forrest P. Sherman Papers, 1903-1941 (bulk 1903-1917) MS 557 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy