Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 H. Spencer Matthews, Jr. (May 5, 1921 – September 24, 2002) was the first Naval Aviation Pilot to be promoted to flag rank in the Navy. He graduated number one in his class of 500 aviation cadets. In operational training he received a commendation for being the first student to complete the celestial navigation course with a perfect grade. He served five combat tours in the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

including tours as the deputy commander of U.S. Navy Forces Vietnam and as the Vice Chief of the Vietnamese navy. He was the president of four small companies and served on the board of directors of two corporations.

Military decorations

• the Distinguished Service Medal (v)
• the Legion of Merit
• the Bronze Star (v)
• 11 Air Medals
• JCS and Navy Commendation Medals
• 12 Foreign Medals, including the highest awards given by South Vietnam and Cambodia.