Howard Emery Orem
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

Howard Emery Orem was born on 4 November 1900 in Klamath Falls, OR.

Orem graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1922 and was appointed an Ensign. He was one of the original members of the famed Yangtze Patrol Squadron who were allowed to cruise China's rivers and engage in gunboat diplomacy. After his duty with the Yangtze Patrol, he served on various ships, including battleships and destroyers.

In 1939, he was assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet on the staff of Commander Cruiser Division Seven. In 1942, Orem became Executive Officer of the USS Wichita and was a part of the amphibious landings in North Africa and in the Guadalcanal Campaigns in the Pacific.

In late 1942, he was assigned as Flag Secretary and aide to Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. In 1945, he was assigned to Command the USS Houston. In 1948, Orem reported to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations where he created the Navy's Office of Politico Military Affairs and was named its first Director.

Orem was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1950 when he served as Commander Amphibious Group Four and then was transferred to Germany where he was Commander Naval Forces, Germany, and initiated the Rhine River Patrol. In the mid-1950s, he returned to the U.S. and was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Plans and Policy. He lastly served as the naval member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Strategic Survey Committee and retired as a Vice Admiral in 1964.

Death and Burial

Vice Admiral Howard Emery Orem died on 21 June 1995 in Williamsburg, VA. He is buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, MD.