Walter Fredrick Boone
Admiral, U.S. Navy

Walter Fredrick Boone was born in 1898.

He began his 43-year career in the U.S. Navy at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1918 and graduated in 1921 (classes were shortened to 3 years during that period). His first assignment was aboard the USS Ohio, operating with the Atlantic Fleet.

He later earned his wings as a Naval Aviator, and served in scouting, bomber and fighter squadrons between World Wars I and II. In 1942, he was given his second combat assignment, as the Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

He participated in the Battle of Midway, the Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, the Battles of the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz and the November Campaign of Guadalcanal. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in the Battle of Santa Cruz.

Later, he served in the Atlantic for nearly two years, participating in raids against German ships operating in Norwegian waters. He returned to the Pacific in 1945 as Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which participated in the later stages of the Okinawa Campaign and the attacks on the Japanese home islands.

After the war, his assignments included command over operations in the eastern Atlantic and as Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Seventh Fleet. In 1954, Boone returned to the Naval Academy as its 38th Superintendent and served until 1956.

On 1 May 1956, Boone was promoted to the four-star rank of Admiral and assumed duty as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (CINCNELM), where he remained until 1958. He then became U.S. Military Representative, Military Committee and Standing Group of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; his final assignment before retiring.

Admiral Boone retired from the Navy in 1960.

Medals and Awards

Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit with Valor Device

In Retirement

As a civilian, Boone worked for the McDonnell Aircraft Company which, in 1967, became part of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He later served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Defense Affairs, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1962-1968.

Death and Burial

Admiral Walter Fredrick Boone died of a heart attack on Sunday, 19 March 1995, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He was 97 and lived in Washington. He is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, MD.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Polly, who died in 1993.