William M . Callaghan William McCombe Callaghan ( August 8 , 1897 – July 8 , 1991 ) was a United States Navy officer who served as the first captain of the battleship and the inaugural commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service . Through the course of almost 40 years , he served his country in three wars . His naval career began on a destroyer in the final months of World War I . Following command of the destroyer and logistical work prior to World War II , he took command of the " Missouri " in 1944 . Callaghan is perhaps best known for ordering , despite disagreement from some of his crew , that an honorable funeral be held for an enemy pilot who died during a suicide attack on the " Missouri " in 1945 . Following World War II , he directed the US Navy ' s transportation service and filled senior command roles in eastern Asia , including leadership of the US Pacific Fleet ' s Amphibious Force during the Korean War . He retired from the US Navy at the rank of Vice Admiral in 1957 and worked in civilian maritime transport before retiring to Maryland . Early life . Callaghan was born on August 8 , 1897 , the son of businessman Charles William Callaghan and Rose Wheeler Callaghan . The family had a devout Roman Catholic foundation . His elder brother , Daniel Callaghan ( 1890 – 1942 ) , would later become a US Navy Rear Admiral and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient . Both brothers studied at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco , the younger graduating in the class of 1914 . He subsequently attended the United States Naval Academy , graduating in 1918 . Military career . Early service . Callaghan served on a destroyer during the last six months of World War I . He received a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University in 1925 , and would become a Knight of Malta . In the mid - 1920s , he served as assistant engineering officer on board the light cruiser , which was then performing scouting duties . From 1932 to 1933 , he was a Lieutenant aboard the aircraft carrier . Ship commands . At the rank of Commander , Callaghan captained the destroyer USS " Reuben James " from June 1936 to March 1938 , and subsequently joined the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1939 . Before the US entered World War II , he was stationed in London in a logistical role . During the first part of World War II , he served as a logistics officer on the staff of the Commander in Chief , US Pacific Fleet , Admiral Chester Nimitz . He received the Legion of Merit for this work . On June 11 , 1944 , Callaghan became the first captain of the USS " Missouri " , the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy . He commanded the " Missouri " in engagements at Iwo Jima , Okinawa , and Tokyo . Attack on the USS " Missouri " . At 2 : 42 on April 11 , 1945 , off the coast of Kikaijima Island , a Japanese fighter pilot in an A6M5c Zero launched a kamikaze attack on the USS " Missouri " . Bill Obitz , a Seaman at the time , recalled that the attacking plane approached at an extreme angle and estimated that it was 20 feet ( 6 m ) above the water . Although struck by intense antiaircraft fire , the plane survived and struck the ship ' s starboard side at frame 169 below the main deck . While the impact of one of the plane ' s wings started a fire at 5 - inch mount number 3 , its 500 - pound bomb did not detonate , so the damage was minimal . There were no American casualties , but the Japanese pilot died . Parts of the plane ' s wreckage and the top half of the pilot ' s body landed on board the " Missouri " . The plane ' s wing was turned over to the crew to be cut up for souvenirs . Despite protests from some of his crew , Callaghan insisted that the young Japanese airman had done his job to the best of his ability , with honor , and deserved a military funeral . Stephen Cromwell , a corpsman at the time , later recalled , " I was able to recover his body and I called up to the bridge to ask if I should throw it overboard . . . Captain Callaghan said , ‘ No , when we secure , take it down to the sick bay , and we ' ll have a burial for him tomorrow . ’ " Ivan Dexter , another crew member , gave his account of events to Herb Fahr , recalling that the top half of the Japanese pilot ' s body was scattered over the deck , while the bottom half fell with the rest of the plane into the sea . What remained of the body was brought to sick bay for examination , and various " Missouri " crew took souvenirs from the clothing , including the helmet , scarf , and jacket . Following examination , the remains were placed in a canvas bag with dummy shell casings to weigh it down . The following day , the Japanese pilot received a military funeral at sea . An improvised Japanese flag , sewn by one of the ship ' s bosun ' s mates , covered the bag holding the man ' s remains . The ship ' s chaplain committed the body to the sea and the six pallbearers let it slide overboard , accompanied by a volley of rifle fire . Fahr wrote , " There was still much bitterness on the part of many in the crew , but now , the honorable thing was done . " According to Lee Collins , visitor operations director for the Battleship Missouri Memorial , Callaghan said that the ceremony was simply a tribute to " a fellow warrior who had displayed courage and devotion , and who had paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life , fighting for his country . " On May 14 , 1945 , Callaghan passed command of the " Missouri " on to Captain Stuart Murray , who had been a classmate of his at the US Naval Academy . Senior commands . In 1946 , Callaghan held the rank of Rear Admiral , and in that year gave a presentation to the Naval War College on his experience in the Naval Transportation Service before the war . On October 1 , 1949 , he was appointed as the first commander of the Military Sea Transportation Service , which would later become the Military Sealift Command . He was promoted from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral around this time . From 1953 to 1954 , during the Korean War , he commanded the Amphibious Force of the US Pacific Fleet . From 1954 to 1956 , he served as Commander , US Naval Forces Far East . He then replaced retiring Vice Admiral Francis Low as Commander of the Western Sea Frontier . He retired from the US Navy at the rank of Vice Admiral in 1957 . Later life . Following retirement from military service , Callaghan served as Vice President of American Export Lines , and then as Chairman of the Maritime Transportation Research Board under the National Academy of Sciences . He would later have a transport ship named after him : the . Late in life , Callaghan resided in Chevy Chase , Maryland . Following a stroke , he died on July 8 , 1991 , at Bethesda Naval Hospital . His first wife , Helen Brunett Callaghan ( 1896 – 1970 ) , and second wife , Martha Rawlins Callaghan ( 1905 – 1973 ) , predeceased him . He was survived by his third wife , Sarah Duerson Callaghan ( 1914 – 2011 ) , and two children , William M . Callaghan Jr . ( a retired US Navy Rear Admiral ) and Jane Callaghan Gude ( c . 1925 – 2008 ) , as well as eight grandchildren . Callaghan ' s grandchildren include William Callaghan III , Chad Callaghan , and A . Carey Callaghan . His great - grandchildren include Caitlin Callaghan , Larkin Callaghan , and Connor Callaghan , and many others . Legacy . Callaghan ' s decision on the Japanese pilot ' s funeral in 1945 would receive praise years later , although a memorial service aboard the " Missouri " in April 2001 attracted controversy . Leading up to the service , Callaghan ' s son said , " My father believed a burial at sea for the pilot was the right thing to do . He felt it would set a good example for the crew in showing respect for the life of people , even for the people you are opposing . " Junko Kamata , a niece of one of the Japanese pilots killed in the April 1945 battle , said , " I want to thank Captain Callaghan for his humanitarian consideration for kamikaze soldiers . " Minoru Shibuya , Japanese Consul General , called Callaghan ' s actions " a glorious deed , to salute the [ pilot ' s ] bravery . " Daniel Inouye , US Senator from Hawaii , reflected that " from the dawn of civilization , warriors respected their adversaries ; it was an unspoken code of honor . When Callaghan saw the broken body of his sworn enemy lying upon his ship , he saw him not as an enemy , but simply as a man . " At a 1998 reunion of " Missouri " veterans , many of those present who had served during World War II felt that , on reflection , their captain had acted correctly . Robert Kihune , a retired US Navy Vice Admiral , said , " In wartime , courage is measured as much by one ' s actions as their strength of leadership during the heat of battle . . . I think the leadership qualities showed by Captain Callaghan illustrate the ideal of what we want our military leaders to follow . "