Henry Kent Hewitt Henry Kent Hewitt ( February 11 , 1887 – September 15 , 1972 ) was born in Hackensack , New Jersey on February 11 , 1887 and graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy in 1906 . He is best remembered as the United States Navy commander of amphibious operations in north Africa and southern Europe through World War II . Early career . Hewitt served aboard USS " Missouri " in the Great White Fleet ' s circumnavigation of the globe from 1907 - 1909 . His sea duty continued as a division officer aboard USS " Connecticut " and executive officer of the destroyer USS " Flusser " . In 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant , married Floride Louise Hunt , and began three years of shore duty as a Naval Academy mathematics instructor . He returned to sea in 1916 commanding the yacht " Eagle " in the Caribbean . Hewitt was awarded the Navy Cross commanding the destroyer USS " Cummings " escorting Atlantic convoys during World War I . His citation read : Hewitt was an instructor of electrical engineering and physics at the Naval Academy from 1919 to 1921 before returning to sea as gunnery officer aboard USS " Pennsylvania " . After spending three years at the Naval War College in Newport , Rhode Island , he commanded Destroyer Division Twelve with the battle fleet from 1931 to 1933 . He then chaired the Naval Academy mathematics department for three years while the Naval Academy developed the Keuffel & Esser Log Log Trig slide rule . He returned to sea commanding the cruiser USS " Indianapolis " and transported President Franklin D . Roosevelt to the Pan - American Conference at Buenos Aires following the 1936 elections . Flag rank during World War II . Hewitt was promoted to rear admiral in 1939 , and commanded Atlantic Fleet Task Groups in neutrality patrols and convoys from 1941 until becoming Commander , Amphibious Force , Atlantic Fleet , in April 1942 . This force , also called Task Force 34 , became the U . S . component of the Operation Torch landings in November 1942 . Hewitt was then assigned as Commander , U . S . Naval Forces , Northwest Africa Waters or COMNAVNAW . His flagships included USS " Augusta " while he commanded American naval forces at the Battle of Casablanca , " Monrovia " while he commanded the western task force during the invasion of Sicily , and " Ancon " while he commanded all Allied amphibious forces during the invasion of Italy and later Anzio landings and invasion of southern France . Hewitt was awarded both the Army and Navy Distinguished Service Medals for his part in the invasion of North Africa . The Navy Distinguished Service Medal citation read : The Army Distinguished Service Medal citation read : Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Cross for his part in the invasion of Italy . The citation read : Hewitt was awarded a second Army Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the invasion of southern France . The citation read : Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal as commander of the United States Eighth Fleet for the last two years of the war . The citation read : Post - war . Hewitt remained in this post until 1945 , when he chaired a Pearl Harbor investigation . Following World War II , he commanded U . S . Naval Forces Europe , advised the Naval War College , and served as a Navy representative to the United Nations . Hewitt retired from active duty to Orwell , Vermont in 1949 . and died at Middlebury , Vermont in 1972 . USS " Hewitt " was named in his honor . Awards & Decorations . He is also entitled to decorations from , among others , Great Britain , the Soviet Union , and Italy .