Edmund Ernest García Edmund Ernest Garcia ( March 25 , 1905 – July 1 , 1971 ) was a United States Navy Rear Admiral who commanded the destroyer escort USS Sloat ( DE - 245 ) during World War II and participated in the invasions of North Africa , Sicily , and France . Early years . Garcia was born to Enrique García and Antonia Rumirez in San Juan , Puerto Rico , the capital city of the island . There he received both his primary and secondary education . Garcia was born into a family with a long tradition of military servitude . His father , Enrique Garcia , was a Captain in the United States Army . In 1922 , Garcia graduated from high school and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy from Emmet Montgomery Reily , who served as appointed Governor of Puerto Rico from ( 1921 – 1923 ) . Naval career . Garcia , was supposed to graduate from the academy in 1926 , however he did not graduate and receive his commission of Ensign until June 17 , 1927 , because of his academic deficiency in mathematics . Garcia ' s first assignment was aboard the " USS Wyoming " where he served as an artillery officer from 1927 to 1928 . He was later assigned to the " USS Galveston " and in 1928 was trained as a naval aviator at Pensacola , Florida . Garcia received addition training in various military institutions which included the Torpedo School of San Diego , California . From 1932 to 1939 , of Garcia served in various ship ' s , among them the " USS New México " , " USS Heron " , " USS Asheville " and the " USS Tulsa " . This was with the exception of the years 1935 to 1917 , when he served as flight instructor at Naval Aviation School in Pensacola . In 1939 , he was reassigned to Fort Mifflin , Pennsylvania where he helped prepare and equip the " USS Hornet " . He worked on various aircraft carriers until 1941 , when the United States entered World War II . World War II . In February 1942 , Garcia assumed command of the " USS Cormoran " at the Navy Yard , in Washington DC . . In June 1943 he reported to the Brown Shipbuilding Co . in Houston , Texas where the " USS Sloat " was being built . The USS Sloat ( DE - 245 ) was an Edsall - class destroyer escort which was launched on January 21 , 1943 and commissioned on August 16 , 1943 , under the command of then Lieutenant Commander Garcia . On November 11 , the Sloat , was assigned to the Escort Division ( CortDiv ) 7 , and sailed out of New York Harbor with convoy UGS - 24 bound for Norfolk and North Africa . The convoy arrived at Casablanca on December 2 , and returned to New York on December 25 , 1943 . On January 10 , 1944 , the Sloat sailed to Casablanca and returned to New York on March . That same month the Sloat joined a convoy , consisting of 72 merchant ships and 18 LST ' s , which was guarded by Task Force ( TF ) 64 . En route to Bizerte , Tunisia , the convoy was attacked by the Luftwaffe on April 1 , approximately 56 miles west of Algiers . Two planes were shot down and two damaged while only one ship in the convoy was damaged . The convoy arrived at Bizerte on April 3 . Eight days later , Sloat joined another convoy and returned to New York on May 1 . García was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a " V " device for his actions . Part of the citation reads as follows : " Meritorious achievement during operations against enemy forces while serving as Commander of a unit of ships of an escort group protecting trans - Atlantic Convoys during World War II . . . ' From June 15 to July 15 , the Sloat operated in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in search of German U - boat s . Garcia , as commander of the destroyer escort USS Sloat saw action in the invasions of Africa , Sicily , and France . Later years . From 1944 to 1945 , Garcia served as commandant of the 58th Escort Division of the " USS Price " . Upon his return to the United States after the war , Garcia served as commanding officer of the Naval Recruitment Station in New Orleans , Louisiana . After serving a short stint as commander of the " USS Whitley " , Garcia was assigned as commanding officer of the Naval Base at Orange , Texas and in May 20 , 1954 , he was given his last assignment before his retirement , that of Commandant of the Sub Group 2 , Charleston Group , in the Atlantic Fleet . Garcia died July 1 , 1971 . Awards and recognitions . Among Rear Admiral Garcia ' s decorations and medals were the following :