William VanMeter Alford , Jr . Rear Admiral William VanMeter Alford , Jr . was the Chief of Staff for the United States Pacific Command from August 2004 until September 2007 . Biography . He is a native of Charlottesville , Virginia , but was raised in Lexington , Kentucky . He received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Kentucky . Alford was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Candidate ( ROC ) program . Following graduation and receipt of his commission from Officer Candidate School , Newport , Rhode Island , and attendance at several Navy schools in Charleston , South Carolina , he reported to the USS " Reaper " ( MSO 467 ) homeported in Long Beach , California . He served as Operations , Communications and Mine Countermeasures Officer . Alford next served on board the USS " Gridley " as First Lieutenant and Antisubmarine Warfare Officer . While on board " Reaper " and " Gridley " , he deployed twice to Vietnam and participated in three Vietnam campaigns , Operation Market Time and Gulf of Tonkin Northern Search and Rescue operations . In 1971 Alford was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet . He served as Navigator and Legal Officer on board the USS " Hermitage " until June 1972 . During that tour " Hermitage " served as command and control ship for the Exercise Snowy Beach LARC recovery effort . Since his release from active duty in 1972 , Alford has served as Commanding Officer of NR USS " Kalamazoo " ; Executive Officer of NR USS " Moinester " ; Commanding Officer of NR USS " Biddle " ; Executive Officer of NR Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group Twelve ; Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of NR Commander Sixth Fleet , Detachment 109 ; Commanding Officer of NR Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic , Detachment 109 ; as the first Commanding Officer of NR Commander Sixth Fleet , Detachment 802 ; EA and XO to the Deputy Commander , United States European Command ; Deputy Commander , United States Sixth Fleet ; and J3R , United States European Command ( EUCOM ) . During his tenure with Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group Twelve , Alford was chosen to serve as the United States Navy representative to the German Navy for Exocet missile testing and analysis , including live firing . During Desert Storm , Alford served as an Assistant Naval Attaché , Tel Aviv , Israel . As the Sixth Fleet Detachment 802 Commanding Officer , Alford served as acting Sixth Fleet Chief of Staff for numerous theater - wide national , multi - national and NATO exercises , including Partnership for Peace exercises . Also during this command he served on active duty as the Sixth Fleet Chief of Staff , on board USS " LaSalle " , Gaeta , Italy , for a period of in excess of six months . During his tenure as the Chief of Staff , the Sixth Fleet conducted five non - combatant evacuations , served as the commander of three Joint Task Forces ( two of them simultaneously ) , completed an historic Black Sea cruise and prepared the first battle plans for Kosovo operations . In his capacity as Deputy Executive Assistant / Executive Officer for the Deputy Commander , United States European Command , Stuttgart , Germany , Alford participated at length during Kosovo / Serbian Operations Allied Force , Allied Harbor and Joint Guardian , and as acting EA / XO for a prolonged period . As Deputy Commander , United States Sixth Fleet , Gaeta , Italy , he participated in the planning for Operation Enduring Freedom as it pertains to the Sixth Fleet Area of Operations that includes the Mediterranean , the Black Sea , the Levant and Sub - Saharan Africa , in addition to his day - to - day operational duties . He was integral in the formation of JFMCC EUR for MIO and LIO operations in the theater and the theater wide classification of CCOI / COI . He has also served as Deputy Sixth Fleet / JFMCC for several EUCOM / NATO / Allied joint exercises . As the J3R for the United States European Command , Alford was recalled to active duty for OEF and OIF . He facilitated the reorganization of the EUCOM staff into the European Planning and Operations Center for the execution of the EUCOM WOT and served as the Deputy Commander of the EPOC . In August 2004 , Alford was again recalled to active duty to serve as the United States Pacific Command Chief of Staff . Alford served as a member of the Commander Naval Surface Reserve Force ' s Vision Division project and as a member of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy ' s ( Reserve Affairs ) white paper working group on the future of the Naval Reserve . He has received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Legion of Merit ( two awards ) , the Meritorious Service Medal , the Joint Service Commendation Medal ( two awards ) and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal , among other awards .