Horacio Rivero , Jr . Admiral Horacio Rivero , Jr . ( May 16 , 1910 – September 24 , 2000 ) , was the first Puerto Rican and Hispanic four - star Admiral , and second Hispanic to become a full Admiral in the modern United States Navy . David Glasgow Farragut ( 1801 – 1870 ) , a Hispanic , became the first full admiral of the Navy during the American Civil War . After retiring from the Navy , Rivero served as the U . S . Ambassador to Spain ( 1972 – 1974 ) , and was also the first Hispanic to hold that position . Early years . Rivero was born and raised in the city of Ponce , located in the southern coast of Puerto Rico , where he also received his primary and secondary education . Military career . On June 20 , 1927 , he received an appointment from the Honorable Felix Cordova Davila , Puerto Rico ' s Resident Commissioner to attend the United States Naval Academy . His nickname " Rivets " came about in the academy as a result of an officer who had trouble reading Rivero ' s name on his uniform . On June 4 , 1931 , he graduated third in a class of 441 from the U . S . Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland . Rivero ' s first assignment was aboard the . From 1932 to 1936 he served aboard the following ships : , , and . He earned his Master ' s Degree in Electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) in 1940 and in 1941 married Hazel Hooper . World War II . During World War II , he served aboard the as a gunnery officer and was involved in providing artillery cover for Marines landing on Guadalcanal , Marshall Islands , Iwo Jima , and Okinawa . For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “ V ” . Rivero was reassigned to the . The " Pittsburgh " ’ s bow had been torn off during a typhoon and Rivero ’ s strategies saved his ship without a single life lost . For his actions he was awarded the Legion of Merit . He also participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands , the attack on Bougainville in the Solomons , the capture of the Gilbert Islands and a series of carrier raids on Rabaul . On June 5 , 1945 , Rivero was present during the first carrier raids against Tokyo during operations in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto . Rivero served as Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations ( Special Weapons ) from August 1945 to February 1946 . From February 1946 to June 1947 he served as a technical assistant on the Staff of Commander Joint Task Force One for Operation Crossroads , and was on the Staff of Commander , Joint Task Force Seven during the atomic weapon s tests in Eniwetok in 1948 . Korean War . After the war , Rivero commanded the and during the Korean War the . Under his command , the " Noble " steamed to Korea to participate in the September Inchon amphibious assault . Thereafter , the " Noble " assisted in the transport of U . S . and foreign troops and equipment to and from the Korean combat zone . In July 1953 , the " Noble " participated in Operation Big Switch , moving Communist North Korean prisoners from Koje Do to Inchon pursuant to the armistice agreement . Rivero studied nuclear weaponry at the National War College and in 1954 he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Naval Operations . In 1955 , he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and was a member of the Staff of the Commander in Chief , Western Atlantic Area . Cuban Missile Crisis . The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States over the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba . On October 22 , 1962 , Admiral Rivero , who served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1961 to 1968 , was the commander of the American fleet sent by President John F . Kennedy to set up a quarantine ( blockade ) of the Soviet ships in an effort to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III . On October 28 , Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered the removal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba , and Kennedy ordered an end of the quarantine of Cuba on November 20 , bringing an end to the crisis . On July 31 , 1964 , Rivero became the first Puerto Rican , and first Hispanic to become a four - star Admiral in the modern era US Navy . Vietnam War . During the Vietnam War , Rivero oversaw the day - to - day work of the Navy as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations . He was a stern supporter of a “ brown - water navy , ” or riverine force , on the rivers of South Vietnam . NATO commander . From 1968 until his retirement from the Navy in 1972 , Admiral Rivero was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ' s commander in chief of the Allied Forces in Southern Europe . He was responsible of the land , sea and air forces of five nations deployed in the Mediterranean area : Italy , Greece , Turkey , Britain and the United States . During his years as commander , there were some 215 , 000 of the 310 , 000 American troops in Europe stationed in West Germany . At the time , Rivero believed that any withdrawal of United States troops from West Germany might affect the strength of the United States Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean . Post - Navy career . From 1972 to 1975 Admiral Rivero served as the U . S . Ambassador to Spain under the administration of President Richard M . Nixon from 1972 to 1974 . Rivero was also the Honorary Chairman of the American Veterans ’ Committee for Puerto Rico Self - Determination . Admiral Horacio Rivero died on September 24 , 2000 and was buried with full military honors in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery of San Diego , California . He was survived by a daughter , Mary Lynn Hogan ; two grandchildren ; two great - grandchildren , and two sisters , Sara and Lydia , both of Puerto Rico . On November 11 , 2008 , the Government of Puerto Rico unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda the oil portrait of Admiral Horacio Rivero , Jr . Awards and recognitions . Among Admiral Rivero ' s decorations and medals were the following :