Arleigh Burke Admiral Arleigh Albert ' 31 - knot ' Burke ( October 19 , 1901 – January 1 , 1996 ) was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War , and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations . , the lead ship of her class of Aegis - equipped guided missile destroyer s , was commissioned in his honor in 1991 , when he was still alive . Early life and naval career . Burke was born in Boulder , Colorado on October 19 , 1901 . He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1923 , and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy . He married Miss Roberta Gorsuch of Washington , D . C . Over the next 18 years , Burke prepared himself for combat , serving in battleship s and destroyer s , and earning a Master of Science in Engineering at the University of Michigan . When World War II came , he found himself , to his great disappointment , in a shore billet at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington , D . C . After persistent effort on his part , he received orders to join the fighting in the South Pacific . World War II . Burke would spend the remainder of the war in the South Pacific . He successively commanded Destroyer Division 43 , Destroyer Division 44 , Destroyer Squadron 12 , and Destroyer Squadron 23 . The latter squadron , known as the " Little Beavers " , covered the initial landings in Bougainville in November 1943 , and fought in 22 separate engagements during the next four months . During this time , the Little Beavers were credited with destroying one Japanese cruiser , nine destroyer s , one submarine , several smaller ships , and approximately 30 aircraft . Burke ' s standing orders to his task force were , " Destroyers to attack on enemy contact WITHOUT ORDERS from the task force commander . " He usually pushed his destroyers to just under boiler - bursting speed , but while en route to a rendezvous prior to the Battle of Cape St . George , a boiler casualty to ( a jammed boiler tube brush used for cleaning ) limited his squadron to 31 knots , rather than the 34 + they were otherwise capable of . Thereafter , his nickname was " 31 - knot Burke , " originally a taunt , later a popular symbol of his hard - charging nature . In March 1944 , Burke was promoted to Chief of Staff to the Commander of Task Force 58 , the Fifth Fleet ' s Fast Carrier Task Force , which was commanded by Admiral Marc Mitscher . ( These same forces were known as Task Force 38 and the Third Fleet when Admiral William F . Halsey took over command from Admiral Raymond A . Spruance . ) While serving with this famed carrier force , Burke was promoted to the temporary rank of Commodore , and participated in all the force ' s naval engagements until June 1945 , shortly before the surrender of Japan . He was aboard both and when they were hit by Japanese kamikaze aircraft during the Okinawa campaign . After the end of the war , Burke reverted to his permanent rank of Captain and continued his naval career by serving in a number of capacities , including once more as Admiral Mitscher ' s chief of staff , until the latter ' s death in 1947 . Burke then took command of the for a cruise down the east coast of Africa . He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1949 and served as Navy Secretary on the Defense Research and Development Board . Korean War . At the outbreak of the Korean War , Admiral Forrest Sherman , then Chief of Naval Operations , ordered Burke to duty as Deputy Chief of Staff to Commander Naval Forces , Far East . From there , he assumed command of Cruiser Division Five , and , in July 1951 , was made a member of the United Nations Truce Delegation which negotiated with the Communists for military armistice in Korea . After six months in the truce tents , he returned to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations where he served as Director of Strategic Plans Division until 1954 . In April 1954 , he took command of Cruiser Division Six , then moved in January 1955 to command Destroyer Force Atlantic Fleet . In August 1955 , Burke succeeded Admiral Robert B . Carney as Chief of Naval Operations . At the time of his appointment as Chief of Naval Operations , Burke was still a Rear Admiral , Upper Half ( Two Star ) and was promoted over the heads of many Flag Officers who were senior to him . Admiral Burke had never served as a Vice Admiral ( Three Star ) , so he was promoted two grades at the time of his appointment as CNO . Chief of Naval Operations . Admiral Burke served an unprecedented three terms as CNO . Beginning in 1955 he served at a critical time in world history , the depths of the Cold War . The facts that he was relatively young compared to other Flag Officers at the time , and was an excellent manager and organizer , were keys to his success . He supported the touchy Adm . Hyman Rickover in the development of a nuclear Navy . More directly , he promoted the Polaris missile program at a time when others in the Navy were very skeptical of the idea of a missile launched from a submarine . Admiral Burke as CNO was intimately involved in the Eisenhower administration discussions of " how much is enough ? " , as to the number of US nuclear submarines needed for deterrence . Burke argued that a force of around 40 Polaris submarines ( each with 16 missiles ) was a reasonable answer . Burke further argued that land - based missiles and bombers were vulnerable to attack , which made the U . S . - Soviet nuclear balance dangerously unstable . By contrast , nuclear submarines were virtually undetectable and invulnerable . He was very critical of " hair trigger " or " launch on warning " nuclear strategies , and he warned that such strategies were " dangerous for any nation . " Earlier , Admiral Burke was involved in the " Revolt of the Admirals " , a near mutiny by the leaders of the Navy in the late 1940s , and was saved from being fired by the intervention of President Harry S . Truman . His terms as CNO were times of growth and progress in the Navy . Upon completing his third term , he was transferred to the Retired List on August 1 , 1961 . Last years and legacy . Burke died on January 1 , 1996 , at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda , Maryland . He was 94 years old . He is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery , in Annapolis , Maryland , according to his wishes , his headstone simply bears a one word epitaph , " Sailor " . , the lead ship of her class of Aegis - equipped guided missile destroyer s , was commissioned in his honor in 1991 , when he was still alive . Admiral Burke received numerous combat awards during his forty - two years in the Navy including the Navy Distinguished Service Medal , Navy Cross , Legion of Merit , and the Purple Heart . None were more cherished than two awards that came early in his career . In 1928 , while serving aboard , he was commended for the " rescue of shipwrecked and seafaring men , " and in 1939 , in his first command , , he was commended when his destroyer won the fleet gunnery trophy with the highest score in many years . His ship also stood third in engineering competition and high in communication competition . Admiral Burke , himself of Swedish descent , was the senior representative of the United States of America on the funeral of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden in 1973 . The character portrayed by Carroll O ' Connor in the 1965 film , In Harm ' s Way , starring John Wayne , was modeled after Arleigh Burke . The Assisted Living section of the Vinson Hall Retirement Community in McLean , Virginia is named the Arleigh Burke Pavilion in his honor . List of citations . For his service in Destroyer Squadron 23 , Admiral Burke was awarded the Navy Cross , the Navy Distinguished Service Medal , the Legion of Merit , and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to Destroyer Squadron 23 . The citations follow in part : Presidential Medal of Freedom . On January 10 , 1977 , Burke was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford . Navy Cross . Citation : Navy Distinguished Service Medal . Citation : Gold Star in lieu of second Navy Distinguished Service Medal . As Chief of Staff , Commander Fast Carrier Task Force , Pacific ( Task Force 38 ) , Admiral Burke was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal , the Silver Star Medal , a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit , and a Letter of Commendation , with authorization to wear the Commends Ribbon . The citations follow in part : Gold Star in lieu of third Navy Distinguished Service Medal . Admiral Burke was presented a Gold Star in lieu of a third Distinguished Service Medal by President of the United States John F . Kennedy at the White House on July 26 , 1961 . Legion of Merit ( with Combat " V " ) . Citation : Gold Star in lieu of third Legion of Merit . From September 1950 until May 1951 , he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Commander U . S . Naval Forces , Far East , and , for " exceptionally meritorious conduct ( in that capacity ) from September 3 , 1950 to January 1 , 1951 . . . " he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a third Legion of Merit . The citation further states : Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a fourth Legion of Merit . While serving as Commander Cruiser Division Five from May to September 1951 , and also as a Member of the Military Armistice Commission in Korea , Admiral Burke was awarded an oak leaf cluster in lieu of a fourth Legion of Merit by the Army ( Headquarters U . S . Army Forces , Far East ) by General Order # 5 , as follows : Silver Star Medal . Citation : Presidential Unit Citation to Destroyer Squadron 23 . Citation : Presidential Unit Citations . Admiral Burke is also entitled to wear the Presidential Unit Citation presented to the , the Presidential Unit Citation presented to the , and the Navy Unit Commendation presented to the . Those vessels were , at various times during his period of service , flagships of the Fast Carrier Task Forces in the Pacific . Others . In addition to the above , Admiral Burke earned the American Defense Service Medal , the Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal with two silver stars and two bronze stars ( thirteen engagements ) ; the American Campaign Medal ; World War II Victory Medal ; Navy Occupation Service Medal , the National Defense Service Medal ; the Philippine Liberation Ribbon ; Korean Service Medal ; and United Nations Service Medal . He also has been awarded the " Ui Chi Medal " and the Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of Korea as well as the Order of the Rising Sun , First Class by the Government of Japan . In 1960 he received the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St . Olav from the Norwegian King . Awards and Honors . In 1991 Admiral Burke was awarded the Lone Sailor Award by the U . S . Navy Memorial Foundation for his distinguished career during World War II and the Korean War . Admiral Burke was also elected as an honorary member in the New York State Society of Cincinnati in 1974 . Namesake . The , a guided - missile destroyer of the United States Navy and lead ship of her class , was named in his honor . The class is one of the most advanced in service and is the only destroyer class currently in active US Navy service . An elementary school was named in his honor in Boulder ; it was closed in 1982 . Thunderbird Park of Boulder , CO was renamed " Admiral Arleigh A . Burke Memorial Park " in 1997 . In October 2001 , a dedication of the memorial was held , featuring a 12 - foot , 26 , 000 - pound anchor from a World War II destroyer , a memorial wall containing a bronze relief sculpture of the admiral and a plaque with his biography . The Navy annually awards the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy to " the ship or aircraft squadron from each coast selected for having achieved the greatest improvement in battle efficiency during the calendar year , based upon the Battle Efficiency Competition . " Winning the Battle " E " is not a prerequisite . Center for Strategic and International Studies . In 1962 , Admiral Burke co - founded the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) in Washington , D . C . with David Abshire . Commemorative Stamp . The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp pane on February 4 , 2010 , honoring distinguished sailors . In addition to Admiral Burke , the other persons on the stamp pane were Admiral William S . Sims , Lieutenant Commander John McCloy , and Officer ’ s Cook Third Class Doris Miller .