James L . Holloway III James Lemuel Holloway III ( born February 23 , 1922 ) is a retired United States Navy admiral and naval aviator who was highly decorated for his actions during World War II , the Korean War , and the Vietnam War . After the Vietnam War , he was posted to The Pentagon , where he established the Navy ' s Nuclear Powered Carrier Program . He served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1974 – 1978 . After retiring from the Navy , Holloway served as President of the Naval Historical Foundation from 1980 – 1998 and served another ten years as its Chairman until his retirement in 2008 . He is presently Chairman Emeritus of the Naval Historical Foundation and author of " Aircraft Carriers at War : A Personal Retrospective of Korea , Vietnam , and the Soviet Confrontation " published in 2007 by the Naval Institute Press . Biography . Holloway was born in Charleston , South Carolina on February 23 , 1922 , the son of then - Lieutenant ( Junior Grade ) James L . Holloway , Jr . ( 1898 – 1984 ) , later a full admiral . He graduated from Saint James School , Maryland in 1939 and was appointed to the U . S . Naval Academy in that year as a member of the Class of 1943 . Holloway graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1942 as a member of the first three - year class accelerated by World War II . Naval career . In that war , he served in destroyers on North Atlantic convoy duty , in North African waters and in the Pacific where he participated in the Saipan , Tinian , and Palaus campaigns and the Battle of Leyte Gulf . He was gunnery officer of the destroyer which at the Battle of Surigao Strait took part in a night torpedo attack which sank the Japanese battleship , assisted in the destruction of the destroyer , attacked the cruiser with torpedoes , and then the following day shot down two Japanese Zeroes at short range . For this service , he received the Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal s . After World War II , he became a naval aviator . He made two carrier tours to Korea , flying Grumman F9F - 2 Panther jets on combat missions against the North Korean and Chinese Communists . He assumed command of Fighting Squadron 52 ( VF - 52 ) when his commanding officer was shot down . He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medal s during the Korean War , and shared in a Navy Unit Commendation awarded to the aircraft carrier . In 1958 , as Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron 83 ( VA - 83 ) , flying Douglas A - 4 Skyhawk s from the carrier , he covered the Marine landings in Lebanon and flew patrols in support of U . S . operations there until " Essex " was redeployed through the Suez Canal to join the 7th Fleet in the Formosa Straits . There , he flew missions in defense of Quemoy and Matsu against the threat of a Chinese Communist invasion of those offshore islands . From 1965 - 1967 , he commanded the carrier , the Navy ' s first , and at that time , only nuclear - powered aircraft carrier for two combat cruises in the Gulf of Tonkin against the North Vietnamese . " Enterprise " established a record for the number of combat sorties flown , won the Battle Efficiency “ E ” award for the best carrier in the fleet , and was awarded a Navy Unit Commendation . He twice received the Legion of Merit for his leadership . Returning to the Pentagon , in 1968 he established the Navy ' s Nuclear Powered Carrier Program , building the supercarrier and paving the way for nine more supercarriers of this class . He was awarded the Navy ' s Distinguished Service Medal for this achievement . In 1970 , he was Commander of the Carrier Striking Force of the 6th Fleet and deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct carrier air operations in reaction to the Syrian invasion of Jordan . After the strong U . S . military response brought about the withdrawal of the Syrian forces , his task force covered the evacuation of an Army MASH ( Mobile Army Surgical Hospital ) unit from Amman , Jordan , by a Marine Expeditionary Group . For his performance of duty he was awarded a second Distinguished Service Medal and shared in a Meritorious Unit Commendation awarded to his flagship , the carrier . He took command of the 7th Fleet in 1972 during the Vietnam War , and personally led a cruiser - destroyer gunfire strike force during the Battle of Haiphong Harbor . During Operation Linebacker II , he directed the massive carrier strikes against Hanoi which were a part of the intensive joint air effort which led to the Vietnam cease - fire in 1973 . Under his command , the 7th Fleet subsequently performed the airborne mine clearing operations in North Vietnam ports in accordance with the terms of the Paris Peace Accords . For duty as Commander , 7th Fleet , he received a third Distinguished Service Medal . He then served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations ( VCNO ) from 1973 - 1974 . As Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) from 1974 – 1978 , he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS ) , and served as Chief of Naval Operations during the evacuation of Cyprus ; the rescue of the merchant ship and its crew , and punitive strike operations against the Cambodia n forcesClaremont , liberty square involved in its seizure ; the evacuation of U . S . nationals from Lebanon ; and the Korean DMZ ( demilitarized zone ) incident in August 1976 , which led to an ultimatum and an armed standoff between the Allied and North Korean armies before the North Koreans backed down . For this service , he was presented a fourth Navy Distinguished Service Medal and two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal . Post - Navy career . After retiring from the Navy in 1978 , Holloway was a consultant to Paine Webber , Inc . and served until 1988 as President of the Council of American - Flag Ship Operators , a national association of U . S . merchant marine companies . In 1980 , he chaired the Special Operations Review Group which investigated the aborted Iranian hostage rescue attempt . In 1985 , he served as Executive Director of Vice President Bush ' s Task Force on Combating Terrorism , and was a member of the President ' s Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management . In 1986 , he was appointed as a Special Envoy of the Vice President to the Middle East . Later , he was a member of the Commission on Merchant Marine and Defense and the Defense Commission on Long Term Integrated Strategy . In 1985 , Holloway was the Technical Advisor to the film " Top Gun " . Subsequently , he has been Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board of the US Naval Academy , Chairman of the Association of Naval Aviation , a Director of the Olmsted Foundation , a Trustee of the George C . Marshall Foundation , served on the Board of Visitors and Governors of St . John ’ s College and served in a Presidential appointment as US Representative to the South Pacific Commission . In 1994 , he received the triennial Modern Patriot Award from the General Society of the Sons of the American Revolution , and in 1997 the National Navy League Award for Outstanding Civilian Leadership . In 1998 , he was elected to the National Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame . In 2000 , he was selected by the US Naval Academy Alumni Association to receive the Distinguished Graduate Award for service to the Navy and the Naval Academy . He was enshrined in the National Museum of Naval Aviation ’ s Hall of Honor in 2004 . Holloway has been conspicuous in his personal support for the Navy ' s official history programs run by the Naval History & Heritage Command . His generous grant made the Online " Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships " Project possible , thereby opening one of the most important US naval history resources to a world wide audience . Currently , he is Chairman Emeritus of the Naval Historical Foundation and the Historic Annapolis Foundation , the Board of Trustees of Saint James School , and as an Emeritus member of the Board of the Mariners ' Museum . He is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati , the Brook Club ( New York City ) , Maryland Club ( Baltimore , Maryland ) , New York Yacht Club , Annapolis Yacht Club , and the Metropolitan Club of Washington , D . C . , where he served as President in 1992 . Among his more than forty military decorations and medals , he holds two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , four Navy Distinguished Service Medal s , two Legions of Merit , the Distinguished Flying Cross , the Bronze Star with Combat " V " device , the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat " V " device , three Air Medals , the French Legion of Honor , the German Grand Cross of the Order of Merit , and the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun .