Watkins, CNO under President Reagan, dies

Link to original article.

Adm. James D. Watkins

"Adm. James D. Watkins, the Chief of Naval Operations during the Reagan administration, died Thursday. He was 85.

The 22nd CNO served on both surface ships and submarines after graduating from the Naval Academy. During his 37 years in the Navy, he became an experienced submarine officer, according to his Naval History and Heritage Command biography. He served as commander of 6th Fleet and Pacific Fleet, chief of naval personnel and vice chief of naval operations. He took over as CNO in 1982.

Watkins was awarded the Bronze Star with V, Legion of Merit with two gold award stars, and the Distinguished Service Medal from the Navy, Army and Air Force.

After retiring, Watkins worked to protect the world’s oceans, serving on the board of trustees of the National Maritime Sanctuary Foundation and as chairman of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy."

The guy was a hard worker and (of course) very bright. I was in the Navy as an enlisted guy; no complaints. The situation in the Persian Gulf at that time was a powder keg, requiring delicate handling, and I think he and the more local Fleet commander did an admirable job with the situation. Lots of us junior folks deployed to the area at the time had retaliation on our minds, and from an emotional standpoint I'm sure the though crossed many senior minds as well, especially after seeing the carnage of The Tanker War between Iran and Iraq that was then underway. But we kept our cool, under their (his) direction.