U. S. Grant Sharp Jr. Explained

U. S. Grant Sharp Jr.
Birth Name:Ulysses Simpson Grant Sharp Jr.
Nickname:Oley
Birth Date:2 April 1906
Birth Place:Chinook, Montana
Death Place:San Diego, California
Placeofburial:Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego
Allegiance:United States
Branch:United States Navy
Serviceyears:1927–1968
Rank:Admiral
Commands:United States Pacific Command
United States Pacific Fleet
United States First Fleet
Battles:World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Awards:Navy Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star (2)
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3) with Combat V

Ulysses Simpson Grant Sharp Jr. (April 2, 1906 – December 12, 2001) was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) from 1963 to 1964; and Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Command (CINCPAC) from 1964 to 1968. He was the serving CINCPAC during the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the event which largely precipitated the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. Sharp was the related to and namesake of Ulysses S. Grant, who married Sharp's great-aunt.[1] [2]

Military career

Sharp was born in Chinook, Montana, and named for Ulysses S. Grant, who was married to his grandmother's sister. Raised in Fort Benton, Montana,[3] he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1927. He is also a 1950 graduate of the Naval War College.

During World War II, he commanded the destroyer in the Pacific Theater, earning two Silver Stars.

His brother, Lieutenant Commander Thomas F. Sharp (USNA class of 1935), was reported lost on May 13, 1943 when his submarine was sunk during its seventh combat patrol of the World War II Pacific campaign.

By the Korean War, he was commanding a destroyer squadron, assisting in the planning of the Inchon landing. He served as deputy chief of naval operations for policy and planning in the early 1960s.

After receiving his fourth star, Sharp took command of the Pacific Fleet in 1963, followed by command of Pacific Command. During his tenure, due to the Tonkin Gulf Incident, the U.S. increased its presence in Vietnam after the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Sharp's views on U.S. strategy in the war, namely massive military action, differed sharply with the Johnson administration's preference for a gradual buildup of forces. Sharp was featured on the August 14, 1964, cover of TIME Magazine.

Awards and decorations

Navy Distinguished Service Medal w/ 1 gold award star
Army Distinguished Service MedalSilver Star w/ award starBronze Star w/ award star
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/ Valor Device and 2 award starsAmerican Defense Service Medal w/ 1 bronze service starAmerican Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ 1 service starAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 7 service starsWorld War II Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Service MedalNational Defense Service Medal w/ 1 service starKorea Service Medal w/ 3 campaign stars
Korea Presidential Unit CitationPhilippine Liberation Medal w/ 1 service starUnited Nations Korea Medal

Post military career

After retiring from the Navy, Sharp was a critic of U.S. policy in the Vietnam War, lecturing frequently and writing articles. He wrote an article in Reader's Digest in 1969 titled We Could Have Won in Vietnam Long Ago, and in 1979 his book Strategy for Defeat: Vietnam in Retrospect[4] was published.

His first wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1931, died in 1986. In 1988 he married the former Nina Blake.

After suffering a fall in October 2001, Sharp's health steadily declined until he died on December 12, 2001, at his home in San Diego. He was buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-dec-17-me-15595-story.html U.S. Oliver, Myrna. Grant Sharp, 95; Admiral, Vocal Critic of Vietnam Strategy
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/18/us/ulysses-s-grant-sharp-jr-vietnam-war-admiral-95.html Christopher Marquis. Ulysses S. Grant Sharp Jr., Vietnam War Admiral, 95
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20111214013857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897226,00.html The Imperturbable Admiral, TIME Magazine August 14, 1964
  4. Sharp, U. S. Grant. Strategy for Defeat: Vietnam in Retrospect. San Rafael, Calif: Presidio Press, 1978.