John Lesslie Hall, Jr - Arlington VA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 2, Site 4969-E

Description: From Find A Grave: US Navy Admiral. He was nicknamed "Viking of Assault," by Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower for his superb leadership of the 11th Amphibious Force at Omaha Beach during the Allied Normandy invasion in World War II. Born in Williamsburg, Virginia, he was the son of American literary scholar and poet known for his translation of "Beowulf." In 1906 he attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia for three years before transferring to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1909 where he excelled in three sports, and was awarded the coveted "Academy Sword' for athletic excellence prior to graduating in 1913. As a junior officer, he served in the battleships USS North Dakota and USS Utah. During World War I he trained engineering personnel on the battleship USS Illinois, and was engineering officer of the destroyer USS Philip. Following World War I, he had sea duty, mainly in destroyers, and served shore duty as a US Naval Academy instructor. He then became an Aide to the Naval District commandant at Charleston, South Carolina, Executive Officer of the submarine tender USS Camden, Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS Childs, followed by three years with the US Naval Academy's physical training and athletics programs, and was a Navigation Officer on the battleship USS Wyoming. In 1934 he was promoted to the rank of commander and was assigned to the Far East to serve in heavy cruiser USS Augusta, and then commanded the gunboat USS Asheville, along with a destroyer division. In the late 1930s he was at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, initially as a student, then as a member of the staff. In July 1940 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the battleship USS Arkansas, followed by staff duty with elements of the Atlantic Fleet. In 1942, after the US entered World War II, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral for the invasion of Morocco, and served as the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Task Force during the North African landings. In February 1943 he became Commander Amphibious Force, North African Waters (8th Fleet), expertly cross-training Army artillerymen and Navy gunners so that his ships' call-fire missions could be conducted in direct support of troop advances rather than at "targets of opportunity." His concept proved devastating to enemy forces and tank divisions as he led one of the major assault forces engaged in the Allied Sicilian invasion (codenamed Operation Husky), during July and August 1943, and the bitterly contested landings at Salerno (9 through 21 September 1943) during the Allied Invasion of Italy, for which he received two Legion of Merit awards. In November 1943 he became commander of the 11th Amphibious Force in England and was awarded the Army's Distinguished Service Medal for his superb leadership of this amphibious Force "O" which landed and so effectively supported the Army 5th Corps on the Omaha Beach sector off the coast of Normandy in June 1944. He then received a 2nd Navy Distinguished Service Medal for command of the Southern Attack Force (Task Force 55) during the April-June 1945 Okinawa campaign, in the Pacific Theater. In October 1945, after the Japanese surrender that ended World War II, he became Commander Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, receiving the rank of Vice Admiral a few months later. He then returned to the US and became Commandant of the 14th Naval District and Commander of the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia. In August 1951 he was Commander, Western Sea Frontier, with additional duty as Commander Pacific Reserve Fleet, and retired in this position in May 1953 with 40 years of continuous military service. He was then promoted to the rank of admiral on the retired list for having been especially commended in combat in accordance with an Act of Congress passed on March 4, 1925 and February 23, 1942 (colloquially known as a "tombstone promotion"). Date of birth: 04/11/1891 Date of death: 03/06/1978 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   10/10/2021 Don.Morfe visited it