Thomas Hinman Moorer was born on February 9, 1912 in Mount Willing, Alabama. He was the son of Richard Randolph Moorer and Hulda Hinson Moorer. Thomas was the class valedictorian of Cloverdale High School, Montgomery, Alabama, and entered the United States Naval Academy with the class of 1927. Commissioned an Ensign in 1933, he completed flight training, becoming a naval aviator, flying fighters from US Navy Carriers. While stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, he was one of the first aviators to take to the air in response to the Japanese attack. During World War II, he participated in numerous engagements in the South Pacific, and was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Purple Heart. Following the war, he advanced rapidly, being promoted to Captain in 1950 and to Rear Admiral in 1957. In June 1964, he was made Commander of the Pacific Fleet, and in 1965, became Commander of the Atlantic Fleet, the first naval officer to command both the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets. In June 1967, President Lyndon Johnson selected him to be Chief of Naval Operations, and President Richard Nixon reappointed him in 1969. In 1970, he was selected to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held until his retirement in 1974. As Commander of the Pacific Fleet in 1964, he saw the expansion of the Navy during the Vietnam War, and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, saw the withdrawal of the Navy from Vietnam. He argued long for the mining of the ports of North Vietnam, which he was finally allowed to do in mid-1972, an action which resulted in Hanoi agreeing to end hostilities in January 1973. After retirement in July 1974, he became a frequent commentator on various issues in the news media.

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