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Thomas J. Hughes, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.), passed away on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton, Virginia. VADM Hughes died of congestive heart failure after a short stay in the hospital. He had the pleasure of spending Christmas with his second wife, Nancy, his eight children, fifteen of his seventeen grand children, his two great grand children and his stepdaughter.
Admiral Hughes was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1926. He enlisted in the Navy and was selected through the NROTC program to attend Harvard University in 1944. He graduated with the class of 1947 with a BS in Engineering Science. Other education included Armed Forces Staff College, 1959, and an MS degree in Operations Analysis from Naval Post Graduate School, 1962.
Forty-three years in the U.S. Navy was just the start of VADM Hughes' long career in service to our country. He often said he would not trade one day of his Navy service, even the tough ones, for any other experience.
VADM Hughes served combat duty in both Korea and Vietnam. His command assignments included the USS John King, USS Thuban, and USS Chikaskia as well as Destroyer Squadron Thirty-six, Gunline Commander off South Vietnam, and Commander Service Group Two. While serving duty as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Financial Management Information he was elected as Chairman of the Board of Navy Federal Credit Union, a financial institution dedicated to support of all of our service men and women. VADM Hughes served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and three tours in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations with oversight on budget, personnel, and logistics. His awards include Legion of Merit with 5 Gold Stars, 2 Joint Commendation Medals, a Bronze Star with V (combat), Korean Service Medal with 4 bronze stars, Vietnam Service Medal, and United Nations Service Award.
On his retirement from the U.S. Navy, VADM Hughes became President/CEO of the Navy Federal Credit Union. In his nine years in this position, he focused the business on the members, products, services, and staff. If you worked under him, you probably have heard him sing 'Happy Birthday To You'. VADM Hughes was presented a Distinquished Public Service Award from the Chief of Naval Operations for his contribution to the Navy as a civilian. He served on the Thrift Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve, on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, on several advisory committees to the Credit Union National Association, and as an advisor to the VISA USA Board of Directors.
Retirement from the Navy Federal Credit Union brought a new offer to serve in a teaching position as the Conrad Chair for Financial Management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey California. Five years of teaching post-grad students in Department of Defense, Navy, and Congressional budget practices and procedures earned VADM Hughes a Meritorious Civilian Service Award and a Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy. He was also presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the school president.
Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (68)/ Yankee Station, North Vietnam
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Description Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be "on the line" and statistical summaries were based on days on the line.
The name derived from it being the geographic reference point "Y", pronounced "Yankee" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In turn the term Point Yankee derived from the launch point for "Yankee Team" aerial reconnaissance missions over Laos conducted in 1964. It was located about 190 km due east of Dong Hoi, at 17° 30' N and 108° 30' E.
During the two periods of sustained air operations against North Vietnam (March 2, 1965-October 31, 1968 and March 30, 1972-December 29, 1972) there were normally three carriers on the line, each conducting air operations for twelve hours, then off for twelve hours. One of the carriers would operate from noon to midnight, another from midnight to noon, and one during daylight hours, which gave 24-hour coverage plus additional effort during daylight hours, when sorties were most effective. However at the end of May, 1972, six carriers were for a short period of time on the line at Yankee Station conducting Linebacker strikes.
The first aircraft carrier at Yankee Station was USS Kitty Hawk, which was ordered there in April 1964 for the Yankee Team missions. Kitty Hawk was joined by Ticonderoga in May and Constellation in June, two months prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ticonderoga and Constellation launched the first bombing missions from Yankee Station on August 5, 1964. Constellation was also the last carrier conducting operations at Yankee Station on August 15, 1973. USS Forrestal suffered a major accident while at Yankee Station when a series of fires and explosions on her deck killed 134 men and injured another 161.
A corresponding Dixie Station in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta was a single carrier point for conducting strikes within South Vietnam from May 15, 1965 to August 3, 1966.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023
Personal Memories
Memories In September 1971 VAdm. Hughes became Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirty-Six and served as the Gunline Commander of South Viet-Nam from May to August 1972.
