I regret the extreme tardiness of this note; however, this was yet another case of Navy Flag Matters
and me finding out only very recently. There is no formal system of notification, so if you hear of the passing of a Navy flag officer, please do not assume we already know. I get a lot of notes that say, “You probably already know” when I don’t already know.
It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral James Elton McCardell, Jr., on 5 August 2020 at age 89. Rear Admiral McCardell enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) Program in August 1950 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in September 1985 as the director, Inter-American Defense College. His commands included Fighter Squadron ONE ONE FOUR (VF-114), Fighter Squadron ONE ZERO ONE (VF-101), and Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West. He flew 222 combat missions over North and South Vietnam and Laos as executive officer/commanding officer of VF-114 during two deployments of USS
Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) in 1968–69, earning a Bronze Star, Air Medal (13 Strike/Flight awards), and the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V.” The ship and its embarked air wing were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation
and Navy Unit Commendation for this deployment.
James McCardell enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 31 August 1950, just after the outbreak of the Korean War. He reported for active duty on 13 April 1951 in the NAVCAD Program and commenced flight training. He was commissioned an ensign on 1 September 1952 and designated a naval aviator (heavier than air) on 29 September 1952. That October, he reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, for all-weather flight school and jet transition training.
In January 1953, Ensign McCardell reported to VF-24 at NAS Moffett Field, California, flying the F9F Cougar jet fighter. VF-24 deployed to the Western Pacific embarked on attack carrier USS
Yorktown (CVA-10) from August 1953 to March 1954 and again to the Western Pacific embarked on USS
Essex (CVA-9) from November 1954 to June 1955. Ensign McCardell was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in March 1954 and augmented from the Naval Reserve to the U.S. Navy the following January.
In June 1955, Lieutenant (j.g.) McCardell reported to NAS Memphis, Tennessee, as a jet flight instructor. He was promoted to lieutenant in September 1956. In July 1958, he reported to the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, for the Navy General Line School. In May 1959, McCardell reported to attack carrier USS
Intrepid (CVA-11) as catapult and arresting gear officer, while the carrier was deployed to the Mediterranean (February–August 1959.) He deployed to the Mediterranean again on
Intrepid in August 1960–February 1961.
In July 1961, Lieutenant McCardell reported to Fleet Replacement Squadron ONE SEVEN FOUR (VF-174) for training in the F8U Crusader jet fighter. In March 1962, he reported to VF-84 at NAS Oceana, Virginia, serving as maintenance officer and flying the F8U (shortly redesignated F-8C) Crusader. VF-84 embarked on attack carrier USS
Independence (CVA-62) for a Mediterranean deployment from April 1962 to August 1962. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in July 1962.
Independence and VF-84 deployed from Norfolk on short notice in October–November 1962 in reaction to the Cuban Missile Crisis, participating in the “quarantine” to prevent Soviet nuclear missile from reaching Cuba. The squadron deployed again on
Independence to the Mediterranean from August 1963 to March 1964.
In January 1964, Lieutenant Commander McCardell returned to Naval Postgraduate School, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1965. In June 1965, he reported to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, DC, as head of the Enlisted Programs Plans Section. He was promoted to commander in December 1966. In July 1967, he reported to VF-121, the West Coast replacement squadron for the F-4 Phantom II jet fighter-bomber.
In November 1967, Commander McCardell assumed duty as executive officer of VF-114 “Aardvarks” at NAS Miramar, California. VF-114 embarked on
Kitty Hawk and deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin in November 1967 to participate in Operation Rolling Thunder strikes on North Vietnam. VF-114 lost four aircraft to combat and operational causes during this deployment before returning to homeport in June 1968. After assuming command, McCardell embarked on
Kitty Hawk with VF-114 and deployed again to Vietnam from December 1968 to September 1969, arriving after the Rolling Thunder bombing halt in November 1968.
Kitty Hawk made a short-notice foray to the Sea of Japan after the North Koreans shot down a U.S. EC-121 intelligence collection aircraft. The carrier then returned to the Gulf of Tonkin, primarily flying interdiction bombing missions against North Vietnamese supply routes through Laos into South Vietnam. VF-114 lost only one aircraft during this deployment to an operational cause. During his two deployments, Commander McCardell flew 222 combat missions.
In September 1969, McCardell returned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, somewhat oddly to his previous job as head of Enlisted Programs Plans Section (possibly a misprint in his service transcript). In May 1971, he assumed command of VF-101 the East Coast training squadron for F-4 Phantom II pilots, radar intercept officers (RIOs), and ground crew, located at NAS Oceana.
In July 1972, Commander McCardell assumed duty as executive officer of attack carrier USS
Forrestal (CVA-59), deploying from Norfolk to the Mediterranean from September 1972 to July 1973. He was promoted to captain in July 1973.
In November 1973, Captain McCardell reported to the Chief of Naval Reserve in New Orleans as director of air readiness. In August 1976, he assumed command of NAS Key West, responsible for air combat training of Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Army units. In July 1976, he returned to the Chief of Naval Reserve as assistant chief of staff for readiness. He was promoted to rear admiral on 1 October 1980.
In October 1980, Rear Admiral McCardell reported to the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, DC, for Portuguese language training. In August 1981, he was assigned as the U.S. defense attaché in Brasilia, Brazil. In August 1983, he assumed duty as director of the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair, Washington, DC. The Inter-American Defense College was (and still is) an educational entity of the Inter-American Defense Board and an independent entity of the Organization of American States with an international faculty, staff, and student body from throughout the Western Hemisphere. McCardell retired on 30 September 1985.
Rear Admiral McCardell’s awards include the Legion of Merit (two awards); Bronze Star; Air Medal with Numeral 13; Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”; Presidential Unit Citation; Navy Unit Commendation; Meritorious Unit Commendation; China Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal (two awards); Korean Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (two awards); Vietnam Service Medal (five campaign stars); Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star; Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Color); United Nations Service Medal; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
After retiring from active duty, Rear Admiral McCardell was an active member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He was a member of the Order of Daedalians, the Keesler Retired Officers Club, and the Pass Christian Yacht Club.
During his career, Rear Admiral McCardell made four Western Pacific deployments, five Mediterranean deployments, and two Caribbean deployments, including one during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He amassed 4,864 flight hours and 672 carrier landings, without accident. He began his career as naval aviation cadet, a program that lasted from 1935 to 1968 for which only two years of college was required. He volunteered to serve at a time when the Korean War was at its peak, but by the time he first deployed on a carrier, the armistice had just been signed. Nevertheless, the late 1950s were a period of high operational losses as the Navy transitioned to more advanced jets—some of which were underpowered and difficult to fly—aboard ships that weren’t necessarily designed for jets. He got a taste of real-world crisis, deploying on short notice aboard USS
Independence for the Cuban Missile Crisis, probably the closest the United States and Soviet Union came to nuclear war. His executive officer/commanding officer tour with VF-114 aboard
Kitty Hawk was particularly dangerous. Although U.S. aircraft had finally been given permission to strike North Vietnamese airfields (which had previously been a sanctuary for North Vietnamese MiG jet fighters making hit-and-run attacks on U.S. aircraft), the North Vietnamese ports were still off-limits to bombing. Large amounts of more advanced weaponry from the Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China continued to pour through them. On McCardell’s second combat deployment, the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign had been halted, supposedly to get the North Vietnamese to negotiate. They instead spent many months arguing over the shape of the negotiating table, all the while conducting a massive build-up of force for a conventional invasion of South Vietnam, which occurred in the spring of 1972. The remainder of his career consisted primarily of transferring knowledge of his combat experience to others while in command of VF-101 and NAS Key West. He closed out his career as defense attaché to Brazil, with which the U.S. Navy had (and has) a close and friendly relationship dating back to the 1820s, and then as director of the Inter-American Defense Institute, a great example of the use of “soft power” to cement alliances and friendly relations in the Western Hemisphere. Rear Admiral McCardell’s career entailed substantial sacrifice in family time, for which the Navy and nation should be grateful, for he served with great dedication and distinction answering the nation’s call.
Rest in Peace, Admiral McCardell.