Remembering Admiral and Mrs. Thomas Moorer

Editorial

On March 22 America lost a great lady. On that day Mrs. Carrie Moorer, widow of the late Admiral Thomas Moorer died after a long illness.

Admiral Moorer had one of the most distinguished careers in U.S. Military history. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he was a junior naval aviator at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. One of the few pilots to get his plane off the ground, Lt. Moorer was dispatched on an all night flight to look for the Japanese fleet.

He saw extensive combat in World War II and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart, and enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of the Navy. Admiral Moorer served as Commander of both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets (the only man to ever do so) as Chief of Naval Operations and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Tom and Carrie Moorer had a long and loving marriage and were true partners in life. The Admiral was a featured speaker at the first seven of our national conferences and he frequently spoke with affection about his wife.

“They say a wife can make a man successful or happy.” he said. “Mine has made me both successful and happy.”

He related how, after Pearl Harbor, his young wife had to make her way back to their home in Alabama, traveling by ship, train and bus for several weeks with an infant in her arms.

Speaking of the role women played in World War II he said, “They’ve never gotten the credit they deserved.”

Mrs. Moorer navigated innumerable moves during her husband’s long career, including duty stations in Japan and Britain and many places in between. She took the lead in raising four children and was a superb homemaker and hostess as well as a trusted advisor.

Following Admiral Moorer’s death I approached Mrs. Moorer with the idea of naming the Committee’s planned new headquarters after him. She and her family readily agreed and we are preparing to launch an ambitious capital drive to acquire the funds for this effect. The new Moorer Center will also include a tribute to Mrs. Moorer.

If you would like more details on the capital campaign please write to me at the following address:

World War II Veterans Committee
1100 N. Glebe Rd Ste 910
Arlington, VA 22201

I hope you will join with me in completing this living memorial to a great American hero – and to his wonderful wife.

Sincerely,
James C. Roberts
President