ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 141138Z MAY 03 ZYB MIN PSN 539588J38 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS// TO NAVADMIN UNCLAS //N01710// NAVADMIN 117/03 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/-/MAY// SUBJ/PASSING OF VICE ADMIRAL THOMAS J. WALKER, USN, RET// RMKS/1. VADM THOMAS J. WALKER, USN, RET, DIED OF PNEUMONIA, THURSDAY, 8 MAY 2003 AT SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL-ENCINITAS. HE WAS 86. 2. VADM WALKER HAD A LONG AND ILLUSTRIOUS NAVY CAREER. BORN IN EDGARTOWN, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASS, HE RECEIVED AN APPOINTMENT IN 1935 TO THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY AND GRADUATED IN 1939. HE SERVED TWO YEARS AS A JUNIOR OFFICER ABOARD THE HEAVY CRUISER MINNEAPOLIS BEFORE BEGINNING FLIGHT TRAINING IN AUGUST 1941 AND RECEIVING HIS WINGS THE FOLLOWING MARCH. A MONTH AFTER COMPLETING FLIGHT TRAINING IN 1942, HE BEGAN FLYING SCOUT-OBSERVATION PLANES THAT WERE CATAPULTED FROM THE STERN OF A BATTLESHIP. BY THE TIME HE RETIRED MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER AS A VICE ADMIRAL, HE HAD SERVED IN THREE WARS, RECEIVED TWO DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS AND COMMANDED THE NAVAL AIR FORCE PACIFIC FLEET. VADM WALKER, WHOSE DECORATIONS INCLUDED A LEGION OF MERIT AND BRONZE STAR, IN A CAREER THAT SPANNED MORE THAN 30 YEARS, LOGGED 5,500 FLYING HOURS IN A VARIETY OF AIRCRAFT. AMONG THE FIRST WAS THE VOUGHT-SIKORSKI OS2U, A SCOUT-OBSERVATION AIRCRAFT THAT HE FLEW IN THE NORTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN WHILE BASED ON THE BATTLESHIP NEW YORK. IN 1945, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO LOS ALAMOS, N.M., WHERE HE COMMANDED A B-29 CREW THAT PREPARED TO DELIVER THE U.S. MILITARY'S FOURTH ATOMIC BOMB. VADM WALKER RETURNED TO NEW MEXICO IN 1948, LOGGING 500 HOURS OF FLIGHT TESTING IN ALBUQUERQUE AS PART OF THE ARMED FORCES SPECIAL WEAPONS PROJECT AT SANDIA BASE. DURING THE KOREAN WAR, HE DEVELOPED TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ATOMIC WEAPONS FROM LIGHT-CARRIER-BASED AIRCRAFT AS THE FIRST COMMANDING OFFICER OF AIR DEVELOPMENT SQUADRON VX-5 AT MOFFAT FIELD. IN 1957, VADM WALKER WAS ASSIGNED COMMAND OF AN ALL-WEATHER TRAINING UNIT IN SAN DIEGO. HE TRAINED PILOTS IN INSTRUMENT FLYING, INCLUDING AN AIR DEFENSE SQUADRON ATTACHED TO THE AIR FORCE DEFENSE COMMAND. HIS FIRST SEA COMMAND WAS IN 1959, WHEN HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE AMMUNITION SHIP NITRO. IN 1960, HE BECAME THE FIRST COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER CONSTELLATION. IN JUNE 1966, DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, VADM WALKER SERVED AS COMMANDER OF CARRIER DIVISION 3, AN ASSIGNMENT THAT RESULTED IN THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM GALLANTRY CROSS WITH PALM. BASED AT NORTH ISLAND AIR STATION FROM 1971 UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1973, HE OVERSAW THE NAVAL AIR FORCE PACIFIC FLEET. UNDER HIS COMMAND WERE NINE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, 16 NAVAL AIR STATIONS, NEARLY 100 AIR SQUADRONS AND MORE THAN 68,000 SERVICE PERSONNEL. AS A CIVILIAN, HE PURSUED A CAREER IN INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC MARKETING WITH HUGHES AIRCRAFT BEFORE RETIRING IN 1986. VADM WALKER WAS A SUPPORTER OF AND ADVISER TO THE SAN DIEGO AEROSPACE MUSEUM AND WAS ACTIVE IN THE EXCLUSIVE EARLY AND PIONEER NAVAL AVIATORS ASSOCIATION, BETTER KNOWN AS GOLDEN EAGLES. 3. VADM WALKER IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE, KATHARINE; SONS THOMAS JR. OF WILTON, CONN. AND JOHN OF SANTA CRUZ; AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN. SERVICES WERE HELD 13 MAY 2003 AT THE NORTH ISLAND CHAPEL. 4. RELEASED BY VADM P. A. TRACEY, DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF.// BT NNNN