Thomas H. Moorer was born in Mount Willing, Alabama in 1912 and is a graduate of Cloverdale High School in Montgomery, Alabama. While attending the U.S. Naval Academy, Moorer played football for three years. He was commissioned Ensign in the U.S. Navy in 1933, and completed naval aviator flight training in 1936. Moorer was serving in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In 1964 he achieved the rank of Admiral and was named Chief of Naval Operations in 1967. Admiral Moorer was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 1970. Since his retirement from activeduty in 1974 he has maintained an intense interest in aviation, and serves on the boards of numerous corporations and institutions. Moorer has received a multitude of awards and decorations, and was elected to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1987. Admiral Moorer is truly an American hero.