Radford House

Radford House. Dedicated May 5, 2013. Admiral Arthur W. Radford, USN graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1916 and was designated a naval aviator in 1920 upon completion of flight training., During world war one, he served with the battleship fleet. His assignments in the interwar years included service as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron VF-1B, executive officer of the carrier USS Yorktown (CV- 5), and commanding officer of Naval Air Station Seattle, Washington. He also served as the director of naval aviation training. In this position, he coordinated officer and enlisted training programs in support of the growth and development of naval aviation., Returning to sea in world war two, he commanded multiple carrier divisions in combat operations. He led carrier task forces in the campaign for the central Pacific, and later in the South China Sea and the waters off Japan. Throughout his career, he was a strong proponent of naval aviation and personnel training programs., Following the war, he was assigned as the Deputy Chief Naval Operations for Air and was selected to be the fourth Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He later served as the High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and as the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet., In 1953, he became the first naval officer to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff., Quarters AA was constructed in 1910 to serve as the residence of the commander of the U.S. Naval Medical School and Hospital located on Observatory Hill. In 1942, the medical facility moved to its new location in Bethesda, MD, and Quarters AA became the residence of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, a position created by Congress that year., Admiral Radford resided in these quarters while he served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from January, 1948 until May, 1949. Quarters AA is named 'Radford House' in his honor.