John Joseph (Jack)O'Brien

O'BRIEN Cmdr. USN (retired) John (Jack) Joseph O'Brien passed away at Infirmary West Hospital on April 18, 2010 of cardiopulmonary failure. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine Francis Donovan O'Brien who died in Ventura, CA on October 27, 1993. He is survived by two sons: John J. O'Brien Jr. (III) (former daughter-in-law Dorla) and Michael Andrew O'Brien (Barbara); three grandchildren: John J. O'Brien IV, Caitlin O'Brien, Maura O'Brien and a niece by marriage Janet (Peirce). A memorial service will be held at a later date at the U.S. Naval Academy. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested a donation be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 225 Arlington, VA 22203. Born on February 2, 1920 in St. Louis, MO, to John Joseph O'Brien and Helen Marks O'Brien, he was first in his immediate family to attend school beyond sixth grade. He graduated from Christian Brothers College High School and the United States Naval Academy (Class of 1943). Mr. O'Brien's first WWII assignment, self-described as "When I grew up." was on the destroyer USS Tarbell (DD-142) escorting convoys in the Caribbean, North Atlantic and with the Allied invasion of North Africa. In 1945 he was gunnery officer of the USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808), the flagship of the Operational Development Force under Adm. Willis Lee. With staff officer Lloyd Mustin, they "wrote the book" on kamikaze defensive strategies. "The best job I ever had." Half a century later, he startled his eldest son by revealing that he had never expected to see his son because the kamikazes were inflicting such a terrible toll on U.S. destroyers. He learned of the atomic bomb and of his 1st son's birth about the same time. Following WWII, he earned a Master's Degree from the Dept. of Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics at Harvard University. He returned to sea as Executive Officer and Combat Information Center Evaluator on the USS Radford (DD-446). The ship was on a training cruise out of Hawaii at the outbreak of the Korean War. Equipped with the newest radar, the Radford was one of two ships that directed all aircraft off the USS Valley Forge. These U.S. Navy planes provided critical air support during the retreat of ground forces to Pusan and the successful marine landing at Inchon "For meritorious service during operations against the enemy and for leadership, professional competence and untiring efforts, above and beyond the call of duty," he was awarded the Navy Commendation Ribbon, at this time he learned of the birth of his 2nd son. From 1954 to 1956, he commanded the destroyer escort USS Vammen (DE-644) as Division Commander of Escort Division 92 in the western Pacific. Duties included patrolling the central and western Caroline Islands to prevent illegal fishing. At a mini-reunion of the Vammen's officers, more than one told his son that the time spent with "Capt." O'Brien was the most enjoyable period of their lives. Mr. O'Brien commanded the Naval Ordinance Test Station, Pasadena Annex from 1956 to 1958 where rocket assisted torpedoes (RAT), anti-submarine rockets (ASROC), and sub-surface launching of the Polaris missiles were developed. He resigned his commission in 1958 to spend more time with family. From 1959 to 1961, he served as head of Central Staff and Associate Head of Weapons Developmentat the Naval Ordinance Test Station, China Lake, CA. One of the weapons developed during this time was the Sidewinder, the world's first heat-seeking missile. From 1961-1974, he headed numerous departments at Pt. Mugu Naval Missile Center, Port Hueneme, CA. Following his retirement from federal service, Mr. O'Brien taught engineering at San Fernando State University. He moved to Mobile AL in 1993 to live with his elder son. He was beloved for his sense of humor. Once while handing a plaque to a retiring colleague, he announced that the award had been approved by a vote of five to three. On another occasion, he mailed a package from a store that also sold party favors. When the young clerk told him that he would be charged by the weight not the size of the package, he asked for the largest box available and that the extra space be stuffed with helium-filled balloons. Part of "The Greatest Generation," about 10% of the Class of 1943 was lost in combat. For their 60th reunion, Cmdr. O'Brien wrote the following poem with these references: the Naval Academy overlooks the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay; Frank Mulvanity was the class's first casualty at the Battle of Savo Island off Guadalcanal; Herb Baslee, shot down over Korea, was their last; Dahlgren Hall was where the graduating midshipmen assembled to receive their initial wartime assignments.

Published in Press-Register on June 6, 2010