Forrest S. Petersen

Forrest Silas Petersen
Born	May 16, 1922(1922-05-16) Holdrege, Nebraska
Died	December 8, 1990(1990-12-08) (aged 68) Georgetown, South Carolina
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1944–1980
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	U.S.S. Enterprise, Naval Air Systems Command
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star

Vice Admiral Forrest S. Petersen (May 16, 1922 - December 8, 1990) was a United States Navy aviator and test pilot.

Birth and education

Born in Holdrege, Nebraska, he was the son of Elmer and Stella Petersen. and was raised in Gibbon, Nebraska. Prior to his admission to the United States Naval Academy, he attended the University of Nebraska for two years.

Military career

He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1944, with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, was commissioned as an ensign, and reported to the destroyer Caperton (DD-650). While serving aboard Caperton he participated in campaigns in the Philippines, Formosa and Okinawa. After graduation from flight training in 1947, he was assigned to Fighting Squadron Twenty Able which was later redesignated Fighter Squadron 192.

Petersen graduated from Naval Postgraduate School with a Bachelors Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in July 1950. He continued studies for one year at Princeton University and received a Masters Degree in Engineering. From 1953 to 1956 he served with Fighter Squadron 51. In 1956 he was selected to attend the United States Naval Test Pilot School and remained as an instructor following graduation.

In August 1958, he was assigned duties as Research Pilot in the X-15 Program and served with the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California until January 1962. During that time he made five free flights in the X-15 and achieved a speed of 3,600 mph (Mach 5.3) and an altitude of about 102,000 feet. He was one of the initial three test pilots with Joe Walker, Bob White, and contractor pilot, Scott Crossfield. He was the only active duty Navy pilot to fly the X-15 (John McKay, Milton Thompson, Scott Crossfield and Neil Armstrong were former Navy pilots). In July 1962 he was a joint recipient of the Collier Trophy which was presented by President John F. Kennedy and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal which was presented by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Petersen served as Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron 154 prior to being assigned to the office of Director, Division of Naval Reactors, AEC for Nuclear Power Training. He reported to the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-65) in January 1964 and served as Executive Officer until April 1966. He was awarded the Bronze Star for duty during Enterprise's first combat tour in Vietnam. In November 1967 he assumed command of Bexar (APA-237) in the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Forces. Following an eight month deployment with the United States Seventh Fleet Amphibious Forces in the Western Pacific he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V. He then served as Commanding Officer of the Enterprise (July 8, 1969 - December 3, 1971). He was then assigned duties as an Assistant to the Director of Naval Program Planning in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In 1974, he went on to command carrier group CTF-60, based at Athens, Greece. In 1975 he came back to the Pentagon to head the Naval Air Operations office. He then headed Naval Air Systems Command, from which he retired in 1980.

Awards and decorations

Petersen held the following awards for service in World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War: Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, China Service Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (w/"Japan" clasp), Philippine Liberation Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, World War II Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal (w/bronze service star), and the Korean War Service Medal. The midshipman library at the University of Nebraska is named in honor of Admiral Petersen.

Family

Petersen married June Berkshire, Feb. 2, 1946. They had 3 children. Lynn Elizabeth, Nels Christian, and Forrest Dean. June died May 8, 1977. He subsequently married Jean Baldwin on June 17, 1978. She had a son, Preston. She died in 2005.

Death and burial

He died on December 8, 1990 in Georgetown, South Carolina from a brain tumor. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Thompson, Milton O. (1992) At The Edge Of Space: The X-15 Flight Program, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London. ISBN 1-56098-107-5
• NASA website source of text
• "VAdm. Forrest. S. Petersen", pictopia
• Biographies of U.S. Astronauts