Ronald J. Zlatoper

Ronald J. Zlatoper
Nickname(s)	Zap
Born	(1942-03-21)March 21, 1942 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	April 21, 2022(2022-04-21) (aged 80) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1963–1996
Rank	Admiral
Commands	US Pacific Fleet Chief of Naval Personnel
Battles / wars	Vietnam War Gulf War
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal

Ronald Joseph Zlatoper (March 21, 1942 – April 21, 2022) was a United States Navy four star admiral and Naval Aviator who served as Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) from 1994 to 1996.

Zlatoper was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Zlatoper was the Founder of Strategic Transitions Research. He served as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sanchez Computer Associates, Inc. He served as a Trustee of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served on the boards of Penn State University-Great Valley, Board of Advisors member of the School of Business & Public Management at the George Washington University, U.S.S. Missouri Memorial Association, and the Military Aviation Museum of the Pacific. He was a Regent for Chaminade University. He was also active on the boards of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor; the East–West Center; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation; Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i — Military Affairs Council; Catholic Charities Hawai'i; and was a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way.

During his time as an undergraduate at RPI, Ronald was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He was inducted into the fraternity's hall of fame in 2014. He received his master's degree in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He died on April 21, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia.

1967 USS Forrestal fire

On July 29, 1967, Zlatoper, then a Lieutenant, kept a careful record of events in the squadron duty officer log of the 1967 USS Forrestal fire.

Honors

He had received numerous personal decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Navy Distinguished Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal; and the Navy Commendation Medal (with Combat "V"); plus various campaign and unit awards. He is the honored recipient of the Japanese Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and the Korean Presidential Tong Il medal.

•   Defense Distinguished Service Medal
•   Navy Distinguished Service Medal
•   Legion of Merit
•   Distinguished Flying Cross
•   Meritorious Service Medal
•   Air Medal
•   Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor Device