Donald B. Beary
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

Donald B. Beary was born in 1888 in Montana.

Beary graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910 and was awarded the Navy Cross for convoy duty in World War I. At the outbreak of World War II, he was Commander of the Fleet Operational Training Command in the Atlantic Theater.

In the Pacific battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa 1944, he was Commander of ServRon 6, assigned the task of providing at-sea support to the 3rd and 5th fleets during specific operations. ServRon 6 was the first underway group replenishing warships with munitions and stores to provide the fleet with the ability to maintain an aggressive, around-the-clock offensive against Japan.

At the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, he served as a dignitary on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur. After the war he was President of the War College in Newport, RI.

He retired from the Navy in 1950.

Honors

The Knox-class frigate USS Beary (FF-1085) was named in his honor.

Death and Burial

Vice Admiral Donald B. Beary died in 1966 in Maryland. He is buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, MD.