Alfred Gustave "Corky" Ward
Admiral, U.S. Navy

Alfred Gustave Ward was born on 29 November 1908.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1932 and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. Ward also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. 

In World War II, he was Gunnery Officer in the USS North Carolina, participating in the Battles of Guadalcanal, Espiritu Santo, and bombardment for the landing in Kwajalein. After the war, he was Commanding Officer of USS Hollister. 

His postwar tours in command of destroyer and cruiser divisions and an amphibious squadron suited him ably for his duty as Commander Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet (COMPHIBLANT), the job he was holding when he was tapped for Command of the Second Fleet. In 1961-62 he served as Commander Second Fleet and Commander Strike Fleet, Atlantic.

1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

As the unified commander for the Caribbean, Dennison was responsible for readying Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy assault forces for a possible invasion of Cuba. He also served as the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The aircraft carriers, destroyers, and Marine forces of the subordinate Second Fleet, under Vice Admiral Alfred G. Ward, were poised to launch air, naval gunfire, and amphibious strikes from the sea against Soviet and Cuban forces ashore. With speed and efficiency, other fleet units reinforced the Marine garrison at Guantanamo on Cuba's southeastern tip and evacuated American civilians. Dennison also coordinated the maritime support operations carried out by Canadian, British, Argentine, and Venezuelan forces. Thankfully, the Russians backed down and the crisis was over.

During the years 1963 to 1965, Ward was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, first for Plans and Policy, and then for Fleet Operations and Readiness. 

On 27 March 1965, Ward was promoted to the four-star rank of Admiral and assigned to serve as the U.S. Representative to the NATO Military Committee (USMILREP).

Admiral Ward retired from the Navy in 1968.

Death and Burial

Admiral Alfred Gustave "Corky" Ward died on 3 April 1982. He is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, MD.

He was survived by his wife, Winona Viereck Ward. She was buried next to her husband after her death on 18 February 1998.