horacio rivero

Admiral Horacio Rivero, USN (May 6, 1910-September 24, 2000) born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a U.S. Navy officer who became the first Hispanic four-star admiral. Rivero was born in 1910 in Ponce, a city located in the southern part of Puerto Rico. He received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1927. On June 4, 1931, Rivero graduated third in a class of 441 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He also studied electrical engineering at Annapolis and at Cambridge, where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree. During World War II, he provided artillery cover for Marines landing on Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" as well as the Legion of Merit among others. After the war, Rivero continued to excel. He studied at the National War College and in 1954 he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Naval Operations. In 1955 Rivero was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and was a member of the Staff of the Commander in Chief, Western Atlantic Area. In October 1962 Admiral Rivero found himself in the middle of the "Cuban Missile Crisis". As Commander of Amphibious forces, Atlantic Fleet, he was on the front line of the vessels sent to the Caribbean by President Kennedy to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III. On July 31, 1964, Horacio Rivero made history by becoming the first Puerto Rican, and first Hispanic to become a four-star Admiral in the US Navy. From 1968 until his retirement from the Navy in 1972, Admiral Rivero was the Commander of Allied Forces in Southern Europe. From 1972 to 1975 Admiral Rivero served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain. Admiral Horacio Rivero died on September 24, 2000 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Horacio Rivero

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