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HARDY, CAPTAIN Brenton P. Retired http://www.destroyers.org/DD949-Site/brenton_p_hardy.htm "...Captain Brenton P. Hardy was born in Fitchburg, MA on 15 September 1936, the son of the late George E. Hardy Jr. and Pauline Durgin Hardy. He attended Lunenburg High School and following graduation in 1954 he joined the Navy Reserve and went to Boot Camp at Willow Grove, PA and was then assigned to NARA CV FASRON-911 at NAS South Weymouth, Massachusetts where he attained the rate Aviation Electricians Mate Third Class. While in the Reserves he attended Fitchburg State Teachers College where he graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Arts Education. In 1971, he received his Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University. After receiving his commission upon graduation from Fitchburg State Teachers College in 1959 through the Reserve Officer Candidate Program at Newport, RI, he served for thirty years as a Naval Officer in both sea and shore assignments. Following commissioning, his first duty assignments as a junior officer were as Assistant Engineer on the Landing Ship Dock, USS Rushmore (LSD-14), 1959-60 and as Navigator on the Landing Ship Dock, USS Lindenwald (LSD-6), 1960-61, both homeported in Norfolk, VA and as Damage Control Assistant and Engineer Office on the Destroyer, USS Power (DD-839), 1961-63, homeported in Mayport, FL. Following an initial shore tour in the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, DC, 1963-65, as an enlisted personnel detailer, he then was assigned to San Diego, CA where he had three tours of sea duty during the Vietnam conflict. Captain Hardy served as Aide and Flag Secretary to three Flag Officers who served as Commanders Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla SEVEN, 1965-67. During this tour he made three deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin. His next assignment was as Operations Officer on the Guided Missile Destroyer Leader, USS King (DLG-10), 1967-68. During this tour he made two deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin. His next assignment was as Executive Officer on the Guided Missile Destroyer, USS Parsons (DDG-33), 1969-70. He made two deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin during this tour of duty. Captain Hardy next attended the Naval War College, in Newport, RI, 1970-71, and following graduation, as a senior officer, was assigned to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations in the Strategic Plans, Policy and Nuclear Systems Division, 1971-74. He then attended the National War College in Washington, DC, 1974-75. Following graduation he was assigned to his first of four sea commands. As Commanding Officer of the Guided Missile Destroyer, USS William V. Pratt (DDG-44), 1975-77, homeported in Charleston, SC. During this command at sea tour, Captain Hardy deployed with his ship as flagship for the Commander of UNITAS XVI, a major military and political operation conducted with the navies of South America; deployed to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean as the flagship for the Anti-Air Warfare Commander and Anti-Submarine Warfare Commander for the USS Roosevelt Battle Group; and was assigned as a unit of Task Force 200, where the ship participated in the International Naval Review on July 4th 1976 in New York City, during the United States Bicentennial celebration. During the International Naval Review Captain Hardy hosted the Royal family of Monaco, Princess Grace, Prince Rainier and their children. Following this command tour, Captain Hardy returned to Washington, DC where he was assigned as an Enlisted Rating Coordinator, 1977-80, for the Anti-Air Warfare enlisted personnel ratings. Upon reorganization of the Bureau of Naval Personnel he next served in the Office of Chief of Naval Personnel as Head, Surface Warfare Officer and Enlisted Programs Section and then as Head, Military Personnel Branch. Captain Hardy returned to sea in San Diego for his second command at sea tour, a Major Command, as the commissioning Commanding Officer of the Destroyer Tender, USS Acadia (AD-42), 1981-83. USS Acadia was built at National Steel and Shipbuilding in San Diego, and was named after Acadia National Park in Maine. After completion of a lengthy period of construction, organization, manning, training and workup, Captain Hardy deployed his ship for the first time to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, where USS Acadia provided repair services to Seventh Fleet units. Following this command tour he was assigned to his third command at sea, a Sequential Major Command, as Commanding Officer of the Guided Missile Cruiser, USS Horne (CG-30), 1983-85, which was also homeported in San Diego. During this command tour he deployed with USS Horne to Western Pacific and Indian Ocean as a unit in the USS Ranger Battle Group as the Anti-Air Warfare Commander. Following this sea command tour, Captain Hardy was assigned to a shore duty command as Commanding Officer, Tactical Training Group Pacific, 1985-87, in San Diego. The school taught maritime strategy and tactics to senior naval officers who were being assigned as Commanders and Commanding Officers of ships and staffs in the Pacific Fleet area. Captain Hardy returned to sea, for the final time, as Chief of Staff, Commander Carrier Group ONE, 1987-88. During this tour he deployed with the staff to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean on two occasions, where they served as Commander of the USS Ranger (CV-61) and the USS Constellation (CV-64) Battle Groups. During the 1987 Indian Ocean deployment the USS Ranger and USS Missouri Battle Groups were combined and became Joint Task Force 200. During this period Captain Hardy, the staff and battle group units planned and executed Operation PRAYING MANTIS, the destruction of Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf that were being used by Iranian forces to attack US ships and aircraft transiting the Persian Gulf. It was during this deployment to the Western Pacific that Captain Hardy was assigned his fourth sea command. He relieved Rear Admiral Anthony Less as Commander, Carrier Group ONE and Commander of the Ranger Battle Group, Battle Group ECHO. On 4 June 1989, Captain Hardy retired from the Navy after having served a total of thirty-five years, five as an Enlisted man and thirty as a Commissioned Officer. During his career, Captain Hardy was awarded the Legion Of Merit with two Gold Stars, in lieu of second and third awards; the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, in lieu of second award; Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" and two Gold Stars, in lieu of second and third awards; Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon; Navy "E" Ribbon; Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba); National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea); Vietnam Service Medal with nine stars; Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; and the Vietnam Campaign Medal..." [21JUL2003]


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