Вице-адмирал Уильям Лоуренс: Жизнь и подвиги американского героя.

American poet

William Porter "Bill" Lawrence (January 13, 1930 – December 2, 2005) was a decorated United States Navy vice admiral and Naval Aviator who served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy from 1978 to 1981. Lawrence was a noted pilot, the first Naval Aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a naval aircraft, and one of the final candidates for the Mercury space program. During the Vietnam War, Lawrence was shot down while on a combat mission and spent six years as a prisoner of war, from 1967 to 1973. During this time, he became noted for his resistance to his captors.

Lawrence's parents and grandparents were from Tennessee. His father Robert Landy "Fatty" Lawrence (1903–1976) attended Vanderbilt University, where he was a noted student athlete who graduated in 1924. He was born January 13, 1930, in Nashville, and attended local schools. Lawrence distinguished himself not just as an outstanding student academically, graduating first in his class and being a student body president, but also as a student athlete at Nashville's West End High School, and in 1947 turned down a scholarship for Yale University to attend the United States Naval Academy.

Lawrence stood out as a varsity athlete in three sports at the Naval Academy: football, basketball, and baseball. During his time at the academy, he held several high ranking midshipman offices, including commander of the Brigade of Midshipmen, president of the Class of 1951, while also graduating 8th academically out of a class of 725. His other major accomplishments included helping to establish the honor concept governing midshipmen's conduct. He graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1951. Ensign Lawrence continued on at the Naval Academy as aide to the Commandant of Midshipmen until September 1951, when he reported to flight training. Lawrence became a Naval Aviator in 1952.

In 1967, then Commander Lawrence was serving as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143 (VF 143), aboard the aircraft carrier Constellation. On 28 June 1967, Lawrence and his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant, junior grade James W. Bailey, were flying an F 4B Phantom II aircraft, Bureau Number 152242, while leading an anti aircraft suppression section during a raid northwest of Nam Dinh, North Vietnam. Their aircraft was struck by an 85 mm round while rolling in on target. Despite failing hydraulics, Lawrence and Bailey released their bombs, but part of the aircrafts tail section separated while attempting to pull out of a dive. Both officers were forced to eject, were captured, and were held as prisoners of war at the Hỏa Lò Prison (the Hanoi Hilton) – until 1973, during which time they suffered repeated torture and beatings. Along with fellow prisoner James Stockdale, Lawrence became noted for his resistance to his captors. Additionally, he memorized every POW by name and rank while in captivity. He developed a code by tapping on the prison walls to communicate with other prisoners. Bailey was released on 18 February 1973 and Lawrence on 4 March 1973. Another fellow inmate was future presidential candidate and Senator John McCain. In Lawrence's obituary in the Los Angeles Times, McCain stated, "He's probably the greatest man I've ever known in my life," and that it was the former's " constant, steadfast, inspirational, yet very rational leadership that guided many of us through some very difficult times."

Following repatriation and convalescence at the Naval Hospital in Memphis, Lawrence attended the National War College in Washington D. C., where he was designated a distinguished graduate. During the same period, he attended George Washington University, receiving his master's degree in international affairs in July 1974. After promotion to Rear admiral in July 1974, Lawrence served as Commander, Light Attack Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Subsequently, he served as the Director, Aviation Programs Division and Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare) in The Pentagon. He was promoted to Vice admiral on August 1, 1980. Lawrence assumed command of the U. S. Third Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in September 1981. In 1983, he won the Hawaii Armed Forces singles tennis championship in the seniors division (over 45). On 28 September 1983, he became the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel and Training)/Chief of Naval Personnel, responsible for formulating and executing Navy policies on personnel and training matters. During his period, he was dubbed by the men and women in the fleet as the "Sailor's Admiral". In 2000, the Naval Academy recognized Lawrence's contributions to his alma mater by presenting him with one of its Distinguished Graduate Awards. In 2004, Admiral Lawrence was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his athletic achievements both in high school and college. In 2009, the U. S. Navy named the Arleigh Burke class destroyer William P. Lawrence in his honor, sponsored by his widow and daughters. On October 17, 2008, a bronze statue of Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence was dedicated at the Naval Academy. The statue was a gift of the Naval Academy graduate and business tycoon H. Ross Perot.

When Lawrence returned from captivity in Vietnam in 1973, he found that his wife had remarried. The following year, he married Diane Wilcox Raugh. Wendy Lawrence followed her father into the Navy and attained the rank of Captain. Like her father, she became a Naval Aviator. She later became a NASA astronaut and flew four Space Shuttle missions. Her sister, Dr. Laurie Lawrence, attended Vanderbilt University—her paternal grandfather's alma mater—and is a physician at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.