Gene La Rocque, American rear admiral, Died at 98

Gene R. La Rocque was born on June 29, 1918, and died on October 31, 2016.

He was a rear admiral of the United States Navy who founded the Center for Defense Information in 1971.

He started his naval service in 1940.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out, Gene was serving on the USS Macdonough.

He took part in 13 major battles in World War II and worked for seven years in the Strategic Plans Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

During the Battle of Kwajalein, La Rocque was the first man to go ashore in the landings at Roi-Namur.

Gene La Rocque retired in 1972, disillusioned over the Vietnam War. La Rocque and his colleagues testified before Congress, appeared frequently in the media, and consulted many national and international political leaders.

During the 1980s, La Rocque founded a weekly public affairs television program, America’s Defense Monitor.

Rocque stated that in his experience, in 1974 any ship that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, carries nuclear weapons and does not off-load them when they are in foreign ports.

That statement had directly conflicted with the Department of Defense’s “neither confirm nor deny” (NC/ND) policy regarding such weapons and sparked controversy in Japan, which has had a non-nuclear policy since World War II.

Whilst a Lieutenant Commander, La Rocque was commanding officer of USS Solar, destroyed on April 30, 1946 in an explosion at Naval Ammunition Depot, Earle (now Naval Weapons Station, Earle) in New Jersey.

However, Five enlisted men and one officer were killed with 125 others wounded.

Gene La Rocque passed away at 98 years old.