U. S. Grant Sharp Jr.

Military career

Sharp was born in Chinook, Montana, and named for Ulysses S. Grant, who was married to his grandmother's sister. Raised in Fort Benton, Montana, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1927. He is also a 1950 graduate of the Naval War College.

During World War II, he commanded the destroyer USS Boyd in the Pacific Theater, earning two Silver Stars.

His brother, Lieutenant Commander Thomas F. Sharp (USNA class of 1935), was reported lost on May 13, 1943 when his submarine USS Pickerel was sunk during its seventh combat patrol of the World War II Pacific campaign.

By the Korean War, he was commanding a destroyer squadron, assisting in the planning of the Inchon landing. He served as deputy chief of naval operations for policy and planning in the early 1960s.

After receiving his fourth star, Sharp took command of the Pacific Fleet in 1963, followed by command of Pacific Command. During his tenure, due to the Tonkin Gulf Incident, the U.S. increased its presence in Vietnam after the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Sharp's views on U.S. strategy in the war, namely massive military action, differed sharply with the Johnson administration's preference for a gradual buildup of forces. Sharp was featured on the August 14, 1964, cover of TIME Magazine.