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Crowe Led Military As Cold War Faded

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The Washington Post

Published: October 19, 2007

WASHINGTON - William J. Crowe Jr., 82, the Navy admiral who held the nation's top military job as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Cold War neared its end, died of cardiac arrest Thursday at suburban Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland.

Crowe, a nonconformist whose background combined political skills with military experience, led American troops through crises ranging from the 1986 air raid on Libya to the showdown with Iran over control of the Persian Gulf.

He also shortened the chain of command, broke down interservice rivalries and developed an unique relationship with the head of the Soviet military that helped prevent military confrontations between the superpowers.

Crowe also quickly defused a brink-of-war situation with an immediate apology in 1988 after a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf mistook a civilian jetliner for an Iranian F14 attack fighter and blew it out of the sky, killing 290 civilians.

One of the few joint chiefs who had never led his own branch of service, Crowe was appointed by President Reagan in 1985.

He was a four-time recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and his military awards also include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and an Air Medal. In 2000, President Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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