Zumwalt was known for his "Z-grams," which abolished unpopular Navy regulations

January 2, 2000
Web posted at: 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT)

In this story: Known for abolishing unpopular rules Believed Agent Orange caused son's death Books on Soviet threat and Vietnam Won Medal of Honor, Bronze Star RELATED STORIES, SITES

DURHAM, North Carolina (CNN) -- Retired Adm. Elmo Zumwalt died early Sunday after a long illness, Duke University Medical Center said.

Zumwalt, 79, commanded U.S. naval forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 and was chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974. He died at the medical center, but officials did not announce the cause of his death.

On September 24, Zumwalt was discovered to have a cancerous tumor in his chest cavity and underwent surgery twice. His condition improved, but surgery in December to repair a perforated colon caused a setback.

When he became the Navy's top officer in July, 1970, Zumwalt was 49 and the youngest officer named to that post. He quickly became famous for his "Z-Grams," which made Navy careers more attractive by relaxing regulations that enlisted men considered senseless.

Known for abolishing unpopular rules

Among other things, the "Z-Grams" permitted beards and long hair if maintained neatly, the wearing of civilian clothes at shore installations and more free time in port.

Zumwalt also abolished the prerequisite of attaining the rank of admiral for holding a major command at sea and widened freedom of choice in assignments.

At the U.S. Naval Academy, his attitude toward meaningless regulation was reflected early -- in his class of 615 cadets, he ranked 24th academically but 275th in conduct.

As the Navy's senior officer he increased the combat effectiveness of the dwindling U.S. fleet by outfitting ships with more sophisticated and efficient weapons.

Believed Agent Orange caused son's death

Zumwalt believed he inadvertently caused the death of his own son, Elmo Zumwalt III, from cancer by ordering the spraying of Vietnam jungles with the defoliant Agent Orange -- which contained the toxic chemical dioxin -- when he was head of naval forces in Vietnam.

Zumwalt's eldest son fought under his father's command in Vietnam and died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 42. The elder Zumwalt said, however, he did not regret ordering the use of Agent Orange because it reduced casualties by making it difficult for the enemy to hide and find food.

"I do not have any guilt feelings because I was convinced then and I am convinced now that the use of Agent Orange saved literally hundreds and maybe thousands of lives," Zumwalt told The Associated Press in 1985.

Zumwalt led efforts for more research into the chemical's deadly effects. The Department of Veterans Affairs now provides medical treatment and payments for various cancers and other diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange.

Books on Soviet threat and Vietnam

Zumwalt wrote two books. "My Watch," published in 1976, recounted his Navy career and warned Americans about the Soviet naval threat. "My Father, My Son," published in 1986, was co-written with his late son and is an account of their Vietnam experiences and the illness that would later kill the son.

"I do not second-guess the decisions Dad made in Vietnam, nor do I doubt for a minute that the saving of human life was always his first priority in his conduct of the war," the younger Zumwalt once said.

He was born in Tulare, California. Both of his parents were physicians and he originally intended to become an Army doctor. But an Irish whaling sailor, a friend of his father's, spun such exciting tales of adventure at sea that Zumwalt changed his mind and was admitted to the Naval Academy, where he graduated cum laude in 1942.

Won Medal of Honor, Bronze Star

Zumwalt served on destroyers during World War II. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his valor during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In the Korean War he was navigator of the battleship Wisconsin.

At age 44, Zumwalt became the youngest officer promoted to rear admiral.

He retired as chief of naval operations in July 1974. He unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Virginia in 1976.

President Clinton awarded Zumwalt the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1998.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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