Post World-War II
Thach commanded Sicily (CVE-118) during the Korean War and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) in 1953–54. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1955.
In 1958 and 1959 Thach was placed in command of an antisubmarine development unit, "Task Group Alpha", with Valley Forge (CVS-45) serving as his flagship. He subsequently appeared on the cover of Time magazine on September 1, 1958 for his contributions to anti-submarine warfare (ASW), which was a primary focus at the time in the ongoing Cold War. An annual award was later established in his name for presentation to the top ASW squadron in the Navy.
He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1960 and served as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air in the Pentagon where he presided over development of the A-7 Corsair II among other Naval Aviation programs. As Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, starting in 1965 he pinned on his fourth star as a full admiral, retiring from the Navy in May 1967 from that position.
John Thach died on April 15, 1981, in Coronado, California, a few days before his 76th birthday, and was buried Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. The frigate Thach (FFG-43) was named in his honor.
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