Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum - Marcy Mathis Dupre jr. USN VF-92

Your Marcy Mathias Dupre of VF-92 was Marcy Mathias Dupre, III; his father was Marcy Mathias Dupre, Jr.

Marcy Mathias Dupre, III was USNA class of 1942. During WW2 he served on cruisers and destroyers and was not a naval aviator until 1947. He retired a captain on 4/1/1964 and died on 2/17/2018.

I’ve no listing of assignments for him as I only deal in names of aviators during the war.

With a little digging in USNA alumni and USN officer registers we find Marcy Mathias Dupre, Jr, born 2/27/1899, was USNA class of 1920. He was a commander when the war started and was promoted to captain on 6/18/1942. He appears in the 7/1/1949 USN register, still a captain, however, he retired effective 7/1/1949. His later listing in the on the retired list as a rear admiral has the notations C and O.

The notation C means he was retired for age ineligibility, in his case, with a date of rank as captain in 1942 he would not have been eligible, due to peace-time time in grade requirements -10 years as a captain, for promotion to rear admiral until 1952. But, by 1950 he would have had 30 years of service time which made him ineligible for further promotion, thus requiring that he retire by July 1950. He obviously chose to leave earlier.

The notation O means he was “. . . placed or advanced upon retired list with the rank or next higher grade in recognition of having been especially commended for performance of duty in actual combat.” During the war he served aboard USS Indiana as executive officer and later with MTB Squadrons; staff, ComSoPac; staff, OCNO; and captain, USS Columbia.

Bottom line is Marcy Mathias Dupre, Jr. was a captain when he retired on 7/1/1949 and upon that retirement was placed on the retired list as a rear admiral . . . what is known in the vernacular as a “tombstone admiral.” He died on 5/9/1971.