2001 Distinguished Sea Service Award Honoree
At its Centennial Congress in 1990 the Naval Order established a Distinguished Sea Service Award (DSSA) to each year honor a recently retired US Naval Officer who, over a total career so distinguished himself and the Naval Services that he should be singled out as one who stands " First Among Firsts" . This year's honoree is:
General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC, Retired
in recognition of
Professional Leadership and Support
to the
Sea Services of the United States of America
reflecting Singular Credit and Honor upon
himself and his Country and earning the
enduring Gratitude of his fellow Countrymen.
He stands
"
PRIMUS INTER PRIMOS" .
Biography
General Zinni joined the Marine Corps in 1961 and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant in 1965 upon graduation from Villanova University. He has held numerous command and staff assignments that include platoon, company, battalion, regimental. Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Marine Expeditionary Force command. His staff assignments included service on battalion, regimental, division, base, and service staffs in operations, training, special operations, counterterrorism, and manpower billets. He has also been a tactics and operations instructor at several Marine Corps schools and colleges and was selected as a fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.
General Zinni's joint assignments include command of a joint task force and a unified command. He has also had several joint and combined staff billets at task force and unified command levels.
He has made deployments to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Western Pacific, Northern Europe and Korea. He has also served tours in Okinawa and Germany. His operational experiences include two tours in Vietnam, emergency relief and security operations in the Philippines, Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey and northern Iraq, Operation Provide Hope in the former Soviet Union, Operations Restore Hope, Continue Hope, and United Shield in Somalia, Operations Resolute
Response and Noble Response in Kenya, Operations Desert Thunder, Desert Fox Desert Viper, Desert Spring, Southern Watch and the Maritime Intercept Operations in the Persian Gulf, and Operation Infinite Reach against terrorist targets in the Central Region. He was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Proven Force and Operation Patriot Defender in support of the Gulf War and noncombatant evacuation operations in Liberia, Zaire, Sierra Leone, and Eritrea. He has also participated in presidential diplomatic missions to Somalia, Pakistan, and Ethiopia-Eritrea.
He has attended numerous military schools and courses including the National War College. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics, a master's in international relations, and a master's in management and supervision.
General Zinni's awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster the Distinguished Service Medal the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters the Bronze Star with Combat " V" and gold star the Combat Action Ribbon and personal decorations from South Vietnam, France, Italy, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, and Bahrain.
General Zinni retired from the United States Marine Corps in September 2000.
The Naval Order homepage is maintained under the direction of
CAPT James F. Brooke, III, USN (Ret.), Past Commander General