Naval History and Heritage Command

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Fred Hubbard Baughman was born in Michigan City, Indiana, on February 7, 1926, son of Palmer H. and Mary M. (Munson) Baughman. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy , Annapolis, Maryland, on appointment from his native state in 1944. Graduated with the Class of 1948A on June 6, 1947 (accelerated course due to World War II), he was commissioned Ensign and subsequently advanced in rank to that of Rear Admiral to date from June 1, 1973.

Following graduation from the Naval Academy in 1947, he remained there until September of that year for duty in connection with the indoctrination of new midshipmen. He next joined the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) and in February 1949 was detached for flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. He continued training, January-March 1950, at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, and on March 31, 1950 was designated Naval Aviator. He had instruction in Antisubmarine Warfare at the Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit, Pacific, San Diego, California, until June 1950, after which he had further instruction at the Atomic Defense School, Treasure Island, California.

In September 1950 he joined Patrol Squadron TWENTY-TWO as Patrol Plane Commander and in that capacity flew one hundred patrols in the Formosa-China area while serving with the Formosa Patrol Force. He was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious achievement against enemy aggressor forces in Korea from November 7 to December 20, 1950 and a Gold Star in lieu of the Second Air Medal for meritorious achievement in the Western Pacific-Far Eastern Area from December 1, 1952 to March 8, 1953.

He was an Instructor at the Naval Air Station, Hutchinson, Kansas, from July 1953 to July 1954, after which he had instruction at the Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering in August 1956. He continued instruction at Iowa State College at Ames, receiving the degree of Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering in June 1957. He was then designated an Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer. Follow an assignment in connection with drone control with Air Development Squadron TWO, he reported in January 1958 as Project Pilot/Engineer at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. While there, he completed training at the Test Pilot School.

During the period August 1960 to August 1962, he served as Air Antisubmarine Warfare Test Officer on the Staff of Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force, after which he was Project Manager at the Naval Air Development Center, Johnsville, Pennsylvania. In August 1966 he reported as a Graduate Student at the Center for Advanced Engineering Study, Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Cambridge, and receive the degree of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics in June 1967. Assigned next to the Naval Air Systems Command Headquarters, Washington, D.C., he served as Aeronautical Engineering Duty Career Management Officer until September 1968, then as S-3 Project Manager. In May 1973 he was designated Force Material Officer on the Staff of Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

In addition to the Air Medal with Gold Star, Rear Admiral Baughman has the American Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; China Service Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal with bronze star; Korean Service Medal; United Nations Service Medal; the Expert Rifleman Medal and the Expert Pistol Shot Medal. He also has the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Badge.

He died in New Bern, North Carolina on January 26, 2004.

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