F22 Raptors
Who
We
Are
Enhanced
Biographies
Submitted
By Members
Network members are invited to expand on the service-related information they submit for basic biographical forms. The following are enhanced personal stories of life in and out of the military. They give a more satisfying picture of the role Navy and Marine aviators can play in American life because of their military experience.
These detailed biographies are written in the aviators' own words and from their own viewpoint. The purpose here is to give members a chance to assess their own lives of achievement, to give families personal information the member may have been reluctant to share previously, and to provide young persons interested in an aviation career a clearer picture of what it means to be a military aviator.
Enhanced biographies are displayed for the following Naval-Aviator Network members:
Member Biographies
† Deceased
Ballantyne Robert L COL USMCR 1961-1965
Beavin Gene C LT USNR 1954-1958
Bentley William H LCDR USNR 1954-1959
Beyl David D CDR USNR 1954-1978
Blechman Fred LT USNR 1948-1952
Brown Thomas CAPT USNR 1965-1969
Campbell Norman D RDML USN 1956-1989
Cathcart Donald E LCOL USMC 1954-1977
†Dailey Gilbert L Jr LT USNR 1954-1958
D'Andrea Tom M COL USMC 1952-1980
Davis Norman E CDR USN 1953-1974
†Denworth Raymond K LT USNR 1954-1958
Dodgin David G LT USNR 1954-1958
Dunning Roger W MR USNR 1954-1956
†Estocin Michael J CAPT USN 1954-1967
Frederick Peter G CAPT USN 1954-1984
Gregory Charles C LCDR USNR 1955-1976
Hill Ralph A CWO4 USNR 1954-1956
Moser Carter H CDR USN 1954-1978
Overman William J CDR USN 1954-1974
Owens Robert S RDML USN 1955-1985
Pillsbury Maurice R MAJ USMC 1954-1965
Powers John R CAPT USMCR 1954-1958
Ritzmann William H Jr LCDR USNR 1950-1970
Smith Roger G LT USNR 1953-1962
†Soldau John L LT USMC 1954-
Stimson Troy E CAPT USMC 1960-1964
†Vanderhoof Joseph C LT USNR 1954-1958
Veazey David J Jr LT USMCR 1966-1970
†Wilmanns Frederick A LT USN 1942-1945
MR Dale G Baker USNR 1954-1958
Go to Basic Service Biography
Baker
Dale G. Baker became a member of Navcad Class 28-54 after attending the University of Buffalo (NY). He completed Pre-flight, but left the program in basic flight training. He served the balance of his Navy commitment, then returned to civilian life. Dale died in 2005 after a long productive life. The Greenville (SC) News printed the following obituary in its October 30, 2005 issue.
Dale G. Baker, Salem SC
Dale Gordon Baker, 73, of Salem, died on Oct. 29, 2005, at Oconee Memorial Hospital.
Dale was born on Nov. 10, 1931, in Buffalo, N.Y., to the late L. Arthur Baker and Marie McElroy Baker of Clarence, N.Y. An alumnus of the University of Buffalo, and a Navy veteran, he was employed by AT&T for more than 30 years until his retirement in 1989.
Survived by his loving wife of over 50 years, Barbara Simpson Baker of Salem; three sons, Dale S. Baker and wife, Mary, of Westin, Fla., and their children, Christopher, Katherine, and Timothy; Scott D. Baker and wife, Becky, of Clifton, N.J.; Jeffery A. Baker and wife, Judy, of Weddington, N.C., and their children, Alexander and Samantha.
Dale most loved spending time with his family on wonderful and numerous family vacations and was an avid bridge player. In his younger days, he was an avid golfer and enjoyed all sports, a joy he passed on to his sons.
Services will be held at the Seneca Mortuary chapel on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hospice of the Foothills, Building Fund, 390 Keowee School Road, Seneca, SC 29672.
Seneca Mortuary is assisting the Baker family.
— Greenville (SC) News, October 2005
Go to TopCOL Robert L Ballantyne USMCR 1961-1965
Ballantyne
- Enlisted 4 Aug 1958.
- USMC PLC(Avn) commissioning program, summers of 1959 and 1960. Commissioned Jan 1961 following graduation from (then) West Chester State Teachers College, PA.
- NATC Flight Training, Pensacola, (finished in helicopters), Feb 61 - Aug 62.
- HMM-264 and H&MS-26, MAG 26 New River, Sep 62-Sep64
- Entered public school teaching 1964, retired 1994.
- Served in the reserves in various units, 1964-1989.
- (2+ years non-pay inactive while earning M.Ed. in Natural Science, Univ of Delaware, conferred 1969)
- Reserve billets/units: SqPilot HMM-772; MAG-49 staff (S-3B, S-2); XO H/3/14; S-2/S-3B 4thDSG; Marine watch officer in JOC at JMU CinCLant; AsstOIC/OIC RAU at Marine Command Center, PP&O HQMC; Sr TrngO in MTU at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.
- Fleet Aircraft flown: UH-34D, SH-34J, UH-1E, CH-46A; CH-53A
Retired from the Reserves 1989/ with pay 1999.
— Bob Ballantyne, August 27, 2007
LT Gene C Beavin USNR 1954-1958
Beavin
I entered the Navy with NAVCAD Class 28-54. After receiving my wings and commission at Hutchinson, KS, in April 1956, I joined VP-9 at the NAS Alameda, flying P2V-5, 6, & 7's. The squadron deployed to Iwakuni, and I had a long TAD on Kwajalein and Wake Islands with their Search & Rescue unit. Mistakenly thinking that the civilian world was less screwed up than the Navy, I took my discharge after only one tour, in April, 1958.
I became a stockbroker with Sutro & Co. in San Francisco for several years, living in Sausalito with Jim Adams, also from VP-9. Having failed to take Wall Street by storm, in late 1960 I signed up as a Watch Captain on the sailing schooner "Wanderer" for an extended cruise in the South Pacific. I then worked 2 years for Douglas Aircraft as an administrator at their wind-tunnel facility in southern California before going off to sea again in 1963. This vessel was another large sailing schooner, the "Te Vega", operated by Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, and we were engaged in oceanographic research throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Then during 1966, I worked with a friend of mine as a travel agent in Vientiane, Laos. After a year in Laos, I returned to work with the aerospace division of McDonnell Douglas, again in southern California.
When the aerospace lull hit in the early '70's, I went off to Indonesia, starting a long involvement with the international engineering/construction industry as an administrator and site-services manager. Java, Borneo, Singapore, New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar were all assignment locations on a variety of projects, primarily with the Fluor Corporation, continuing with several breaks in between, up until just this past year.
I met my wife, Sanne, while placing a bet at the racetrack in Jakarta in 1972, and we married in Jakarta a year later. My parents from Oklahoma City were able to attend, and were Sanne's siblings and their spouses from the U.S.A., New Zealand, and Australia. Our first daughter was born in Jakarta in 1994 and our other daughter in South Africa in 1977; both are now living in Newport Beach, CA. Sanne and I celebrated our 34th anniversary this past January. After some years in the Newport Beach area, we have been living in Washington state since October of 2005.
— Gene Beavin, May 17, 2007
LCDR William H Bentley USNR 1954-1959
Bentley
William H. Bentley lived in Oxnavel, CA, and attended Ventura College before entering the Navy with Navcad Class 28-54. He received his wings and commission in Hutchinson, KS, in January 1956. After completing his active service in 1959, he returned to California Polytechnical. He worked as a civilian employee for the Navy until 1965, then became a pilot for Pan Am and Delta for nearly 30 years. Bill and his wife Marian now live in Colorado. Participating aviators may reach Bill with the contact form on the Biography page.
From Pre-flight (28-54) went to So.Whiting Field, Saufley, Baren, then Advanced MEL at Hutchison, KS. Commissioned Jan.'56.
VR-5, Moffett Field, CA, in '56 and '57. VR-24 at Port Lyouty, Morocco in '58 and '59. Got out in Sept. '59 and returned to college (CalPoly).
Worked for Navy at NOTS China Lake, CA,, until joining Pan Am in '65. After 26 years with Pan Am, transfered to Delta until retirement.
I still fly with a glider club.
— Bill Bentley, July 2, 2007
CDR David D Beyl USNR 1954-1978
Beyl
It was 9 July 1954 when Buz Gilbertson, Dewey Matson, Gail Gibbon and myself departed NAS Minneapolis via commercial DC3. It took all day and half the night to reach NAS Pensacola. I'll never forget being marched to Batt One in the dark and bunk-in with four other strangers. I felt like a prisoner. There was no escape or turning back.
I was in the Naval Aviation Cadet Choir during primary. I'm interested to know any others who had that experience.
For the group in general: take a look at the book "Two Sierra" by Edward Stuart. This novel relates the experiences of a cadet of our generation, a good read.
I was commissioned, and designated naval aviator from the NAVCAD Program in April 1956 and assigned to VP-9 for first sea duty, flying P2V-7 NEPTUNE. 28-54 Classmate Gene Bevin was my roommate.
In 1959 I was ordered to VT-1, NAAS Saufley Field, FL, where I spent three years as primary flight instructor flying T-34B aircraft. In 1961 my orders were to USS JUPITER, AVS-8, home ported in Yokosuka, Japan. Aboard AVS-8 I was First Lieutenant and qualified OOD underway. Next came shore duty in Washington DC, CNO NATOPS coordinator, land based aircraft programs.
From 1965 to 1967 I was assigned to VR-1, NAS Patuxent River, MD, as a line transport pilot qualified in C-130 and C-131 aircraft. Second tour squadron duty was as Operations Officer in VP-23, NAS Brunswick, ME, flying SP-2E NEPTUNE.
In 1970 I was on the Staff 23rd NORAD (Air Defense) Region at Duluth IAP, MN, as Operations Plans Officer and Convair VT-29D chief pilot. I transferred in 1975 for assignment as Operations Officer on the Staff of Naval Support Force, Antarctica, home ported at CBC Port Hueneme, CA. Two deployments were made to McMurdo during austral summer operations. My final assignment was at Pacific Missile Test Center, NAS Pt. Mugu, CA, as Range Operations Control Officer, and C-131 pilot. My final flight in a naval aircraft was on 22 June 1978, eight days before retirement with 24 years service. Career total flight hours were 6200, accident and incident free.
Since ending naval service we have lived in Ventura and Oakland, CA where I was employed in woodworking equipment sales. In 1980 we made our final move to Washington where we own and operate a custom woodworking business. Sandra and I have been married over 50 years and have three adult daughters and four grandchildren.
— David D. Beyl, February 2007
LT Fred Blechman USNR 1948-1952
Fred Blechman, originally from Far Rockaway, NY, joined the Navy V-5 program in July, 1945. As an Apprentice Seaman he attended Bethany College in WV, Swarthmore College in PA, and Columbia University in New York before reporting to Dallas, TX, as an Aviation Cadet (AvCad) for Selective Flight Training in the N2S Stearman.
He soloed in an N2S on 16 September 1946, and was sent to Ottumwa, IA for Pre-Flight. However, the Holloway Plan intervened, and Fred left the Navy to study Aeronautical Engineering at Cal-Aero Technical Institute in Glendale, CA.
F4U Corsair
He re-entered flight training as a Naval Aviation Cadet (NavCad) in November, 1948. After Pre-Flight, Basic Flight Training, and Carrier Qualification (CQ) in SNJs at Pensacola, he went to Corpus Christi, Texas, for Advanced Flight Training in F4U-4 Corsairs. He earned his Naval Aviator "Wings of Gold" on August 23, 1950.
N2S Stearman
Fred flew F4U-5 Corsairs with the VF-14 "Tophatters," home based in Jacksonville, FL, and made two Mediterranean cruises with the squadron before leaving active duty in November 1952. After a short time in the Navy Reserve, he left as a LT.
He completed his Aeronautical Engineering studies and worked in the aerospace industry for 15 years until he started his own business. Since 1961 he has written more than 1,100 magazine articles and eight books about electronics, early microcomputers, and flying.
His two flying books (both available at amazon.com) are "Bent Wings - F4U Corsair Action & Accidents: True Tales of Trial & Terror!" and "Flying with the Fred Baron."
p class="tbp">He is now retired in California.— Crash Blechman, August 7, 2007
CAPT Thomas Brown USNR 1965-1969
Thomas Brown entered the flight program with Navcad Class 33-65. He was designated a Naval-Aviator in 1967. In the fleet, he initially flew A-7As in one of the first East Coast fleet A-7 squadrons out of NAS Cecil Field. Burner was deployed to Westpac in 1968 as an Ensign in VA-82 aboard USS America and flew 98 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos.
He left active duty in 1969 and joined the reserves at NAS Atlanta, flying the F-8, A-4, and A-7B until 1983 when he was CO VA-2267 in Atlanta. He remained in the reserves in Atlanta, Denver as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer, then retired in 1997 as CO SACLANT, Det 118, Kansas City, MO, with the rank of Captain.
Burner and his wife Chris now live in retirement in Colorado. He may be reached with the form on the "About Us" page.
— Burner Brown, July 15, 2007
RDML Norman D Campbell USN 1956-1989
Campbell
Rear Admiral Norman D Campbell, a native of Chicora, PA, is a graduate of Slippery Rock University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1955. Prior to entering the Navy, he also attended Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, completing post-graduate studies in personnel management and educational administration. He entered the Navy's flight program with Aviation Officer Candidate Class 39-56, and received his commission and wings in 1957.
Following completion of the Navy Flight and Fleet Readiness Training, Ensign Campbell was assigned to Attack Squadron 176, flying the A1H Skyraider. He subsequently made three Mediterranean, one North Atlantic and three Caribbean deployments, including the Cuban Crises Alert, aboard USS Shangri-La (CVA-38).
In 1964, Lt Campbell received orders to the Naval Post-Graduate Program, participating in a cooperative study in public relations and communications at Harvard and Boston Universities, Boston, MA. He received his Master of Science degree in 1965, and was subsequently assigned to the Pentagon, Washington, DC, as aviation liaison officer for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and Department of Defense in scheduling Navy flight participation in civilian events.
Following A4 Skyhawk readiness flight training in Attack Squadron 125, Lemoore, CA, Lcdr Campbell reported to Attack Squadron 192 in early 1967 and completed an initial combat deployment to Southeast Asia.
In 1969 he received orders to Carrier Air Wing Nineteen, based aboard USS Oriskany (CVA-34), as Operations Officer. Upon completion of his second combat deployment, he reported to Attack Squadron 122, NAS Lemoore, CA, serving as Maintenance, Operations and Executive Officer, while flying the A7E Corsair II in the training of fleet combat pilots.
In early 1972 Cdr Campbell received orders to Attack Squadron 195, then conducting combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin,as Executive Officer. Later, he assumed Command of the Dambuster squadron, completing two additional combat deployments to Southeast Asian waters while embarked in USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63).
Upon completion of his squadron command tour in 1974, Cdr Campbell attended the National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC, graduating in June 1975.
Capt Campbell then received orders as Commander Carrier Air Wing Reserve Thirty during 1975-1977, deploying aboard USS Ranger (CV-61) and other carriers, from the Wing's home port of NAS Alameda, CA. In 1979 he later completed a two-year tour of duty with the Chief of Naval Material, Washington, DC, as an advisor on aviation readiness and logistics matters.
Capt Campbell later served as Chief-of-Staff, Commander surface Combatant Force Seventh Fleet/Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five, completing his fifth Western Pacific/Asian deployment in late 1979. In September 1980 he reported to NAS Alameda, as Commanding Officer for a two-year tour of duty
Upon completion of his major command assignment in November 1982, Capt Campbell was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, prior to reporting to the Defense Attache Office, American Embassy, London, England,as Naval Attache to the Court of Saint James' in June 1983.
Following promotion to Flag Officer, Rear Admiral Campbell received orders to naval Training Center, San Diego, CA, as Commander. In August, 1985, he assumed command of Strike Fighter and Light Attack Wing, US Pacific Fleet, with its headquarters located at NAS Lemoore, CA.
In July 1987, Adm Campbell received orders to the Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey,CA, preparatory to his assignment as Defense Attache, Defense Attache Office, American Embassy, Paris, France, becoming the first US Navy officer to ever serve in this capacity.
Rear Admiral Campbell's combat awards include the Legion of Merit, with gold star; six Distinguished Flying Crosses; 53 Air Medals (44/9); the Meritorious Service medal, with gold star; five Navy Commendation Medals; and other campaign/service ribbons.
Rear Admiral Campbell and his wife Barbara have four daughters.
— RDML Norm Campbell, Aug 16, 2007
LCOL Donald E Cathcart USMC 1954-1977
JOIN THE MARINES
TRAVEL TO EXOTIC DISTANT
LANDS
MEET EXCITING UNUSUAL PEOPLE
AND KILL THEM !
Introduction to a Career Marine
Donald Edward Cathcart, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, entered the Corps on January 10, 1954 at Los Angeles, CA. Graduated from Marine Recruit Training in San Diego. First duty station was MCAS El Toro, CA as a PFC teletype operator in Intelligence. Sent to NAS Pensacola, FL for pilot training June 54. Discharged from the Marine Corps and designated a Naval Aviation Cadet (NavCad). Flew the SNJ in basic at Whiting, Corry, Saufley and Barin. Flew the T-28, T-33, and the F9F-2 Panther in advanced training at NAS Memphis and NAS Pensacola. Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and designated a Naval Aviator with a Jet Fighter Pilot MOS.
Reported to NAAS Edenton, NC in February 1956 to fly Able Dog, A-1 Prop Skyraiders. Assigned to VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers. Attended VMAT-20 at MCAS Cherry Point qualifying in Able Dogs. Married Angela Jane Asman on August 11, 1956 at NAS Akron, OH. Flew Skyraiders until June 1958. Volunteered for overseas duty in Skyhawk, A4D-1 jets in VMA-211 and October 1958 rotated to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan for a 15 months unaccompanied tour.
Sent to Quantico, VA in Feb 1960 to the Special Indoctrination Course for Regular Officer non-graduates of Basic School. Transferred to Whiting Field in May 1960 as a T-28 Trojan Formation Instructor in Basic Flight Training. Promoted to Captain. Flew 1600 hours of instruction in Formation and Radio Instruments during two years. Transferred to MCAS Beaufort, SC in June 1962. Assigned as Group Legal Officer and MAG-31 Assistant S-1. Served as Recorder on the Major Promotion Board at CMC.
Joined VMF(AW)-451 Warlords with F8D Crusaders in March 63 following an ejection at 300 feet while trying to dead stick a Crusader into an off-duty runway following a flameout. Landed the Crusader 69 times aboard the Shangri La, the Lexington, and the Saratoga. Made a 451 non-stop Crusader Trans-Atlantic flight. Stood Crusader Hot Pad alert duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on three deployments. Operated Crusaders from SATS site at Almeria, Spain. Transferred to MCRD Parris Island as a Recruit Company Commander in March 1965. Served as Commanding Officer of K Company and of Range Company. Flew Crusaders with 235, 333, and 451 while flying the T-28, A-4 and TV-2 with H&HS at MCAS Beaufort. Promoted to Major.
Cathcart
Reported to WestPac in November 1966. Joined the Death Angels of VMF(AW) -235. Flew 204 combat missions in F-8s flying from Da Nang Air Base. Transferred to Saigon in August 1967 as Marine Liaison to MACV, 7TH Air Force and 7TH Fleet. Flew the C1A to Yankee Station Carriers. Flew the C1A and C45 to Con Son Island and other bases in Vietnam and Thailand.
Reported to El Toro in January 1968. Flew TA4Fs as Group Adjutant and S-1. Joined the Blacksheep of VMA-214 January 1969 as Operations Officer and Executive Officer flying A4Cs and A4Es. Ordered TAD for transition to CH-46 helicopters in January 1971. Selected for Lt Colonel. Flew rotorcraft for 220 hours and went to WestPac in June 1971 as Aircraft Commander in CH-46 Sea Knights. Assigned as MAG-12/1ST MAW SIOP Officer responsible for target intelligence, flight crew weapons and target training and special weapons.
On 1 October 1971, became Commanding Officer of the Hawks in A6A Intruder squadron VMA(AW)-533 with 300 Officers and men. 533 set new records every consecutive month for Op Ready, Full Systems, and Flight Time. Ordered to LFTC Coronado in July 1972 as Head of Supporting Arms Branch. Flew the U-11 and T-28. Ordered to MCAS(H) Santa Ana in June 1975 as Station Operations Officer. Flew the CH-46 and T-28. Spent nearly 24 years active duty in the Corps. Passed over once for 0-6. Voluntarily retired in Sept 1977 with 6300 flight hours.
Obtained a BS in Business Administration and studied one year in MBA program. Taught Science and Phys Ed for one year in Elementary School in 1979. Went to work for McDonnell Douglas at Long Beach as Airline Flight Crew Training Instructor on DC-9 and DC-10 aircraft. Lured to John Wayne Airport in November 1984 by AIRCAL. Instructed Airline Pilots until resigning from American Airlines in April 1987 after AMR acquisition of AIRCAL.
During 1977-1987, I flew Doctors, Dentists and other medical personnel in my Cessna Skylane on monthly trips over 500 miles into Mexico treating isolated poor and sick Mexicans while a member of the Orange County Flying Samaritans. We operated from dry lake beds, roads, dirt strips, and beaches. Now, I fish and golf in Florida. I play with my grandchildren and my wife of 51 years. I sure miss the flying! Otherwise, life is good.
Organizations include: Quiet Birdmen, CasBar, RRVA, Tailhook, MCAA, Crusader Assn, Skyhawk Assn, Amvets, VFW, American Legion, VMA-211 Assn, VMF-235 Assn, VMF-451 Assn, A-6 Intruder Assn, NRA, and others.
BACK TO BACK WE FACE THE PAST
— Mofak Cathcart, August 27, 2007
LT Gilbert L Dailey Jr USNR 1954-1958
Dailey
Gilbert L. Dailey, Jr. was a native of Harrisburg, PA, and a graduate of Georgetown University. He entered the Navcad program with Class 28-54, and received his wings in 1956. Upon completion of his military obligation in 1958, he joined Panagra Airlines. In 1960, he turned to Allegheny Airlines (now USAirways) where he was a pilot until early retirement in 1986. He then went with Jet Aviation for five years, flying out of Teterboro, NJ. Gil died after a long battle with colon cancer on June 25, 2000, leaving Carol, his wife of 38 years, and children. (See more details in the obituary below.) Carol is now living in New Jersey and may be reached with the contact form on the Biography page.
— Carol Dailey, June 26, 2007
Gilbert L. Dailey Jr.
Gilbert L. Dailey Jr., 68, resident of Marsh Point, Yarmouth Port, Mass., formerly of Amherst, NH, died June 25, 2000, at the Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, Mass.
He was born in Harrisburg, Pa., on Aug. 8, 1931, a son of the late Dr. Gilbert L. and Helen (Geiser) Dailey.
Mr. Dailey had been a resident of Yarmouth Port, Mass., for the past year and a half and had formerly resided in Amherst for 25 years.
He attended Valley Forge Military Academy and graduated from Georgetown Prep School and Georgetown University.
Mr. Dailey completed his flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station. He had served as a Marine Fighter Pilot and had been stationed in El Toro, Calif.
He was a pilot for Pan-American Grace Airways, Lima, Peru for two years, U.S. Airways for 27 years and Jet Aviation for five years.
Mr. Dailey was a member of the Quiet Birdman.
Mr. Dailey was a communicant of St. Patrick Church, Milford, and St. Francis Xavier Church, Hyannis, Mass.
He was predeceased by a son, Matthew Gilbert Dailey.
Family members include his wife, Carol (Welte) Dailey of Yarmouth Port, Mass.; two daughters, Lynne Dailey of Brookline, Mass., and Diana Talhami of London, England; two sons, Mark Dailey of Pinehurst, N.C., and Jeffrey Dailey of New London; four grandchildren, Andrew Dailey of Pinehurst, N.C., Noah and Jake Talhami of London, England, and Katherine Dailey of New London; two brothers, Dr. Edward Dailey of Lemoyne, Pa., and William Dailey of Media, Pa.; a sister, Mary Anne Jones of New York, N.Y.; and many nieces and nephews.
There are no visiting hours. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday, June 30, at 11 a.m. in St. Patrick Church, 34 Amherst Street, Milford.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Share Program, PO Box 27, Milford, NH 03055.
The Smith and Heald Funeral Home, Milford, is in charge of arrangements.
— New Hampshire Obituaries, June 27, 2000
COL Tom M D'Andrea USMC 1952-1980
A Proud Day
Personal:
Born: October 30, 1930
Education:
St. Patrick's Elementary & High School (Miami Beach)
Coburn High School (Miami Beach)
Rollins College, Winter Park Florida
Experience:
While attending Rollins entered the United States Marine Corps's
Summer Platoon Leaders Course at Paris Island S.C. (1950)
Entered Naval Flight Training
Commissioned Second Lieutenant USMC
Received Navy Wings (Pensacola)
Retired in 1980 with the rank of Colonel.
In Command
Marine Squadrons:
Marine Fighter Squadron 312 Cherry Point, N.C.
Marine Fighter Squadron 451 Atsugi, Japan
Marine Fighter Squadron 235 Atsugi, Japan
Marine Fighter Squadron 334 Atsugi, Japan
Marine Training Squadron 10 El Toro, CA
Marine (All Weather) Fighter Squadron 115 El Toro, CA
Marine (All Weather) Fighter Squadron 513 El Toro, CA
Marine (All Weather) Fighter Squadron 542 El Toro, CA
Marine Attack Squadron 331 Beaufort, SC
Marine Attack Squadron 211 Chu Lai, Vietnam
Marine Attack Squadron 331 Beaufort, SC
Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron One Iwakuni, Japan - RVN
Marine Corps Executive Appointments:
Commanding Officer, Marine Attack Squadron 331 (A4-E Skyhawk)
1968-69
Commanding Officer, Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron-One (R4D-8’s)
1972-73
Executive Officer, Marine Attack Squadron 211 (A4-C & A4-E
"Skyhawks")
Executive Officer, (RVN) 1966-67
Chief, Audio-Visual News Branch, Department of Defense, Pentagon
(1969-72)
Marine Corps Historical Branch (1973-1980)
Marine Corps Aviation Museum (Curator), Washington D.C.
Military Aircraft Flown:
SNJ (Texan), T-28 (Trainer), F6F Hellcat, F9F-2 (Panther), F9F-4
(Panther), F9F-5 (Panther), F9F-6 (Cougar) F9F-8 (Cougar), F4D-1
(Skyray), FJ-2 (Fury), FJ-4 (Fury), AD-2 (SkyRaider), A4A, A4C and A4E
(Skyhawks), R4D8 (Skytrain), SNB-5 (Twin Beech), F4U-5N (Corsair, SBD
(Dauntless), B-25 (Mitchell), N2S (Stearman),
Overseas:
Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam (2 Tours)
Mission Accomplished
Personal Decorations:
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star w/combat V
Meritorious Service Medal (3 Awards)
Navy Commendation Medal w/combat V
Air Medal (5 Awards)
Secretary of the Navy Achievement Medal
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (2 Awards)
Civilian Appointments:
Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (1987 to 1993)
Chairman, Punta Gorda Housing Authority (1988 to 1991)
Peace River Basin Board (1999-2001)
— Tom D'Andrea, August 16, 2007
CDR Norman E Davis USN 1953-1974
My career took off after instructing as a plow back at Whiting field. I went from there to VX-6 and flew DC-3 ski and UC-1 Otter in the Antarctic in 1957 and 1958.
Annette
It was in Christchurch, New Zealand, that I met my future wife, Annette. I was an usher at a squadron mate's wedding, and she was a guest. Took some leave and followed her south to Wyndham, Southland where her dad was farming sheep and cattle. Proposed after about a week, after asking her dad for her hand — the old fashioned way.
We were married the next year — following a hair-raising 6 hour night flight at 100' over the Pacific after we lost an engine past the point of no return to Canton Island.
Squadron Fete
Following the tour of duty with VX-6, I requested orders to an Attack Squadron flying the AD Skyraider. This was the beginning of 17 years of flying from 13 different aircraft carriers. While I was deployed, Annette and our growing family often returned to New Zealand and stayed with her folks on the farm.
A sequence of stories about my naval career were published in the New Zealand AOPA magazine over the past two years.
Ready
In 1974, I retired to bring my family back to New Zealand. I worked for a few years for my father in law as a farm hand. It was to my chagrin that I found out that sheep don't heed orders. I enjoyed the work, but was not earning enough to support my growing family.
I approached my father in law concerning my status on the family farm only to find out that a "farm hand doesn't earn very much". Pay was the equivalent of $90 per week. I was essentially subsidizing my work with my retirement pay. I felt that, since I was working long hours at heavy physical tasks I should, at least, be paid a reasonable wage. There had been an earlier suggestion that I would be considered as a partner, but that never eventuated.
Seeking a New Career
So, I looked for work as a pilot. The local airlines turned me down as "overqualified" and the top dressing industry [applying fertilizer by air] actually had me demonstrate my ability at top dressing on a steep hilly farm before letting me know that they were not hiring anyone over 25 years of age. New Zealand is a small country and the flying industry thrives on personal contacts and reputations. No one knew me then. Three young inexperienced pilots died topdressing that year.
For Details of Norm's Many Hair-Raising Adventures, See the AOPA (NZ) Magazine Articles Published in Publications.
So, I qualified as a flight instructor through a local flying club and became a Chief flying instructor of an aeroclub in Gore, within commuting distance of the farm, where two of our three sons were working. I was soon earning twice as much as I had earned on the farm. This lasted about 2 years. A fuel crisis put paid to flight training and I found myself sitting around doing nothing. It was then that I decided I would see if I could study to be a veterinarian. The GI Bill would provide me with the same amount of income while studying as I was earning at the time. I was accepted into Massey University as a Vet Intermediate student.
A return to university followed, when I realized that I would get as much from the GI Bill as I had earned on the farm.
Back to School
My first year at Massey was a rather traumatic experience. I would study until 0200 every night for the following day's courses - especially Chemistry. We students were constantly reminded that the year was designed to eliminate rather than qualify students for acceptance into the following years of veterinary studies. Two hundred and forty students started, 120 were left at mid year, I was 65th at the end of the year and 35 were accepted into the course. I had a B- average and needed a B+ or better to qualify. My options were to continue at Massey for a B.Sc. or move closer to home and attend Otago University in Dunedin. I had a good start to a science degree and didn't want to waste the effort.
After two years at Otago, I had my B.SC. in Zoology, specializing in parasitology, probably as difficult as the vet course I had aspired to. I then decided to go for a Masters degree in Zoology and was accepted by Otago University. I was allowed to reverse the order of my studies and work from the farm during the first year studying sheep parasites on four local farms in the district and working from a local Veterinary practice. While conducting my field work, our children were in the local high school at Wyndham and the school lost their science teacher for some obscure and not so savory reason. I was asked to be a long term relieving teacher and I accepted, primarily because I didn't want our kids to miss the benefit of a science education. So, I taught high school and did research at the same time. The second year I sat about six papers to finish the masters degree while continuing the teaching. There were some benefits realized from my association with the high school. I couldn't afford a computer and they let me have one to do all of my university work on. Until then all of the written work at university was done in long hand.
My Teaching Career
While studying for the masters, I was approached by education people and asked if I would be interested in teaching full time. To do so, I had to attend Teachers College in order to get my Secondary School Teachers certificate. This meant that I would have to study teaching for 3 semesters at an "outpost" unit at Invercargill. I decided to do this and was given a grant to fulfill the studies. At the end of my second semester, my instructor received a request from another high school to release me early so I could take the position of Chemistry teacher which was being vacated by a teacher who was soon to have a baby. I was graduated early with my qualification and went directly to a nice little country high school with about 500 students. It was not within commuting distance of my home on the farm, but I got home for weekends. The teacher I was relieving did a bang up job preparing all of the lessons for me to follow. The irony of all of this was the fact that I was then teaching high school chemistry and this subject had been the one that I was weakest in at Massey.
Davis
During all of this time, our family would go to Lake Wanaka for holidays. While there we swam in the lake and contracted a very fiery itch (swimmer's itch) caused by a bird schistosome parasite which is attracted to warm blooded animals to complete its life cycle. It normally penetrates the skin and blood vessels of waterfowl and completes its cycle by maturing in the liver, copulating in the mesentary and releasing eggs which embryonate by the time they are released into the water. The embryonated eggs hatch within 1/2 hour of hitting the water and a miracidium swims around looking for a snail. It penetrates the snail where it goes through several form changes and multiplication to eventually be release as thousands of furcocercariae which swim up to the surface of the lake and seek out their natural waterfowl hosts. When humans are encountered, the worm penetrates the skin and is usually killed by the immune system before it can get into the blood vessels. During the process of mopping up the worm debris, histamines are produce around the site and each site becomes extremely itchy - hence swimmer's itch. It is a world wide problem.
My Scientific Career
While teaching, I came upon a possible method to control the snails which carry the parasite. One of my M.SC. supervisors had done some work with the Queenstown Lakes District Council and they were interested in having me continue the work at the lake. The method involved determining how to broadcast a snail killing chemical so that it would affect the snails and no other wildlife in the vicinity. I worked it out, had a field trial and showed that a method could be used, but it would be prohibitively expensive for seasonal use.
An alternative to chemicals was a search for an endemic parasite which might be used for biological control. Similar work had been done elsewhere, but it had not been carried any further than some limited field trials. Since this research would be intensive, I suggested that I apply to the university to do a Ph.D. This would legitimize the research and provide me with all of the scientific backing needed to complete the work. I found that I could do a Ph.D. part time from home and commute from home to the lake to do the research. The main reason for a part time Ph.D. was the fact that so much work was anticipated that it could not be completed full time within the 3 year period normally allowed. The part time work allowed 9 years and this allowed me to do a helluva lot of work. We had by then purchased our own farm and our second son, Erik, was working on it with me assisting as "crisis manager".
On My Own
The research was very intensive and the council, who were paying my expenses only, became disinterested after about 5 years. I had put so much effort into the work that I could not just quit, so I continued at my own expense. There was no grant from the university either. There might have been a grant, had I elected to do the work full time, but this would have required me to teach at the university as well as base my research there.
As it turned out, I did do the work full time - from home for 9 years. I had to get an extension at the end to write up the thesis, which was presented in 2000.
An interesting side note to this is that students studying for a Ph.D. end up knowing more about their subject than their supervisors. The supervisors can only advise on scientific technique and the real proof of the research is when the work is reviewed and published in international journals. There is also a saying that someone studying for a Ph.D. "learns more and more about less and less until they know absolutely everything about nothing at all".
I have published my work in the Journal of Helminthology.
The short of it is that I eventually earned a doctorate, bought our own farm here overlooking the town of Waimate, and joined a syndicate flying A YAK 52. There are 19 others in the syndicate and I have been able to draw on my instructing experience to check them out in the aircraft. It's fun to fly - especially when someone else is paying.
International Attention
Our daughter Sara had met a young man from New Mexico while on her OE (oversees experience). He followed her to New Zealand and married her on our front lawn. Sounds a bit exotic, but that's what happened. They went back to live at Tijeras, New Mexico, just outside Albuquerque. He worked in a family business in the city. When they had their first child, I went over for a visit, which included a visit to my mother who was suffering from Altzheimer's in Florida. I was also in the midst of my research and I knew that people at UNM were studying Schistosomiasis, a similar disease of humans. I contacted the UNM crowd and ended up giving as seminar about my work. Some good came of the seminar and I was able to come away with a new method of applying statistics to make sense of my first year's survey work in the lake. I had found a relationship between 2 parasites in the host snails which indicated that there was, in fact, biological control going on naturally — it was just happening too late to avoid the swimmer's itch outbreak in the summer. With the then known statistical procedures, I would have had to do ten times the survey work to prove the hypothesis — impossible! The stats they provided showed that a relationship could be inferred from the work I had done.
The snail happens to be the intermediate host to many different parasites, among which are not only the swimmer's itch parasite, but also the "control" parasite, an echinostome. getting a handle on snail control eliminates the intermediate host - that's what the chemical does. Getting a handle on biological control of the parasite entails determining what the population dynamics are between the parasites of interest within the snail. Once that is known, then one tries to work out how to change the existing dynamics so that the control parasite does its job earlier in the spring and summer than it does naturally. I found that it could be possible to harvest the control parasite eggs from the guts of Canada Geese, accumulate them in cold storage and then incubate them to broadcast them in areas to hatch and infect snails in early spring rather than in late summer.
So... After all my work was eventually published, a UNM post doc contacted me and asked if I could provide her with any properly preserved samples of the parasite for DNA analysis. I had used up all of my original samples and then had to get the proper permissions to harvest 5 of the protected diving ducks which I had found to be riddled with many species of parasite.
A Work in Progress
I completed the work on 4 birds. The fifth I decided I would not have to kill. The parasites were found in all of them and I placed them in 95% ethanol for preservation without break down of DNA. These vials were then taped shut, wrapped in bubble wrap, placed in cardboard and then sent in a bubble wrap container marked "preserved biological specimens" to the assistant professor for research at UNM. I did keep one vial back just in case of loss enroute.
The analysis will be done for comparison with about fifty known species of the worm. If there is no match, the worm will be a new species and we will then jointly name it - probably Trichobiloharzia novaeseelandia. I don't think they are named after the discoverer any more.
My research is a work in progress. Because of my publications, I get queries from around the world which I am happy to answer. The control method could possibly be used to control the human disease, Schistosomiasis or Bilharzia. This disease is second only to Malaria, which is still the number one parasitic disease of humans.
— Norman E. Davis, Revised May 2007
LT Raymond K Denworth USNR 1954-1958
Denworth
Ray Denworth died Tuesday, August 3, 1999, at the age of 67. He was a member of Navcad Class 28-54. After a four-year tour as a Naval-Aviator, he launched a successful life-long career as a lawyer. He is greatly missed in Philadelphia, his home town, and is well remembered for his disarming sense of humor. The following obituary from the Philadelphia Inquirer of August 6, 1999, tells his story very well.
R. DENWORTH,
CIVIC ACTIVIST
By Michael Matza, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Raymond K. Denworth, 67, a witty Philadelphia lawyer whose passion for his profession still left room for civic activism and family adventure, died Tuesday of a heart attack while biking in Nova Scotia after a 10-day sail from Southwest Harbor, Maine.
"The nice thing about this trip was that it consisted of the two things Ray loved to do most on vacation: sailing and biking," said Joanne Denworth, his wife of 37 years. "He liked to work, but he wasn't a workaholic. . . . We planned to take more time, which regrettably we won't get."
Mr. Denworth grew up in Swarthmore, graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., served four years as a fighter pilot in the Navy, attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and joined Drinker Biddle & Reath in 1961.
In 1967, he took a leave to serve as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. He rejoined the firm as a partner in 1968. Upon his retirement in 1997, he became "of counsel" to the firm.
As a lawyer, his specialties were complex bankruptcies, securities litigation and what lawyers call "deals gone bad." In the early 1970s, he represented the outside directors in class action suits stemming from the collapse of the Penn Central Railroad.
Although he was devoted to his work, he could be passionate about play.
A sabbatical in 1979 to sail to Europe and back with his wife and twin children, Lydia and Michael, then 12, fed Mr. Denworth's hunger for adventure.
The 13,000-mile trip included stops on the Brittany coast and canals of France, island-hopping in the Mediterranean and a trans-Atlantic passage via the Caribbean, where his 41-foot boat was dismasted in a squall and had to be towed to Antigua by a freighter.
"We licked our wounds and by Christmas were having a marvelous time. He was so funny. He could make me laugh in the worst adversity. It was one of his greatest gifts," his wife recalled.
The trip was also indicative of Mr. Denworth's passion for life.
"To be able to walk away from being a partner in a law firm for a sabbatical is pretty telling. I don't know a whole lot of people who could do that," said Mr. Denworth's son-in-law, Mark Justh. "I've been devastated by his death. But I couldn't imagine him having a slower speed. He used to say, `After you fly Mach-2, it's tough to get up in a propeller plane.' "
Colleagues recalled Mr. Denworth's attachment to the civic life of the city - as former chairman of the Philadelphia Port Corp. and as director of numerous charitable, cultural and educational organizations.
"One of his particular charms and great skills was bringing everyone to consensus - always with such humor," said Helen Cunningham, executive director of the Samuels S. Fels Fund, on whose board Mr. Denworth had served since 1985. "He was the epitome of grace under pressure."
Once, Cunningham recalled, a grant recipient was supposed to build a program for children but instead used the money to build a program for elderly people. It was a good use of the funds, she said, just not the prescribed one. The board was stunned into silence by the announcement.
"Then Ray said, `Well, we could have [the recipient] arrested. Or we could give her another grant. I say give her another grant.' "
The humor broke the tension, Cunningham recalled.
"He was the kind of person who, if you had three board meetings in a day, he would be at all three and stay to the end without complaining," said Derick Dreher, director of the Rosenbach Museum and Library. As vice chairman of the Rosenbach board, Mr. Denworth was overseeing an ambitious plan to double the size of the museum.
"He was a tremendous cheerleader for us," said Dreher. "We will feel the loss very deeply."
As a former chairman of the board of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Mr. Denworth is credited with negotiating the deal that brought the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society into the United Way campaign as partner organizations.
"Previously, we were in competition with each other in the workplace," said United Way president Chris James-Brown. "With Ray's guidance, we each focused our capacities where they were most successful."
James-Brown recalled Mr. Denworth as "the person you most wanted to get criticism from because he cared so much that he just would not allow you to be `OK.' "
A longtime resident of Society Hill, Mr. Denworth had an attachment to Philadelphia that extended to all its neighborhoods, friends said.
"He made it his business to understand the community he lived in - beyond just where his house happened to be," said James-Brown, recalling how Mr. Denworth once stepped forward to lead a committee on how to better address the needs of the city's Latino community.
"The greatest thing you can do is to contribute to your community," said Joanne Denworth. "Truthfully, I think that was Ray's highest value."
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Denworth is survived by three sisters and a grandson.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 313 Pine St., Philadelphia.
In lieu of flowers the family has asked that contributions be made to Wesleyan University, where Mr. Denworth served as chairman of the board from 1992 to 1997; the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and the Rosenbach Museum and Library.
— Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1999
LT David G Dodgin USNR 1954-1958
Dodgin
In pre-flight at Pensacola (Nav-cad Class 28-54) my roommate was Denton DeLong. We hung out so much together that we got the nickname "shadows" since you never saw one without the other. We each served as platoon commander at one time.
Ready to Go
At the Controls
After flight training I was assigned to HATU in Sanford, Florida, where I met and married my wife. I left the Navy after my first tour and went to San Diego, California, to finish my Bachelors in economics and then to Berkeley to do my Masters. I was an executive with several California banks during the next thirty years.
Bank Executive at Work
I have two sons but my marriage ended after 13 years. After retirement I pursued my love of travel. I lived in Hawaii for six years and traveled through Asia and the South Pacific. I lived in Paris for a year and three years in Germany and traveled throughout Europe.
Retired
I now live in Oregon, near my two sons and their families. The summers here are wonderful and I usually go to Hawaii or some warmer climate in the winter. I enjoy excellent health at 73.
— Dave Dodgin, May 15, 2007
MR Roger W Dunning USNR 1954-1956
After years of flying model airplanes and two years of college, I was motivated to become a naval pilot. Was inducted at NAS Olathe, Kansas and traveled by train to Pensacola. In short order I was among a fine group of future naval pilots in Navcad Pre-Flight class 28-54. During the Pre-Flight program I was torn between two loves — becoming a naval pilot and my true love and future wife, Lorrie. The tug-of-war was won by my true love and marriage followed shortly thereafter.
With Vern Ellars
After graduating, from Pre-flight, I withdrew from the NAVCAD program and was transferred to the regular Navy for sea duty on the USS Arneb AKA-56. The USS Arneb sailed to interesting places: Bermuda, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and played a cameo role in naval maneuvers in the Caribbean for the movie, "Away All Boats" with Jeff Chandler. Later, the USS Arneb delivered strategic equipment for DEW Early Warning radar sites above the Artic Circle. Before the USS Arneb departed for Operation DEEPFREEZE in Antarctica in 1956; I was transferred to USS Cadmus R-14 Repair ship. The USS Cadmus was the pride of the navy fleet, in Norfolk, with shiny metal decks polished to a mirror-like finish.
Received Honorable Discharge in June 1956 and returned to Ft. Hays State University and completed final two years with B.S. in Business Administration. Received M.S. Degree in Accounting and Management with Phi Kappa Phi honors at Kansas State University in 1959.
Embarked on two year business career as a Certified Public Accountant with national CPA firm in Denver, Deloitte Touche.
Joined Martin Marietta Aerospace, in Denver, in 1962 and during a ten year period progressed through various departments and assignments to Team Leader Subcontract Management, responsible for rocket engines and other various space equipment for Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA and the Air Force. Enjoyed the challenges of space age technology but switched to a new career path in 1973.
Accepted a management position with Lincoln Industries in Lincoln, NE to merge and improve a new book company acquisition. Nebraska Book Company was acquired with forty college bookstores and five wholesale operations scattered across the United States. Implemented a team-oriented Employee Development Program to improve all areas of bookstore performance. Nebraska Book Company now operates with 250 college bookstores across the nation.
Promoted to Executive Vice-President and General Manager in 1977 to improve operations of the company-owned corn milling operation in Atchison, Kansas. This facility had been unable to achieve profitability during ten years of operation. Multi-million dollar annual profits were achieved with emphasis on employee excellence, teamwork, goals, and product quality and customer satisfaction. This corn processing facility, with a daily grind of 50,000 bushels, became the industry leader for superior quality products in: breakfast cereals, snack foods, U.S. and Canadian breweries, oil well drilling starch and foundry starch for automotive castings. The outstanding success of this operation was recognized as an attractive acquisition and was purchased by ELDERS IXL of Australia in 1987.
In 1988, a search firm was hired to find a qualified candidate to transform a failing state-owned wheat milling operation in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The successful candidate would be responsive to a three-member board of North Dakota politicians: Governor, Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture. This was a formidable challenge; to correct major problems in management, product quality, work performance, production efficiency and customer satisfaction while working with politicians and union employees. Never willing to pass up a challenge, I accepted the position as President and General Manager in 1988. Success was achieved following a management program that proved successful for the corn milling operation in Atchison, Kansas. This facility mills 50,000 bushels of wheat daily to produce a variety of bread and pasta flours.
Executive
My sweetheart Lorrie and wife of fifty-two years accepted the many moves and the challenging work assignments with support and a positive attitude. However, when wind chill temperatures dropped to 95 degrees below zero in North Dakota, we both agreed it was time to move south. Gave one-year advance notice to Governor Ed Schaffer and other board members and retired in 1996. This move was easy as we just returned to our home in Kansas.
We have two sons, Bruce in Indianapolis and David in New York City. We have a grand-daughter at University of Maryland and a grandson graduating from Carmel, Indiana in June 2007. We are enjoying retirement in Kansas, near where pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart was born.
— Roger Dunning, May 17, 2007
CAPT Michael J Estocin USN 1954-1967
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
Estocin
Name: Michael John Estocin
Rank/Branch: Captain/US Navy
Unit: Attack Squadron 192, USS TICONDEROGA (CVA-14)
Date of Birth: 27 April 1931
Home of Record: Turtle Creek, PA
Date of Loss: 26 April 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 204258N 1070257E (YH134919)
Coordinates to (4) maps
Status in 1973: Prisoner of War
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A4E "Skyhawk"
Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)
SYNOPSIS: The Douglas A4 Skyhawk was the US Navy's single-seat light attack jet. It was the only carrier-based aircraft that did not have folding wings as well as the only one that required a ladder for the pilot to enter/exit the cockpit.
On 20 April 1967, 6 days before the mission in which he was shot down, then Lt. Cmdr. Michael J. Estocin flew the lead aircraft in a section of 3 A4E's from the aircraft carrier USS TICONDEROGA that was operating off Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. His section of aircraft was conducting a SAM suppression mission in support of a coordinated air strike against two thermal power plants located in the major port city of Haiphong, North Vietnam. During the operation, Michael Estocin provided warnings to the strike group leaders of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) threats, and personally neutralized 3 SAM sites himself.
During the 20 April mission, Lt. Cmdr. Estocin's aircraft was severely damaged by an exploding missile. In spite of the fact that his Skyhawk sustained severe battle damage, Mike Estocin reentered the target area and prosecuted a SHRIKE attack to suppress the enemy's radar amidst intense anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire. He finally left the target area with less than 5 minutes of fuel remaining and commenced in-flight refueling from an airborne tanker. Under the circumstances, this was a dangerous procedure that continued for over 100 miles. Michael Estocin separated from the tanker just before initiating his landing approach to the USS Ticonderoga.
On 26 April, Lt. Cmdr. Estocin again flew the lead aircraft in a section of Skyhawks conducting a SAM suppression mission for another combined mission over Haiphong. This time their target was the enemy's fuel facilities located there. During the mission, his aircraft was struck by shrapnel from an exploding SAM and became engulfed in flames. He called "I'm hit," and his wingman, John B. Nichols, informed him that he was trailing fuel and was on fire. Lt. Cmdr. Estocin's aircraft was observed to recover after four to five uncontrolled rolls. He turned his crippled aircraft toward the east in an attempt to reach the sea.
John Nichols checked the section leader's aircraft to evaluate the extent of the battle damage it sustained and noted the cockpit area was undamaged by the missile. He also visually checked the condition of the pilot. According to his wingman, Lt. Cmdr. Estocin was sitting erect, was uninjured and appeared to be in control of his aircraft. As he crossed the coastline, Michael Estocin radioed, "I'm going down, switch to channel 5," which was the search and rescue (SAR) frequency.
As the A4E passed an altitude of 6,000 feet, it again commenced a series of uncontrolled rolls. It stabilized in the inverted position and continued to descend in a 10-15 degree dive. Lt. Cmdr. Estocin jettisoned his remaining ordnance in a normal mode, then his wingman observed the aircraft enter a 3,500 foot cloud layer still in the inverted position. Because of the cloud cover, Lt. Cmdr. Estocin's ejection sequence was not observed.
The cluster of offshore islands in the vicinity where the Skyhawk was last seen are sparsely populated and densely covered with foliage. Da Cat Ba Island itself is approximating 8 miles in width and the same in length and is generally round in shape. There are dozens of tiny islands surrounding the primary island and all are within ¼ of a mile to 4 miles away. At the southern edge of Da Cat Ba Island and roughly ½ mile to the south of it, is where Michael Estocin's aircraft crashed. The location of loss was also approximately 15 miles east of mainland North Vietnam, 20 miles east-southeast of Haiphong Cat Bi MiG base and 23 miles east-southeast of the town of Haiphong.
Once the weather cleared later that day, both electronic and visual searches were initiated and continued until dark. At first light the next morning search efforts resumed, but no sign of the pilot or his aircraft was found. Michael Estocin was immediately listed Missing in Action.
On 26 and 27 April, during the same time frame search and rescue efforts were underway using all air assets available to them, Radio Hanoi broadcast information indicating that Lt. Cmdr. Estocin may have been captured.
On 29 April, a People's Army newspaper article referred to the shoot down of an aircraft and a rescue helicopter coming to rescue the downed pilot. This report, along with the others received over the previous few days, was placed in Lt. Cmdr. Estocin's file as a possible correlation to his case.
Shortly thereafter very sensitive US intelligence sources reported that he was, in fact, a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam and his status was upgraded from Missing in Action to Prisoner of War accordingly.
Throughout the war Michael Estocin's family wrote letters and sent packages to him, which the International Red Cross attempted to deliver. In August 1972, a package sent by his sister was returned to her. While nothing was removed from the package, several things were added to it through a small slit that had been made in it. Added to the box was a crudely cut, hand-sewn felt bootie with two "M's" cut out of felt on it - Michael's wife's name is Maria. Also inside the bootie were three hearts - the Estocin's have three children.
Neither the Navy nor the intelligence community had an explanation of how these items could have been included in the package. However, Michael Estocin's family believes the answer is quite simple: he not only made them, but somehow he was able to slip them into the box, and he did so in an attempt to confirm his status as a prisoner of the communists.
In July 1990, intelligence information was received from a North Vietnamese refugee about an aircraft shoot down which he said occurred in 1967 near Da Cat Ba Island. According to the refugee, remains of an unidentified American were reportedly found in the water near the crash site. He also claimed that skeletal remains were reportedly seized by Vietnamese officials from a refugee boat captured near Da Cat Ba Island in February 1989.
In March 1991, US investigators assigned to the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting (JTFFA) in Vietnam visited Da Cat Ba Island, but were unable to develop any information themselves regarding this loss incident. Vietnamese officials told the JTFFA members that Lt. Cmdr. Estocin was believed to have been downed 20 nautical miles off Da Cat Ba Island. Other sketchy hearsay reports were received of a body washing up along the shore to the north of the island.
John B. Nichols made a career of the US Navy and retired as a Commander. After retiring from the Navy, Cmdr. Nichols wrote "On Yankee Station" in which he recounted his wartime experiences, including the shootdown of Michael Estocin's aircraft. As Lt. Cmdr. Estocin's wingman during the 26 April 1967 mission, he followed his flight leader through the clouds and saw the Skyhawk crash into the Tonkin Gulf. The official location of loss is the one reported by Cmdr. Nichols, and that loss location is the one approximately ½ mile south of Da Cat Ba Island among, and much closer to, other small islands.
There is no question that either alive or dead the Vietnamese know exactly what happened to Lt. Cmdr. Estocin and they could return him or his remains any time they had the desire to do so. Michael Estocin's fate, like that of other Americans who remain unaccounted for, could be quite different then the one portrayed by both governments today.
Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for in Southeast Asia have been received by our government. Many of these reports document LIVE American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia TODAY.
Fighter pilots were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances as demonstrated by Lt. Cmdr. Estocin; and they were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served.
Michael John Estocin was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for the missions he flew on 20 and 26 April 1967 against Haiphong thermal power plants and fuel facilities.
Michael J. Estocin (Deceased)
Estocin
Following his graduation from Slippery Rock State Teachers College (PA) in 1954, Michael entered the U.S. Navy's School of Pre-Flight, Pensacola, FL, as a Naval Aviation Cadet (Navcad). Following extensive academic study in aeronautical engineering courses and a rigorous 20-month flight-training syllabus, he received his pilot "Wings of Gold" and commission as Ensign in September 1955.
Michael then received orders to a west coast strike-fighter squadron based in Miramar Naval Air Station, San Diego, CA, where he met his wife, Quay Marie. Following several deployments to the Western Pacific aboard a number of aircraft carriers, in 1964 he was assigned to a Replacement Pilot Training (Advanced) Squadron-Attack Squadron 125 based in Lemoore, CA. Later, he received orders to a Fleet Squadron, Attack Squadron 192, aboard USS Bon Homme Richard, deploying once again to Southeast Asia in the conduct of combat missions over North Vietnam. On his second such deployment, now based aboard USS Ticonderoga, on April 26, 1967 ... a day prior to his 36th birthday... while protecting the Air Wing "Alpha" Strike Group as an anti-"Surface-to-Air" (SAM) threat suppressor, his A4-E "Iron Hand" aircraft was struck by an enemy SAM missile. Severely damaged, Michael's aircraft descended into a low overcast cloud layer, disappearing out of visible range of his wingman but initially believed over land. However, his aircraft's crash site was never positively pinpointed, and his personal remains have not been recovered at this later date. He was officially declared dead ten years later in 1977, and some four years after the return of all listed "POWs".
For his heroic actions on a number of such missions — for courage above and beyond his regularly assigned flight duties — Michael was awarded the "Congressional Medal of Honor" (the only Navy jet pilot to receive this award) for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, a Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medals (12 Strike Flight awards for actions, December 1965 through 26 April 1967), the Purple Heart, the Navy Commendation Medal (Combat), the Navy Unit Commendation awarded to USS Ticonderoga and various Vietnam Service and Campaign medals for gallantry.
The Navy recognized and honored Michael's heroism by naming a new "Spruance" Class Fast Frigate, USS Estocin (FFG-15)on 10 January 1981 (Since decommissioned, 2001). Naval Aviation has further memorialized Michael's legacy by establishing a perpetual trophy in his name...to be awarded annually to the top performing "Strike Fighter" squadron in the Navy. Additionally, an A4-E aircraft monument, with Michael's "side number" and named-plaque, has been permanently erected near the main gate, Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA; visible to all current, past and future naval aviators assigned to this important operational air base.
Michael hailed from Turtle Creek, PA, also the hometown of Allen Proctor, and a 1955 graduate of Slippery Rock University as well. Allen, like his good friend and former teammate, died in service to his country as a naval flight officer in 1969, while attached to Fighter Squadron 31 aboard USS Saratoga.
Michael is survived by his wife, Quay Marie, three daughters — Kathryn, Mary, and Susan, and grandchildren.
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock,
Pennsylvania
Michael J. Estocin '54
Scholarship Fund
Michael J Estocin Medals and Service Awards
The Congressional Medal of Honor
For extraordinary
combat valor on 20 and 26 April, 1967
The Distinguished Flying Cross
For combat valor on 19
January 1967
The Navy Commendation Medal (with Combat Distinguishing
Device)
For distinguished combat action on 2 December 1966
The Air Medal (1st through 12th Flight Strike
Awards)
For actions from December 1965 through 26 April 1967
The Purple Heart
The National Defense Service Medal
Navy Unit Commendation Awarded the USS Ticonderoga
Vietnam Service Medal (with Three Bronze Stars)
Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross with Palm)
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
— RDML Norman Campbell, March 31, 2007
LT Richard F Fralick USNR 1954-1964
If there hadn't been a draft, I would have followed a career in journalism after getting my BA at Penn State in May 1954. I think I'll always be a civilian at heart. But I was enticed into naval aviation and suddenly found myself with nearly 50 other guys in Navcad Pre-Flight Class 28-54 at NAS Pensacola, FL, in July. Frankly, I didn't know what I was doing there, or what was in store for the us. But it turned into a wonderful experience that I've treasured for more than 50 years.
Graduate
After graduation in November, we were put into the training pipeline at Whiting Field. I soloed on Valentines Day 1955, then began moving quickly through Basic Flight Training. On arrival at Corpus Christi, TX, in September, I asked for advanced training in AD Skyraiders at Cabaniss Field. At about the same time, my AOC commission came through to give me a taste of being a student officer. I received my wings in January 1956, and was sent back to the Basic Training Command as a flight instructor. I checked in to instructor training on Valentines Day, just one year from the day I soloed.
Why anyone would send inexperienced ex-students with no fleet experience to be flight instructors is incomprehensible. But — to my knowledge — three of us from Class 28-58 were selected. Norm Davis and I were made primary instructors at Whiting Field, and Gail Gibbon taught formation flying. Apparently, someone knew what he was doing because we all were successful instructors. I was even tapped to be the assistant service information officer for Whiting. Norm and I had a bachelor trailer in Milton (near Whiting) until Norm volunteered for a naval research project in Antarctica.
I was very lucky as an instructor. The Navy was finally retiring the SNJ workhorse after almost two decades. So I got to teach Primary and Formation in SNJs, Primary in T34s, and Radio Instruments in T28s. It was almost like going through training all over again. I had one accident with a Primary student when our SNJ lost power after taking off from a practice landing field. We followed procedure and put the plane into a forest at the end of the runway. Despite ripping off both wings and digging the nose deeply into the ground, the student and I both came away nearly unscathed. Fortunately, the accident board found a mechanical failure.
By fall of 1957, the Navy was cutting back on personnel and I received an early out. So I went back to journalism graduate school at Penn State on the GI Bill. My first professional job was on the rewrite desk at the Daily Messenger in Homestead, PA, in January 1958. By March I was promoted to reporter, and in May I was made editor. After two years, I left to become a reporter and radio wire desk man for United Press International in Pittsburgh.
But I learned what journalism schools don't teach: working journalists are notoriously poorly paid. So I asked to return to the Navy. In May 1961, I reported to the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, MD, as public information officer. I handled press relations, the base newspaper, and the annual air show. In addition, I was disaster control officer, top-secret communications board member, defense counsel on courts martial, and prosecutor for administrative discharges.
It was a busy time at Pax River. The space program had everyone's attention, and four of the original seven astronauts were Naval Test Pilots at Pax River. So when one of them was to be launched, the press decended on us for background and interviews with acquaintances. We also had some spectacular crashes, introduction of the P3A Orion ASW aircraft, the largest Naval Air Show on the East Coast with the Blue Angels, and numerous boy scout and civil air patrol visits.
As disaster control officer, I was responsible for getting the Center ready in case of attack. So I applied for the Army's ABC Warfare School at Fort McClellan, AL. While learning how to cope with bombs, bugs and poison gas, I met a base legal secretary who turned me on. Sallie and I were married in December 1961, and returned to Pax River just in time for the Cuban Missile Crisis, which scared everyone silly. It makes me very sympathetic with Homeland Security people who have the impossible job of protecting us against natural and man-made disasters.
Fralick
Sallie was a complete triumph at Pax River. When the JAG office learned that she was a military legal secretary, they made every possible inducement to work for them. She became far more popular around Admin than I was. It was almost like being married to a movie star. Now she's more Navy than I ever was. Sallie's six-year-old son from a previous marriage also gave me an instant family, which is still close to this day.
In November 1963 (about the time of President Kennedy's assassination), I began having intestinal problems. They ran me through tests without result at the base clinic, so I checked into Bethesda Naval Hospital. My problem was quickly diagnosed as ulcerative colitus, an incurable intestinal disease. In April 1964, I was given a disability retirement.
So the Fralick family moved to Washington where I thought I might make a living doing public relations — something with more money than newspaper work. Over the next eight years, I did PR and publications for Washington National Cathedral, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the National Chamber of Commerce. Then, in an attempt to make more money, I became a lobbyist for the National Hearing Aid Society.
Meanwhile, Sallie again outdid me. She worked for the Army sending enlisted specialists to Vietnam; with a special Defense Department group developing "McNamara's Wall," the passive electronic surveillance of the Ho Chi Minh trail; and then with the legal office of the Secretary of Defense. She was secretary for the lawyer who took John Dean's job at the White House after Watergate. She didn't go with him. About that time, her arthritus made secretarial work impossible, and she was given a civil service disability retirement.
After 12 years in Washington — through assassinations, racial unrest, Vietnam protests, and Watergate — we decided to get out. In 1976 we bought a small weekly newspaper in North Carolina. For five years we kept our heads above water, but at a physical price for me. My ulcerative colitus was making it difficult for me to work, so I finally went for the only remedy — removal of my large intestine. At the time I weighed 128 lbs.
We closed the newspaper in 1981 and moved to Carlisle, PA, where I began looking for work again. Fortunately my condition improved almost immediately after the operation. I obtained a job with a consulting group designing the computerized maintenance system for the new Trident Atomic Submarines that were about to come on-line. My boss was Rudolph F. (Rudy) Falkenstein, who was an instructor at Whiting Field when I was there.
When the project wound down, I became communications director for the National Frozen Food Association and later for the American Meat Processors Association. In both jobs, I became very proficient at desktop publishing. But my wife and I had collected primitive antiques for years, and decided we really wanted to get into the antiques business. We did about 30 shows a year and opened a shop in Carlisle. To supplement our income, I started a specialty antiques newspaper with circulation in the southcentral Pennsylvania area. I did everything on the paper but run the press.
I also picked up a number of freelance publishing jobs producing brochures, newsletters, other newspapers, and even books. Probably my best project was producing an autobiography for a former ambassador. The author started out as a missionary in India, worked for the OSS in Burma during WWII, joined the State Department, served in post-war Japan, Indonesia, and the entire Pacific Rim; was involved in the Korean War negotiations; became President Kennedy's ambassador to Afghanistan; and finished his career as chief staff officer at the State Department. He started writing on a computer at the age of 85, and was 88 when we published his book.
Sallie and I didn't retire, we just tapered off what we were doing — closed the shop and newspaper, and wound down my publishing projects. About that time, I became president of the Pennsylvania Antique Dealers Association, which was about to disband. I propped up the remnants, wrote a new charter and bylaws, started several new projects, and jump-started it again.
That was my last project, although I soon began designing and writing websites for the internet. In 2005, Sallie and I cut all ties with Pennsylvania and moved again to North Carolina. We now live in a retirement community near our son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. I'm now physically well, except for occasional arthritic spells. Sallie has a lot of medical problems that keep us busy with doctors. But we are living quietly and happily in our new home, with no plans to make any future changes.
— Dick Fralick, February 5, 2007
CAPT Peter G Frederick USN 1954-1984
Frederick
Peter G. Frederick, a member of Navcad Class 28-54, was among the first AOC-commissioned officers in 1955 while still in training. After 30 years, he retired in 1984 with the rank of Captain. Pete and his wife Vaughan are now living in Virginia.
• Wings in 1956, assigned to VA25/65 in AD's
• Married in 1957
• To NAS Miramar, San Diego, CA from
1960-63
• First daughter 1963 and assigned to VA113 via Safety
Officer School at USC
• Joined VA113 (A4's) in Japan, assigned
to Kitty Hawk in 1964.
• VA113 - safety officer, maintenance
officer and operations officer
• Reassigned to CAG 11 on Kitty
Hawk as operations officer
• Assigned to VA125, RAG in
1967
• Selected for command in 1968
• Assigned as XO
to VA152 in Alameda
• Reassigned to VA216 as XO for Med
cruise
• Reassigned to VA153 as CO flying A7's on Oriskany in
1970-71
• Two more daughters in the interim
•
Assigned Naval War College in 1971 - MS International Relations
• Assigned operations officer, US Oriskany, 1972-74
•
Assigned to JCS 1974-77 and selected for captain
• Assigned as
Naval attache to Australia 1978-80
• Assigned CO NROTC Georgia
Tech 1981-84
• Retirement 1984
• One year as
operations director Atlanta Parks Dept. Divorced
• Business
and Personnel Manager Atlanta Botanical Garden 1986-1989
•
Remarried in 1989 to a wonderful and talented lady who teaches at Old
Dominion University
• Executive Director Norfolk Botanical
garden 1989-1998
• 1998 retired and doing part-time
horticultural work.
• In good health
• 3 daughters, 7
grandchildren: wife's grandson lives with us and keeps us enormously
busy (mild autism).
— Pete Frederick, July 7, 2007
LCDR Charles C Gregory USNR 1955-1976
Gregory
Iwas born in a coal mining camp called Bishop in southwest Virginia, near Bluefield. I grew up and graduated from high school in Charleston, West Virginia. I attended the Univ. of Cincinnati as an architectural student and also attended West Virginia State College before entering navy pilot training in 1955.
I entered preflight in Navcad class 06-55 in Feb. 1955. After graduating from preflight I was assigned to BTU 1C at NAAS Corry Field, then Saufley, then Baren Field. After completion of basic training I was assigned to NAAS Kingsville , Tex. for advanced training in the S2F.
Upon completion of training and receiving my wings I was assigned to VS-21 NAS North Island, Coronado, Calif. flying the S2F. After completing the squadron training cycle the squadron deployed aboard the carrier Phillipine Sea for a WestPac cruise in Jan. 58. After completing my tour of duty in VS-21 I was assigned to VT-3 NAAS Whiting Field from '60 to '63, where I was a formation instructor in the T-28 and meteorology instructor.
Following my tour of duty at VT-3, I was assigned to NS Keflavik, Iceland as station Security Officer from Nov. 63 to Nov. '65 flying C47's, C-54's and U6a aircraft. The station had a C-54 transport which flew regular flights to Europe. This helped to break up the time in a very miserable place in the world.
After my 2 year tour in Iceland I was assigned to VR-22, NAS Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, Calif. from Nov. 65 to Sept. '67. This was a MAC C130 squadron, with Navy crews flying Air Force aircraft in support of operations in Viet Nam. After 18 mo. the navy pulled all it's crews out of MAC and sent them back to Navy outfits.
After VR-22 I entered the TAR program and was assigned to NARTU, NAS Lakehurst, NJ from '67 to '70, flying the C-54 and recruiting T-34. I was assigned to Pilot Recruiting where I visited the college campuses in the state of NJ. After a 3-year tour there I was assigned duty at VR-1 NAS Norfolk, Va, flying the C-118 transports from '70 to '74. One of the highlights was taking a navy show band on a trip around South America, visiting 35 cities in 8 country's.
Following my 4 year tour in VR-1 I was assigned to the navy VIP unit at NAF Washington, Andrews AFB. Soon after my arrival some of the VIP's did not want to travel in the VC-118's and Convairs but were looking for jet travel. It was too far down the line for me. I was assigned to more TAR duty at NAS Atlanta in Sept of '74. Flew the C-118 until my retirement in June of '76.
After retiring with 21 years active duty I still wanted to continue flying. With all my VR experience in heavy airplanes I would have been a nice candidate for the airlines but in those days I was way too old. I used my GI bill and got a type rating in a Learjet. The Atlanta area in the 70's had very few corporate jobs. The only thing available was on demand charter (part 135). This is the bottom in General Aviation but you have to start someplace. I managed to get on with a sleezy charter operator in the Atlanta area. I was paid almost nothing and was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but I had accumulated little or no jet time during my flying days in the navy. I held on and over the next 10 to 12 years was Chief Pilot in several charter operations, and in one case ran the whole operation and flew all the trips I ended up flying at different times the Lear 23,24,25,35, and 55. All the while looking for a Part 91 corporate flying job.
One of my more memorable experiences was getting called out in the middle of the night to take NBC News to Georgetown Guiana. This had to do with the mass suicide at Jonestown. We were the first plane in to Georgetown the next morning. We left every afternoon for San Juan PR where they put their info on a satellite feed to New York for the evening news.
A few years later I was flying the CEO of a company on charter and did so for 2 or 3 years when he decided he wanted his own plane, which he got. He bought a late model Lear 55 and hired me to fly it. It paid well and we only went to nice places, Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs, etc. Also made 3 trips across the pond to Europe. We flew him around Europe for 1 to 2 weeks before returning home. This company went bankrupt after a few years and I took one more job flying a Saber 65 for a couple years before retiring from flying after 43 years. I was 64 years old.
The flying was nice but you could never plan on doing anything. The company owned you. I was gone more than 200 nights a year and almost never home on weekends.
Marathoner
During all this flying I was a casual runner, running 10k races (6.2 miles). I worked up to doing half marathons.(13.1 miles) I finally talked myself into doing a full marathon. After that I had the bug. I joined a marathon training group in Atlanta. Everyone was doing, NY, Chicago, Marine Corps. etc. I started with the group in 2000 and ran 6 the first year. I have now run all the major marathons in the US, New York, Chicago, Marine Corps and qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon 2 times. After a couple years I found out about the 50 States Club which attempts to run a marathon in all 50 states. I have almost finished all 50 states, and have run more than 60 marathons total. When I finish the states I want to continue and complete 100 marathons so as to be a member of the Century Club. I am also an avid tennis player and work in tennis 1 or 2 days a week between my running. I hope my legs hold out.
My wife and I have been married for over 50 years and I have 2 grown daughters but no grandchildren.
— Chuck Gregory, August 7, 2007
CWO4 Ralph A Hill USNR 1954-1956
Hill
I joined the US Navy on February 4, 1952 at St. Joseph, MO, and went to the Navcad Preflight School July 1954, Class 28. I graduated from Preflight School in October 1954, and left the Basic Flight Program in March 1955. I then went aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea CVA-43 and made a Mediterranean Cruise for seven months.
After I got off active duty in June, 1956, I stayed in the Naval Reserves. After graduating from Northwest Missouri State University in 1958 with majors in Math, Science and Physical Education, I began a teaching/coaching career. I taught science, math, and coached for 30 years for the St. Joseph, MO, school district, retiring in 1986, when I was recalled to active duty in September, 1986.
CAPT Bader of NAS Coronado
Congratulates CWO4 Hill
at His Retirement Ceremony
I served on active duty at NAS North Island, San Diego, CA, as an Officer Recruiter until 1992 and retired from the USNR on July 26, 1994.
I married Carol Jean Koelling in 1957, nearly fifty years ago. Carol and I are proud parents of a son and daughter, and we have three wonderful grand-children.
Carol and I lived in Navarre, FL, until May, 2005. I was very proud of my wife who served as the Library Director for Fort Walton Beach, FL. As such, she wrote and received a grant and was totally involved in the construction of a truly beautiful, huge, new library in Fort Walton Beach.
In May, 2005, Carol and I moved to Oklahoma, where we live about seven miles from our son and his family. Our two grandsons play high school football, basketball, and baseball. We enjoy being with and watching our grandsons play sports very much. Our granddaughter and daughter live in Florida, where our granddaughter will graduate next year from the University of West Florida in Pensacola.
We lived for close to eleven years about seven miles from our daughter and granddaughter in Florida, and we miss seeing them very much, but we are certainly enjoying getting to watch our grandsons here in Oklahoma. We go back to Pensacola frequently, so it's not too bad. Carol and I are in good health, and we would enjoy any reunion with my old classmates.
— Ralph Hill, May 19, 2007
CDR Carter H Moser USN 1954-1978
Moser
As recollections creep back into what's left of my alleged mind, my bio has become many pages long. Don't worry, this isn't it. But if you've read everything else on the planet, your may want to try the long version which is a more detailed and hopefully more interesting account of my Navy and subsequent life subtitled "How to Become a Jet Carrier Pilot in Only 17 Years." It's about a naval aviation career that while not among the greatest, may have been one of the most unusual.
I completed advanced training in the first class of S2Fs and, after helicopter training at Ellyson, had two fascinating tours in HU squadrons deploying to the Med, the Caribbean, the arctic, Antarctica, and WestPac aboard many different ships. Following a year factually inactive (except for getting married), I was an instructor in VT-1, and A/C Handling Officer on an LPH. There I finally got the orders to an attack squadron I had been wanting since Preflight. I also became a TAR (Training & Administration of the Reserve.)
I flew the A-1 (AD) with VA-25 — the last of the Spads — aboard the USS Coral Sea on a Vietnam cruise, and then the A-4 (A4D) in VA-127, the west coast VA instrument training, jet-transition, and later A-4 tactical RAG training squadron. I also got to fly the SNJ again as a "Zero" pilot in the movie "Tora Tora Tora."
Relaxing at NAS Pensacola BOQ (1956)
Visiting Ft. Barrancas at Pensacola Harbor (1956)
My first reserve unit assignment was as ops officer of the newly formed Carrier Air Wing Thirty at Alameda, again flying the A-4 and then transitioning to the A-7. This is where, in my 17th year, I completed carquals in the A-4 just barely reaching my goal of becoming a jet carrier pilot — well, OK, sort of.
Better late than never again, I took advantage of the opportunity to attend PG school to complete a degree in engineering. My last tour of duty was as CO of a naval reserve center.
Following retirement I built my own home back home and finally acquiesced to working for money — mainly as an environmental engineer. For the last 13 years I've been self-employed — and still working (as generically defined) as an environmental training consultant.
Janice and I have been legally married only to each other for 47 consecutive years. We have three outstanding children and seven even more outstanding grandchildren. (I and my children married well.)
It has been a great experience to contact preflight classmates after all these years even though we've regrettably waited too long to reach some. The searches take some time, but it's worth the effort. I appreciate the appreciation I get in return.
Dick Fralick, has done us a tremendous service by contacting others and creating this outstanding web site. We are also indebted to Dr. Roger G. Smith (NAVCAD Class 37-53) who helped us after locating many in his own class, and to Dr. Norm Davis for his assistance and articles that helped get us started.
— Mose Moser, July 28, 2007
CDR William J Overman USN 1954-1974
Overman
As you may be aware, I chose to go VPS (sea planes) and therefore went to NAS Corpus and flew SNBs and PBMs. Then I made my second mistake (the first was volunteering for VPS) and volunteered to fly Blimps and be stationed in my hometown of Elizabeth City, NC. I needed a mentor or something to tell me not to elect VPS and then ZP. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!!!
Fortunately they decommissioned my squadron and the base and transferred me to VP-44 in Norfolk, VA flying P5Ms. I stayed there for three years and when they started the VP RAG Groups I was chosen to become a plank-owner in VP-30 (Det Alpha), the seaplane detachment. Stayed there for a little over a year and when they closed down the Det. I was transferred to VT-6 flying SNBs and instructing in Instrument training at NAAS Whiting Field, Milton., FL.
At this point things got a little muddled. I was enjoying a great tour at VT-6 and was in tight with the CO who was a local NC "boy" about 18 miles from my home in Elizabeth City, NC but all good things have to come to an end and we received a real Dilbert for a new CO and I along with about a third of the squadron, including the XO, bailed out. By this time I had become very active in the sport of pistol shooting and had earned my Distinguished Pistol Shot badge (24kt Gold). I was the 77th Navy person to earn that distinction since 1925.
As a result of that qualification I was selected to head up the shooting program for CNABATRA and was assigned to the Staff and transferred to NAS Pensacola. I also was selected to be the SNB Standardization Pilot on the CNABATRA Staff so I continued to get flight time at VT-6. I had agreed to take the job only if I was promised that I would not be extended past my normal rotation date. You know what happened. Yes, extended for a year!!
Finally back to the fleet. Orders to VP-47, then VP-40, then VP-50, then back to VP-47. Of course I had to go through VP-31, the West Coast VP RAG at NAS North Island, San Diego, CA. VP-47 was a great squadron. We were deployed to NAS Sangley Point, PI, when the Vietnam conflict flared up and we were posted to a Sea Plane Tender, the USS Salisbury Sound in the Tonkin Gulf where we flew patrols for about a month until VP-40 relieved us.
We returned to CONUS and transitioned to P3A (Deltic configuration). We were based out of NAS Moffit Field and eventually deployed to Naha, Okinawa with detachments at Sangley Point. My deployment was interesting. I took off (along with the rest of the squadron) on Jan 1, 1966 from Moffit for Naha, stopped, after 11 hours, in Midway for one hour to refuel, then off to Naha. I was one of only two planes to make it to Naha. The rest had to divert to Japan due to fuel problems. I had to declare a low state in order to keep from being put in a holding pattern at Naha. That part of the flight took 12 hours so the total flight was 24 hours.
I and my crew was on the ground for 2 to 3 hours at Naha when I was tapped to fly to Sangley Point to be part of the first deployment detachment. Another 6 hours! Upon arrival at Sangley we had time to check in to the BOQ, etc and I and my officer crew were briefed and put on a VP-9 plane to fly an orientation flight to Vietnam. This was a 14 hour flight. Believe you me when I say that we were a bushed crew when we finally landed back at Sangley. My crew became the "designated" night flight crew and I logged over 400 hours of night time in that six month deployment.
From VP-47 I was transferred to the USS Ticonderoga, CVA-14 for two years as the Assistant CIC Officer. (Of course I had to go to NAS Glynco, GA for CIC School for six months.) It was back to Vietnam for two deployments before I finally got a little shore duty. I was actually home for only 10 months during this 5 year period.
During this period I was selected for Commander and passed over for Captain. In other words, I failed to screen for command of a VP squadron. I had some really tough competition. There were 18 LCDRs in VP-47 during my tour and six of them screened and two of them got one or more bonus commands, with one of them getting his THIRD early promotion to Captain and command of NAS Moffit Field.
I left the Ticonderoga in '68 and was assigned to NAAW Dam Neck, VA and while there wrote Bupers and volunteered for "ANY COMMAND, ANY WHERE." Imagine my surprise when I received an invitation to interview for a command in the SOSUS network at COSAL the heqqbuarters for the network. I passed their screening and received orders to NAVFAC Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. A two year tour.
I won't bore you with the extensive details but will tell you that when I took command of Eleuthera it was the worst NAVFAC in the 13 station Atlantic network, having failed three ORIs and ADMIN inspections in a row. We progressed to number six within three months and to number one by the twenty first month of my tour. We had one hell of a crew and, believe it or not, they are still one hell of a crew. They have held one reunion (of only the people assigned there during my tour) and are now preparing to hold another one. I consider it one hell of a compliment.
I left Eleuthera in 1972 and reported to NAVELECSYSCOM in Washington and completed my Naval Service in 1974. While I was at NAVELEC I was selected to attend the Executive Management program at the U of Pittsburgh and while there I was being interviewed without knowing it and following my 20th anniversary date in the Navy I got a call with a job offer that I couldn't refuse.
So I retired (before coming up for Captain) and accepted a management trainee assignment with Peterbilt Motors Co (the maker of the big 18 wheel trucks). I stayed with them for 13 years then went to Grand Rapids, MI as the plant manager of an automotive stamping plant and finally retired from there in 1993 and returned to North Carolina where we still reside.
I forgot to mention that while I was in the NAVCAD program at Barin Field they initiated the AOC program wherein anyone with a college degree could be commissioned immediately. That is for those who are already out of Pre Flight. All others had to complete Pre Flight before being commissioned. I was already in Advanced Training at Corpus by the time my commission came through so I was commissioned in the Naval Reserve. Only NAVCAD Class 24 thru 27-54 has a lower lineal number (by one week) than those of us in Class 28-54.
Since I was now an officer I could get married and did so to Lou, a girl that I went to Wake Forest with. We celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary last week. We have two sons and four grandsons. My oldest son is now a Navy Captain in the reserves (he had 10 years active and another 17 in the reserves), and the younger is at Duke University and is Number 2 in the Duke Hospital Computer management division.
— W. J. Overman Jr, January 2007
RDML Robert S Owens USN 1955-1985
Owens
Student
Navcad Class 41-55.
Completed Pre-flight went to Whiting North and T-34's; next to Corry and T-28 transition; Saufley for formation; Barin for gunnery and CQ; Memphis T28 instruments and TV2 transition; commissioned May 10, 1957; Forest Sherman F9F-2 transition to complete flight training.
9/57 to 3/59: First tour - NAVCICSCHOL, NAS Glynco, Brunswick, GA flying F2H- 2,3, and -4, Banshees. Married Martha Rutledge on 30 May 1958.
4/59 to 8/59: VA-44. A4D RAG. Received a Battle E for High Altitude Dive Bombing at Hicackle Target, Gitmo. Son, Charles born the day before the weapons detachment so wife was in the Jax Navy Hospital when I left on the Det. Attended five-week Special Weapons Delivery Course for Instructors.
9/59 to 4/62: VA-66, NAS Oceana. Two deployments to the Med aboard INTREPID. Qualified as squadron Landing Signal Officer. Weapons D.I. Ordnance Officer. Air Frames Officer. Safety Officer.
4/62 to 12/62: VA-43, NAS Oceana. Instructor Pilot. LSO. Air Frames.
1/63 to 3/65: VA-42, NAS Oceana, IP, A6 Fleet Introduction.
4/65 to 3/68: VA-65, NAS Oceana, LSO; Operations Officer, SEASIA aboard CONSTELLTION and FORRESTAL.
4/68 to 12/68: VA-42, NAS Oceana, IP, LSO.
1/69 to 9/70: USNAVPGSCOL, Undergraduate; BS September, 1970.
10/70 to 1/71: Navy Weapons Center, China Lake; Military Assistant Analysis, A6 Pilot. Promoted to 05.
2/72 to 3/72: VA-128, NAS Whidbey Island, WA; Fleet Replacement Pilot, PXO, VA- 145.
4/72 to 6/73: VA-145, NAS Whidbey Island, WA; two SEASIA deployments aboard RANGER; CO and XO. Squadron won Battle E for 1972-73. Introduced the PAVEKNIFE airborne Laser Designator to Pacific Fleet. Used system to destroy 14 bridges on a single strike the last day of bombing in NVN.
7/73 to 8/74: Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL. Attended Auburn University night school. MS, Business Administration, 1974.
9/74 to 11/75: Pentagon, Washington, DC, OP-506 Air-to-Ground Guided Weapons Coordinator.
12/75 to 10/76: VA-128, NAS Whidbey Island, WA; CO.
11/76 to 12/76: PCO/PXO School, NWC. Promoted to 06.
1/77 to 2/78: USS CORAL SEA CV-43, XO. WestPac Deployment.
3/78 to 7/79: USS WHITE PLAINS AFS-4,CO. Ship won Battle E, Golden Anchor reenlistment award.
8/79 to 1/81: COMVAVAIRPAC, San Diego, CA; Staff, Ship's Training Officer.
2/81 to 8/82: USS MIDWAY CV-41, CO. Ship won Battle E, Golden Anchor and Best Mess Award. Promoted to 07.
9/82 to 9/84: CINCLANTFLT, Norfolk, VA, DCOS Operations,Command and Control.
10/84 to 12/85: COMCARGRU TWO, NAS Norfolk.
A hell of a ride. I'd do it again.
— Robert S. Owens, March 24, 2007
MAJ Maurice R Pillsbury USMC 1954-1965
Maurice Pillsbury entered the Navy with Navcad Class 36-54 He took his commission in the Marines and received his wings at Corpus Christi in March 1956. In 1959 he left the Marines and joined United Airlines in Denver, but was recalled from 1961 to 1965. He returned to United where he flew until his retirement in March 1991. Maurie and his wife Pat now live in Nevada.
Basic Flight Training
NavCad class 36-54 (Batt 1) preflight.
(Sep-Dec '54)
North Whiting for Primary (SNJ, Jan-Apr '55)
Saufley for Formation (SNJ, May-Jun '55)
Barin for Gunnery &
CarQual, USS Saipan (SNJ, Jun-Jul '55)
Corry for Instruments (T-28,
Aug-Sep '55)
Advanced Flight Training
Chase,
(Beeville,Tx.) for Adv Instrum