Korea

I was determined to fly for the navy, so when recruiters came to C.U. when I was a senior in 1949, I applied through the Navy’s Direct Procurement Program. This program identified college-educated aeronautical engineers to train as aviators, and I received orders to report to Pensacola N.A.S. <a href=“pensacola_gallery.html>”as an ensign</a> on October 30, 1949. I was a 24-year-old newlywed with a kid on the way. The Korean war would begin a year later, just as I was entering advanced flight training at Corpus Christi. My wife, Rene, pinned the Navy wings of gold on my uniform on April 19, 1951. By then I was the father of two boys, Scott and Tim.

From Corpus, our growing family was off to San Diego, California, for Electronics training. From there we were ordered to Whidbey Island for even more instruction before being shipped off in November 1951 to Hawaii, our home base.

For my first deployment I would be forward-based at Atsugi N.A.S. with Patrol Squadron Six. World War II hero Capt. Guy Howard was my Commanding Officer. We flew P2Vs, which were dubbed the Blue Sharks in a wartime Collier’s story, “Blue Sharks off the Red Coast.” Our squadron’s second deployment would be forward-based at Kodiak, Alaska, where I advanced from navigator to the co-pilot’s right seat. My PPC (Patrol Plane Commander) John St. Marie soon moved me into the pilot’s position: left seat.

By my third deployment, after the war, I was promoted to Patrol Plane Commander (or PPC) of Crew 7, Patrol Squadron Six, where I was the only lieutenant j.g. PPC in the squadron. We were forward based in Guam. After my final deployment of my first tour of duty, Captain Howard nominated me for the Test Pilot School (Patuxent River N.A.S.) in the summer of 1954. I soon had word of my appointment. I remember being one of the youngest aviators in the group and one of only two multi-engine pilots. By then our son Jay (b. 1952) had joined the family. I was twenty-nine years old.