Vol. I—No. 11
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, November 28, 1942
5c a Copy
Kessing Goes to Sea; Graff Is New C. 0.
COMDR. O. O. KESSING, Pre-Flight School commanding officer who has been transferred to sea duty in the
Pacific war area, is pictured on the left showing his orders to Lt. Comdr. John P. Graff, who served as execu-
T 4.1.^
tive officer under Comdr. Kessing and who has taken over as new commanding officer
of the station.
V-5 Instructor
Course Begins
Here Monday
The second V-5 instructor training
Course to be conducted at Chapel Hill
■'^ill begin Monday, Nov. 30.
Lieut. William C. Clark, who served
officer-in-charge of the first such
course given here last September, will
Serve in a similar capacity again and
direct the Naval indoctrination of the
125 V-5 instructors expected to report
the course.
The course which will continue
through Dec. 26 is designed to ac
quaint the new officers with Naval
customs and traditions, train them in
the elements of military drill, and
’'^01‘k them into top physical condi
tion for their jobs ahead.
Several more indoctrination courses
for V-5 instructors will follow this one
^t Chapel Hill, since the expansion of
^he physical training . program for
^aval aviators makes it necessary to
obtain additional personnel to man
stations and to increase the num-
of officers at stations which are
l>eing enlarged.
Lieut. Norman Loader will be in
charge of the academic phase of the
^doctrination course, Lt. (jg) Edward
Hodgkins will head the military in
struction, and Lt. (jg) Edward S. Ma-
®avage will be in charge of the athletic
Activities. Lieut. Robert D. Robinson
^ill Serve as drill master, and the pla-
oon officers will be Lt. (jg) Joseph B.
^cCabe, Ens. Richard P. Cassiano,
William S. Krywicki, and Ens.
ouis A. Young.
Comdr. Kessing Gets Diploma at Smoker
LT. COMDR. JAMES CROWLEY, Cloudbuster head football coach (on
the right), congratulates Comdr. 0. O. Kessing after presenting the
departing commanding officer with a “graduation” diploma at the station
Smoker last Wednesday evening.
Presentation to Comdr. O. O. Kes-
sing of a diploma, Magna Cum Laude,
some chewing tobacco and a wash tub
spitoon, highlighted the fortnightly
Pre-Flight Smoker held Wednesday
evening in Memorial Hall.
Presented by Lt. Comdr. Jim Crow
ley, the diploma stated that, “Comdr.
0. 0. Kessing has completed Pre-Flight
training at the United States Navy
Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, North
Carolina as a post graduate holdover
from the First Battalion. He stood
number one in his class with a gen
eral average of 2.50 which is a ‘damned
good mark.’ He is an honorary mem
ber of all battalions and a charter
member of the following athletic squad
rons : Helldivers, Coronados, Mariners,
Buccaneers, Buffalos, Skyrockets,
Catalinas, Devastators, Wildcats,
Kingfishers, Vindicators, and Mus
tangs.” The diploma was dated Nov.
30, 1942, and signed by the heads of all
departments.
The entire smoker provided an hour
g,nd a half of good entertainment to
the group of cadets, officers, enlisted
tnen and station personnel present.
Participants included the Cloud-
See SMOKER, page 6
Lieut. Raugh
Becomes New
Executive Officer
With th'3 departure of Comdr. 0. 0.
Kessing for sea duty, Lt. Comdr. John
P. Graff, who has served as executive
officer of the Pre-Flight School here
since its beginning early last spring,
was designated by the Navy Depart
ment as the new commanding officer.
Lieut. James P. Raugh, the regi
mental commandei-, was elevated to
the position of executive officer, and
Lieut. Lloyd R. Sauer, the senior watch
and security officer, was selected to
assume the duties
of regimental com
mander.
Commenting on
his appointment as
the new commanding
officer, Lt. Comdr.
Graff declared: “The
policies of this sta
tion have been set
down by Comdr. 0.
0. Kessing, and the
sound selection of
these policies has
been exemplified by
the program already
achieved at this Pre-
Flight School. The
change in command
will in no way change
the operation. Comdr.
Kessing has set the
course, and the best
I can hope to do is
follow his pattern and example.”
The new commanding officer is a
graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy,
class of 1920, which finished the pre
scribed course in June 1919 when the
World War caused the Academy pro
gram to be shortened to three years.
After graduation he served succes
sively on the transport USS Kaiseriri
Augusta Victoria, the USS Nevada,
and the USS Reuben James. In Octo
ber, 1923, Lt. Comdr. Graff was taken
ill and left the Reuben James for the
Naval Hospital in Philadelphia and
was retired from active duty in 1924
as a lieutenant (junior grade), USN.
In civilian life he distinguished him
self as a business executive until in
March of this year, he returned to ac
tive service as executive officer of the
Pre-Flight School here. He was one
of the first officers on the scene and
has figured importantly in the growth
of the school to its present magnitude.
The new executive officer, Lieut.
Raugh, was graduated from the Naval
Academy with the class of 1926, and
then spent several years aboard the
USS Raleigh.
He returned to civilian life in 1928
and during the next 13 years worked
out a successful career in the iron and
steel industry. In March, 1942, he
volunteered his services to the Navy,
was accepted and attached to the Bu
reau of Aeronautics. He assisted
Comdr. Tom Hamilton until the latter
part of May when he was transferred
to the Chapel Hill Pre-Flight School.
Lieut. Raugh
All Hands Join
In Ceremony
Honoring ‘Scrappy’
Honoring Comdr. 0. 0. Kessing,
commanding officer who left the sta
tion this week to join Vice Admiral
William Halsey in the Pacific, a special
regimental review was held Thursday
afternoon in Kenan stadium before
5,000 persons.
Included among the speakers were
Capt. William S, Popham, head of the
NROTC unit on the campus and a
classmate of Comdr. Kessing’s 'at
Annapolis; Comdr. Tom Hamilton, who
is in charge of the
naval aviation phy
sical fitness pro
gram; R. B. House
and Billy C a r-
michael, dean and
comptroller respec
tively of the Univer
sity, and Lt. Comdr.
John P. Graff, who
replaces Comdr. Kes
sing as commanding
officer here. Lieut,
Howard Hamilton,
head of the local aca
demic department,
introduced the speak
ers.
After the Pre-
Flight cadets march
ed onto the field,
along with the CVTC
and NROTC unit of
the University,
Arendt delivered the
268 Cadets Leave Station
During the past week 262 cadets
left the Pre-Flight School for primary
flight training at Naval Reserve Avia
tion Bases. In addition, six were se
lected from the 8th and 9th Battalions
and transferred for navigation train
ing at Coral Gables, Fla.
Chaplain Eric
invocation.
Then Lieut. Hamilton read a tele
gram received from Dr. Frank Gra
ham, president of the University.
“Personally and on behalf of the
University of North Carolina I wish
to join the ‘goodbye’ to Commander
Kessing,” said Dr. Graham, who is in
Washington on war work. “We were
foi'tunate in having a man of such
strong character, high ability and dis
tinguished service in charge of the in
auguration and administration of the
Pre-Flight School at Chapel Hill. His
leadership is mainly responsible for
the rank of the North Carolina Pre-
Flight School as the No. 1 in the na
tion.
“This achievement is in line with the
career of a man who was a. recognized
leader among the midshipmen at An
napolis, at the Naval front in the
World War I and on a China station
command during the evacuations at
the outbreak of World War II.
“As a scrub football player, as a
champion boxer in his weight at the
Naval Academy, as a kite balloon pilot
in submarine infested seas, as the first
graduate manager of athletics at An
napolis, as navigator on the USS Hol
land, as director of the fleet football
team, as executive officer of the USS
Augusta which held first rank in gun
nery and engineering of all the heavy
cruisers, as commanding officer of the
USS Chauniont in Asiatic waters, and
as commanding officer of the fine gi'oup
of flying, fighting men he will now
lead the way for them to beat back the
axis powers and make the world at
last free.
“God speed and God bless you.
Scrappy.”
Dean House stated that Comdr. Kes
sing was sent here to do a^ job, and
(Continued on next page)