Vol. 1—No. 35
U. S. Navy Pre-Plight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, May 22, 1943
Comdr. Hamilton
Given Double
Tributes Here
Comdr. Thomas J. Hamilton,
USN, who has directed the Pre-
Flight training program since its
inception, was honored here last
Thursday with double tributes to
the important role he has played
in the success of the naval aviation
Physical fitness program.
One of the tokens of esteem pre
sented to Comdr. Hamilton was
^n inscribed silver plate from the
officers of this station. The other
^as a Certificate of Acknowledg-
nient from the Agonis Club of Co
lumbus, 0., where Comdr. Hamil
ton spent his youth. The presenta
tions were made following an in
formal address before the entire
officer personnel, in which Comdr.
Hamilton related his experiences
and impressions gained on a recent
tour through the Pacific war area.
Inscribed on the silver plate
presented by Comdr. John P.
Graff, USN (Ret.), Commanding
Officer, was this message:
“To Comdr. Thomas J. Hamil
ton, USN, who through outstand
ing leadership and tireless effort,
has created for naval aviation the
'vorld’s highest standard of phy
sical fitness.
“With appreciation and admira
tion from the officers of the U. S.
^avy Pre-Flight School, Chapel
Hill, N. C.”
The inscription was dated May
23, 1943, the first anniversary of
the commissioning of the Pre-
flight School here.
Lieut. Robert Watts, USNR, of
the Academic Department, a
f^'iend of Comdr. Hamilton’s of
^ee CMDR. HAMILTON, page 3
Movie Schedule
May 22—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “Commandos Strike at
I^awn” with Paul Muni. First
Afternoon show starts at 1555,
first evening show at 1930.
May 23—To be announced later.
Capt. Foss Relates
Battle Experiences
Captain Joseph J. Foss,
USMCR, who on Tuesday person
ally received the Congressional
Medal of Honor from President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, spoke be
fore the Regiment of Cadets, Of
ficers and V-5 Instructors here
Thursday morning.
One of the most forceful and in
teresting talks to be made here.
Captain Foss gave the cadets a
“good picture” of what they will
go against after they win their
wings.
“Don’t get the idea,” Captain
Foss warned the cadets, “that you
can go out and win this war single
handed. That can’t be done. It
takes teamwork, and if you expect
to be a successful pilot you must
learn to work with others.”
While most of the speech cen
tered around the exploits of his
fighting squadron. Captain Foss
reminded his audience throughout
how important it was for them to
take their training seriously.
“You’ve got to work hard at
everything you do,” he told them.
“Your program from beginning to
end was planned to make you the
best fighters in the world. There
is a purpose behind every phase
of your training. You’ve got to
be able to dish it out and take it.”
As Captain Foss unfolded the
story about his squadron it sound
ed like something you would ex
pect to read but not expect to hap
pen. Stationed at Guadalcanal
from last October 9 until early
this year, the group saw constant
action against every type of Jap
anese warfare. “We didn’t care
who did the dirty work,” he said,
“so long as it was done. We were
cut to destroy the enemy, and we
went after our objective as a unit,
not as individuals.”
Captain Foss himself has of-
First Anniversary Issue
School Observes First
Anniversary Tomorrow
What was only a dream a year and a half ago will celebrate its first
anniversary here Sunday afternoon.
Dr. Frank P. Graham, President of the University of North Caro
lina, will deliver the principal address which is scheduled for Kenan
Stadium at two o’clock. There will be a Regimental Review with the
entire regiment of cadets participating, and the colored Pre-Flight
-<^band will be on hand to furnish
music for the gala occasion. To
round out the day’s program the
Pre-Flight baseball nine has a
game scheduled for Emerson Field
starting at 4 o’clock.
Pre-Flight training was started
with the purpose of making Uncle
Sam’s Navy fliers the roughest,
toughest and smartest in the
world. Captain Arthur W. Rad
ford, USN, who reported to Wash
ington a few days before Pearl
Harbor to take over a new position
as head of the Aviation Training
Division of the Navy’s Bureau of
Aeronautics, realized that war
conscious America, harnessed to
modern science at its best, was
producing bigger and faster
planes and tanks, better guns, tor
pedoes and other weapons of bat
tle. Hardly a day passed without
some new invention superseding
something which had hitherto
been considered worthwhile. Yet
Captain Radford realized that,
even in this war of machines, the
men who run them still hold in
their own hands the reins of suc
cess or failure.
Capt. Radford as head of Naval
Aviation Training conceived a rig
orous athletic program, one de
signed to make the Navy fliers the
most perfectly conditioned in the
world. He had been at the Naval
Air Stations at Trinidad, and
at Seattle, Wash., and observed
that fliers who were not in
good physical condition could not
stand the pace that the Navy has
set. While at these air bases, he
felt that if the day should come
when he might have an oppor
tunity to outline policies he would
See ANNIVERSARY, page 4
Dr. Frank P. Graham
ficially 26 planes to his credit, and
is now recognized as America’s
number one ace.
After the talk the floor was
thrown open for questions. Comdr.
John P. Graff, USN (Ret.), Com
manding Officer, asked him to tell
the cadets about the time he was
forced down at sea. He answered
the question, it being the only
time he referred to himself specif
ically. Throughout his regular
talk he had referred to his ex
ploits as “my squadron” or “my
men.”
Asked how good he thought the
See CAPT. FOSS, page 3