Vol. 3—No. 39
U. S. NAVY PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL, CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
Friday, June 15, 1945
Ex-Cadet from First Battalion
Wins Honors in Pacific War
Seen aboard this station last
week was one of the members of
the 1st Battalion of the Pre-
Plight School, in the uniform of
a Marine Corps aviator.
1st Lt. A. L. Walker, USMCR,
accompanied by his wife, was re
newing old acquaintances on his
first visit since he was a cadet
here at the Pre-Flight School
three years ago.
Lieut. Walker has returned
from the Pacific Theatre where
he was flying an SBD, parUci-
Pating in the strikes on the fil
berts, the Marshalls, and Em-
Wetok.
.The squadron with which he
flew was known locally as Aii
Baba and the Forty Thieves
because of their ability to get
anything in the way of supplies
that there was in the islands.
Just how they got these items of
Supply was not elaborated on by
Lieut. Walker.
Citation for Eniwetok
Below his wings, Lieut Wal
ker wears the Presidential
tion for his part in the Eniwetok
Campaign, the Pacific Theatre
Hibbon with three stars, and the
American Theatre Ribbon.
When asked about Jap air at
tacks Lieut. Walker stated, ‘ At
no time while we were dive
bombing Nip installations on
these islands did we encounter
any Japanese fighters.”
Recalling old times here at the
Pre-Flight School, Lieut. Walker
spoke of 1st Lieut. Frank Harris
Cadet Commander of the 1st
Battalion who also went ^^to
Marine Corps aviation and be
came a member of Maj. Gliden s
famous “Ace of Spades 4"
^on which made history at Micl-
Way Island. , ,
Lieut. Walker is now stationed
at Cherry Point Air Station
Where he is getting prepared to
1st Lieut. A. L. Walker
Plans Underway for
Officers’ Tennis
Tournament Here
Plans are now underway for a
Tennis Tournament for all offi
cers on this station who wish to
participate. Any officer who
wishes to play in the tournament
must sign up for it by tomorrow,
June 16th. Officers may get on
the list of contentants by signing
the slip on either the Military
bulletin board in Alexander, the
bulletin board at Woollen Gym,
or the board at Murphey Hall.
Players may sign as teams or
sign individually and be teamed
later by the scheduling commit
tee.
The contestants will furnish
Where he is getting prepared to tennis balls and the
ship out again and help deal tne | j^eep the balls after
final blow to Japan. : match is played.
* * I Games in the tournament will
V S Ready to Close I be scheduled for next week. The
* • ,1 I schedule of games will be placed
Base in Iceland \ on the bulletin board in Alex
ander Hall the first of next
week.
Heading the scheduling com-
Stockholm (CNS) — Iceland
Will be needed as a U. S. niili-
^ary base for only four or five
^nonths, Brig. General Martinus
Stenseth, commander of the
base, said on his arrival here on
the first passenger plane on uie
>^ew ATC line from the btatp
to Stockholm. After that
air field near Reykjavik will
retained.
mittee is Lieut. Comdr. Robert
H. Bruce, Head of the Academic
Department. Other naemb^s of
the committee are Lieut. H. P.
Cormack, Lieut. George Brown,
and Lt. (jg) B.J.^ Welsh.
Buy More War Bonds—
Two Former Cadets
Aid Pacific Combat
Record of VC-87
Two former cadets here are
mentioned in a recent Navy De
partment release on Composite
Squadron 87, which has returned
to the United States on leave
after a five-month combat tour
in the Pacific including 15 days
of direct support for the ground
forces on Okinawa.
During its tour, VC-87 oper
ated from the decks of three
different escort carriers and also
participated in the landings at
Lingayen Gulf in the Philip
pines.
Ens. Mack E. Wortman, 25th
Batt member from Ridgly,
Tenn., is credited with sinking
two small craft near the mouth
of the Lingayen Gulf during the
landings. He also knocked out
three Jap tanks on Okinawa
with one bombing run.
Another ex-Pre-Flighter here
in the 14 Batt, Lt. (jg) Eustace
L. Edwards of Many, La., shot
down one of the six Jap fighters
destroyed by the squadron in
aerial combat. It happened dur
ing the Lingayen operation when
he dived through the anti-air
craft fire of U. S. ships to splash
a Zero attempting to suicide
crash one of our warships.
Nazis Sank 92 Ships
On U. S. Gulf Coast
Miami (CNS)—Nazi U-Boats
attacked 111 ships, sinking 92 of
them, from February, 1942, until
V-E Day, along the Gulf Sea
frontier, which includes the
coast of Florida, the Bahamas,
half of Cuba, and the entire Gulf
coastline. Of this total, only 4
were attacked in 1943, and none
since. Twenty-five ships got the
works right outside New Or
leans alone.
The Navy estimates that at
least two subs a month were
sent to the Gulf Sea frontier
early in 1942, and by May, there
were at least 9 and possibly 16
loose in the region. It was esti
mated that at least 38 U-boats
were fought by the Navy in the
area during the war, but the
number sunk was not given.
War Bond Sale
Going Well in
Second Week
As the Navy’s “Extra” Cash
War Bond Campaign on this sta
tion winds up its second week,
purchases are continuing at a
good pace at bond headquarters
in the Welfare and Recreation
Office, Alexander Hall.
It is essential that all person
nel make a special effort to sup
port to the limit this last “Extra”
cash drive which will close on
July 7th.
Concerning this War Bond
Campaign the following state
ment is issued by the Secretary
of the Navy:
“The coming Navy Indepen
dence Day ‘Extra’ Cash War
Bond Sale, June 22 through July
7, 1945, will be the last Navy
‘Extra’ War Bond Campaign.
“The department will con
tinue to accentuate the Navy’s
established method of systematic
saving through the payroll sav
ings and bond allotment plans.
It is through these regular me
diums that 78% of the Navy’s
grand total of $1,200,000,000
War Savings Bonds have been
purchased.
“Currently over 93% of all
civilian employees are investing
117c of their gross pay and 58 %
of all officers and enlisted per
sonnel of the Navy, Marine
Corps and Coast Guard have
bond allotments. Under this sys
tem the ‘Navy family’ is salting
away $44,000,000 a month in
Series ‘E’ War Bonds alone. It
is requested that all addressees
(Continued on Page 3)
Station Band Has Party
Members of the Pre-Flight
Band, under the direction of
Chief Musician Ernest G. Smart,
staged a chicken dinner and
dance at the Band Center, on the
evehing of June 7th.
"It's almost closing time, J.
B. Maybe we should get
these War Bonds deliv
ered!"