Page Two
CLOUDBUSTER
Saturday, September 26, 1942
Vol. 1—No. 2
CLOUDBUSTER
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1942
Published weekly at the U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School,
Chapel Hill, N. C.
Under supervision of the Public Relations Office.
COMDR. O. 0. Kessing, USN, Commanding Officer
Lieut. Comdr. John P. Graff, USN (Ret.), Executive Officer
Lieut, (jg) Kidd Brewer, USNR, Public Relations Officer
Lieut, (jg) Dan Partner, USNR, Sports
Ensign Leonard Eiserer, USNR, Editor
Opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of staff mem
bers or of individual writers, and are not to be considered as those of the
United States Navy.
Articles and features may be reprinted without permission, pro
vided proper credit is given.
“The Finest... Ever Seen
While proof of the ‘value of Pre-Flight training—in the form
of fighting deeds accomplished—will not be written in the battle
skies of the world until alumni of this course fly against the
enemy sometime early next summer, it is worthwhile here to note
the reaction of high Navy officers at initial contact with the first
graduates of this school at flight bases.
After observing in primary flight training the actions of our
First Battalion cadets, the officer in charge of ground training at
the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Memphis, Tenn., writes:
“All of us feel that we should compliment those in charge at
the results which are evident in the cadets whom you sent here.
Their posture, military bearing, drill and attitude in general, are
the finest which we have ever seen in aviation cadets. I trust that
we will be able to keep them at this same high level and send them
on as fine and enthusiastic as they are now.”
In similar vein, the commanding officer of the NRAB at Peru,
Ind., states: . . Judging from the 20 young men you transferred
to us recently, you are doing a splendid job of indoctrination and
training. ... I want to reiterate that we were very favorably im
pressed with your men and will do our best to make good pilots
of them.”
Again, from the C.O. at the Squantum, Mass., NRAB: “... The
first batch of cadets are doing fine and everyone is favorably
impressed.”
By Lieut. Eric H. Arendt
Chaplain Corps, USN
The spiritual side of life is not over
looked in our Navy. It is, and always
has been, the concern of the Navy De
partment to provide opportunity for
worship whenever possible. The ques
tion that seems to be asked more fre
quently than any other in this regard
is that which involves the opportunity
for the expression of one’s particular
faith or denomination.
The Navy Department recognizes the
three great divisions of religion which
affect the American way of life—
Roman Catholic, Jewish and Protest
ant. It becomes the duty and privilege
of each chaplain to concern himself
with the spiritual welfare of ALL, re
gardless of his particular faith.
Therefore, ships of the Navy to
which chaplains are attached (and
there is only one to each vessel) make
possible an interchange with chaplains
of other faiths for the Sunday morn
ing services whenever these ships are
lying at anchor or are moored. Smaller
vessels, which have no chaplain are
always notified of the services, and
often church parties make their ap
pearance aboard the ships in which
divine services are held. When the ship
Divine Services
Catholic
Masses 0615, 1000*, 1045
Confessions, Friday, 1830-1930
^'Service at Forest Theatre,
weather permitting. All oth
ers Gerrard Hall.
Jewish
1000, Hillel House
General Protestant
1000, Memorial Hall
is underway, the chaplain offers a gen
eral service to which all hands are
invited. A Roman Catholic chaplain
follows his general service with the
celebration of the Mass,
At shore stations the problem of ar
ranging services for the three religious
groups is more easily managed. If
there is only one chaplain, he usually
finds civilian priests, rabbis and min
isters more than willing to offer their
services. We are extremely fortunate
here, for example, in having the inter
est and assistance of Father Morris
sey and Father Sullivan in the minis
try among our Roman Catholics and
Rabbi Gitin among those of the Jew
ish faith. The service for the Protest
ant groups is not unlike that which
many of you will come to know as your
career in the Navy progresses. Its em
phasis is interdenominational.
The freedom of religion granted to
us under our Constitution is one of the
freedoms that we not only enjoy, but
are fighting to retain. And your Navy
stands fast in upholding the religious
tradition of your Country.
Navy Cadets, Officers and
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Presenting The Executive Officer
By Cadet James G. Butler ^
Lt. Comdr. John P. Graff, USN
(Ret.), the Executive Officer of the
Navy Pre-Flight School here in Chapel
Hill, was born in Sharon, Pa. The date
when J. P. G., minus his brass buttons
and stripes, made his entrance was
Aug. 24, 1896. He later moved to
Greenville, Pa., a whistle stop on the
Bessemer Railroad.
In 1915 he started thinking about
West Point, but since the family had
a stray Congressman friend who
thought the Navy Way, he headed for
Annapolis. “Packy” (from Packard in
J. P. G.) at this time stretched 6-2 sky
ward and weighed 170 pounds when
he prepped at Buck Wilmers, (Naval
Academy Prep School).
Kismet had it that here and at the
Academy he was to have as friends
many who now play important roles in
this war. Among them are Capt. Mike
Kernodle, of the USS Warp; Capt. C.
D. Glover, of the USS Saratoga; Capt.
A. K. Doyle, one of the mainsprings in
the Pre-Flight program; and Comdr.
Winfield Scott Cunningham, who was
in command at Wake Island and is now
held prisoner by the Japs.
Lt. Comdr. Graff entered the Naval
Academy in June, 1916, with the first
of what later became known as “large
classes.” He spent seven months at
sea in battleships and cruisers during
1917 and 1918, and was graduated with
the class of 1920 in June, 1919, the war
having caused the course to be shor
tened to three years.
While at Annapolis he pulled No. 3
oar on the Navy’s varsity crew which
won the inter-collegiate championship
in Philadelphia in 1919 in competition
with Pennsylvania, Syracuse, and
Princeton (there was no Poughkeepsie
Regatta that year).
After graduation he served succes
sively on the transport USS Kaiserin
Augusta Victoria, the USS Nevada,
and the USS Reuben James. It was
while serving on the Reuben James
that he met Comdr. O. 0. “Scrappy”
Kessing, who was then a lieutenant
and the Executive Officer of that ship.
They spent some two years and cruised
more than 40,000 miles in the Carib
bean, Mediterranean, Adriatic, and
Baltic Seas.
The ship transported hundreds of
Russian refugees along the coast of
Dalmatia, kept order in Northern Ger
many, and maintained communications
between the' American Relief Adminis
tration in Russia and the American
Dispatch Agent in London. In October,
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.
Back into the hectic days of civilian
life, he successively worked for the
Packard Motor Car Co. in Youngstown
and Cleveland, 0., and later in James
town, N. Y. He left the motor car busi
ness and went with the Petroleum Heat
and Power Co., of Stamford, Conn.
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While in civilian life, he maintained
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Navy. He was active in the Naval
See LT. COMDR. GRAFF, page U
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