Vol. 2—No. 26
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, March 11, 1944
Admiral Hardison and Staff Inspect Pre-Flight School
REAR ADMIRAL OSBORNE B. HARDISON, U SN, Chief of Naval Air Primary Training, is shown
above with members of his staff just before the inspection party departed by plane early Friday afternoon.
^ ^
Purple Heart Award
Given Lt. Graham
The Purple Heart was post
humously awarded recently to
First Lieutenant Charles M. Gra
ham, Jr., AAF, son of Mr. Charles
^ - Graham, civil-
down in the
July 5, 1943, raid on Gerbini air
port in Sicily.
He was previously awarded the
Air Medal with four Oak Leaf
clusters, and has been recom
mended for the Distinguished Fly-
Cross.
Mr. Graham has two other sons
Serving in the Army Air Forces,
It was a return to familiar
scenes for Rear Admiral Osborne
B. Hardison, USN, Chief of Naval
Air Primary Training, when he
visited Chapel Hill to inspect the
Pre-Flight School a week ago yes
terday. The inspection trip brought
Admiral Hardison back to the
campus of the University of North
Carolina which he attended before
entering the Naval Academy in
1912.
While Admiral Hardison toured
the station accompanied by Comdr.
John P. Graff, USN (Ret.), Com
manding Officer, members of his
staff inspected the various station
departments.
The Admiral and his party came
aboard Friday morning, completed
the inspection by noon, and de
parted by plane early in the after
noon.
Staff Sergeant Joe Graham, sta
tioned at Augusta, Ga., and Avia
tion Cadet Bobby Graham at
Miami, Fla.
Nine Pre-Flight
Officers Promoted
On March 1
Nine Pre-Flight officers were
given temporary promotion to the
next higher rank by an order ap
proved by the President on March
I. The order advanced more than
II,000 junior officers of the line
and staff corps of the Regular
Navy and Naval Reserve—ap
proximately 1,900 lieutenants
(junior grade) and approximately
9,700 ensigns.
Promoted here were three lieu
tenants (junior grade) and six en
signs whose dates of rank as such
were Feb. 1, 1943, or earlier.
The new two-stripers are Lieut.
Donald G. Edgar, USNR, naviga
tion instructor; Lieut. Carson G.
Mathews, USNR, gunnery in
structor; and Lieut. Elswood S.
Hill, USNR, navigation instructor.
Those adding half a stripe are
See PROMOTIONS, page 4
Lt. Comdr. Sauer
Detached; Replaced
By Lt. Comdr. Gilday
Lt. Comdr. Lloyd R. Sauer,
USNR, Officer-in-Charge, Cadet
Regiment, since November, 1942,
was detached during the past
week for transfer to Acorn As
sembly, Naval Base, .Port JHu-
eneme, Cal.
He was succeeded by Lt. Comdr.
John F. Gilday, USNR, who turn
ed over his former duties as head
of the N & R course to Lieut. H.
B. Atwood, USNR.
Lt. Comdr. Gilday, who has been
in the Academic Department since
May, 1942, is a graduate of the
Naval Academy (1927).
Other detachments during the
Lt. Cmdr. Sauer Lt. Cmdr. Gilday
past week included Lieut. H. J.
Beauvais, USNR, dental officer,
transferred to Fleet Marine Force,
San Diego, Cal.; Lt. (jg) Robert
F. Williams, USNR, battalion of
ficer, to Naval Flight Preparatory
School, Hamilton, N. Y.; Lt. (jg)
Robert W. Primmer, USNR, pla
toon officer, to NAS, Atlanta, Ga.;
Ens. Robert L. A. Clark, USNR,
assistant coach, hand-to-hand, to
NATTC, Chicago, 111.; and Ens.
Watson Ramsay, Jr., USNR, pla
toon officer, to NAS, Ottumwa, la.
T\yo officers reported here for
duty, Lieut. Bernard A. Delaney,
USNR, dental officer, and Lt. (jg)
George F. Fusco, USNR, who has
been assigned to the Military De
partment.
Enlisted personnel changes in
cluded three detachments and six
See LT. COMDR. SAUER, U