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BUR. .U OF NAVAL PERSONNEL Department of the Navy Washington, D.C. 20370

Official Business

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Postmaster: Do not forward. If unddiverable. return to sender, indicating forwarding address if available.

PO$tag~ ~ )Fees Paid Navy fiqi&rtment

Membe" oj th~ Retired Reserve 01 the Naval Reserve art ~"tilled to om Armed Forces Idrntificatwn Card (DD Form 2tV). The purpo$e oj thi$ card Ui idemification ami authorization to pur· clime oni)- n~cessary arricles oj ur,ilorm clothing. accouterments ""d equip'TUmt in such quantities all would b~ require,l in the event oj recall to active duty. In this .taWs. when nat On acti,,~ duty, you may wear the prescribed uniJorm 01 the grade held, when the ,,'earing oj the uni· !orm;' appropriate. Yo" are also allowed

~ ENLISTED CORRESPONDENCE

COURSES a • Aviation Maintenance AdminU­tralionman .l & C, NavPer~ 91499, which con~i~t8 of 7 assignments and is evaluated at 14 retirement point5. • Aviation Boatswain'rMate E 1 & C, NavPcI"!; 91672-A, which consists of seven assignments and is evaluated at 14 retirement points. This course supenedes NavPen; 91672. • Construction Mechanic 3 & 2, NavPers 91579-1C, .... hich con· sists of eight as$ignments and is evalualed at 21\. retirement points. This COUl'5ll supersedes NavPers 91579-1B. • Aviation Electronics Technician 1 & C, NavPers 91615-D, (Confi. dential) which consists of 13 as­signments and is evaluated at 39 retirement points. This course supersedes NavPers 91615-C.

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to use your militar,. title in connection ",ith commerdal enterprius, and '''~ eligible to apply for carre.pondwce cours~~ to maintain your professiJ'"') profic,"wC)".

• Resjgn or b~ discbarged-In thi.s way you would re.Ulne civilian status completely and blXome a "former memo ber." Forma membas are eligible Jar retired pay if thq meet the requirement. of Titl~ 10, U. S. Cude, S~crion 1331, bUi thq are not placed on th~ Retired LUit. Former member$ au not eligible jor any oth. r benefit. except health care.

The" lour alternative. would not alter youreligibilil)· for retiroo pa,. upon at· taining "ge 61), ij you are otherwise qualified in accordance with Title l(),

U. S. Cod. , Section 133l. As for your questwn about obtaining

or< ID Card, the original copy of your Resen'e retiremMt orders would be for.

W<lrded to )·ou via the Commanding J ar Naval Re$ave Manpower Ce, . ."a~al Training Cmter, Balnbridge, . Along with the original oj the orders, you '''ould uceiv~ a certified applica. twn for a retired identification card.­Ed.

Standby Reserve Sir: I ~m a Resen-i.t on two yean' active duty, scheduled to complete my active obligated service rbi, December.

My enlistment date was May of 1963, but before beghming my active duty I obtain.ed two one-year extelloiono of my Reserve lime while attending college. This moved my d'-chHgc date from the Nanl Reserve up to Moy of 1971.

BuPers Manual, Article H-14111-Oblil:ated Service-stat",,: r ""\.

"Individuals in the Naval Re~ enlisted for a peri<>d of six yea,.", with a requirement of two yean of active duty; salle/actory ~rvice as a member

11. o. GOVDt" .. iNI" p,,,"·l"'O O .... 'C E , H." " . '''"11'

h •

( , PIC !t10Ub'T AINS loom in background as Re.erve training .hips USS White. ( DE (34) and Mrannon (DE 416) carry out ASII' training in Strait oj Jiron lk

Fuca, between Vl!J>couver Islami and State of lI'ashington .

of th~ R ... dy Reserve for ~ po-iod which, when added to the two yeal1! of active dllty, will tololl liye yea,.,,; ~nd the re­m.uning period in the Standhy Re· serve •• "

D"", !hi. mean thai w~n I have . a total of five yean' serVice, including Re­serve and ~ctive duty time, which will be in May of 1968, I am eligible for the Staudhy R~e? And, if 00, what is entailed in. beiug a memoo of the Standby Reserve? For example, are drill. and acthe dnty for training reo quired?-R. D. W., YN3, USNR. • To qualijy lor traru;fer ro the Stand· b''Y;UJ"1Ie, you must have compl~ted , a ,.ta,. 01 active duty, plus three , oj sati,.,factory service in the Read,. Res~l1;e. Thus, il your u,.-ice 'n the RNdy Reserve before and after YOllr twO Y""'s' active dut,. ;., sati,.,factory,

)·ou would qualify for traru;fer to the Sto.ndby Reserv~.

Th~ term "samlactory scn~c~" means 90% attendance at drUl.$ ami an an· nual period of active du.t)" Jor training, unless waived.

Ij you ar~ tra"sjerred ro the Standby Reserve, you wUl not be required to driU or to perjorm active duty for tmm­ing. You will be liable jar active dul'f only in time of war or national e"",r· gene,- declared b,. the Congress or WMn otherw~<e authorized by law.

Hown'er, beJore you drop aut of th~ Ready Res~rve, you might want 10 look into the possibility 01 remaining wuh a drilling unit. The Naval Reserve needs CADRE personnel, and the retire"",nt and oth . r benefits 10 be gained through affiliatwn are well warth some serious consideration.-Ed.

THE NAVAL RES ERVIST

~ ~u"llIh.d ,"ontht, In Walhlngton, D.C., by ....... u of Noyor " ... n ... 1 151"<;01 54,v_ I ... Dlyl, I.., I. Opinr"" • .x_".d ..... nol ""'''0 <11, ,,, • •• of N ..... 'f Dep.""", ... I, I ...... "'.. I"Mlni", I. Nco .... t . ....... . ..... tOId IN . dd ....... to .... C._ ...... I of r_ No ..... ) Or' bid. Ame,-,.f ,_ .... , i_I _ 1M rorwordMl to: n.. Edllof, Ut. N ..... I ........ " . 1_ 1809A, ."illt-to ............ No ..... 0. .... _ ' . W.,hlll. _ _ . D.C.. 20310. , .. _.... oj !hi. ~rkcrtl .... ..,.. ... 11 In .............. with Do .... _ .... of rhe N--, Pubtkal ...... .... I'rIPOti", ..... 101 ....... NAVPOS '--35.

CONTENTS

Do,.,,, Bw NOI OIU-Tfumks To SA>

, H.'HI P(J." /iliff P,uoltl, USNR 10

Piilnur Pi/ou FIT From Pal T .. PreuIU 12

Leiters To Th. EdilQr 16

COYER : All F-8 Cruaader taku UI 1M air from the /li&hl d« k oi iu carrie, in illlUmllW/J 6,. ONUI MiM Tuflli oj ALL lliKIIS (1M The Nnat ReeerriI. Map..

"'"'.

Down But Not Out How does it Jed to bail out o· jlOiHiddkd jet OW! II1Ull11'Y te., lory? Much beuer, thank you, wlltft you make it bock to you. cafritr tM same day-

That', what Lieul~n(lllt (j&) John W. Cain, USNR, learned when h~ ej~cted from hi! A-4 Sky • haWk and found a search and re,' cue helicopt~r hovering overhead jus, eight minules later .

Hi" JlCry is toU her~ by Ensi&n HoiU C/JJlon. USNR, W public affai" officer of a &velllh Flut aircraft carrkr off Vietnam. It if trpical of many Uluoliciled te$li. moniau to the Navy'! $earcJ~ and re!cue effort ill that arm.

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"The only thing I wanted to do , " gel to the beach and mIt over water.

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Thanks To SAR l!igot there I knew I had it made."

J. pilol with Attack Squadron 192. LTJG Cain had jU!!l bombed a petrol~um 810rage depot near Haiphong when he felt the thud and shake that told him his plane had been hit.

A flyer gets accustomed to all 5011$ of noises, bum~ and sen$!l' tions when he pilots a jet flghter or bomber inlo combat. His rlldio squawks and crackle& in his ear; Mllllp tUJD.!l, diVe!! and "jinking" press him back lightly inlo hi, &eal ; and air pockets and winds jok and Viake his crall around him.

TEA MI"ORK-'ship5 aNi llircrc/l toOrk '1)' IO&dh~r in '~rch ~Ad relC"e nons. Hue .. helicopler and a de.

•. er move in /() pick I>P 0 pUOI 'rom rhe SoUlA China Sea.

St'QUENCE /'HOTOS ,AoM! pUOI 0/ pn F-lJ C~ui:ld~r ejurin, jrom h~ plane after it deV<!loped hydm,,/ic lIouble dur. ins ~ Victnam millien. Top: t:"cess jl>el is dumped ami IGnding ,ear arid speed brakes ,If. la .. !ued. C:nt~l: Pilot _i_ct.<. &ttom: e""lo opelU. Pilot .. ..., resclled

after anly 80 .eCllllds ill tli. " .. leT.

2

These are all nonnal, and usually welcome, sensations to the pilot as he guides hi~ complicated craft on a combat millllion.

But one IOtmd and sensation that each pilot privately hora never to experience is a heavy thud followed by a ~arp jump of the plane. When thai happened to LTJG Cain he had little doubt as to ,,·hat had caused it. "I'm hit," he radioed, "gonna have to go down."

Then he took action. " I had good power and speed

from my dive, 50 I figured I'd make it, but then my radio wenl out and all my electrical ,y&terns "'itb il. I was cut off from everybody."

At fim he thought hia engine had gone out too, hut aamehow it ,

/YELCOME ABOARD-LTIG AIllII R. Cu/)o, USNR, 01" S~ellth Flu, auri~r III.wck sqlW4'Oll, U 8'ee&ed by his lell"", pilDu ,,/ret 'u«euluJ ejedioro alit! '

copIer ''''CIU! 01 Y;.,mam.

continued to run. "I just hoped it would get me over the beach. That was my only thought."

The cockpit immediately began 10 fill with fire and smoke from his burning COll!)Oie, and he tried to switch over to his backup sys­lem&. "I knew the brdl'llulics would probably conk out any minute, 50

I tried 10 change over to manual control But no go. It wouldn't kick in."

The fire and !moke continued to get woree. Since his radio was out and he was cut off from advice from the other pilots he COUld" tell if hi4 plane was burning' temally. "For all I knew, I was J t one big fireball."

He was doing roughly (and you can take that two wa~) 240 miles per hour at 2000 leet when he fin­ally lost all control of the craft. Every time he would pUllb the throttle Iorward for more power he would get more smoke.

"I knew the 5l.eering was gone when 1 had everything cranked for II hard right roll and the plane started to roll slowly to the left and over on illl back. That was it, brother. I knew it was time to va­cate !he premises, beach or no beach."

He pulled the wind curt~ hi! ejection !leat down o\'er his fllCe and, alter a split.second pause, heard two explosions as be WIUI

catapulted out of the Hotmdering jet almost parallel to the sea.

)'" fell the wind ruming by as

seal spun around a couple of Innes before the chute popped. It probably only took a couple of seconda fo r il to open, but it sure _med a 101 longer!'

The nexi thing he knew all the fire, smoke and noise was gone and he was quietly drifting down_

As he passed th rough the clouds he could see F -8 Crwader jets of Fighter Squadron 19-\ and other member, of his own attack squad­ron circling overhead. That made him feel good, He abo ~aw water below him, Thai made him fed even hetter,

"But then I saw land---on both

)5 of me." This was Do Son

.' inBula and ~ Son ieland, both neur the mouth of Haiphong hart bar, "I was coming down right Imack on the itland. A$ I got closer to the gro\lJld 1 could see people running around and just knew I was going to land right on top of them. I figured it was .all over, and that I'd he a guest of tbe Hanoi Hilton before the night."

This was the first time LTJG Cain had actually used II parachute, !o he wasn't completely familiar "'ith it'! behavior. But he learned £1151 and already knew he could cont rol his drift by the way he pulled on the shrouds.

{ )Well I started to pull like crazy on this one shroud, trying to get out o\'er the water between the islaml lind the peninsula I didn't

Of\' THE IOB- H-·1 5&ol'ri'e lQ"'f'J

rescue 8Mr '" I'illtt .. h.. ",ill be fflUfnetl rQ hir carm' th" ... m~ dur.

think it was working at ail, but !!Omehow I came down in the water righl between the t,,-o pieces of land."

As he was coming down the F--& were strafing the coasts all around him, trying to keep any Ntore fire from getting him. He had 105t his

BUCKLE UP-CalapuJl "",,'me" prt­pare an A-4 Skyha .... k lot laUfKhinl

'rom a s.,,,,,,,,lh F/'e' Nl,rit,.

•

lJND£R'AY R£PL£NISHMENT-Hi411 '-f 1M C»ll 01 TOllkUJ lUI RF-B en.. ....!'"J r~fue4from "II A ..... Sk,ha"k eq ... ppen.wJ. ",,'e""'/ refu~/in.s IlIIIkf.

pocket radio transmitter during the ejection, 110 he was &tilJ cut off from the other pilotl. All through his dellCenl the Cr/J$04efl kept circling him. to hit al shore batteries and the many 5mall boats converging on the area.

The commanding officer of the jet lighter squadron, Commander William F. Conklin, USN, was overhead. He and other pilots of his !l!JUadron had been flying a Hu-euppreuion and combat air patrol (CAP) minion in the Wilt:

Btrike. CDR Conklin had heard Cain's brief radio meaage when he was lint hit. Even though he was low on fuel, Conk.lin assumed immediate charge of the reecue miMion. It was his job to suppress the enemy until the propeller­dri\'en A- I Sky,o.idu, of the res­clle combat air patrol (RESCA P) arrived. The A-Is or "Sp(J(lJ," be­cau!Ie of their lower speed, have more maneuverability and &tayin~ power to better cover a rescue.

5

Ensign Howard N. Van Dorn, USNR, a Spad pilot with Attack Squadron 52 Wal:! flying just off the coast. In only eight minutes the search and re!lCue (SAR) heli9' ) ler was al50 on the scene.

"That's when all hell broKe looae," aaid Cain. "The copter made about two passes over me, trying to maneuver in to pick me up. Then they started hitting us with everything they had. Mortars and 37mm fire began to rain near

'" "'asn', thinking about much elM: but getting out of there, but I do recall thinking this whole thing was jUllt like the movies, really. There were bombs going oft over_ head, mortam lICndinK up big showem 01 waler, and sman anru; fire getting closer all the time-jusl like the movies."

The helicopter began to t IIOme hits from the beach. The gun· ner on board was busy returning fire with his machine .gun while

another crewman lowered the cable and hook.

,'"As lIOon 11.8 I had draped my

over' the hook the chopper hauled the cable up and started 10

lift oft wilh me hanging right underneath. They didn't wtl.!te any time getting oul of !here, and l wasn't going to argue. I got banged around underneath the chopper quite a bit until we got Ollt lur_ ther and they finally bauled me aboard."

The ~ape WIl.8 nont too soon, for mortar fire had been walking right up to the craft, even strad­ling it, near the end.

"JUlt before we left, that JWlt round landed about 50 feet from LIS," Cain IJ8ld, "and that was clolle t ""lIgh for me."

I } addition to the North Viet­namese shore fire and boalll down below there were eight Sky,aiders, lilt C,waden and five Skyhawks overhead at one time or another. Quite a show for young Bill Cain.

But the key memhelll of the team ""ere the courageous crew of lhe rescue chopper from Helicopter Squadron Two. The pilot was LT Stephen T. Millikin, USNR, and the co.pilot was Lieutenant (ig) Thomas E. Pettis, USNR. Peter J. Sorokin, AX2, USN, worked lhe hoist, and Charles B. Sather, AX2, USN, manned the machine gun.

Even "'ith mortar lire moving their way, and after taking direct hits from shore fire, the copter cre",' stayed over Cain for 10 min­ntes to make the pick-up. Their willingntsll to place thelIl.'lelvn in danger to save others is typical of the attitude shown by all the men assigned to the helicopters, Spadl and destroyen in SAR.

Hundreds of pilots owe their livet! to these men, and one more name-LTJG John W. Cain, USNR, hal:! now been added to the list.

As Cain puts it, "How do you pay back a debt like that?"

RECORD BREAKER-F,..t combat Jupport ,hip USS Sacramento (AOE 1) r~ fuels ~II lJin::ra/t ClAl"/Ur J~ opera"" .... in 1M Sowh Chind Std. Th t ,hip dainu

/0 M" broke" "'_ e"", uistins rqJlerWhmelll r«oTlI 011 Ik bo<>kJ.

SFIFT ACTION-A typical junk, on .. o/IM"" pr<'3entM by the P'et""me'" Na"7 to the U, S. No"7, is "s .... rchd" durin.& tTllininK "pe .... tWl1& in San Dies" Bay.

From Gunboats To Guided Missiles

The year 1929 may have been rough on the stock market, but it was pretty good to young Harold Abrahams of Hancock. Mich.

That's when he first put on the hat as a chief yeoman in the Naval Reserve. And now, after 43 years of continuous service as an officer and enlisted man, he's finally hung it "po

The chief joined the 15th Divi· sion of the Naval Reserve at Han­cock on 24 Mar 1924. At that time Calvin Coolidge was in the White House, Jack Dempsey was heavy­weight champion of the world and Rudolph Valentino was one of the biggest stars of the silent screen.

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, That same year, two Anny Corps planes landed in Seattle to complete the first round-the-world Righi (it took 175 dayS), and the Washington Senators, with Walter Johnson on the mound for the final game, won the World Series from John McGraw's New York Giants.

During the '20s and '3Qs the chid perfonned AcDuTra on the Great Lakes in such Reserve Train­ing ships as the gunboats USS Pa­ducah (No. 18), Dubuque (No. 17) and Wilmington. (No.8), and the converted steamer Wiltneue (IX 29). He abo trained on the four-stack destroyers USS Reid (DD 292) and Lom.Jon (DD Z "\ and the battleship wroritnt/ (BB 32).

On 6 Oct 1940 Chief AhrahllIl13 went on extended active duty as a

recruiter for the 15th Division and, on 21 Mar 1941, when that division

'

for the West Coast and active y, he was with it. uring World War II he served

on board the transport USS Mount Vernon (AP22) for three and one· half years. During that time he circled the earth, logged repeated crossings of the Equator and Inter­national Date Line and put in at such places as Port.of-Spain, Trin­idad; Capetown, South Africa; Momhasa, Kenya; Aden (on the Arabian peninsula); Suez; Colom· bo, Ceylon; Singapore; Perth,

.Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Au!tralia; Wellington and Auck­land, New Zealand; Suva in the Fiji Islands; Milne Bay, New

rJne~; New ,~:~:nia:,,,HaWali;

~.~ --

Yeoman Harold N,,,,al ReseT1JC in

days w""n gunboat.< Were being u.ed It.' traininS ship~.

MAN OF THE QUARTER Ellflcnc S. Hall, Communz'catio7l$ Tuhmcu.n Scc. ond Clas.<, USNR. of SmYTl14, Ga., is presented an en,f!rav~tl ~ih'~r bowl b)­presitl~tII of th~ local council of the Navy Ltasuc. Petty Officer Hall is a member oj S~curi!.,. GroUI' Diuiswn 6--1 , which.me~4 at the Naval Re",rvc Train· ins Cmter on Ihe G""rsw Tcch ""mp"'.

Panama; 'England; and Scotland. Upon his appointment as a war·

rant officer he ..... as assigned as per­sonnel officer at the Navy Radio School at Madison, Wis., after which he served with the 17th Naval Districi and North Pacific Commands as Assistant and, later, Acting District Personnel Officer. During this period he also per­formed liaison duties with the Rlli!. sian Navy for several months. By November 1946, when he was de­mobilized, he was a lieutenant (ig).

About a year later, after helping to organize Naval Reserve Surface Division 9-202(M), he re!ligned his commission, reverted to . chief yeoman, and went back on active duty. Since then he has had several tours of extended active duty as a T AR-as stationkeeper at Han· cock; at Green Bay, Wis.; and at

8

Headquarters, Ninth Naval Dis­trict, Grcat Lakcs, Ill. His last sta­tion was at Hancock, where he re_ tired on 1 April. At that time he was promoted to lieutenant (jg) on the retired list.

The retirement, however, will nol end the Abrahams family con­nection with the Navy. The chief's son, Paul, is a lieutenant serving on the guided missile cruiser U SS Topeka (CLC 8).

Men On The Go Nearly 8000 midshipmen from the U. S. Naval Academy and 53 NRO­TC colleges and universitie!! are

GOOD SKATE-Gary Vi<eonri, SA, USNR, current U. S. Nlltwnal Champion /md World Bronze M~dali<t figure ~kater. aplaiJu equipment to Chief Petty Offi­cer James W. Woodham. R~ullJUt Vi.­comi is a member of NRSD 9--fJ2, Dear·

born, Mich.

9

taking part in training aBoat and ashore this summer.

Ships of the U. S. Fin;t, Sec~ Sixih and Seventh Fleets will}, )' vide at-sea training for 2440 first class midshipmen and 2700 third class midshipmen. Included in these numbers are 57 midshipmen who will train in Polari$ subma­rincs scheduled for two·month patrols. Fifty-five first class mid­shipmen will participate in the Mid­shipman Foreign Exchange Pro­gram with 18 different nations. An additional 250 NROTC Marine option first class midshipmen will receive six weeks of field trailling at Quantico, Va.

The schedule for 840 Naval Academy second class midshipmen calls for two weeks of prof~ir ) training at the academy, tl. weeks of aviation indoctrination at the Pensacola' and Jacksonville Naval Air StatiOllll, one week of amphibious training at Little Creek, Va., and one week of sub­marine training at New London, Conn.

The 'summer training program for 1410 NROTC second class mid­shipmen will cOllllist of three weeks of aviation orientation at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Chriati, Tex.., and three weeks of amphibi. OIl8 training at either Little Creek, Va., or Coronado, Calif. While at Little Creek or Coronado j NROTC midshipmen will rec"

two days of submarine orientatl 1.

The training is scheduled tu end by 5 September.

I I

'I I

SHA.RP RESERVISTS-Member5 of Re~rv~ Mit. whk;h drill at Noval ond M"ri.n.~ Corps R~serw TTllining COlter on Tu asure Island, Son Fronci<eo, gath~r at th~

eMu r to take part in an award ceremony.

Heroes Past And .) Present, USNR

l1. pilot who helped torpedo a Jap­anese aircraft carrier nearly 23 years ago in the Battle of the Philip­pine Sea, and a flight officer, who recently escaped h1$ North Viet­namese captors, are the latest Naval Reservists to receive the Navy CroBB.

The Navy Cross, which ranlu second only to the Medal of Honor as a combat decoration, has now been awarded to seven Naval Re­servists for bravery in the Vietnam fighting. Two of tho~e seven-Lieu. tenant Edward A. Dickson, USNR, irnd Lieutenant Harold D. Meyer­"]rd, USNR-Iost their lives in the

on for which they were cited. The most £ecen.t Navy Cross

awarded a Reservi~t for Vietnam heroilml. is that of Lieutenant Og)

Francis S. Prendergast, U5NR, .of Canton, Ohio, who was cited for his action on 9 Mar 1967 as a flight officer with Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 13 on a combat mission over North Vietnam. His citation describes the action in these words.:

"After being shot down, pursued

FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROlSM­Form~T LT Jrueph L. Rubm, USNR, ueeiv~. the Navy Cross from RA.DM GeorfJ~ R. Luker. USN, for heroism os Il u>rpedo plrm~ 'pilot ill World War II.

His wife, Betty, looks OJ>.

~i

FAMILY AFFAIR-Cunner', Mate SeCQnd Class Htury S. G~,kiU. Jr., .. rite, Itame to hU falAu f1'(Jm Re,~roe Irllininl .hip USS Whitehunt (DE 634). Tlte dd~, G ... kW. 1H.I II chief 1"mtlA Oil boo,d Wbllch ..... 1 u. i1'0I1d

/I' Ql' II.

and captured by a group of llfIemy militiamen and soldien in the shallow, coastal wateN off North Vietnam, Lieutenant (jg) Pren­derga& cahnly and accurately as­&eaed his dire situation and cun· ningly conserved his strength for a bold and extraonlinarily heroic eKape.

"Demonstrating the courage and alertness of a disciplined and well. trained fighting man, he seized upon a most dramatic escape oj>­P(irtunity, which presented itself for, at the most, a few fleeting sec­onds. By his exceptionally prompt, daring Il1Id heroic &CIion al this moment,. he succeeded in duding his captoili and was. shortly there­after, picked up by a resc.:ue hdi­copter."

The pilot decorated for World War II action it former Lieutenant

II

Joseph L. Rubin, USNR, of Great Neck, Long 1, land, N. Y. , ,,·ho was presented the Navy CroS!! by R~ Admiral Ge<lrge R. Luker, ~ J! mandant of the Third Naval Dis· trict, in a ceremony at 3KD Head· quarters.

Then. Lieutenant (ig), Mr. Rubin was a torpedo plane pilot with VT-1S, flying from USS i lllrepid (CV ll ) during the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea. On 24 Oct 1944 he participated in torpedo attacb which severely crippled an enemy battleship task force and, the next day, he was one of three pilo~ credited with tor· pedo bit5 on a Japanese light air ­craft carrier whioh later sank.

To make their attacks., the pilot5 had to Oy at altitudes of !eu t~ ) 500 feet,. through inten~ve at.

aircra.ft fire from 25 10 30 ships, some of which were even firin g their 16-inch guns at the American planes.

After the baule he was recom­mended for the Navy Crosa by hit commanding officer, but the recom· mendation went astray somehow and never reached the Board of Decorations and Medals.

By la ... ·, the Navy CrOllll must be awarded within five yean after the ad. of heroism, but exceptional cOl1llideralion may be given in cases involving log recommendation5. When a. recent investigation estP) li!!hed that this had happen~ Mr. Rubin's case, the Secretary 0 the Navy considered it and ap­proved the award.

CONT ACT!-CAPT Chane, S. Downey, USNR (left). "nd Attltur Caitltml (,...,itt) discWI Iltelr lIi6hr from ChiCtl,o to Hadley Air Field ",ltile p'epari"lf lor" t<1.keoO.

Pioneer Pilots Fly From Past to Present Two avialon., garbed in white , ilk lICarves, leather hehnetll and gog·

l ' looked like characters out of short-circuited time machine

, en they landed their open.cock­pit biplane at South Plainfield, N.J., recently.

The pair-Captain Charles S. Downey, USNR. of NARTU Lake­hunt. and Mr. Arthur Caithml of Lombard, ilL, were completing the last leg of a flight relracing the route of the early Airmail ServiCfl pilots on the Chicago to New York run back in the 1920s. They made the trip from Hinsdale, ilL, via Cleveland, in 8.9 flight hOUD­roughly about the time it takes for an aatrona.ut to orbil the earth six time •. "¥ large crowd of reporters,

,.....tographen and the curious were on hand when the 1941 two­seater arrived. A~ it circled the field the ... ·ords "Fly Navy," em-

blazoned in blue on the bright ye l. low tail IWembly, Clluld be aeen glistening in the 5un.

Hadley Field had been selected as a landing lite because it was the New York Hi·Plane Terminal, and was the starting point for Amer· ica's Transcontinental Air Trans­portation Sy&tem.

Kno ... 'JI as " Airmail Pioneer Flight No.2," the reenactmenl was dedicated to the pioneer pilots of the Ainnail Service, "whose devo· tion to and belief in aviation helped forge the first links in America's gigantic air tran!ports· lion ~ystem as .... e "uow it today."

The plaue carried no radio, and its instruments were limited 10 the mmilllum standard equipment available in the old days.

The two avilltor&-both airline employee_took turns flying the llhip, ,,·hich they like to refer to as a " t .... o-r.tory .. airplane. They also

"

like to order biplane gas every now and then when they stop to refuel.

The pair made six stops on their way east, and passed over all the old air mail fieldls. Other fields have taken the place of the original land­ing spob, which were then linle more than corn field!!.

They stopped overnight in Cleve­land, where they were greeted by the largest crowd of the trip, in. cluding television news crew~.

Average speed for the Right was 81 miles per hour, but CAPT Downey clahl1$ the top speed for the plane is 95. They used 74 gal. Ions of gas and three quarts of oiL

One reporter asked if they were carrying any mail, to which the captain replied, "No. Just the usual ten pound!! of bricks."

The two Rew under visual flight rules, following railroad tracks and highways as their predecessors had done.

"We bucked headwinds all the way from Cleveland, but she never missed a beat," CAPT Downey proudly reported.

The weather was cool, but the pilots were ready for it. They wore new, bright yellow nylon anti·ex. posure flight suib.

CAPT Downey bought the plane in 1960 and has restored it to its original design. The color scheme is patterned after that of the Navy fighter aircraft which operated from carriers in the mid·19.W's. The plane is registered with the Antique Airplane Association.

A World War II dive bomber

13

pilot, CAPT Downey is a member of Naval Air Reserve Staff 75 at Lakehurst. Mr. Caitbml was a co~ bat engineer crew member wi .I Air Force B-17 squadrons just after the Korean conflict.

The two Hyers were quick to answer when someone 85ked if they were ready to make the trip again. As they put it:

"Just give us a good tail wind and we'll go back tomorrow."

-By Bob Jenkins, J02, USNR.

Deep Six For 534 Officers requesting a report of satisfactory service and retirement points credited under Tit1e 10 U.S.C., Section 1331 should now be using Form NavPers 1070) instead of NavPers 534.

The revision of the old fonn was made necessary when the pro· motion point system wa~ abolished. Also, NavPers 534 made no pro· vision for reporting total cumula· tive retirement points, and the point subtotal earned after 30 Jun 1949, as shown on Form 534, pro· vided only a partial report. The new form makes it po~sible to pro· vide the cumulative totai, 80 the .~O Jun 1949 breakoff has been dropped.

In accordance with BuPen No­tice 1070 of 21 Mar 1%7, all sup· plies of NavPers 534 should " disposed of. The notice also J minds officers using the new form of the importance of including the ZIP Code in the return addTe$.

f

Policy Spelled Out On Drill Obligations For Enlisted

l Air Reservists Revised drilling requiremenu have now gone into efJect for enlisted Air Reservists in the four·to·lO· month active duty for training pro· gram who have not completed their drilling obligation. The revised re­quirements will also apply to new pel1lonnel enlisting in the program.

As spelled out in BuPeTS Notice 1571 of 13 Apr 1967, Reservists in this program who fail or are un· able to participate satisfactorily in units of the Ready Reserve, who have not fulftlled their $tatutory Reserve obligation, and who have

j 5erved on AcDuTra for a total 4 months will be ordered to

. 'Ie duty with the operating forces.

They will then be required to serve on active duty for a minimum of 14 months. Their rnaximrnn period of active duty will be 24

STEAMING-Res~T1I~ traiJUng skip USS Cow~ll (DD 547) cruiu. ad the West CooSI. The ,hip i. IwmeporwJ. at

San Franc;"C(J, Calif.

HALL TO THE CHIEFS-Three memo b~rs oj YR-873 at NAS, Alameth, Calif., receive Reserve Meritorious Se,..,.. ice Medal.. Th~ are, kIt to n6hl, William E. Crawford, CIIKJ Aw>tWn Machini5I's Mat~ and MlJSur Chief Aircraft MaintcllIl1ICemen John J. Eberle

and Paw R. Free.

months, minus an amount of time equal to that which they have al· ready spent on active duty for training.

If the member's enlistment would expire before the required period of active duty has been completed, his enlistment may be extended to cover the period on active duty.

Individuals who cannot be ordered to active duty for the reo quired period will be discharged and reported to the Selective Serv· ice System.

As exceptions to this policy, men who are unable to participate in Reserve component uuits may be con$idered for discharge or W!sign. men! 10 the Active Status Pool as follows:

• Individuals eligible for dis·

I.

charge for dependency, hardship or other re!\!!Ons authorized by regulations will, upon application, be diseharged.

• Those unable to participate in a unit because of action taken by the Navy Department (for ex­ample, the inactivation of an air station or training unit), ,rather than actions of their own, will be retained in the Active Status Pool.

• Men who provide substantial evidence that their employment is necessary to maintain the national health, safety or interest, v.ill, upon application, be discharged.

• Men previously l\S!!igned to Training Category "E" may re­main in that category, if they par­ticipate satis.factorily in accordance with curren! regulations. However,

[ ,,, REUN IONS It I

• Submarin" VeteraM-The U. S. Sub­marine Veterans will hold their fourth national convention in Hcmpatcad, L. I~ N. Y., from 9 to 13 August.Yor informa· tion contact JOS<lph II. Burges, Box 1M, Dnmont, N. J. 07628. • Greal White Fleet-The Great White Fleet Veteran. Association will hold it. 23rd annual reunion in San Diego 16 December. Men who "",iled with th~ fI.,.,t in 1907, 'OS and '09 ar~ invited. Contact furry S. Morrill, 5070 Marl· borough Drive, San Diego, Calif. 92116. • USS M;",;',ippi (BB 411 - -The Wth annual rcupi"n will he held at EI c..jon, Calil~ 14 Octokr. For detail. write to Jimm)' Lucas, 1308 Blossom St., Glen. dale, Calif. 91201. • USS Ak<b""", (BB 60) crew memo

15

new aSl!ignmenl!! will not be made to that category, except in cases like the one at left, where N,., Department action, 5uch as the, , ] activation of a unit, prevents the man from participating.

The policy of either ordering men to active duty or discharging them will be followed, in lieu of the 45-day tour of active duty for training, for men without prior military service. For prior service obligators, where desired, the 45-day tour may continue to be used.

Men subject to active duty under the revised policy may be allowed to delay beginning their active duty for a reasonable period for such purposes as taking 5tate or federal examinations. seasonal em· ployment, or similar valid rea'l; .

bers who ocn'cd in that $hip during World War II will hold their 25th anni. versary reunion 18-20 Augu.t in Mohile, Ala. For infonnation contact C. G. Ik ..... P. O. Box 829, Montgomery, Ala. 36102. • USS Concord (CL lO)-A reunion will b~ held in Waukegan, IU •• 10 through 13 AllJ!llst, for thO-'" who $Crvoo on board betwMn 1938 MId '46. For de· tails contact J. Rasden, 938 Mllirficid Ave" Waukegan, Ill. 60085. • Palrol Squodron 82 (VI' 82)-A 26th anniversary reunion;' heing planned for this year. If interested, contaCI ll.u ... ell E. Sam", 56 Brookside Drive, Ea.t Greenwich, R. I. 02818. • USS LCl(L) 966--A reunion ill heinl( planned by tho"" who ""rveo:! on board bet,",eIl 1911 and '46-tOOe and r~ to he determined. Contact Domni Cerra, 221 Prospeel St., Dunmore, . 18512. • USS /'el1.<uemu (CA 24) - A reunion i. now in the planning stage for some

,

time later thi3 year. If interested write to Master Chief Peuonndman Douglas .Jacobe, Quarter. 1624, NAS, Pcruacola, """"'1-. \ . .JSS Herndon (DD 638)-A reuniop i. scheduled fur this Septemher in N~w York. For more infurroation, write to

[ TO THE EDITOR

Retirement Question Sir: On SO lun 1968 I will have com· pleted 26 . ati.factory years in the Nav~1 Reserve for retiremept purpose.. I will have reached age 47 on 3 Jun 1968.

At age 60, when retirement benefits hc&in. will they be computed for me at the ba.e pay in effect at the time ·of . J:. ent (SO lun 1968). or wiil they

mputed at the base pay in effect "0 e day preceding the first day of the month following age 60 (30 lup 1981)?

Is there any advantage in transferrin, to the Inactive Statu. List until the fir5t day of the month following my 60th birthday (in accord~nce with BuPers Munual Art. H-J705 (6) and Title 10, U. S. Code) in'tead of requ""ting retire. ment on 30 J un 1968.

AI ... , during the Jl'.'riod when a Re­""rvist i, retired without pay (M.·.iting age 60), what tyJl'.' of to Card does he carry, and what command i, 'reoponsible for i.suing the card?-R. L K" CAPT, USNll.. • Th~ lormula lor computing relired pay, lor Reurv;'t, KTlml~d such pay under Tifle 10, V. S, Code, Sectioll1331.

.. lorth in Till~ 10, U. S. Code, Sec> Jl4fJI. III ;'ssence, that statute provide. t!wt

retired PllY will b~ computed h mulli· pi:ti4K the applicable bruic pay 01 tM

Angu~ Schmelz, 35 Henry St., Succa­.unna, N. J. 07876, • 30lh Seab~e Baua/ion members will hold their silver jubil..., reunion I through 3 s.,ptember in Utica. N. Y. For inforrn.ition, write Salvator Dard.mo, 26 Van Epps St~ Veruon, N. Y. 13476.

grode '" which refired, by ""' WId Olle­kll perCelit of 1M u>tal yMr& 01 active .<avice. The u<'live u,vice ;. delermilled by dhiding the totat r"tir~menf points by 36().

The low lunher proflid~ tkt the up· plic,ible bruic pay awl in thu coJcu1a: Ium ,htdl be Ikt establisW !J.y the Military Pay Act i1l eOel'I at tM tim~ tM individual u gTallled relired pay •

You, '''u} olM' Rese,..,uts, woo com· piete 20 years 01 qUlJ.li/ring service be­lare reachillg "ite (j(J htw.! laar possible alt~r1lOIiv~, whi£h may be lolw",ed. They are:

• Co~li"ue aclwe m..",w.!tip---ln Ih;. way rou mar incrMSe the amoWlt 0/ yaur retiremml pay by earning addi. rional poillts and !J.y addin& rear, 01 3e"'ic~ for ba,ic pay purptMes.

• Request t..,,,J,,, to I~e Inac/in Siolu' Lisl-Th;' war you flJOlJ4 not earn odditw7I01 reliremenl paints, but rour Ii"", un lhe 1,,1 wouid counl toward rour length 01 s~rvke lor basic pay purpous.

• Requesl Ir<>nk 10 flte Refired Reo .er.e-lll ,h;' ,IOSUS you ma:r 1I0t aC· cumuiau addilional rerireme>u paints nt)r years of qualifyi10g s<:f'O>iee, e%cept while you {JFe .eruing all {JcliV<'! duty. Hawe.'~r, you lih>uJd remain a member of the ,y{Jval Re,~~ and be d.igible for G~rluill be_fits, illcluding W"ll~ credit lor basic pay purpou •.

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