Daughter seeks deciphering re: 96 year old USMC Pilot

[gobatp]

Thanks for your interest/curiosity...

Dad is 96 and doing great - I am looking though his ppwk since 1946 when he enlisted in the USN, then in 1952 he was a NavCad in Pensacola; transitioned to USMC in 1952.

I see he's a VMA Pilot : V- fixed wing, M - Marine? A- ?
Primary MOS : 7331 ?
Authority : Para 6053 MCM ?
Carrier Qualifications : SNJ F6F ?

Please aim me toward the historians? I bet I'll find more to question - THANKS again!
PJ

 

[ChuckMK23]

7331 MOS = "VME Prop"

The predominant prop attack aircraft of the Marine Corps in the 1950's was the Corsair and Skyraider. Perhaps even the F7F Tigercat or TBM Avenger.

Likely he converted to jets at some point in late 1950's

Initial and advanced Carrier Qualification would have indeed been in the SNJ and F6F at the time.

 

[Swanee]

The A in VMA means "Attack".

 

[JTS11]

Thanks for your interest/curiosity...

Dad is 96 and doing great - I am looking though his ppwk since 1946 when he enlisted in the USN, then in 1952 he was a NavCad in Pensacola; transitioned to USMC in 1952.

I see he's a VMA Pilot : V- fixed wing, M - Marine? A- ?
Primary MOS : 7331 ?
Authority : Para 6053 MCM ?
Carrier Qualifications : SNJ F6F ?

Please aim me toward the historians? I bet I'll find more to question - THANKS again!
PJ

Just curious. Did he fly in Korea?

 

[ChuckMK23]

Combat ops in Korea completed in July 1953 - so a possibility!

 

[gobatp]

Just curious. Did he fly in Korea?

 

[gobatp]

No he did not fly in Korea. That I am aware of - I need to ask. He was stationed in Iwakuni in the 50's - I know he was stationed at Cherry Point during the Cuban Missile Crisis and got to ride along just in case... so maybe?

 

[Griz882]

The “VME” 7331 MOS was for an electronic warfare pilot trained in the AEW version of the Skyraider. VMCJ-1 briefly flew them before transitioning to the EF-10 Skynight. At Cherry Point it was VMCJ-2 (Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron) who flew them (and the F-8-1P photo recon type Crusader) during the Cuban Missile Crisis. There is also a solid chance he transitioned from one type and mission to another like attack - very likely since some USMC Spad squadrons did both missions. If your avatar is a picture of your dad, he flew Skyraiders at some point.

 

[Griz882]

One more note, if you can post a full image of the photo (assuming it shows more, like the tail) you are using as your avatar we can quickly identify the squadron he was assigned to at the time.

 

[gobatp]

Hello Griz, Yes Dad is in that photo. I'll find the original.

I also have found the forms that he had filled out for his security clearance. 1966. Listing addresses.

What is NABTTC - Pensacola (training right?) that was 1952-1953
MB NAATC - Corpus Christi (Marine Barracks - Naval training command or thereabouts...? I'm just guessing) 1953-1954
MAG 16, 1st MAW (FPO SanFran) 1957-58 No idea where he actually was during that time.
1st MAW Iwakuni 1964-65
I think in 1967 or 68 he went to VietNam - as I remember he returned the summer of 69.
What do you think?

 

[gobatp]

I just found the write up of an Air Medal - Squadron 16 in VietNam duty from 10 June 1968 - 2 March 1969. Here it is...
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group Sixteen. A CH-53 (chinook?) airlifting supplies from Liberty Bridge to 13 miles south of DaNang - bad weather, enemy automatic weapon fire, hydraulic system loss, emergency landing, crew survived.
Will keep digging, thanks for your interest.

 

[Sonog]

What an absolutely perfect use of this forum. I love it.

 

[Griz882]

I imagine there are some gaps in your dad’s records. At some point he was snapped up from single-engine props and shifted to helicopters. MAG-16 (Marine Air Group) has always been a rotary wing. At the time helicopters were swallowing up a lot of aviators from different squadrons.

His journey from Pensacola to Corpus was a shift from primary flight instruction to intermediate and advanced including carrier qualifications.

The FPO simply means he was overseas, in the Pacific. Following the breadcrumbs, he was at MCAS Futenma (Okinawa, Japan) since MAG-16 deployed from Santa Ana CA to there in the 1950’s.

Leaping forward, HMH (Helicopter, Marine, Heavy) 463 flew the CH-53, a heavy lift helicopter, in a Vietnam. They were stationed at An Hoa airbase just inland from Da Nang (a coastal, port city). The link between the port and the air base was called “Liberty Road” and it crossed the Thu Bon River.

Of course there are several variations to this story. In Vietnam a VMCJ (AEW) was briefly attached to MAG-16, but your father’s Air Medal is for a CH-53 flight! Keep digging, he must have quite a story!

 

[gobatp]

Thank you so much - I certainly will. I remember hearing him say something about being at Marble Mountain, I'll start there. Pictures to follow asap.

 

[Swanee]

Crazy to think of how many airplanes and types of missions pilots jumped around to back in the "old days". New airplanes constantly coming out, opportunities to cross train into props, helos, jets...

I wonder what they would think if we told them we have guys logging time in the same airplane their dad, or even granddad in some cases, logged time in, and that guys fly one airplane or helicopter for an entire career now.

Love this thread. It makes me smile.