Photo posted for PM

Maj. Billie Green USMC Ret (then MSgt) and other NAPs with F4U during Korean conflict 1951.

A question for you old salts. Is the John McMasters in the photo the same Maj. McMasters that was CO of H&MS-16 in DaNang in May of '65?

"Greenie"

Mcmasters

Not sure but it would fit his progression in rank. (John J. McMasters) . The only other info I have is that he is deceased. The Enlisted Pilots Association Roster shows almost three times as many NAPs deceased than are still listed . (estmated count, 360 deceased to 162 still living). Most are over 80 years old. Semper Fi PM

Hi Paul,
I didn't know Major Green, but knew others from many years ago. Could you consult your list for me and let me know if you have a MSGT AM Anderson on it. When I returned from Korea in 1953 I was assigned to AIRFMFPAC Flight Section at El Toro. We always seemed to have around 6 or 7 NAPS assigned. Think Andy told me he was in the last NAP Flight Class. I can see all the faces, but short on the names that we had during my time, (53/57). A few that I do recall and these were all E7 MSGTS....Archie Clapp, MR Douglas, Don Meredith, Ed Sofers and Andy.

I can recall one x-county, from the East Coast back to El Toro. The flight crew was two NAP MSGTS and a TSGT crew chief, who was me. We went into Tinker AFB for fuel. They wouldn't let us depart because an officer had to sign the fuel chit. After a wait, a Marine Corps captain arrived in base ops signed the fuel chit. The AF was happy and the all enlisted flight crew departed into the wild blue yonder!

I transferred to helicopters in 1957, and there were a few NAPS at LTA and a number of former NAPS. Also when I was with the H-34 program at Shin Miewa our resident test pilot was a First Class NAP. I think he had been a NAP since around 1944. Just think of it two E-6s running around Japan in a H-34. As the song goes ...those were the days my friend

S/F
Ernie Needham

.
.

NAPs Status

Ernie, you brought back so many good memories and my reply has some sad news. There are two Andersons, Pat Anderson in Dayton Ohio can give you address on private Email Arthur M. Anderson Jr class 66-47 last year of NAPs deceased. Douglas Morton R. class 75-47 last year again, deceased. Meredith D. W. class 78-47 last year again, deceased. Sofers Edward M. class 33-46 earlier, deceased. I attended NAP training Dec 43 thru July 1944. Half our classes were Navy Petty Officers, may have known your E6 companion in Japan. A friend of mine a Major was shot down in his F4U during the early part of Korean war & was bad off in enemy territory with severe back injuries. Finally after dark an old HO3S-1 found his location and picked him up. It was a Navy Petty officer 1st class E6!! They had a hairy time locating the Carrier off shore at night as the radios were out. Your cross country experience reminds me of a flight from Memphis with Msgt Cain in an old Gooney bird. We were in Ops at Tuscon AZ with the flight plan and they demanded to see the Capt. Of course we went through the usual routine with the USAF folks.Another note: there were some Reserve Officers that came on duty as Enlisted pilots & some WO rank during the Korean War. Some had been through NAVCADs & this was the only rank they could get back on active duty. Hope this covers your questions, wish it could have been better news. Semper Fi PM PS. No listing of Archie Clapp, recently Obit on Col Archie Clapp. The only listing is Frank A. Clapp Class 14-45, Deceased. Archie must have been a NAVCAD.

Thanks for the reply Paul. I didn't do very well with those names . I guess the difficult part with all those people being deceased is that it seems like yesterday. Andy was my number one . On x-countrys when the other pilot would go back for a kip, Andy would let me fly. Our pilot at SMIC was a fellow by the name of Jim Ray. Does that name ring a bell? I always felt sorry for Jim as he could not pass the test for chief. When the Navy did away with the NAP rating they made Jim a BB Stacker. That was in title only. All he had to do was pass the test, which he did at long last. He was transfered to NAS El Centro and as I understand it was the Ops Chief till he retired. I ask him one time why he stayed in. His only reply was, "I like to fly." Sorry for my error. It was Frank Clapp.

Okay Paul, I guess this old wind bag has gone on long enough. The pay wasn't much, but we sure had some good times. Right ?

S/F
Ernie

CWO aviators

From: Guy Hunter

huntergl@ec.rr.com

Recently I was sent an email from a third party that contained an
inquiry from you asking about former CWO aviators. I knew of three here
at New River in the mid to late 70s, only one of whom I can remember by
name--a CWO-4 "Shakey" Hartigan who was in VMO1 and also flew helos in
Viet-Nam. There were also two others here in the mid to late 70s, both
with Irish names who flew Cobras, but for the life of me I can't
remember their names--however one of them has his flight jacket on
display down at the museum on Parris Island. Shakey is dead now and I
seem to have heard somewhere in the distant past that the other two are
also.

I saw mention of Henry Wildfang, a CWO-4 who flew a variety of aircraft
but was mostly known for C130s--he ended up with more than 30,000 hours
of flight time in his career !!!!!

If you wish, I can do a little research and come up with the other WOs
who were aviators here. Please let me know. Also, there was a RIO in
the F4 Training RAG at Yuma in the late 70s, early 80s who was a Marine
Gunner, like me, and also a CWO--but unfortunately, again, I cannot
remember his name.

Best regards and I intend to rejoin popasmoke again and hopefully make
the next reunion you folks hold in PCola.

Guy Hunter

We had a few in VMO-6 in '64, William Greenlese, Bruice Phillips, and Robert (Wimpy) L. Norton, who had been 1/Lts but not picked up for Capt., but were offered WO status. Greenlese, I know made it to LtJg. in the Coast Guard before coming back to the USMC as a WO then 2/Lt, when we gave him the award of making O-1 the third time. A "butter bar" with two stars on each collar device was presented. Norton and Phillips came from their WO ranks and were given commissions as Lts. We also had a flying peon, a Msgt. Baker, I think thats his name. I flew with him once. I was a 2 /Lt. he was quiet on that flight. Things went well, I guess, HOK's. Norton was killed in OV-10's in '69. Greenleese died in a flight training newbees how to do it for real in '67. Phillips had a lunch/sandwich shop in PNS old town the last I saw him, "Mr. P"s.
Lanny

Gunner Poe

One of the best sticks I ever flew with, however briefly, was Gunner Poe, while in HMM-365 in New River, about 1966/67. His picture, with comments from others, is in the site here(check the HMM-265 pics he was there in '68). He was a very respected fixed wing driver as well flying F4U's and others in the Korean era.
Semper Fi
Joe

Winged Warrants

We had several excellent pilots in HMH-462 in the 1968-69 time frame that were CWO's! Hardy Gates, Jim Gautier, and Frank Worsham. I recall flying as a gunner on one resupply where the grunts were just about out of everything. CWO Gautier just put the nose of that big CH-53 up against the mountain that was surrounded by fog/low clouds or whatever and lifted it right up to the top where the fire support base was. I think it was Hill 881 or one of those zones up by the DMZ. We made that trip 3 or 4 times that day so the guys on the ground were supplied.

BTW my roomate in the SNCO barracks at LTA was an old NAP. He was a MSgt, technically assigned to MATCU I think. I cannot remember his name but I do remember him telling me he had been both a WO and LDO at different time during his career. He flew the station R-4D most of the time. I remember him telling me that at that time, (early 1968), there were only 8 or 10 enlisted pilots left on active duty in the Corps and he thought less than that in the Navy.

Duke Dearing - HMH-462 - 1968-69

In 67/68 an enlisted pilot at SOES El Toro was flying the C-117. H&MS-36 had a CWO flying H-34s in late 68. Name was Gunner Barber I think.

Wayne Stafford

NAP Photo ?

Any chance you can post the photo you are referring to? There is also an article on VMF 212 enlisted pilots in a 1949 copy of Leatherneck that I inherited when my dad passed away. I have many photos, log books, and albums that were in a wooden foot locker my dad always kept in his workshop. I recognize several of the last names that you mention or use as persons I heard about as i was growing up living on or near various USMC Air Stations or Facilities. John J. McMasters, Jr

Flying Chevrons (John McMasters)

John, the photo is farther back on this thread. SF PM

Thanks , makes me shed a tear or two

Yes, that is my dad. I also recognize the last names as friends of my dad who would come by the house periodically. I have several photos similar to this but with no names. Thanks again, John McMasters

B R Green

Yes, my dad landed on the putting green at Camp David. And flew with John McMasters. I have all his trunks, papers, uniforms, medals etc. but the stories are few. He was just starting to write them down before he died. We know bits and pieces but not much. There is one where someone wanted out of a hospital and came running to the plane in his hospital gown and clothes in hand. I would love to find out more details on this story or any others.

Suzanne

non comissioned pilots

my dad knew a bunch of them. he told me about two corsair pilots in korea who shotdown 4 or 6 migs at low leval they were sncos or wos.i met and got to fly with gunner Buss in HMM -163 BACK IN 73. and i was there in the army hosp in OKI when they brought him in from a 46 crash HMM 164 if memory serves. SF ! KC

Re: CWO aviators

I flew several hours with Shakey with HML-167

popasmoke;15953 wrote: From: Guy Hunter

huntergl@ec.rr.com

Recently I was sent an email from a third party that contained an
inquiry from you asking about former CWO aviators. I knew of three here
at New River in the mid to late 70s, only one of whom I can remember by
name--a CWO-4 "Shakey" Hartigan who was in VMO1 and also flew helos in
Viet-Nam. There were also two others here in the mid to late 70s, both
with Irish names who flew Cobras, but for the life of me I can't
remember their names--however one of them has his flight jacket on
display down at the museum on Parris Island. Shakey is dead now and I
seem to have heard somewhere in the distant past that the other two are
also.

I saw mention of Henry Wildfang, a CWO-4 who flew a variety of aircraft
but was mostly known for C130s--he ended up with more than 30,000 hours
of flight time in his career !!!!!

If you wish, I can do a little research and come up with the other WOs
who were aviators here. Please let me know. Also, there was a RIO in
the F4 Training RAG at Yuma in the late 70s, early 80s who was a Marine
Gunner, like me, and also a CWO--but unfortunately, again, I cannot
remember his name.

Best regards and I intend to rejoin popasmoke again and hopefully make
the next reunion you folks hold in PCola.

Guy Hunter