NAVAL SERVICE, 1927-1948
1945
WALTER'S SERVICE RECORD
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WALTER E. LEES NAVAL SERVICE, 1927-1948 |
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Walter at Corpus Christi 1945 WALTER'S SERVICE RECORD |
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Appointed as Lieutenant AV(S) Accepted Training performed since commissioned: Active duty with Aircraft Squadron Scouting Fleet, Hampton Roads, Virginia Active Duty at Naval Reserve Base Grosse Isle, Michigan (Squadron VS-8R) Peace time assignments Promoted to Lieutenant Commander AV(S) Seniority Date Called to Active Duty, Pensacola, Florida (Orders changed to read Active Duty Involving Flying) Pensacola, Florida Temporary Additional Duty - purpose of securing information re organization of A&R (Assembly & Repair) Dept., Corpus Christi, Texas - orders Reported for duty A&R Department, Corpus Christi, Texas Duties included: Assistant A & R Officer, Engineering Officer, Planning & Material Officer, & Officer-in-charge Outlying Fields Div. of A&R Department Status changed from AV(S) to AV(T) Promoted to A&R Officer Appointed Inspection & Survey Officer Temporary duty I&S Department, San Diego, California Temporary duty ferrying naval aircraft to Wichita, Kansas Temporary duty Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas Detached from NAS, Corpus Christi, on or about with orders to proceed to San Francisco, Transport Squadrons Pacific. Detached from Naval Air Station, Alameda, Calif. Ordered to report to Comdt Fleet Air South Pacific Reported for duty as Commander CASU (Carrier Aircraft Service Unit) 19 Detached and reassigned as Commander CASU 42 Detached as Commander CASU 41 Reported for duty with ComAir7thFlt (Log) Temdu additional to contact OWI and MOROTAI Temdu to CTG 73,4 Temdu - travel orders to proceed from Manus to Sangley Point Temdu Apponted Commander, USNR Retired from Active Duty, Corpus Christi, TX. Retired from U.S. Naval Reserve |
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7 Dec 1927 20 Dec 1927 5 Jan 1928 15 Apr 1928 15 Apr 1933 30 Apr 1933 15 Jun 1936 31 Aug 1940 1 Jan 1938 5 Nov 1938 15 Nov 1940 11 Dec 1940 28 Jan 1941 3 Apr 1941 1 Jan 1942 1 Jul 1942 12 Aug 1942 9 Sep 1942 21 Oct 1943 18 Jan 1943 1 Apr 1943 10 Jul 1943 18 Apr 1944 27 Apr 1944 9 Aug 1944 4 Jan 1945 18 Jan 1945 2 Mar 1945 23 Feb 1945 16 Apr 1945 28 May 1945 30 Jul 1945 10 Jul 1945 20 Aug 1945 29 Jun 1948 |
From 1928 on, I attended drills at the Naval Reserve Base at Grosse Isle. I wasn't a regular, as I was traveling so much out of town that I could only go on Saturdays and Sundays. I also had two weeks of active duty each year. I flew all kinds of Navy landplanes. My first orders were for duty without flight duty. I wrote to Lt. Cmdr. Jim Taylor in Washington, D.C. and two weeks later, the orders were changed giving me flight duty and flight pay. I had flown the Navy SNJ advanced trainer at Grosse Isle, but when I asked for one to fly at Pensacola, the operations officer said I would have to be checked out in one first. They assigned a cocky, young Ensign to me who had just finished his course, and just started instruction. He put me in the forward cockpit and he was in the rear. The first landing I tried to make, like I had made at Grosse Isle, was at about 60 mph. The ensign yelled at me to come in faster, about 75 mph. I attempted four landings, none of them successful. I finally got disgusted, taxied into line, told him I didn't have time to fly any more that day and didn't go back for more instruction. Several months later, at Corpus Christi, I went to San Diego, California with several other pilots. I flew a SNJ back to Corpus, making six landings enroute. I managed to deliver the plane intact. I stayed at Pensacola until July, 1943, when I was detached to Corpus Christi and its Aeroplane and Repair dept. Pops was recalled to the Navy and went first to Pensacola, FL. I went later, along with Betty and Billie. Next he was sent to Corpus Christi, TX, where there was a brand new naval base. We lived first at the Seacrest Motel, along with lots of people who worked out at the station. I didn't know much about the navy in those days. One morning, I rinsed out a few undies and hung them out on the line. My next door neighbor, a navy wife, came in and said, "Oh Mrs. Lees, you mustn't do that. You must wait until your maid comes and let her do that. Navy officer's wives don't do that." We had a maid who came in and made the beds etc., and so I learned slowly how to behave. From there we moved to a rental house on Austin St. (3030??) and we lived there when we had warnings of a hurricane. I didn't know much about hurricanes so I called the office of our landlord to see what I was supposed to do, if we were supposed to board up the windows or what. A girl answered the phone and said, "Oh, he isn't here. He's gone to San Antonio with his family to be in the hotel where they'll be safe." After Austin Street, we moved to quarters QQ which were very nice. We had three nice bedrooms and two baths and we had a maid full time. We had maid's quarters (one room) out in back and we had colored help most of the time. While we lived in QQ, Billie was engaged to George Hicks and we had a real nice engagement party. George's friends were certainly surprised because he was a confirmed bachelor. That wedding was really something at Corpus. The service was in a dear little chapel on the station and they had a guard of honor. It was really very impressive and very, very lovely. 
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