Robert Snipes: My Military Experience 1942-1953

This is one of my father's memoirs. He learned to use my mother's computer so he could write and print them for us. This is a list of his experiences serving in the US Navy, both during and after WWII. For the full story and links to all memoirs, see this page.

AT THE TIME OF THE U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR WITH JAPAN IN DECEMBER 1941, I WAS EMPLOYED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN DALLAS, TEXAS.

EARLY IN 1942 I DECIDED TO APPLY TO THE NAVY DEPARTMENT FOR THE NAVAL AVIATOR PROGRAM. I WAS ACCEPTED IN JUNE AND WAS SCHEDULED, ALONG WITH 34 OTHER MEN, TO REPORT FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, ATHENS, GEORGIA, FOR TRAINING AS AN AVIATION CADET. WE WERE DESIGNATED JOE SMARTT COMMANDOS , IN HONOR OF ENSIGN JOE SMARTT, WHO HAD BEEN KILLED WHILE ON WATCH DUTY AT THE NAVAL AIR BASE AT PEARL HARBOR DEC. 7, 1941. THE PREMISE WAS THAT ALL 35 OF US WOULD BE TRAINED AS A UNIT AND EVENTUALLY BE ASSIGNED TO THE SAME COMBAT GROUP IN THE WAR ZONE. AS IT TURNED OUT, ONLY A FEW OF US STAYED TOGETHER AFTER RECEIVING OUR COMMISSIONS. SOME DROPPED OUT OF THE PROGRAM, SOME FAILED FLIGHT REQUIREMENTS, AND OTHERS WERE ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS WAR THEATERS.

WE BEGAN OUR TRAINING IN ATHENS ON JUNE 9, 1942. AND WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE DALLAS NAVAL AIR STATION IN SEPTEMBER TO BEGIN OUR PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING. WE FLEW THE STANDARD TWO-PLACE BIPLANES, N3N3 AND N2S. MY FIRST FLIGHT WAS MADE ON SEPT. 16, 1942, AND MY FIRST SOLO FLIGHT WAS MADE ON OCT. 13 [AFTER 15 HOURS DUAL TIME].

UPON COMPLETION OF PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING I WAS TRANSFERRED TO CORPUS CHRISTI NAVAL AIR STATION FOR INTERMEDIATE FLIGHT TRAINING. THE PLANES I FLEW WHILE AT CORPUS CHRISTI WERE THE SNV-1, OS2H-3, AND SNJ-4. I RECEIVED MY WINGS AND COMMISSION AS ENSIGN ON APR. 14, 1943.

FOLLOWING TWO WEEKS LEAVE, I REPORTED TO THE NAVAL AIR STATION AT FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, FOR TRAINING IN THE TBF GRUMMAN AVENGER [THREE-PLACE TORPEDO PLANE, THE TYPE PLANE I FLEW THROUGHOUT THE WAR]. TRAINING THERE CONSISTED MAINLY OF NAVIGATION, GUNNERY, AND SIMILATED CARRIER LANDINGS. JUNE 28, 1943, I MADE 8 QUALIFYING LANDINGS ON THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER U.S.S. WOLVERINE, OPERATING OUT OF GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS. FROM GLENVIEW I PROCEEDED TO NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, AUG. 10, 1943, TO BE ASSIGNED TO TORPEDO SQUADRON VT50 IN AIR GROUP 50.

OUR AIR GROUP MOVED TO MANTEO, NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE WE WENT THROUGH INTENSIVE FLIGHT TRAINING. WE STAYED THERE UNTIL WE BOARDED THE U.S.S. BATAAN IN DECEMBER 1943 IN NORFOLK. FROM THERE THE SHIP SAILED ON ITS SHAKEDOWN CRUISE TO TRINIDAD, OFF VENEZUELA. AFTER THE SHAKEDOWN CRUISE WE PROCEEDED THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL TO SAN DIEGO, TO BEGIN OUR FIRST TOUR OF DUTY IN THE PACIFIC WAR ZONE [SEE COPY OF NAVY DIARY, TOUR 1 FOR ACTIVITIES FROM MAR. 18 TO AUG. 15, 1944].

UPON RETURNING TO SEATTLE AFTER OUR FIRST TOUR OF DUTY, WE RECEIVED ORDERS TO RE-FORM AIR GROUP 50 AND REPORT TO KLAMATH FALLS NAVAL AIR STATION IN OREGON. FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, WE TRAINED NEW PILOTS AT KLAMATH FALLS AND ASTORIA. THEN WE TOOK FURTHER TRAINING IN EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA, BEFORE BEGINNING OUR SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN THE PACIFIC WAR THEATER [SEE NAVY DIARY, TOUR 2 FOR ACTIVITIES FROM APR. 20 TO OCT. 17, 1945].

FOLLOWING MY SEPERATION FROM ACTIVE DUTY AT CAMP WALLACE, TEXAS, ON OCT. 17, 1945, I WAS PLACED ON INACTIVE RESERVE STATUS AND REMAINED SO UNTIL MARCH 1946. ON MAR. 3, 1946, I REQUESTED RETURN TO DUTY ON A READY RESERVE BASIS SO I COULD CONTINUE FLYING WITH THE NAVY. MY REQUEST WAS GRANTED AND I WAS ASSIGNED TO SQUADRON VA-70E [LATER DESIGNATED VA-84A] AT THE DALLAS NAVAL AIR STATION. READY RESERVE STATUS MEANT I COULD RECEIVE FLIGHT- AND GROUND- TRAINING ONE WEEKEND PER MONTH PLUS ONE TWO-WEEK ACTIVE-DUTY PERIOD EACH YEAR.

WHEN I RECEIVED MY CIVIL ENGINEERING DEGREE FROM SMU IN JANUARY 1950, I WENT TO WORK FOR THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IN DENVER, COLORADO. l, THEREFORE, HAD TO CHANGE MY NAVY RESERVE ACTIVITY TO DENVER. AT THE SAME TIME I REQUESTED PERMISSION TO CHANGE FROM FLYING TORPEDO PLANES TO FIGHTER PLANES. THIS WAS APPROVED AND I WAS ASSIGNED TO FIGHTER SQUADRON VF-718 IN DENVER APR 13, 1950. I BEGAN FLYING F4U-4'S IN JULY AND F8F-1B’S IN OCTOBER.

IN JANUARY 1951, I TRANSFERRED TO THE U.S.G.S IN FORT WORTH [COMMUTING TO WORK FROM MY HOME IN DALLAS]. AT THE SAME TIME I TRANSFERRED TO RESERVE FIGHTER SQUADRON VF-701 AT NAS DALLAS, WHERE I FLEW FG-1D AND FH-I AIRCRAFT. I TRANSFERRED BACK TO DENVER IN JANUARY 1953 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO FIGHTER SQUADRON VF-711. THERE I FLEW F8F, SNB, TBM, F2H [JET] AIRCRAFT.

MY ANNUAL PHYSICAL IN JANUARY 1 954 SHOWED THAT I WAS LOSING THE HEARING IN MY LEFT EAR. BECAUSE I WAS NO LONGER QUALIFIED TO PILOT NAVY AIRCRAFT, I RETURNED TO INACTIVE STATUS. I WAS PLACED ON THE NAVY RESERVE RETIRED LIST OCT. 28, 1959 WITH THE RANK OF COMMANDER.

DURING MY CAREER AS A PILOT I FLEW THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF PLANES, FOR THE HOURS SHOWN:

I MADE 98 CATAPULT TAKEOFFS FROM CARRIERS AND 143 CARRIER LANDINGS.

COMMENDATIONS AND AWARDS:

• • AIR MEDAL FOR ACTION IN VICINITY OF BONIN ISLANDS JUNE 15, 1944.

• • GOLD STAR IN LIEU OF SECOND AIR MEDAL -- FOR 5 MISSIONS JUNE 20 TO JULY 15, 1945.

• • GOLD STAR IN LIEU OF THIRD AIR MEDAL -- FOR 5 MISSIONS JULY 24 TO AUGUST 10, 1945.

• • GOLD STAR IN LIEU OF FOURTH AIR MEDAL -- FOR SUCCESSFUL ATTACK AND BOMB HIT ON A FREIGHTER-TRANSPORT IN MAIZURO HARBOR ON JULY 30, 1945.

-- Robert J. Snipes

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