"Mike Kanze" wrote in message ...
BZ to your Dad, Rich.

Interesting to note they were cruisemates on the old LEX and the BIG E
during 1942. What is his full name?

Dad probably knows (or knows of) him, since the PAC FLT VF community was
very small in those days. One could honestly say, as Dad often has, that
one "knew every fighter pilot in the Pacific Fleet" back then.

--
Mike Kanze

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign
here."

- Anonymous cop, to woman driver.

My father, Bill Leonard, was only briefly aboard Lexington, Enterprise
and Hornet. He had one landing and launch from Lexington just before
the Coral Sea action. Enterprise landings and launches were after
Midway where Yorktown was lost, as were those on Hornet. He piloted
one of the last planes launched from Yorktown (into the teeth of a
Japanese torpedo plane attack, shooting down one B5N) and landed on
Enterprise after that action. His plane was re-fueled and armed and
he was sent back up to fly what turned out to be the last CAP over
Yorktown. As night approached on the June 4th he landed back aboard
Enterprise. The next day, he, and almost all the Yorktown VF-3 and
VF-42 pilots refugeed on Enterprise were sent over to Hornet where
they operated under Jimmy Thach in a squadron everyone jokingly
referred to as VF-3-42-8. Dad retired a RAdm in 1971.

Rich