Log Book Winter 2024

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WINTER 2024

A PARTNERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE The November 10th Association & The Flying Leathernecks

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n September operation of the November 10th 2023, several Association, Trustees of including the the November planning and 10th Association met hosting of the with key members of annual Marine the Foundation’s Corps Birthday senior leadership celebration. FLHF team at Muldoon’s will also partner Irish Pub in Newport with Trustees of Beach. The purpose the Association on activities and/or of this meeting was events that will to establish a mutually benefit working partnership Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band each organization. between the two The first joint event hosted by the November 10th Association organizations. Now established, the partnership between the and the FLHF was the 248th Marine Corps Birthday November 10th Association and the Flying Leatherneck celebration on November 13, 2023. This event was held at the Historical Foundation (FLHF) will serve to support the new Lyon Air Museum (www.lyonairmuseum.org) at the John Museum at Great Park in Irvine, celebrate the rich history of Wayne/Orange County Airport. It was a fantastic evening, Marine Corps aviation in Southern California and promote enjoyed by all in attendance. The evening included a active engagement between the Marine Corps and performance by the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band and citizens/visitors to Orange County.

Color Guard, an inspiring speech by Brigadier General Robert The November 10th Association was founded several years ago B. Brodie (Assistant Wing Commander, Third Marine Aircraft by group of business, civic and professional leaders in Orange Wing), a birthday cake cutting ceremony and toast to fallen County, all of whom are Marines. Initially, the November 10th comrades. Certainly, the Lyon Air Museum was a perfect Association was set up as a way for these Marines to gather venue and provided all guests a preview of what lies ahead each November to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. Their with the new Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum. annual birthday celebrations were highly anticipated and well The Flying Leathernecks are truly excited about the future attended every year before the COVID-19 pandemic. potential of our partnership with the November 10th At the meeting in September, FLHF agreed to assume Association. Semper Fidelis.

Chairman’s Message Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Log Book for 2024.

Happy New Year from your Board of Directors and best wishes for good health and happiness in 2024!

Your Foundation continues to take advantage of the great progress we made last year into this year to further our goal of making The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum a world class reality at the Great Park in Irvine, California.

As you can see from BGen Aguilar’s update, we have made giant strides in preparing our aircraft for movement.

We are beginning restoration on a few of the aircraft and preparing our new home in Hangar 297 for occupancy and further restoration activities.

None of this would have been possible without your continued interest and financial support. To that end, our Capital Fundraising campaign is in full gear. Our biggest intermediate fundraising goal is to raise $5 million by the end of this coming summer. That will give us the cash on hand to build the 170,000 square foot facility we need to house the entire aircraft collection and important displays. Without these critical funds we will have to build a somewhat smaller facility and add on in subsequent phases of the museum build. General Aguilar, myself and other members of the Board of Directors have been busy briefing other Foundations and individuals that share our dream and can help contribute to our Foundation. As you can imagine, this key priority is taking a lot of time and energy but is absolutely necessary if we want to reach our goal of having a museum funded, built and ready to move in during 2025.

I would ask each and every one of you to consider ongoing and sustained financial support for the Foundation in a manner that best suits your individual situations. Also, please pass along to your friends and associates our story and dream in hopes that they to may be able to contribute.

I want to specifically call out the outstanding and sustained efforts of Kelly Esperias and Pete Bowen our fundraising leads as well as Charlie Crookall, Grant Williams, and Gerry Rubin from Siteline Productions for their ongoing negotiations with City of Irvine staff and planners. The work they have been doing daily has made a huge difference in the success and posture of our organization.

Finally, I want to announce that our Board of Directors unanimously voted to make past Chairmans of the Board, Major General Bob Butcher and the Honorable Victor Bianchini, Directors Emeritus so that our Foundation can avail ourselves of their insight and wisdom as we continue to move the work of the Foundation forward.

Semper Fi, Terry G. Robling Lt. General, USMC (Ret.) Chairman

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Lieutenant Colonel William R. “Bill” Duncan First Landing Signal Officer in the United States Marine Corps

By Phil Myers Mr. Myers profile of Duncan was originally published in the MCAA Journal - 2011

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first met Lt. Colonel William R. Duncan at the dedication of “Lady Ace 09” in April 2010. He was one of several commanding officers, both past and present, of HMM-165 (White Knights) that attended the event. At this dedication I learned that Lt. Col. Duncan had not only been the second commanding officer of HMM-165 but was also the first Landing Signal Officer in the Marine Corps.

Born and raised in Good Hope, Illinois (population 365 at the time), Bill Duncan, known as “Dunk” or “Lil Dunk” obtained his teaching certificate and began his working life as a 6-7-8 grade teacher.

Bill was a 20-year-old middle school teacher when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He tried to join the United States Navy or what he called the “black shoe navy” as an aviator but was too short. Bill then tried to join the Marine Corps; however, they required their aviators to be at least 5’4.”

On his first visit to the USMC recruiter, he measured just shy of the required height. Undeterred, Bill went back to his hotel and hung from his hands in the doorway for an hour. He returned to the USMC recruiter who measured him at 5’4.” Bill was on his way to becoming a Marine Corps aviator!

Bill completed flight training in May 1943. Bill was glad to be a Marine Corps aviator, not only for all the USMC tradition, but because they served on land bases or so he thought.

Bill’s first flight in a modern fighter (Brewster FA-2 Buffalo) took place in July 1943. Before the flight, he asked for the

FLYING LEATHERNECK HISTORICAL FOUNDATION 9400 Activity Road, Suite C San Diego, CA 92126-4414 www.flyingleathernecks.org

2nd Lieutenant “Dunk” Duncan - October 1942 aircraft manuals (due to his lack of experience with this type of aircraft). Bill was laughed at when he made this request and was told by a ranking officer, “It has a stick and a throttle, so what else do you need.” Before his first, and last, Buffalo flight, he was told that it had just returned from the battle at Wake Island! Bill believed this 100% when, upon closer examination, he found bullet holes throughout the aircraft.

Continued on page 5

FOUNDATION: (858) 693-1723 Email: flhf@flyingleathernecks.org

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PRESIDENT’S MUSEUM UPDATE Winter -- 2024

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appy New Year and I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. The holidays for the FLAM were exciting and action packed. We began the preparation and disassembling of aircraft in anticipation of starting the move later this year,

hopefully in mid-February. Worldwide Aircraft Recovery (www.worldwideaircraft.com) set up onsite operations in December and has begun the process for moving all 38 aircraft. We are thrilled to be partnering with them and having their support.

We are equally excited to have Ponsford Restoration (www.ponsford.com) on site who began minor maintenance and restoration for several of the aircraft while we await our storage hangar to be made ready for occupancy. They also arrived in December and are hard at work on the first six aircraft which are stored at the MCAS Miramar

TO-1, Shooting Star

Restoration Hangar. The TO-1 Shooting Star shown here is sanded and ready for the next steps in the restoration and preservation process.

Work to repair over 200 broken windows, operationally check the electrical, water and fire suppression system, secure all doors, add access control points, install motion detectors and cameras, and establish a security monitoring system has begun on Hangar 297, the former VMGR-235 Raider’s hangar at MCAS El Toro. This is where aircraft storage and restoration will take place. This is a monumental effort which we hope to have completed by early February. Plans are to start moving some of the non-aircraft artifacts and equipment later this month. You can see from the photos that a lot of work has already gone into just cleaning up the hangar bays.

To continue our work, we have started a Capital Fundraising Campaign to meet our target budget required to build a new 170,000 square foot museum facility which is estimated to cost $46 million. We currently have $26 million in city grants, cash on hand, and pledges leaving us about $20 million shy. We are moving forward with selecting a General Contractor and have 4 bids from large developers who were asked to submit their proposals based on a $26 million budget and a smaller 97,000 square foot facility. Our current model still shows us able to fit all but four aircraft into the new facility, but we will have to reduce or delay the buildout of several exhibits and displays.

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Continued on page 6

Lt. Col. William Duncan... Continued from page 3 Like any Marine Corps pilot, Bill had a “can do/will do” attitude. With that attitude, Bill cranked up the Buffalo and took off. Shortly after taking off, the motor stopped! Second Lieutenant Duncan was about to make his first emergency landing. His landing area – The Everglades! As a young, low time pilot, Bill attempted his landing with the landing gear down, not retracted where it should have been. When he landed, the Buffalo flipped over and for a short period of time, Bill was trapped in the cockpit. He managed to dig his way out and free himself from the wreckage. As “Dunk” waited for a rescue team to arrive, he saw his plane had crushed a water moccasin during the crash. Bill joked that when he spoke with the accident investigators, he told them that had it not been for the water moccasin, he wouldn’t have landed upside down!

In the summer of 1943, Bill had heard of a new position in USMC aviation – Landing Signal Officer (LSO). Bill recalled that he always sought jobs he thought no one else would want. His rational was that there would be less competition for a job no one wanted! During this wartime era, everyone wanted to be fighter pilots. No one wanted to be an LSO!

FLYING LEATHERNECK STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman LtGen T.G. Robling, USMC (Ret) Vice Chairman Col P.J. Gough, USMC (Ret) Treasurer Col A.B. Marshall, USMC (Ret) Secretary G.R. Roquemore, PhD Governance Col B.J. Connolly, lV, USMC (Ret)

DIRECTORS

The purpose of a Landing Signal Duncan on the USS Bella Gulf - 1945 Officer is to aid (glide slope, angle of attack, whether the aircraft’s wheels and/or tail hook were down) to pilots landing aboard an aircraft carrier. The first generation of LSOs used paddles. Later, colored paddles for improved visibility for pilots were employed. As an aircraft was landing, the Landing Signal Officer would raise and/or lower his paddles which signaled to the pilot that a change to their glide slope was needed for a successful landing. This is where the LSO nickname “Paddles” came from.

“Dunk” recalled that he could land an aircraft from just the sound of the engine! Bill also remembered another aid that helped him bring aircraft aboard – the “Prism Light.” Bill described this prism light as a small light located in the middle of the left-wing root. Based upon its relative position to the aircraft carrier, an LSO could tell if an aircraft was on a proper glide Continued on page 8

Maj P.S. Bowen, USMC (Ret) C. Crookall D. Esmond A.P. Federico V.M. Franco J.G. Harker D.B. Mann Col. T. O’Malley, USMC (Ret) Col C.J. Quilter, USMC (Ret) Col G. Raths, USMC (Ret) CAPT R.G. Ress, USN (Ret) J. Rippy H. Suria Maj F.M. Wifler, USMC (Ret)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BGen M.J. Aguilar, USMC (Ret)

COUNSEL J.H. Epsten

DIRECTORS EMERITUS Col V.E. Bianchini, USMC (Ret) MajGen B.G. Butcher, USMC (Ret) Operations Manager Chuck Meadows Copyright 2024 - All Rights Reserved

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ALICE B. MARSHALL Colonel, USMC (Retired) Treasurer

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he Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation is very pleased to introduce our new Member the Board of Directors and Treasurer.

Please join us in welcoming Colonel Alice B. Marshall to our team.

Alice retired as a Colonel on August 1, 1992 following a career which included tours with MCRD San Diego, MCAS (H) Futenma, Third Aircraft Wing, First Marine Division, Third Force Services Group and First Marine Amphibious Forces.

Colonel Marshall earned numerous military awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal. She received the Humanitarian Service Medal

following her assignment at an Assistant Operations Officer with Operation New Arrivals, the first Vietnamese refugee relocation center which was established at MCB Camp Pendleton following the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Alice earned her Bachelor of Arts and Masters Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. After her retirement, she attended law school and has practiced for over twenty-five years specializing in the areas of Elder Law, Trusts and Estates.

She is married to Colonel Norman Marshall, USMC (Retired) AKA “Animal.” They reside in Mission Viejo, California and spend their free time playing golf and spoiling seven grandchildren and one brand new great grandchild..

President’s Museum Update... Continued from page 4 We are fortunate to have a strong and committed board led by LtGen Terry “Guts” Robling tackling our fundraising efforts. We are currently in the process of expanding our social media network and establishing contacts with the numerous USMC aviation groups and associations who might be interested in sponsoring aircraft restoration and exhibits. We are constantly reaching out to potential major donors and hope to make presentations soon. Regardless, saving the museum is no longer a dream,

Model Rendering of FLAM - Great Park Courtesy of Siteline Productions

we are well on our way to bringing the FLAM back to its original home at MCAS El Toro, now called Great Park.

Please visit our website at www.flyingleathernecks.org for the latest information and updates.

Semper Fidelis, BGen Mike “El Jefe” Aguilar, Pres/CEO

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Historic Blimp Hangar Lost Massive World War-II Era Building Destroyed by Fire

By Major Mike Wifler, USMC (Ret), Board of Directors

North Hangar (No. 1), 2022

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wo of the most iconic buildings in Orange County, California were the blimp hangars in Tustin.

These massive structures were built 80 years ago during the difficult early days of World War II. The Tustin hangars were (and still are) two of the largest free standing wooden building ever built.

Both hangars are listed on the National Registry of Historical Buildings and are of profound significance to the military and architectural history of Orange County and Southern California.

Unfortunately, disaster struck in November 2023. Hangar No. 1 (North Hangar) at the former Marine Corps Air Facility, Tustin was destroyed by fire of an unknown origin. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States went on a “high alert” war footing. The hangars were designed and constructed to base blimps deployed to counter the threat of enemy submarine activity along the Southern California coast.

However, these structures presented both engineering Continued on page 12

November 2023

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Lt. Col. William R. “Bill” Duncan... Continued from page 5 slope. It wasn’t until the mid 1950s that more the modern optical landing system made its way to the fleet.

However, Bill quickly became bored with civilian aviation.

In March 1946, he returned to the Marine Corps.

In September 1943, Second Lieutenant Duncan completed the challenging 3-month United States Navy LSO course in Jacksonville, Florida. Thus, he was certified as the first United States Marine Corps Landing Signal Officer.

Upon his return to the Marine Corps, Captain Duncan was assigned to a night fighter squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Bill resumed his LSO duties and soon “night qualified” the entire wing.

After graduating from LSO School, “Dunk” was assigned

In 1950, a new aircraft was being introduced into military

to Marine Corps Air Station – El Toro, California. At El Toro, Bill literally qualified every pilot in the Marine Corp.

Over his career, Bill estimated that he “flagged” every USMC aviator during World War II and the Korean War.

aviation – the helicopter! Using the same attitude as when he applied to Landing Signal Officers School, Bill applied for helicopter flight training. In 1951, “Lil Dunk” graduated from Naval Helicopter Flight School and became the 691st helicopter pilot in military history. As a new helicopter pilot, Bill was assigned to ferry the new Sikorsky HRS-2 from the Sikorsky factory in Connecticut to MCAS El Toro. These ferry flights took four days to complete and allowed Bill to build considerable flight time and experience in this revolutionary rotary wing aircraft.

Bill’s first combat experience was during World War II while assigned to Carrier Air Support – 3 (CAS -3) in support of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s supply fleet.

During this assignment, Bill flew F4U Corsairs, TBM Avengers, as well as serving as an LSO on the escort carrier Vella Gulf (CVE-111).

In July 1945, Bill recalled the tragic loss of his first, and only, aircraft as a Landing Signal Officer. While his carrier group was resupplying in Honolulu, Hawaii, Bill recalled that his skipper wanted to do some night carrier qualifications on the airfield. It was during these “night quals” Bill was “flagging” an F4U Corsair. As the pilot approached, Bill observed that the Corsair was approaching too slowly, and gave him a “wave off.” The pilot saw the wave off and applied “max power.” This sudden change in power caused the Corsair to over torque and roll. Bill knew the fighter was going to crash and ran to avoid the aircraft debris. He described the Corsair rolling almost 270 degrees and the first thing to impact the ground was the right wingtip. The plane slid to a stop.

Rescuers pulled the pilot from the wreckage and transported him to the base hospital. Concerned about the pilot’s condition, Bill went to the hospital. Due to a shortage of the pilot’s blood type and having the same blood type, “Dunk” donated 2 pints of blood. Despite all medical efforts, the pilot later died.

In December 1945, Bill left the Marine Corps for a career as a civilian flight instructor in Monmouth, Illinois.

In September 1950, Bill deployed to the Far East. He was sent to Itami Air Force Base in Itami, Japan where he was assigned to “carrier qualify” Marine Corps pilots who were entering the Korean Theater of Operations.

In June 1951, Bill was a member of Marine Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6) flying the OY-2. The OY-2 was the Navy/Marine Corp version of the light observation planeStinson L-5 Sentinel. On the 5th of June, Bill was tasked with finding an elusive mobile artillery unit that had been lobbing shells into the base near an area called “the punch bowl.” Bill took off in his trusty Sentinel (max speed 125mph and “that’s going downhill!”) with a combat photographer in the backseat – searching for the enemy threat. Armed only with a “Speed Graphic” camera, Bill and his backseater found the artillery unit. Not wanting to capture “blurry” photos, Bill flew over the suspected target area straight, level, and at slow speeds while being fired at from anti-aircraft guns. After returning to base, Bill discovered numerous bullet holes in the tail of his aircraft.

“Dunk” joked, “they would have shot us down - they just didn’t lead us enough!” When developed, the photographs showed the location of the mobile enemy artillery. The Continued on page 10

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MAJOR

ROBERT G. MITCHELL UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS VIETNAM for service as set forth in the following CITATION: The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to Major Robert G. Mitchell for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE, Marine Aircraft Group SIXTEEN, First Marine Aircraft Wing, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 29 November 1968, during Operation MEADE RIVER, Major Mitchell launched as Flight Leader of a section of four CH-46 transport helicopters assigned the emergency extraction of a reconnaissance team which was heavily engaged with a large hostile force south of Da Nang. Despite a heavy volume of enemy fire, he executed a successful landing, awaited the embarkation of the team and its dog, then, in a superb display of airmanship, skillfully executed maneuvers to avoid damage to his aircraft and passengers, and safely lifted from the zone. Shortly thereafter, he received a request to medically evacuate a severely wounded Marine from another reconnaissance team located in the vicinity. When he reached the fire-swept zone he boldly landed, awaited the embarkation of the injured Marine, and returned to Da Nang to deposit his passengers and pick up a relief unit. As he and other aircraft inserted the Marines in the dangerous zone, one helicopter was severely damaged and forced to execute an emergency landing. Major Mitchell landed his transport and embarked the crew of the downed helicopter.

After unloading his passengers at Da Nang, he immediately flew a re-supply of ammunition to a Marine unit which was in close contact with enemy soldiers. His heroic actions and determined efforts inspired all who observed him and were instrumental in saving the lives of numerous Marines. By his courage, superior aeronautical ability, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave danger, Major Mitchell contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit’s mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

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Lt. Col. William R. “Bill” Duncan... Continued from page 8 mobile artillery unit was destroyed in a subsequent artillery strike. For this action, Bill was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his extraordinary achievement while flying a combat mission over enemy territory.

After the Korean War, Bill served as the Informational Services Officer (ISO) for various commands, including the First Marine Aircraft Wing in Japan. When Bill returned to the United States, he got his first command – HMH-462 (Heavy Haulers).

HMH-462 flew the CH-37 Mojave (heavy lift helicopters) and was based in Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana (renamed in the 1970s to Marine Corp Air Station Tustin or commonly known as Tustin LTA (Lighter Than Air)).

Lt. Colonel Duncan served as the Commanding Officer of HMH- 462 from May 1963 through April 1964.

While serving as CO of HMH-462, “Dunk” and his squadron was tasked with a humanitarian mission. That mission was to aid the Havasupai Tribe, located in the Grand Canyon National Park. Without the heavy lift helicopters of HMH-462, it would have taken the tribe several months to transport their supplies using pack mules. During a deployment of ten days, the men of HMH-462 transported building and educational supplies from the top of the canyon to the bottom. Five CH-37s, in 22 trips, transported 25 tons of material in approximately four hours. For their efforts, the Marines of HMH-462 was made honorary members of the Havasupai Tribe.

Bill fondly recalled his tour of duty as the CO of HMH462 as his favorite command, because it was his first. He further described the CH-37(c) as having the flight characteristics of a “semi truck.” According to “Dunk,” it was not a “fun aircraft to fly and was prone to electrical failures that caused many “unscheduled landings.”

“Dunk” Duncan returned to Southeast Asia in early 1965 where he served as the officer in charge of the Command Information Bureau for the III Marine Amphibious Force in Da Nang, Vietnam. Bill’s collateral assignment during this tour was serving as the officer in charge for the Da Nang Press Center. Lt Colonel Duncan was the sole

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releasing authority for all military news in the I Corps operational area.

Returning to the United States in July 1965, Bill assumed command of HMM-165 (White Knights) in September 1965. The White Knights were flying the new BoeingVertol CH-46. In recalling his career as a Marine Corps officer, Bill viewed it as “an honor” to be the second Commanding Officer of the squadron since it was commissioned on July 1, 1965. Lt. Colonel Duncan served as the CO of HMM-165 until February 1966.

Lt. Colonel Duncan’s final command was Marine Training Helicopter (HMT-301 (Windwalkers) HMT-301 flew UH34s and provided advanced training for aircrews heading to the air war in Vietnam. “Lil Dunk” was the CO of HMT- 301 until August 5, 1966. This was also the date of his last flight (flying a UH-34) as a Marine Corps pilot.

On October 1, 1966, Lt. Colonel William R. “Bill” Duncan honorably retired from the United States Marine Corps after 24 ½ years of service. Over his career as a Marine Corps aviator, “Dunk” Duncan flew 20 different types of fixed and rotary wing aircraft totaling 3,251 logged flight hours. As the Marine Corps’ first LSO, Bill estimated that he “flagged” thousands of Marine Corps aviators. Lastly, although not written in the history of Marine Corp aviation, “Lil Dunk” owns the bragging rights of being the shortest Marine Corp aviator of his era, perhaps in Marine Corp history!

Postscript: Lt. Colonel William Duncan, USMC (Retired) passed away at his home in Dana Point, California on Tuesday, March 8, 2016.

He was 95 years old.

“Dunk” Duncan was a long-time supporter of the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation.

His legacy and contributions to Marine aviation will be celebrated at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.

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Historic Blimp Hangar Lost... Continued from page 7

Naval Air Station, Santa Ana (Circa 1944) and construction challenges to the Navy and it’s contractors. With nearly all steel being allocated to the production of ship, tanks, heavy guns and other critical military equipment, the blimp hangars needed to be built using wood. For this purpose, Oregon Douglas Fir wood was selected. When completed, each hangar was 1,072 feet long, 292 feet wide, and 192 feet high. Each hangar could hold six 250-foot-long lightweight blimps. Construction of Hangar No. 1 began in April 1942 and was completed six months later. Construction of Hangar No. 2 followed. Naval Air Station, Santa Ana was commissioned on 1 October 1942, and flight operations commenced immediately.1 In 1951 the base was reactivated as Marine Corps Air Facility, Santa Ana, to support Marine helicopter operations during the Korean War. It was the first air facility developed solely for helicopter operations. The air facility played an important role in the development of helicopter tactics and operations. Tustin became home for helicopter assets of the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, providing helicopter training and support. During the Vietnam War, Tustin was the center for testing of the Sperry TPS-34 radar systems. These radar units were erected, tested, disassembled, and shipped to South Vietnam for use. Tustin went through further name changes and was renamed Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Tustin in 1979. In the final 48 years of its active life, the two blimp hangars were used extensively in support of critical Marine aviation operations.2 Although Hanger No. 1 is a total loss, Hangar No. 2 remains intact, and is in reasonably good shape. The City of Tustin does allow some events and activities to be held in the hangar. The City is also working with the Navy to develop a long-term plan for the restoration, maintenance, and operation of the building for the public’s benefit. For now, Hangar No. 2 remains a Southern California Icon...impossible to ignore, it continues to capture one’s sight and imagination.

1 NAS Santa Ana operated through the end of the war and was decommissioned in 1949.

2 MCAS Tustin was designated for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Act and was closed in July 1999.

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Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation Members We Need Your Help!

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he relocation of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum to Great Park in Irvine is now a certainty!

Indeed, the next several years will be an exciting and productive time for the Flying Leathernecks, as we establish a world-class facility to celebrate the rich history and legacy of Marine Corps Aviation.

In 2024, the Foundation plans a major push to update our constituent database and expand the FLHF membership rolls.

Our immediate goal is to ensure your membership records are complete and up-to-date. This will allow us to better communicate with you and to quickly respond to questions, comments and suggestions.

https://forms.gle/cj4fDTNmPMUzyDYx5. If more convenient, please call Operations Manager Chuck Meadows in the Foundation office to update your records. The office phone number is (858) 693-1723.

Foundation membership is critical to our mission establishing a permanent place to study, honor and celebrate Marine Corps aviation. In 2024, we will be contacting you directly about renewing your membership with one of the Foundation’s new programs.

The entire Flying Leathernecks team appreciates your interest, advocacy and support.

The Board of Directors would greatly appreciate your assistance with this effort. Please take a minute to update your current contact information (mailing address & phone number), and provide any other significant information you would like us to be aware of. We are particularly interested in adding an email address to your membership records. In addition, over the next several months, we will be launching other initatives to expand the Foundation’s presence on social media platforms such as FaceBook, X (formally known as Twitter), You Tube and Instagram.

The future looks exceptionally bright for the Flying Leathernecks! We are very excited about what will be accomplished going forward, and we want share our activities (and successes) with all of you on a regular and timely basis. Providing updated contact information, especially email addresses, will greatly enhance our ability to keep you posted about the Foundation and Museum.

Please take a moment to fill out the information on our contact form at

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THE FEW, THE PROUD...THE GENEROUS August 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023 GENERAL FUND DONATIONS Gary R. Bang, LtCol Jay N. Bibler, Doug Bowbeer, Peter S. Bowen, LtCol Roger Brent, T.D. Brown, Mr. & Mrs. John Bucher, Stephen Burd, Douglas Cochran, Edgar C. Cole, James Conger, Col Bart J. Connolly, IV, Carol A. Cooper, Patrick Copland, Peter Cranston, Timothy T. Day/The Timothy T. Day Foundation, James E. Downey, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Dox, Stephen M. Dreher, Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Drew, S. C. Evans, Michael Flynn, LtCol & Mrs. Warren T. Frommelt, Jr., Col & Mrs. John A. Gagen, Col Patrick J. Gough, Mr. & Mrs. Bart N. Green, Frank H. Green, MSgt William Griffith, Hao Guan, G. Allen Hale, Col Bruce R. Harder, James G. Harker, Col James Henshaw, LtCol James W. Jacobson, James F. Jamison, James Kearny, LtCol Frank B. Kennedy, III, Christopher Lekawa, Col Elmer M. “Bud” Lewis, Jr., Tom Marinko, LtCol Sebastian V. Massimini, Mr. & Mrs. John E. McLaughlin, Amir Mohammadpour, Col Samuel A. Morris, Richard A. Muench, LtCol Fred G. Muesegaes, Dawn O’Connor/Crest Education Center, Inc., Michael O’Donnell, John O’Neill, PayPal Giving Fund, Col John Rader/Marine Corps Aviation Association, Col & Mrs. Gregory G. Raths, Col Mike Naylor/PKL Services, Inc., Col & Mrs. Manfred A. Rietsch, LtGen John E. Rhodes, LtGen Terry G. Robling, Gregory D. Rooney, Retoske Firm, PC, Peter Sarellana, William Scarberry, Neil Shepard, Phillip Shiver, BGen David V. Shuter, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Slavkovsky, Nancy & Geoffrey Stack Family Foundation, Boyden Steele, Sean Sterling, Charles Strong, LtCol Melvin O. Turner, MSgt Anthony R. Villa, Capt Al Warrington, Robert Whalen, Mr. & Mrs. Warren P. Whitelock, Maj F. Mike Wifler, Wendy Wifler, Pei Yang, Mr. & Mrs. David Zekert, Micki L. Zettel

GREAT PARK MUSEUM RELOCATION & DEVELOPMENT LtCol James P. Atkins, III, Col & Mrs. Charles Quilter, Patrick J. Quilter

FOUNDATION MARKETING & SPECIAL EVENT SUPPORT Dale B. Mann

IN MEMORY OF ERNEST SCOTT, US NAVY (1963-1967) Mary Ann Wessel

IN MEMORY OF MEARL ROSELLI DODD Charles Roselli

IN MEMORY OF SKIP EGLET Karen Farris

IN MEMORY OF COLONEL K. P. “KID” GARDINER LtCol Michael Linehan

IN MEMORY OF MAJOR HERBERT R. “JELLYBEAN” JELLANDER Patricia A. Jellander

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IN MEMORY OF SERGEANT BOB O’REILLY Col Christopher E. O’Connor

IN MEMORY OF LIEUTENANT PAUL L. DROTCH, USMC Peter S. Drotch

IN MEMORY OF CAPTAIN CLIFTON H. RICK OF VMA-121 Jacklyn M. Rick

IN HONOR OF LT. COLONEL LARRY RANNALS Mr. & Mrs. James R. Parsons

IN HONOR OF JAMES “JIM” HARKER Matthew DeArmey, Jane Harker-Gersten, Gerald Thomas

IN HONOR OF MAJOR GENERAL BOBBY G. BUTCHER Hon Victor E. Bianchini

IN HONOR OF MARINE PHANTOM PHORAY REUNION GROUP Gen William L. Nyland

IN HONOR OF THE MILITARY GOLFERS OF EL TORO LtCol George A. Ampagoomian, LtCol Gary L. Galiger

IN SUPPORT OF THE NOVEMBER 10TH ASSOCIATION ANNUAL EVENT Theresa Aguayo, BGen Michael Aguilar, Hon Jerry Amante, Hon Gail Andler, Daniel Armstrong, Dennis D. Arminio, John Bergen, Steve Bergen, Col Jerome Bertrand, Hon Victor Bianchini, Christian Bollacker, Steven Bromberg, Mark Bowen, Peter Bowen, Brian Brown, Donald Brown, Ken J. Brown, Timothy Brown, Mark Chapman, Hon Thierry Colaw, Col Bart J. Connolly, IV, Andrew Crookall, Charles E. Crookall, Trevor Davis, Christian DeFries, Gregory Dillion, Donald Domonoske, Kevin Donohue, Jack Downey, Anthony Eaton, Kelly Esperias, Alexis Federico, Frederick Fogel, Victor M. Franco, Jr., Kevin Gallagher, John Garrigan, Bob Gauntner, Richard Givens, Col Patrick J. Gough, Margaret Graham, Thomas Gray, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Diana M. Greenwood, Anthony Guiliani, Edward Hall, LtCol Jack Harkins, Craig Kaiser, Timothy Lane, Robert B. Lange, Jim LeSieur, Dale B. Mann, James Markel, Col Alice Marshall, Col Norman Marshall, Robert McCormick, William McIlrath, Robert Mosier, Stephen Mugg, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas F. O’Malley, Paul Parilla, James & Nancy Parsons, William Pope, Miguel P. Prietto, MD, Richard Protzman, Col & Mrs. Charles Quilter, BGen Frank E. Quinlan, LtCol & Mrs. Larry Rannals, Dave Reed, Patrick Remolacio, CAPT Ronald Ress, LtGen John Rhodes, Jack Rippy, James Ritchie, Judson Robert, Robert Robinson, LtGen & Mrs. Terry G. Robling, Glenn Roquemore, PhD, Jeffrey Rountree, Col & Mrs. James R. Sandberg, Raymond L. Sanford, John Santry, Neil Shepard, BGen & Mrs. David V. Shuter, Ryan Smith, Geoffrey & Nancy Stack, Hamza Suria, Dan Tarbutton, Richard Topping, Marc Uhaze, MajGen Kenneth W. Weir, Maj Jeffrey Welles, Paul Wendler, IV, Wendy Wifler, Grant Williams, Col Eleanor M. Wilson, Mark Whalen, Rick & Carol Zampell

WINTER 2024

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