Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 17 text:

V . «»iw i.fSi '

Page 16 text:

iDER WILLIAM G. COULTER, U.S.N. On July 27, 1962, Commander William G. Coulter became tlie second Executive Officer of USS KITTY HAWK. CDR Coulter was bom September 17, 1922, in Prosser, Wash. He at- tended Whitman College at Walla Walla, Wash., for two years prior to en- tering the Navy December 11, 1942, under the Aviation Officers ' Program. CDR Coulter has had a well-rounded naval career sei ving in several transport, fighter and training squadrons. During the Korean Conflict he was the Executive Officer of Fighter Squadron 821 operating from the car- rier ESSEX. He was awarded four Air Medals for his flights in Korea. After duty in Korea, the commander sei-ved on tlie staff of the Commander Naval Air Force Pacific, as Assistant Training Officer until July 1953. He then attended General Line School at Monterey, Calif. After a tour ashore in an administrative billet at NATC Patuxent River, Md., CDR Coulter became Operations Officer of Carrier Air Group FOUR. Upon retuming from a Mediterranean deployment in 1958 he commanded Fighter Squadron 21 until July 1959. He then reported to Chief of Naval Air Advanced Training as Officer in Ch arge, and later Commanding Officer of Training Squadron 23 at Kingsville, Texas. He commanded this squadron until July 1961 when he entered the U.S. Naval War College at Newport, R.I., for a 10-month course. CDR Coulter is married to the fomier Miss Patricia Louise Odell. They have three children: Timothy, 13, David, 12, and Catherine, 9. The commander is the holder of the Air Medal with three Gold Stars, as well as the American Theater, Asiatic Pacific, China Sei-vice, Korea, United Nations and World War II Victory medals.

Page 18 text:

COMMANDER JOHN M. THOMAS, U.S.N. Commander John M. Thomas, USN, was formally relieved as Executive Officer of the USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-631 by Commander William G. Coulter, USN, on July 27, 1962. CDR Thomas was born in Iowa City. Iowa, and attended parochial and public schools in that state, completing high school at St. Ambrose Academy located in Davenport. Iowa. He attended St. Ambrose College and later Northwestern University in Evanston. 111. CDR Thomas entered flight training in August 1941 and was designated a Naval Aviator in Corpus Christi. Texas. He joined his first carrier based squadron. Com- posite Squadron 0. E at San Diego, Cal. He remained with the squadron during its trip through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic and participated in anti-submarine patrols aboard various jeep carriers until February, 1944. During the period, Composite Squadron ONE was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation while attached to the USS CARD. In February. 194-1, he was assigned to VF-74. a Hell Cat squadron attached to the USS K. ' ASAN BAY, and participated in the invasion of Southern France, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. CDR Thomas was next assigned to Patuxent River. Maryland, as a Project Test Pilot completing the Flight Test School, which was the forerunner of the now famous Test Pilot School. During his tenure at Patuxent, he was assigned to evaluate several foreign aircraft, including the Japanese Tony and Zeke. and the German Dornier 3.35. He was one of the first Naval aviators to fly jet aircraft which in- cluded the Bell P-59 and the Uockheed P-80. In 1951, he attended the General Line School in Monterey. Cal. and in Jan. 1952 proceeded to Washington. D.C.. and spent two vears in OP-54 with the .Aviation Personnel Distribution Section. In March 1954. he was assigned as Com- manding Officer of Fisrhter Squadron 24 based aboard the USS ESSEX as part of Carrier Air Group TWO. VF-24 was the first squadron on the West Coast to have the F9F-6 swept-wing jet aircraft. The squadron completed an eight-month deploy- ment to the W ' estern Pacific, participating in the Tachen operations. From August 1957 to June 1958. CDR Thomas attended the Naval War College at Newport, R.I, Upon graduation, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron ONE TWO ONE, a replacement fighter squadron. This unit was engaged in training Fleet .AU-Weather Fighter Pilots in the F3H aircraft. During this period VF-121 was awarded the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award for compiling 16.000 hours and more than 3,000 carrier landings without an accident. In Aug. 1960. CDR Thomas reported to KITTY HAWK as the Prospective XO, prior to the vessel ' s commissioning. He became XO on the date of commissioning. CDR Thomas was promoted to the rank of captain upon departing the ship. He is now Director of Training on the staff of Chief of Naval Air Training at Pensacola. Fla.