Iwo Jima (LPH 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMA DI G OFFICER COLO EL WILLIAM H. FITCH Colonel William H Fitch began flight training as a Naval Aviation Cadet at NAS Pensacola in November 1950 and was designated a Naval Aviator and Second Lieutenant USMCR on April 1 1952 Colonel Fitch served with VMF 114 and VMA 32 with whom he made an around the world cruise and Photo Recon nalssance School at NAS Pensacola Following a tour with VMCJ 3 as Photo Officer Col Fitch assumed duties as Operation Officer for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Tactical Air Command Center This was followed by a tour as project officer and pilot ln VX 5 at NAF China Lake California Between 1960 and 1963 Colonel Fitch served w1th VMA 311 assumed duties as Marine Aide and Special Assls tant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Research and Development During June 1966 he graduated from the Marine Corps ficer In October 1966 he assumed command of VMA CAWD Aircraft Wing Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July 1 1967 he reported to MAG 12 at Chu Lai RVN where he was lO first assigned as Operations Officer On October 1 1967 he assumed command of h1s second A6A squadron VMA KAW, 533 and during April 1968 he again resumed the duties of MAG 12 S 3 From September 1968 to August 1970 he served in the Office of Deputy Chief Staff CAMO HQMC In August 1970 he reported as a student at the National War College The following year he received h1s Masters of Sclence in Inter national Affairs from George Washington University He was selected for promotion to Colonel during August 1971 and reported to MAG 32 as Executive Officer In September 1971 he was transferred to the 2nd Mar1ne Aircraft Wing as AV 8A Project Officer During March 1972 he supervised the execution of the AV 8A Sortle Validation Test fVers8.t1I6 WHFFIOPJ and on April 18 1972 he assumed command of MAG 14 He was promoted to Colonel on August 1 1972 OD on September 10 1973 he assumed command of the 32nd Marine Amphibious Unit at Camp Lejeune W Command and Staff College and joined MAG-14 as S-4 Of- September 7, 1973 he relinguished command of MAG-14 and

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.'a'l:::u.. -at - -A-mx lf- V 'i'-f'if'f'li'51TiZ-iii ' Q im 1 .Q--5' , y 3 I Captain John Marion Mathews, graduated from Meson Academy, Lexiton, Georgia in 1943 and then attended Emory University in the Navy's World War II V-12 program. In 1945 he transferred to the Naval ROTC Program at Georgia's Institute of Technology and Commissioned an En- sign in June 1946. He served in the USS TACONIC and then attended General Line School, Newport, R.I. This was follow- ed by duty in USS JUNEAU. Upon graduation from the Submarine School, New Lon- don, Connecticut he served on the submarines SEA LION, BLUEFISH, and CUBERA followed by a two year instructor tour at the NROTC Unit, University of Virginia. He returned to sea as Engineer Officer of the USS POMPON in June 1956 9-Hd was later Executive Officer of that submarine. In November 1958 he reported to the Lockheed Missiles and Space Division, Sunnyvale, California, for on the job training in the Fleet Ballistic Missile System CPOIB-riSl. Following this course, he was at the Naval Ordance Test Unit. C898 Kennedy, Florida with the Polaris Missile Flight Test ...- - + ff... 4...-i-5. . t - - ..... . . ..,,.-1 .. .Af ' ....,.-.lf ,.. I . V- .V ,J COMMA DER AMPHIBIOUS SQUADRO TE CAPTAI JOH . MATHEWS fl A X Q XQ- I'l, -as f 1' ' xiii- -f 2 N O 1 X ' A T ' N Q 'Sy Q 'f.' f ' I A' E fs ,hi Q R ,n' -'-. 1 64111 1' Program. As a Test Engineer he participated in the first two submerged launches of Polaris Missiles from the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON in July 1960. Captain Mathews Cthen LCDRJ commanded the sub- marine TORSK when it was called upon for operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Following this command, he served on the Staff of Commander Submarine Flotilla SIX in Charleston, South Carolina, and later was attached to the Of- lice of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C., in the Logistic Plans Division. Captain Mathews commanded USS AUSTIN from December 1968 until May 1970 followed by tours as Chief of Staff, Amphibious Group FOUR and Amphibious Group TWO Plans Officer and Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations and Plans COMPHIBLANT. Captain and Mrs. Mathews, the former Mrs. Lenora Dempsey Nolen of Jacksonville, Alabama and two sons, Richard and Nelson Nolen, reside in Norfolk, Virginia. 9

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