US Naval Air Training Center - Yearbook (Corpus Christi, TX)

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'A' ir ir Ill VILLE FIELD Under the command of Commander D. S, lviclviahon, Kingsville Auxiliary Air Station was commissioned on July 4, l942. Commander McMahon was executive officer of a squadron of PBY's that made a non-stop flight from San Diego to Panama in 22 hours, a record at that time. He also engaged in another nan-stop flight of two PBY's from Panama to Anacostia, D. C. Located almost 35 miles southwest of the main station, near Kingsville, Texas, it is the largest of the auxiliary air fields. Kingsville Field is, as are the other outlying fields, an integral unit in itself. Here, the cadet takes his advanced specialized flight training necessary for the use of service type planes of the fleet. Kingsville is the home of Fighter and Dive Bomber Squadrons and continues the training that has already been given by the other squadrons on the center. Students pile up many hours of gunnery, formations, acrobatics, navigation, and night flying In N b ' ' ovem er i9-42, Commander Thweatt became Commanding Officer af the Station. Prior to reporting aboard the Naval Air Station, he was Assistant Air Officer aboard the USS Wright, an Aviation Tender with the Pacific Fleet. Commander Thweatt enlisted in Naval Aviation in April i9l7. He trained at Pensacola, and after intensive training was sent to France. Following trainin in b th l d s A ' ' g o an and -eaplanes, he was assigned to coastal patrol over the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay. 1-.li . . 4 we t 'full ' .-.- ff f k,.,,X,, . i ,I sv fi , ' .,,.. ' v Commander Troy N. Thweatt, USN, Commanding Officer, Kingsville Aux- iliary Naval Air Station Page 43 X 1-I r .,, we ..,,,f?,, .x ,M , , ,M

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, ilzwfn' . Ueutenant Conunonder Kenneth R. Smhh USN, Commandng OHken Cuddihy Auxiliary Naval Air Station llllllllll FIELD Cuddihy Field is The home of Squadron l2A. At This field cadets are instructed in The Basic Stages of flight Training. lt is a complete unit within The Naval Air Training Center organization. Cuddihy Field was named in honor of Lieutenant George Thomas Cuddihy, who was one of The outstanding Aero- nautical Experimenters in Naval Aviation History. Graduating from The Naval Academy in l9l8 vvith a further assignment to flight training at Pensacola, he won his wings in l92O. , Since Then Lieutenant Cuddihy has played an important part in theudevelopment of Naval Aviation. ln l923, he was commended by The Secretary of The Navy for his gunnery efficiency and in l927, for his highly successful flight over the Andes Mountains. He was posthumously awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in i929 for The purpose of determining The flat spin characteristics of The F-4B-l Type airplane, at great personal risk. Lieutenant Cuddihy vvas killed in a crash while Testing an airplane at The Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Washington, D. C. Lieutenant Commander Kenneth R. Smith assumed duties as Commanding Officer at Cuddihy Field on December lQ, l943. He entered The Naval Reserve in l9l7 and later became a member of The Yale University Unit when it was taken over by the Navy Department. He received his flight Training vvith that unit and vvas designated Naval Aviator No. 87. During World War l he served in various capacities at Naval Bases in England and France. He was attached to Sub-operating bases as Engineering Officer, flevv first sub-patrol planes in French Waters, and was later assigned to night bombing of enemy obiectives until the war ended. He has been awarded The Navy Cross, Croix de Guerre with Palm, French Legion of Honor with rank of Chevalier. Page 42 ir 'Ir ir

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'M 4 Lieutenant Commander Ira Smalling USN, Commanding Officer, Waldron Auxiliary Naval Air Station, WAL FIELD Waldron Field, home of Squadron 16A and 1613, is a self contained Auxiliary Station and has all the facilities neces- sary for the administration, instruction and entertainment the hundreds of cadets training here require. The syllabus is devoted to specialized training of Torpedo Bomber Pilots. Waldron Field, commissioned in April 1943, was dedicated to the memory of that outstanding Naval Aviator, Lieu- tenant Commander J. C. Waldron, USN. He was the famous skipper of Torpedo Squadron 8, who led his squadron against hopeless odds to meet the Japs, in the battle of Midway Island. It was in this action that he lost his life and Naval Aviation lost a gallant Pilot. Training at a field named in honor of this courageous skipper, future Torpedo Bomber Pilots share the heritage that makes Naval Aviation a dynamic factor in this world struggle for Freedom. Lieutenant Commander Ira Smalling reported aboard this Center in September 1942, as Gunnery Officer. In July 1943, he became Commanding Officer of Waldron Field, replacing Lieutenant Commander Charles T. Fritter. Lieutenant Commander Smalling entered the Navy during World War I and served on the Destroyers USS Barry, USS Dale and the Submarine K-7. After the war he returned to college and maiored in Engineering and Economics. He re-enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve in April 1924 and reported for primary flight training at Great Lakes, Illinois. In 1926 he was sent to Hampton Roads, Virginia for advanced training and received his commission as an Ensign in October 1926. , Since then he has had various assignments connected with Naval Aviation. He has been connected with Aviation Cadet Training Program since 1935. Page 44 9