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

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REAR ADMIRAL J. J. CLARK, USN Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark, USN, arrived aboard NAS, Corpus ChrisTi, on 27 June 1945, To assume command as Chief of NAITC and as commander of NATB. The famed commander of a carrier division in The FirsT Cariier Task Force recenle reTurnecl frcm combaT in The Pacific, he had been on duTy in ThaT TheaTre for four years. A naTive of Pryor, Oklahoma, Admiral Clark aTTended The Naval Academy and was graduaTed wiTh The class of 1918. He enTered flighT Training aT Pensacola, Florida and IaTer in 1925 received his designaTion as a Naval AviaTor. During World War I, he served aboard The USS NorTh Carolina, which was engaged in convoying Troops across The ATlanTic. Since Then, he has served The following Tours of duTy: 1919-1922, desTroyers in European waTers; 1922-1923, DeparTmenT of Seamanship and NavigaTion aT Naval Academy; 1926, Senior AviaTion Officer aboard The USS Missis- sippi; 1928-1931, ExecuTive Officer aT NAS AnacosTia, D. C,- 1933, Commanding Officer, FighTer Squadron Two aTTached To USS LexingTon; 1933-1936, member of Board of lnspecTion and Survey; 1937-1939, ExecuTive Officer, FIeeT Air Base aT Pearl Harbor, and offer a brief Tour of dUTy wiTh PaTroI Wing Two, reTurned as ExecuTive Officer of The NAS aT Pearl Harbor. For service in command of a Task Group in The Pacific, Admiral Clark was awarded The DisTingUished Service Medal and The Navy Cross. He also wears The VicTory Medal, EscorT Clasp, for service on The USS NorTh Carolina during The firsT world war; The American Defense Service Medal wiTh a bronze A for service on The YorkTown which cperaTed in acTual or poTenTial belligerent conTacT wiTh The Axis forces in The ATIanTic Ocean from 21 SepTember 1941 To 11 OcTober 1941, and 31 OcTober To 4 November 1941, and also The AsiaTic-Pacific Area Campaign medal. AWAxxxxxwz22

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REAR ADMIRAL CHARLES P. MASON, USN COMMANDANT N. A. I. T. C. - N. A. T. C. Rear Admiral Charles P. Mason, USN, has had a prominenT parT had unusually wide experience afloaT and ashore, and mander of The Naval Air Training Bases. Admiral Mason was graduaTed from The U. S. Naval Academy in 1912. years wiTh The FleeT before reporTing for TlighT Training aT N. A. 8., was designaTed Naval AviaTor No. 52. During World War I, he served in France inspecTing and TesTing aircraTT. American-builT LiberTy-moTored seaplane delivered in Europe. Following The War, he organized The TirsT seaplane paTrol squadron in The Pacific, ever aTTempTed by The Navy and conducTed The Navy's firsT TesT of a carrier's funCTions in fleeT maneuvers. Admiral MasonTs impressive record includes service on The USS LANGLEY, famous as The firsT carrier ever ordered TO duty wiTh The TleeT, and laTer on The carriers USS SARATOGA and The USS YORKTOWN. He Took command of The USS HORNET one monTh afTer her parTicipaTion in The bombing raid on Tokyo. The Navy Cross was presenTed To him for ouTsTanding service as skipper of The ill-faTed USS HORNET aT The Time of her gallanT TighT againsT overwhelming odds off SanTa Cruz. He was laTer commander of The Task force of converTed carriers in The SOUTh Pacific area, and subsequenle was made Commander Air Solomons Islands. He remained in command of The Air Forces in Guadalcanal Area for Two monThs. Admiral Mason was decoraTed as a Grand Officer of The Order of The Southern Cross, by The ATTache for Air of The Brazilian Embassy in recogniTion of The aTTenTions, services and spiriT of cooperaTion exTended by The Brazilian Air Force. in The develcpmenT of Naval AviaTion. He has is now Chief of The Naval Air lnTermediaTe Training and Com- Following graduaTion, he spenT several Pensacola. Winning his Wings in 1917, he He has The disTincTion of flying The TirsT led The TirsT IOng-disTance flighf Page 24 meek..- -......-... .T owe. e:ru....-..-u e.

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COMMANDER F.-BRUNE11 SUPERINTENDENT OF AVIATION TRAINING Commander F. Bruner assumed The duTies of Superin- TendenT of AviaTion Training on December 3, 1943, succeeding Commander J. E. Baker, who was deTached. He arrived aboard The Naval Air STaTion OcTober 18, 1943, following more Than a year of dUTy wiTh a NorTh Pacific paTroI squadron. Commander Bruner was graduaTed from The U. S. Naval Academy in 1927, and Two years laTer compleTed insTrucTion courses aT The Chemical Warfare and Torpedo School. In 1929, he compIeTed The TIighT Training pro- gram of Pensacola, Florida and was assigned To a UTiliTy Squadron on The Pacific CoasT. From 1930 To 1932, he served wiTh a FighTing Squadron aboard The USS. LexingTon and U.S.S. Langley. OTher Tours of dUTy Took him To Pensacola, where he served as a primary seaplane insTrucTor, compIeTed The aerial photography course and Then was assigned as a TighTing plane insTrucTor. He served wiTh aviaTion uniTs aboard cruisers from 1934 unTiI 1937, when he was placed in charge of The phoTography laboraTory and school aT Pensacola, He was presenTed The Air Medal for meriTorious achieve- menT in baTTling Jap submarines. CAPTAIN JOSI1PH B. 111111111, 11811 CHIEF OF STAFF CapTain Joseph B. Dunn, USN, assumed dUTies as Chief of STan, Naval Air InTermediaTe Training Command, on May 12, 1944 relieving CapTain E. O. Mchnne1, USNR, who was a'eTached for duTy afloaT. CapTain Dunn, who was graduaTed from The U. S. Nayal Academy in 1922, has had 22 years of Naval Serwce aboard cruisers, submarines, aircraTT and carriers. His service includes Three years abcard U.S.S. RCChesTer, Tour years in The submarine service, ccmmanding officer R-o, Three years a senior aviaTor aboard U.S.S. Concord, gunnery officer Pensacola. During The year 1929 he was insTrucTcr cf engineering and physics aT The Naval Academy. OTher Tours of duTy included service aboard The U.S,S. Ranger, as Squadron Commander, TifTeen monThs wiTh a squadron aT Coco Solo, Panama, Commander of VP Squadron aT Jacksonville, Florida and laTer Commanding Officer and SuperinTendenT of Training aT Cecil Field. CapTain Dunn, before coming To Corpus ChrisTi, was Commanding Officer of The U.S.S. Bogue. For his aggressive and capable leadership of The U.S.S. Bogue and her escorT group againsT sub- marines in The ATlanTic, he was awarded The Legion of MeriT.