Class History

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Posted 7/15/00, The following article is taken from The July (2000) Issue of Shipmate:

Fifty Years Astern

By Major General D. E. Tripp '50, U.S. Air Force, Retired

    Our Class marked the midway point of the twentieth century as we graduated and entered the United States Armed Forces. We were the first post-World War II Class to enter the Naval Academy and over a third of our number had seen prior service; a few were already commissioned officers, one wearing the wings of a naval aviator.

    When we entered the Academy in 1946, the Navy was still in the process of downsizing from 6,768 ships at the height of World War II, to a low of 634 by the time we graduated. The Marine Corps was experiencing retrenchment and searching for modernization options to improve upon the lessons that amphibious warfare had taught. The U.S. Air Force, transitioning into a separate service and requiring some much needed regular officers from both Annapolis and West Point, would absorb one quarter of our Class upon graduation.

    During our Plebe Summer a series of nuclear tests were conducted at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean to assess the extent of damage which could be expected to ships and other military hardware from an atomic bomb. The photographs of the resulting mushroom-shaped cloud over the atoll were the source of the design for our Class Crest depicting a globe cradled on the cloud symbolizing the world’s entrance into the nuclear age. It would be a prophetic symbol of and preamble to the nearly half-century of the Cold War that was to follow.

    Upon graduation on 2 June 1950 we saw a world that we thought was at relative peace. However, the Korean War that erupted just three weeks later was to absorb the talents of many and cost the lives of some as it escalated into the protracted, indecisive struggle that it eventually became.

    Our academic curriculum from 1946 to 1950 was dominated by seamanship, steam, ordnance and gunnery and “juice” (electrical engineering). Navigation was by sextant rather than blessed by today’s Global Positioning System. Nuclear propulsion and gas turbines were off in the future to be learned both by post-graduate education and on-the-job experience. Ordnance was still delivered principally by 16-inch naval guns, torpedo tubes, mainly prop-driven aircraft, field artillery, and individual infantry weapons.

    Ballistic missiles, both strategic and tactical, were in their infancy. Satellites and space-tracking radar were a couple of decades away. Our aviation orientation, education, and memories were built largely upon the N3N seaplane ride over the Chesapeake where the experience either motivated or terrified. Summer cruises had much the same effect with invigorating port visits in Europe interspersed with enervating hours at sea.

    The 915 of us that walked through the gates of the Academy grounds in 1946 and took the oath of office as Midshipmen, produced the 691 that graduated. Two-thirds of that number were the 461 commissioned in the Navy. Another seven percent were the 48 entering the Marine Corps. The Air Force contingent of 25 percent comprised 172 Classmates. There were four graduates from allied countries who returned to their nation’s navies, where they achieved high rank. Six of our number graduated, but were not commissioned. Those 224 who did not complete the course are Classmates whose associations we still enjoy. But the story of the Class of 1950 would be sterile if looked at only through its numbers. The real picture is seen by looking at the contributions made by its members in the ensuing years in their chosen fields.

    Ours was a Class with an impressive future. The Navy membership produced three admirals, six vice admirals, and 12 rear admirals. Captains numbered 134; 94 commanders; 57 lieutenant commanders; 86 lieutenants; 54 lieutenants j.g.; and seven ensigns.

    Among the four-star admirals were two commanders-in-chief of unified and NATO commands, one of whom previously was the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Another commanded the Pacific Fleet. Other senior members held numerous important positions in fleet commands, aviation, submarines, research and development, acquisition, and high-level Pentagon staff assignments including the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

   
Among those commissioned in the Navy, unrestricted line and surface warfare officers were the greatest in number. Nearly one-third were aviators and 60 submariners filled our ranks. Supply, engineering duty, civil engineering, and intelligence specialties absorbed over sixty, and one became a chaplain. Surface warfare officers witnessed a Navy progressively aging with its World War II ships gradually replaced by more modern vessels equipped with new propulsion systems, enhanced anti-surface warfare and anti-air capabilities.

    Our submariners spent their early years in diesel boats that progressively gave way to nuclear propulsion and new designs with vastly improved capabilities.

    Nuclear submarine progress carried its risks and we were deeply saddened by the loss of three of our Classmates aboard Thresher in 1963.

    Aviators, including test pilots, did their early missions from the decks of Midway, Essex, and light and escort carrier classes remaining after the war. Newer carriers of the Forrestal class arrived a decade after graduation and heralded a capability to exploit high performance jet aircraft. Aviation also had its hazards and we lost 16 U.S. Navy Classmates in aircraft operations during our active duty years.

    Those serving in other essential career fields such as engineering duty, supply and civil engineering corps, contributed to the new technologies and efficiencies that improved materiel accountability demanded and that data automation brought forth. Keeping up with technology in all fields required post-graduate education in weapons and new propulsion systems, command and control, and business management skills.

    Military awards came to Navy Classmates in all categories ranging from Distinguished Service Medals, Silver and Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Crosses and to scores of commendation medals and unit citations. An early recognition came to one of our number by the award of a Rhodes Scholarship upon graduation.

    The 48 Classmates welcomed by the United States Marine Corps produced two lieutenant generals, two major generals and 15 colonels, the highest percentage of those top ranks of any of the services. There were nine lieutenant colonels, five majors, and ten captains. Retention among the Corps graduates was the highest of any service.

    The dominant career fields were infantry and artillery, in keeping with the Marine Corps tradition of emphasis on the ground combat arms. There were two Marine aviators who were most definitely in a combat arm. Our Marine Classmates were soon fighting ashore in Korea. They earned the highest percentage of Silver Stars and nearly one out of every three received the Purple Heart. Despite early and intense combat in the Korean War and later in the Vietnam War, no Marine warfare deaths occurred nor were there any aviation-related losses. One prisoner of war in the Korean conflict was an officer evaluating enemy anti-aircraft effectiveness from an observation aircraft that was shot down. He was the only POW in our Class.

    Postgraduate education included many of the one-year senior level military institutional courses, graduate education in various civilian universities and for several, the three-year ordnance engineering course at the Naval Postgraduate School.

    The senior leaders held numerous command and staff positions. At one time, two infantry divisions and one air wing, exactly half of the combat arms of the Corps, were commanded simultaneously by Classmates. The senior officers also held influential positions at Headquarters USMC, command of a Fleet Marine Force, and a high-level aviation assignment. One colonel on active duty and later as a senior executive service civilian did valuable work at USMC headquarters and was honored posthumously by having a major center at Quantico named for him.

    The 172 U.S. Air Force members of our Class were selected from each of the academic thirds of the graduating Class. All who were physically qualified for aviation duty were required to enter pilot training. Like their Navy and Marine Corps Classmates, they soon found themselves flying combat in Korea. Many others chose the critical, non-rated job specialties that the Air Force greatly needed and they made major contributions in scientific and engineering specialties. Postgraduate education was encouraged and was widely available. USAF Classmates enjoyed the highest percentages of master’s and doctorate degrees earned during their active duty years.

    Five rose to the rank of major general and two became brigadier generals. There were 38 colonels; 37 lieutenant colonels; eight majors; 35 captains and 47 lieutenants. The Class produced 70 pilots and 26 navigator-bombardiers or aircraft observers and 76 who served in demanding non-rated specialties. Pilot training accidents and combat operations claimed 14 Air Force Classmates; the highest percentage lost by any service. Our USAF officers led in the number of Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded in relation to their total number of aviators. Distinguished Service Medals and the Legion of Merit came to many for achievements.

    The senior members of the Air Force graduates held key positions including command of the USAF Flight Test Center, the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, as well as influential assignments in the Pentagon in research and development, space systems, planning and force structure, intelligence and logistics. Several served the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One was honored with the CIA Star for Valor for work in the A-12 SR-71 Blackbird program and another directed combat search and rescue operations during the Vietnam War. Many became professors at the USAF Academy during its formative years. A principal influence of several members of the Class was in the vanguard of ballistic missile and space systems research and development that contributed immeasurably to the nation’s security.

Many of our Class who left the services early were successful professionals in civilian life by applying their Academy education and training to good advantage that reinforced the military they had left. One became chairman and CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Another became a nationally respected attorney. Careers in the military-industrial complex were common. Many chose professions as educators, bankers, philanthropists, lawyers, doctors, ministers, judges, historians, civic leaders and one served in the United States Congress.

    As a Class, we upheld the USNA tradition of providing senior leadership for the services we entered. During the past half-century, we were privileged to witness the greatest period of growth in our nation’s 200-year history. Members of our Class saw service in World War II, served honorably during Korea, Vietnam and in the frequent crisis actions of the Cold War. Nine graduates were killed in aircraft operations during the Korean War and two during Vietnam, a total of six Navy and five Air Force. Another U.S. Navy Classmate died in a Korean fire control team operation. The high number of our Distinguished Service Medals and Presidential Unit Citations reflected America’s diversified wide-ranging global commitments in both crisis management and combat operations. We were proud to do our part in contributing directly to the national security that is the underpinning of the country’s economic, military and political superpower status that we enjoy today.

        Time has taken its predictable toll on our membership. As we arrive at our 50th anniversary we do so with ranks thinned by the loss of over one-quarter of our graduates. We honor them in silence and in our 50th Reunion Memorial Service as we renew old friendships among the living. We regret that a few of our number remain unaccounted for in spite of our best efforts to locate them.

    The new millennium offers great opportunities and problems both seen and yet unseen. We wish the USNA Class of 2000, our 50-year under-Class, Godspeed as it leaves the Academy to face them. Their education, perseverance, and youthful enthusiasm will be welcome and very much needed in a still troubled world.

    Finally, we celebrate our five decades following graduation with the hope that the national investment in the United States Naval Academy has been repaid in some measure by the sacrifices, professionalism and dedication of the Class of 1950. We are not done yet and have still more to offer, limited only by our remaining abilities to serve our country and the opportunity to support that Alma Mater by the Bay that has given us so much.

Posted 1/24/01: This critical attempt to discover who we are, both as a class and as individuals, has been thoroughly, and with good humor, researched by Daryle Tripp. It is posted here to generate input from you classmates who have many of the answers, and to enlarge the content of this website as contemplated by Roy Snyder. Send in your thoughts to  Jack Akin. (The "Bulletin Board" input forms would serve this purpose.) Jack will coordinate such pearls of wisdom with class officers for merging with our data bases. 

MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW
(And what we don't know)

ABOUT THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 1950

January 2001

Now that the election and holidays are over, we are in desperate need of some intellectual conundrums to challenge our minds during the "Dark Ages."

There are two purposes for this writing. First, to provide some data and second, to ask for some. This is History of the Class of 1950, Unabridged, Final Edition.

The story distributed at our 50th reunion and published in Shipmate dusted off a library of documents that hadn't been much used for decades and produced some long-forgotten data about our class. But the process of trying to answer many questions by building the history raised almost as many as it solved. Although the story had many facts that gave the appearance of authority, a few of them were based on shifty statistics. It was surprising how many voids and errors there were in both official and unofficial source documents. One would have thought that after 50 years,  most elements of our data would have been set in concrete. Not so.

The history was decreed to be about 5-7  pages in length for ease of reunion handout and formatting for Shipmate. Many elaborations on points made and excursions into subjects not covered were omitted for that reason. There were nearly a dozen of us that provided inputs or comments and we hid under the excuse of not saying more by the dodge that the size lid forced us to say less. Names were not use d in an effort to control word count but that decision had an unexpected benefit of forcing classmates to think about who they were.


Now that we have a class web site and are not as constrained by space limitations, we can expand, elaborate and in some cases erase certain subject matter. The numbers in the history are still basically correct. It is time to put names on them. What follows is a menu of indigestion issues:

1- What are our primary source documents and how reliable are they?

2-How many received appointments to the USNA class of 1950?

3-How many took the oath as midshipmen?

4- Why were the military awards not tabulated and who received the highest?

5-Is there any publication that lists all the names with prior military service?

6- Who were the six who graduated but did not receive commissions ?

7-How many combat deaths did we sustain and who were they?

8-How many major warships were commanded by classmates?

9- Why was no rank shown for 13 members of the class and who were they?

10-Who are the truly unknown classmates and can we relocate them?

11- Why were the accomplishments of the top ranks singled out for visibility with less coverage of the lower grades?

l2-How many were already commissioned when they entered the Academy?

13-What was the final, official number of graduates and those commissioned?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There are three principal sources of data, other than personal archives, that were used in the history and in the words that follow. They were the 1999 Register of Alumni by the USNA Alumni Association (99 Register) plus earlier editions, the 1950 Lucky Bag - Annual Publication of the Brigade of Midshipmen (Lucky Bag) and the (blue book), the Annual Register of the u.s. Naval Academy, NAVPERS 15, 019 1950-1951. ( 51 Register) There are other sources. Records in Bancroft Hall were useful in recreating the Brigade Striper sets but most of our class data is consigned to the dusty shelves of Nimitz Library. The USNA Registrar's office has been helpful but extracting data has been akin to a dentist's work on dead molars.
Some bits of data expected to reside there either cannot be found or did not exist.

The Alumni Association staff has also cooperated fully but they fall back on the Register that will get little praise here for its accuracy, at least for our class. It is an unofficial publication. The USNAAA makes the point that the Register is dependent on the membership and the facts stated are no better than what the membership puts in. Regrettably, many of us have not revised as we should have over the years and the evidence that follows should be proof positive. We have recently made inputs to USNAAA to fix some of the more glaring errors and one purpose of this writing is to urge classmates to fix others before the upcoming 2001 edition is born. The 99 Register includes only those who "at any time were enrolled in the regular and prescribed course of instruction." This definition restricts names to those who took the oath as midshipmen. so this source is no help in tracking those who received appointments but did not formally join the Brigade as midshipmen.

Over the years, the Registers perpetuated listings by numbers based on academic standing. The '98 edition was alphabetical with register numbers tucked in at the end of one's entry. The 99 Register list is purely alphabetical with numbers now totally omitted. (Too many apparently objected to being identifiable as "buckets.")


The conversion to the new computer-assisted format has not been without significant errors and growing pains. Many facts previously listed have fallen through the cracks. The numbers at the head of our Class of 1950 section of the 99 Register show 691 graduates and 178 non-graduates for a total of 869. The number 691 is correct. However, the count of names listed adds to 694. One, Neal Plaskonos, is listed twice. Who is he? It turns out after much Sherlock Holmes sniffing that he was a non-grad of the class of 1996. How did he get in the class of 1950? (You'll have to ask John Paul Jones.) The plot thickened further. Tom Ross' name appears 3 times. (A triplet that we didn't know we had! ) A further question is what happened to W. W. Anderson? He was formerly listed in earlier Registers with unique and confusing numbers 21757.5, 217571 or 21757.639 but does not appear in this edition. Tracking his audit trail has been a digital nightmare to all of us trying to computerize class data and he apparently did the same to USNAAA. Finally, after readmitting one Anderson and subtracting two Plaskonos and two Tom Ross' we get 691 graduates. (How sweet it is!) We have advised USNAAA accordingly.

Similarly, the header number of 178 non-grads in the 1950 column disagrees with the actual count of 177 names. Even that count is in error since it includes one member, Kemper~Von Kemper listed twice to reflect a name change. His name is spelled elsewhere as "Von Kempen", adding further to the confusion. The net body count would be 176 non-graduates and this was used in the class history. The 99 Register net sum of 691 graduates and 176 non-grads yields a total of 867 midshipmen. This number itself disagrees with the official 51 Register showing 876 new admissions with our class. The difference is not just a transposition error .

The numbers get really Byzantine when comparing the count of 176 (178) non-grads shown in the 99 Register with the 216 named in the Lucky Bag, pages 233-234 ("THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND"). The Lucky Bag shows 48 names not listed in the 99 Register. Conversely, the 99 Register lists 8 names not shown in the Lucky Bag.
The non-graduate number of 224 displayed in the class history is still correct by the Chad count of adding the 176 in the 99 Register and the 48 others found in the Lucky Bag. The same number of 224 was arrived at by adding the 216 in the Lucky Bag and 8 others in the 99 Register. There is psychological strength ( or a fool's paradise) in deriving the same number using two different sources provided we know what categories of people we are talking about and that they are the same people seen in both publications.

This number of 224 non-grads in the history consists of 176 who were midshipmen and another 48 who received appointments but were never a part of the Brigade.
But---classmate memories indicate that there were many more than just these 48 names. Who were they and why did they not stay?

A number of them who received an 'entrance permit' did not take the oath to become midshipmen.



Classmate estimates (after several cocktails) range from about 100 to 200. That would make the appointee total about 1000 to nearly 1100. Some left after passing through the gates and were found physically disqualified. Others took one look at the place and decided that this is 'not for me.' Some arriving from civilian life decided on civilian colleges and universities rather than the 'boat school' and declined taking the oath. Military appointees saw that the Reina Mercedes was hardly blessed with the comforts of the Ritz Carlton and they left. Reports are that some fleet appointees did not have the required entrance fee of $100 and left because of that or used it as an excuse to exit. Still others were rumored to have sought and accepted an appointment without intention of entering the Academy and hoped for an early out of the uniform by declining membership. So it is that we have many reasons why appointees never became midshipmen but no authoritative list of how many and who they were. We have taken far too many words to give you a non-answer to this problem. It remains the major "what we don't knows" about 1950.

Errors in awards and decorations are conspicuous both by omission and commission in the 99 Register as they have been for several years. Many of our most senior classmates show few if any. One of our 4-star Admirals shows none and the highest award of one USMC 3-star was a commendation medal until USMC Headquarters gave us the true facts. Three classmates are shown with Distinguished Service Medals but have none and have no idea how they got there. One other, W. J. Kingsberg, a Lt. (SC) USN resigned in 1954 and displays a Distinguished Service Cross, a Distinguished Service Medal and an Air Medal. If true, he would have had the highest award of any member of the class. No one knows what could have prompted the nation's second highest award. He died in 1993 and the entry obviously cannot be validated by him or his widow, now an unknown addressee.
We have asked the USNAAA to review this case and to remove the awards. Our real top '50 awardee is clearly 4-star Ron Hays with 1 DDSM, 4 DSM, 3 SS, 1 LM and 6 DFCs. The known high awards were 9 Defense Distinguished Service Medals, 16 Distinguished Service Medals and 20 Silver Stars.(The 0-5s and below hold the DSM in high esteem as the' good conduct medal' for O-6s and above. )

Still another issue was whether to display awards from other executive departments and civilian awards. We knew of few of these but one was especially notable. Air Force Denny Sullivan received the CIA' s Star for Valor for intel/recon flights in the A-12 over the USSR. Regrettably, the new 99 Register omits some awards shown in earlier editions. Further, ever heard of a "ZAM" award? Turns out to be 2AM, meaning 2 Air Medals. There are many of these "2s" typed as "Zs."

The awards data overall is so unreliable that we resisted pressures to display a summary sheet in our history . Sometime in the future we may offer them to the website but trying to defend them would be like trying to hook a coat hanger on a cloud. ( ---and even displaying it might earn one a Purple Heart. )



One of the items of interest for the class history was the question of how many classmates had prior military service. The Registrar's office of the Academy had records showing three categories totaling 205 who received SECNAV appointments. The Annual Register 1946-19471ists 908 of us as 4th classmen by source of appointment. But the Registrar and that document had no data on how many political appointees by the President, V ice President or Congressmen had prior military service. That unknown led to the survey we conducted asking for names in this category . The result of this query was another intellectual swamp. There were 72 of our survivors who responded. A number answered the wrong question and reported that they had received fleet (SECNA V) appointments. We already knew that number. Eight others that answered the correct question said they had received both fleet and political ones but some could not remember which one they had accepted. We obviously received nothing from the 25% of deceased cla5smates. Data collected indicated that nearly 35% had prior service and with the unknowns extrapolated to the class as a whole, we estimated that the total would be about 40%.

Since this reunion history was written, a supportive, corroborative approach to the prior service question was taken by reviewing paragraphs under classmates' photos in the Lucky Bag. It was a time-consuming, pedestrian process to scan each of the nearly 700 mini-bios but they told us much about how we arrived at Annapolis.
The back door approach proved brilliant. There was little ambiguity in determining the 61% that came directly from civilian life. The magic of subtraction left 39% that had been in some kind of military environment before becoming midshipmen.

This led to another dilemma. How do you define prior military service? Those that had served in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Army or Army Air Corps ranks needed no interpretation. But how do you classify a VMI cadet that left to become a midshipman? How about preparatory military schools such as Bullis, Culver, Staunton, Admiral Farragut or the New Mexico Military Institute. There were over a dozen of them. Was that prior military service or just preparatory service? One classmate was within 3 weeks of an Ensign's commission at a civilian university but dropped out to become a midshipman at USNA. The many avenues to prepare for USNA included the preparatory schools, Coast Guard Academy, NROTC, Citadel, V-5, V-12, N.A.P.S. Bainbridge and Camp Peary,just to name a few. One was an ex-West Point Cadet.

Far too many words have been spent on this subject. The final judgment based on all sources is a testament to nihilism. The prior service members of our class are not the 61% who arrived as pure civilians. This will be the last profound word on the subject unless someone has something better. (There is never a last word.)



Another frequent question following the publication of the history was who were the six unnamed that were graduates but not commissioned mainly for physical problems that had developed during the course. Their names and Alumni Association Register numbers are as follows:

Amman, Louis A.                            21332
Hoover, Howell P .                          21565 (Dr.)
Mathews, John H.                           21783 
McFeathers, John S.                       21796 
Moll, Kendall D .                            21204 (Dr.)
Register, Albert L.                           21225 (LT USNR, deceased) 


A further, mind-boggling issue was the question of how many of our class had been killed in combat. We come from a warrior institution and if we do nothing else right, we ought to be able to honor all our warriors with accurate date and cause of their demise. There were no Marine deaths although they took brutal punishment in Korea. All of the Navy and Air Force deaths claimable as combat were in aviation save one USN lost in a launch off Korea. The original tally of 12 losses- 7 USN and 5 USAF ---should have been an easy task. It proved otherwise.

Phil Ryan had comprehensive records on USN aircraft losses and the undersigned had many for the USAF. The 99 Register had determinations that differed widely with classmate sources. Even those did not necessarily agree with records of the Services, the names in Memorial Hall, much less the data at the Veterans Administration. In fact, the 99 Register has taken an unfortunate step backwards by omitting many death dates and causes that had been reported in earlier editions. We will ask the Alumni Association to restore and update them with what fo11ows,

The donnybrook escalated. The fIrst question involved the definition of "combat. " Those shot down in Korea or Vietnam posed few questions as to category . One USAF classmate flew into a mountain in Vietnam---accident or combat? He wouldn't have been there if there hadn't been a war, even if undeclared. What about a death in a carrier landing at sea off Korea or Vietnam ? Did he land after real or suspected battle damage or combat fatigue or was it simply an accident?
Was that combat or combat support? Some argued why give special recognition to a carrier landing death in combat zones when others died doing the same thing in the Mediterranean. Still others opined that we should include the total killed in all active duty military operations without regard to whether the losses were during the official war periods of Korea or Vietnam or simply during peacetime. It was all "Cold War." We compromised and listed the numbers for both.

The case of John R. Dunham has had much visibility . He was shot down in a B-29 by the USSR off Siberia, The 99 Register says "Barents Sea Area." We have offered a pacifier reading "Bering Sea Area." (One must not offend the ex-USSR.)



The Veterans Administration refuses to list Dunham as a Korean casualty . His death was just beyond the official dates of the Korean War. Other objections were that his action was just outside the official geography of that war . We ultimately overcame the bureaucrats with full military honors and a flyover at Arlington.

In the list that follows we used our own judgment and standard. Our overall decision on naming these people may be seen as a "waffle." We chose the term "combat operations" in the history to avoid argument about using the official words "combat death." After all of this terminology turmoil, many of us novices in the history business are ready to revert to the medieval term "killed in action" which ain't all that bad. The names and causes as best we can determine are as follows:

EVANS, H.T.            USN                F-9F OFF KOREA USS PHILIPPINES SEA
FROSIO, R.C.          USN                OFF VIETNAM USS F.D.ROOSEVELT
GARDINER, T.M.    USN                S.CHINA SEA USS HORNET
GEDNEY, K.C.        USN                 AAA FIRE NORTH KOREA
HUDSON, J.A.          USN                AAA FIRE NORTH KOREA
GROOVER, M.K.    USN                FIRE CONTROL TEAM LAUNCH KOREA

BRAYBROOKE, C.  USAF             C-130 GUNSHIP CRASH VIETNAM
DUNHAM, J.R.        USAF                RB-29 SHOT DOWN OFF SIBERIA
KOBEY, D.S.            USAF                F84G SHOT DOWN KOREA
SPRADLING, W.R.  USAF                F-80 AAA FIRE KOREA
WILLS, J.W.            USAF                F-84g SHOT DOWN KOREA

      
However, the data from the 99 Register is significantly different. The four listed in parentheses below are not even shown as dead.

DUNHAM:                Barents Sea Area
EVANS:                    As above.
FROSIO:                  Vietnam-returning from night recon.
GARDNER:             Died 7/26/1954 (no cause listed)
(GEDNEY):               Entry says LTJG USN DFC (no death date or cause shown)
(HUDSON):                Entry says LTJG USN BS (nodeath date or cause shown)
GROOVER:               Deceased 03/11/1951 (no cause listed)
BRAYBROOKE:        Deceased 10/06/1967 (no cause listed)
(KOBEY):                    LT USAF (no death date or cause shown)
SPRADLING:             Died 7/24/1952 Korea
(WILLS):                    LT USAF (no death date or cause shown)
HAYWARD:               Died 01/31/1953 Korea Sea   

Unraveling the case of Hayward has been a major enigma. The 99 Register and '98 edition list a 1953 death in "Korea Sea." Earlier editions show only death date and no location. USNAAA cannot trace its source. Phil Ryan is fairly sure of his data showing Mediterranean on USS Midway. Our new, whole-hearted decision is to reverse our old, half-hearted decision in the reunion history and show the Med.

This changes our quasi-official deaths in Korea and Vietnam from 12--- 7 USN and 5 USAF to 11---6 USN and 5 USAF. We will submit this data as above to the USNAAA for the 2001 Register, unless provable changes are very fast a-comin ' .
( ---and this walk on eggshells will not be repeated. )

A question was raised about the names of classmates that had commanded major ships. The Iowa class battleships were mothballed too early post World War 2 for 1950 graduates to reach a Captain's rank eligible to command them. There were three fleet aircraft carriers. Bob Foley had USS Midway, Tom Rogers had USS Coral Sea and Phil Ryan had USS Hancock. There were also cruisers. destroyers 
and submarines skippered by our number but the data is incomplete. Tragically, the USS Thresher, commanded by Wes Harvey, took him, Bob Krag and J.H. Billings to their deaths. There are other ships and shore establishments commanded by classmates but we do not plan to get into the morass of trying to list them all.

Still another difficulty in sorting our class was the question of what rank to display.
The rank statistics and percentages used in the class history were from the 99 Register augmented by other sources when available. There were 8 USN and 5 USMC entries in the table at the end of the history with the notation "rank not listed. " Most of these were junior officers who left the service early and maintained little contact with the USNAAA or with classmates as far as is known. The 13 with no rank listed are as follows:

               USN
BOWN, WALTER L.
DOMBROWSKI, WILLIAM F .                    (Dr.)
FILLMORE, WILLIAM C.                            (deceased)
GOCHENOUR, DAVID T .
KNOX, EDWARD P.
MAYO, DANIEL K.
ROGERS, JOHN T.                                         (Dr.)   
SNYDER, COLLINS 

               USMC 
BONNER, FRANK                                            (deceased)
HAWKINS, WILLIAM F.                                 (Dr.)
OLSON, STANLEY
REES, GROVER
STILL, RICHARD                                              (later LTC USMC Res.)  


Several classmates that resigned early joined reserve components later and achieved high or higher rank there than they had in the regular components. Requests were received to count them in their highest grade. This was resisted for a couple of reasons.



One reason was that any analysis of the class was more objective if we limited it to what was achieved while on active military duty. Another was that we did not have access to many documents with the information. There are Reserve and National Guard units in most of the 50 states and we did not have the time to track down and document claims. It was not a question of checking honesty but a matter of the sheer work involved.

There are a number of classmates and their next of kin that are lost contacts. Larry Hawkins' 50th Reunion Register lists a full page of names with "status/address unknown. " Larry has spent many hours on phone searches and has recovered a few. A handful of classmates have completely dropped off the radar screen with evidence that they may want to remain that way. A few prime examples that we have not heard from in over forty years are Robert A. Horner, John R. Parmer and Harold F. Erickson. Some are probably due to disenchantment with the service or problems in civilian life and one or more may be deceased. (One, other than these three, chose to be "rediscovered" if it was promised that his address would not be given to "kneebasher" Dick Powell for solicitation purposes. ) We should nonetheless renew efforts to locate our lost souls but it will take a real James Bond effort.

Another issue recently raised was the space devoted to the accomplishments of those with the higher ranks in relation to the visibility given to the lower echelons. This too was a practical matter. The lesser coverage given to the lower ranks was driven by less or no data about them. This was especially evident with those who left active service early and went on to accomplishments in civilian life. Many of them kept in only limited touch with classmates and even less contact with the Register to update their status. We had a congressman (T.C. McGrath), a CEO of a major company (Jim Kinnear) as well as an accomplished attorney (John Nolan). How do you compare a four star admiral with a one term congressman and give balanced visibility without balanced data? Some with special status such as our only chaplain (Chuck Greenwood) were highlighted. This problem of digesting and reporting the histories of large groups in a non-discriminatory manner is seen in all walks of collegiate, governmental and industry life and is not unique to the Class of 1950. You can't be praised if your light is hidden under a bushel.

The number of classmates commissioned when entering the Academy should have been a simple determination. We definitely knew about Ensign and naval aviator Don Fraasa, the class president. Ensign Chuck Dobony was another. Reports were that there was a third. Still others said there were four. This 'simple' void was a last minute crisis but was handled with aplomb. We waffled again by saying "a few" were already commissioned. A later review of the mini-bios in the Lucky Bag identified others. Charles Kessing was a 2/Lt. navigator in the Army Air Corps. Thanks to Joe Pausner's memory banks and Larry Hawkins' sherlocking we have recently discovered another member of the class that was commissioned when walking through the USNA gates in 1946. Franklin Hauser, a non-graduate, was a l/Lt pilot of a B-24 in the Army Air Corps. He and his crew already had orders for overseas when the chapel dome beckoned. Another, Walter Congdon already had his orders as an Ensign but declined in order to become a USNA midshipman---true Blue and Gold.




Others were close to commissioned status in the V-5 and V-12 programs. If you know of any others actually commissioned when they entered USNA, we will anoint them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the 99 Register given such poor marks for accuracy and allowing for the fact that the Lucky Bag was not error free or official, we come now to one that was official. But it too required surgery and interpretation to bring it up to some semblance of currency and comprehension. This grand document was the 51 Register.

What follows should delight even the most diehard number crunchers among us:

Annual Register of the U.S. Naval Academy 

NAVPERS 15,019 1950-1951 

(pp 21-22)

STATISTICAL DATA OF THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 1950

 GRADUATED 2 JUNE 1950 

MEMBERSHIP ON ENTRANCE 

    NEW ADMISSIONS                                                                                    876
    EX-MIDSHIPMEN ADMITTED WITH THIS CLASS                                  4 
    TURNED BACK FROM THE CLASS OF 1949                    
     DEFICIENT IN STUDIES                                                        26
     ILLNESS                                                                                       2 
                                                                                                                               28 
                                                            
                                                            (SUBTOTAL)                                           908@


SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED BACK TO THIS CLASS
DEFICIENT IN STUDIES                                                                 3
ILLNESS                                                                                             1

EX MIDSHIPMEN READMITTED WITH THE CLASS
OF 1951 AND ADVANCED TO THIS CLASS                                  1

EX MIDSHIPMEN READMITTED WITH THE CLASS
OF 1952 AND ADVANCED TO THIS CLASS                                   1

(NUMERICAL STRENGTH OF MIDSHIPMEN CLASS OF 1950)                    914*

EX MIDSHIPMEN READMITTED WITH THIS CLASS
AND ADVANCED TO THE CLASS OF 1948-B                                 1

(NUMERICAL STRENGTH OF MIDSHIPMEN CLASS OF 1950)                     913*   



SEPARATIONS PRIOR TO JUNE 1950    
    DIED (MARTINELLI)                                                                        1
    DISCHARGED                                                                                    1
    HONORABLY DISCHARGED
        DEFICIENT IN STUDIES                                                             55   
        PHYSICALLY DISQUALIFIED                                                    22
     RESIGNATIONS
         VOLUNTARY                                                                                102
         VOLUNTARY, ALSO DEFICIENT IN STUDIES                           6 
         CONDUCT                                                                                         3
    TURNED BACK TO THE NEXT LOWER CLASS
         DEFICIENT IN STUDIES                                                                29
         ILLNESS                                                                                              3
                                                            (SUBTOTAL)                                                222

MEMBERSHIP OF THE CLASS AT THE END
                         OF THE COURSE 2 JUNE 1950                                                    691

GRADUATED, AWARDED DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
AND HONORABLY DISCHARGED BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT
APTITUDE FOR BECOMING A COMMISSIONED OFFICER                              1  

NUMBER GRADUATED, AWARDED DIPLOMAS AND DEGREE
                            OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE                                                    690+

THE FOLLOWING DID NOT RECEIVE COMMISSIONS:
    FOUND PHYSICALLY DISQUALIFIED FOR COMMISSION
     AND HONORABLY DISCHARGED                                                     6
     PERUVIAN                                                                                            1
     BRAZILIAN                                                                                             1
     ECUADORlAN                                                                                         1
     FILIPINO                                                                                                 1

NUMBER COMMISSIONED:

    ENSIGN, LINE                                                                                                      421**
     ENSIGN, SUPPLY CORPS                                                                                    40**
     SECOND LIEUTENANT , U. S. MARINE CORPS                                              48  
     SECON'D LIEUTENANT , U .5. AIR FORCE                                                   171**

                                                                        (TOTAL )                                            690#

ATTRITION FROM ALL CAUSES DURING THE COURSE

CLASS:
        1942                                                                                                27.9
         1943                                                                                                24.2
         1944                                                                                                22.0
         1945                                                                                                18.2
         1946                                                                                                18.7
         1947                                                                                                19.4
         1948-A (ATTRITION FROM DATE OF ADVANCEMENT        
                         TO SECOND CLASS UNTIL THE END OF THE
                         COURSE)                                                                          4.8  
         1948-B (ATTRITION FROM DATE OF ADVANCEMENT
                         TO THIRD CLASS UNTIL THE END OF THE
                         COURSE)                                                                          17.7  
         1949                                                                                                    31.0
         1950                                                                                                    24.3

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Notes: Even this supposedly decisive tome is an accountant's quagmire.

Entries in parentheses such as (420) and the (**) have been added to show errors, potential confusions and for clarity. ( ---and to facilitate calculations by those of you still using the K&E slide rule. )

The number 908@ agrees with the table shown in the 1946-1947 Register that lists 908 "Midshipmen of the Fourth Class" by name and source of appointment. (Nice to know that at least one entry enjoys consistency and some credibility . )

The lines "914 *" and "913 *" are still less than the 915 sum of 691 graduates and our 224 named, non-grads. Somebody is still off by one or two, probably in the dark niches of non-grad archives or in the confusing puts and takes with the classes of 1948 through 1952. (How can we possibly tolerate an error of this magnitude?)

The standout line: "NUMBER GRADUATED, AWARDED DIPLOMAS AND DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE---690+"-would have done our class inestimable service if it had died of AIDS and had been totally left out. It is often quoted as "THE" authority by asserting that 690 graduated. In fact, the number 690 is merely a statistical way point between 680 commissioned and the 691 true graduate total, including the one discharged. (If you are thoroughly tired of seeing the number 691, remember that deliberate, absurd repetition is a recognized tool of learning!)

The number 690 compounds its felony again by appearing as 690# , positioned under the paragraph showing those commissioned.


But the USN numbers of 421** line and 40** supply corps plus 48 USMC and 171** USAF add to 680. This is confusing because subtracting the 6 not commissioned and the 4 allied navy classmates from the 691 graduates leaves 681 commissioned. The Marine Corp numbers are not in question but the numbers of USN line and supply corps evidently should total 462 at graduation. The reason is this. George R. Loftis transferred later from the USN to the USAF and altered the final totals from 462 to 461 USN and the USAF from 171 to 172. This is the Class of 1950 cast in bronze and we have the names to prove it. (Sorting all of this out has been much more difficult than running aground on Greenbury Point.)

The case of W. W. Anderson defied comprehension. He was shown as Anchor Man at number 691 in the '51 Register's roster of 1950. However, in a special "Correction..." of 29 March 1951 by order of Superintendent Adm. H.W. Hill, he was moved up to class standing 640.5. Coping with the 'dot five' proved to be almost as bad as a computer virus and has caused us pseudo-statisticians much grief.

Gene T. Dunaway remained our true and final Anchor Man despite determined efforts by many to cheat him out of his coveted position. (This one should be final. )

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"quod erat demonstrandum." (which was to be demonstrated)


may be "quod not demonstrandum" depending on your point of view.

It would not be too surprising if digesting all of this confusion, much less fixing it would be in the very front rank of your last priority interests at this point in life. After over a dozen pages of this you are no better informed on how many were appointed to the class of 1950 than you were at the beginning. We have been so busy killing other alligators that we did not find the plug to drain that swamp.

There is very little virgin data within official Navy archives about our class still outstanding and untapped that can answer unanswered questions. We have come full circle. Our best source remaining is very likely ourselves. (Coupling the words "virgin" and "1950" would be a contradiction in terms and will not be attempted.)

We are not alone. The West Point Class of 1950 has experienced many of the same frustrations with their database in preparing for their 50th reunion as we have with ours. Their "Register of Graduates" is similarly unofficial and has inaccuracy minefields like our own. After coming to us and learning of our statistical frustrations, they decided to solve the problem intellectually by sending out a survey to get answers. They were dismayed when a few of their classmates responded with alleged grandiose accomplishments that would have humbled even the modest George S. Patton. It was either Alzheimer's or megalomania. You can't win!



Returning to the banks of the Severn, the criticism of the USNAAA Register has been severe. But the Association would probably view it somewhat positively as a message that they themselves continually make about the accuracy of their data. If we want to know who the culprits are, we need only to look in the mirror. No matter what Register edition classmates may be using, updating would be worthwhile.
We had better hurry.

What you have just read is still not the finality of the tablets from Mt. Sinai. It is chum to the sharks that love the opportunity to bite bait. Put on your new bifocals (---if you can remember where you put your bifocals) and give us some better answers if you have them.

You will be delighted to know that there is little more that can be said about these heady issues and the History of the Class of 1950 will at last be "pax vobiscum."

By the year 2050, all of this analysis paralysis will still frustrate those still living.
Other, more fortunate members of our fraternity who will not become centenarians will be resting in comfort and in total indifference underneath the weight of it all.

  Daryle E. Tripp, 1/16/01

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