VPNAVY VP-5 Mercury Capsule Recovery
http://www.vpnavy.org
VPNAVY Address

HistoryVP-731 HistoryHistory

Circa Unknown
Can you identify the Month and or Year?

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Patrol Squadrons In The Korean War By LCDR Rick Burgess, USN (Retired) - Naval Aviation News July-August 2002..." Contributed by Mike Yared mikeyared@yahoo.com [25JAN2003]
VP History ThumbnailCameraPatrol Squadrons In The Korean War Page 1 of 4
VP History ThumbnailCameraPatrol Squadrons In The Korean War Page 2 of 4
VP History ThumbnailCameraPatrol Squadrons In The Korean War Page 3 of 4
VP History ThumbnailCameraPatrol Squadrons In The Korean War Page 4 of 4

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...I recall she was reserve out from Grosse Ils. Mich. recalled into the Korean frackus or what ever. She worked up for deployment at North Is San Diego. We as regulars were sprinkeled thoughout be cause of aircraft up grade and I ended updeploying with them. A few years ago a saw a P-3 outfit at Whidbey with a 731 designation but I had thought some time after Korea that we redesignated to VP-48 when we went to P5M's (not as much fun as the PBM5S2's) but better than the PBM3,s..." Contributed by Dick Reinhardt Lcdr USN Ret. rr2mohawk@bendbroadband.com

HistoryA BIT OF HISTORY: "...Combat Medals Brought Home for Heroes by Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN)...December 23, 1996...Those who have served our country in the United States military deserve to be honored for their sacrifices, but there are times when such effort escapes the attention it deserves. Such is the case of Navy Patrol Squadron 731, whose airmen saw combat duty in the Korean War. Andrew Yancey of Memphis flew with Squadron 731, and after his service he anticipated receiving medals for his combat missions. But the medals were never awarded. As time passed, Mr. Yancey and the other squadron members realized that the recognition they had earned would never come. Mr. Yancey began contacting military officials around 1957, but to no avail. In 1979, squad member William Masser of Detroit, Michigan started a letter-writing campaign to win the medals. Neither man knew of the other's efforts, and neither was having any luck getting answers. But in 1984, the two men crossed paths and joined forces. They contacted both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy, but still found no success. And to make matters worse, the men discovered that since so many years had passed since the war, they now had to produce documents to prove that they had even served in Korea in the first place. Using documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Mr. Masser, Mr. Yancey and others conducted painstaking research to make their case. They ultimately collected 491 pages of supporting documents which established not only that they served in Korea, but that they had flown combat missions. Not long after, in June of 1996, Mr. Yancey contacted my office. Acting on behalf of the men of Squadron 731, Mr. Yancey sought my help in bringing these documents to the attention of military officials who could bring about some action. I contacted the Department of the Navy, and I sent along the hundreds of pages of supporting documents for the squadron members' flight medals. And after decades of waiting, the wheels started to turn. Navy officials informed me that all the members of the squadron needed to provide were the airmen's flight records. Mr. Yancey quickly forwarded the material, and the Awards Board of the Chief of Naval Operations acted to finally grant Squadron 731 the medals that they had so longed deserved. Thirty-five service men were approved for awards, including air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. On September 28, many of the surviving members of Squadron 731 met in Memphis for their annual reunion. Sixteen members of the squadron were honored that evening, two represented by their widows. Back in Korea, the application for medals somehow was lost -- perhaps it was never even made. But today, the airmen of Squadron 731 have finally been honored by our country. And it honors me to have played a small part..." http://www.senate.gov/~thompson/122396.htm


Return
"VP-731 History Summary Page"

Selection Page

VPNAVY Copyrighted © 1996 - 2023