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COMPOSITE SQUADRON EIGHT (VC-8) 'FIREBALLERS' TAIL CODE 'NC' History: Commissioned 12/03/1951; moved to NAS Sanford FL 1955; redesignated VAH-11 11/1/1955 "Composite Squadron EIGHT was born in the recesses of hangar 305, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland.... A small group of officers collected from the various squadrons comprising the Heavy Attack Wing assembled in the FasRon 52 Ready Room to hear Commander Eugene P. Rankin, one of the pilots of the famed "Truculent Turtle", read the orders commissioning VC-8. Approximately one minute after he finished, our first scheduled aircraft became airborne. Talent from VC-5, VC-6, and VC-7 was pooled to form a nucleus for the first ASB-1 equipped squadron. Our first aircraft were not North American Savage AJ-1s, but P2V Neptunes." - 1953 Cruise Book, page 52 - Cecelia (Bishop) Graham - wccgraham@prodigy.net Personnel: CAPT USN (Ret) Paul Stevens - stevensp@bellsouth.net (also plankowner/skipper of VAH-1) David Cissel - popwave@aol.com (also Patuxent River) Chuck Huber - charles379@webtv.net - AT/AQ2 '55 (also VAH-1 [AT1), FAITC (PT1), VQ-2 '55 - '63) Paul A. Hatcher - paul.hatcher@gte.net (also VAH-1 "PineKnot out") Keith Tourney - Ktours@aol.com (also VAH-1) Claude Brown - {jetskizzzz@aol.com} NB: Invalid email address - anyone have an update? George Garbark - Garbark@stargate.net Curtis Browning - curtbrowning@webtv.net - (also Armament Test, Patuxent River '49-'52, and VAH-1) Kenneth Reightler, Sr. - AT/ST ,1948-52 Pax Riv/VC-8 1952-54,"B" School; VC-8 1955-56/VAH-11til July 1956; VAH-15 July shangmem@verizon.net Bill Ganderton - Ganderton@aol.com Dauswell R. Mahan, MD. - VC-8 under Whit Wright in 1952-53 at Pax River and Port Lyautey. Ens. and then Ltjg - Radar Target Intell Officer - drmahan@catt.com Charles Davenport - 711 Mountain Gap Road SE. Huntsville, AL Vern Eck - StoneAge@peoplepc.com (also in VAH-11) Arthur "Leroy" Atkins - Plankowner - Aircraft log yeoman in Aircraft Maintenance Library through May, 1955 - Mr.Leroy@worldnet.att.net Ray Meadows - HWY 315, Keystone Heights, FL 32656 Wes Hover YN3 - wwh27@earthlink.net Phil Sienia AD3 - Pjandjet@cs.com (also in VAH-11) Walter Flory AT3 - Flory01966@yahoo.com (also in VAH-11) Cletus Mock Jimmie C. Poe Jim Bowman James Coleman Ed Lavis Jack Eckstein Victor Agee Bertrand Rabelais ========= REUNION UPDATE ============ John Cooke is planning a VAH-11 reunion (to include VC-8 and RVAH-11) in Norfolk in May 2006. If interested contact him at jicooke@reunionvah11.com. Help in locating shipmates is appreciated. |
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