George F. Weixler from Ridgewood, Long Island, was a Radio and Search Gunner from the United States Marine Corps, serving during WWII on a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless aircraft. George volunteered at NAS Miramar in San Diego to be a replacement gunner. He was sent to El Centro, CA for gunnery training, and then back to Miramar. He shipped out to the South Pacific, leaving from San Francisco on a troop ship going under the Golden Gate Bridge. Soon after, he was assigned to Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 243 (VMSB-243), a dive bomber Squadron which was activated for missions in the Philippines. This Squadron known as the “Flying Goldbricks” fought also in the Battle of Bougainville and saw action against Japanese forces in the Islands area at Noumea, New Caledonia, Espiritu Santos, Efate Island, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Munda, New Georgia, Emirau, Bismarck Archipelago, Hollandia, New Guinea, Luzon, Mindanao, Seeadler Bay and Los Negros. They were deactivated shortly after the end of the war on September 25, 1945.

After the war, in 1948, George met Agnes Muriel Beach (“Muriel”), who was part of a military family. 3 months later, they would marry. Soon after, the couple would settle in the state of New York to raise three children. George went on to work at the Long Island Lighting Company for 34 years; and then retired and lived in Bethpage, Long Island close to the Grumman Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. In 2002, George and Muriel moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida. His wife passed away recently. George has eight grandchildren of whom he is very proud. One of them is currently in Beirut, Lebanon working among the community in behalf of better relations between the United States and Lebanon. George F. Weixler will soon be a great-grandfather. Mr. Weixler visited the NASFL Museum and shared with us his images, documents and stories. Thank you George for your visit, for sharing with us, and for your service to our country!

Click on thumbnails to enlarge and read descriptions.
Images Copyright © George F. Weixler. With permission to the NASFL Museum.

George kept an Aviator's Diary. In it, there are photographs, foreign currency, and a feather which reminded him of Native Americans like the Navaho "Code Talkers" helping with the war effort. He also kept records of missions and enemy raids, which sadly would injure or kill some of his fellow marines. George was rewarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross and several Air Medals. Fortunately for George, he was never injured.

Presently in pre-production is a documentary by Producer Ron Lowther, a member of this Museum, who is currently on a multi-city journey across the county to film interviews with the Veterans of the 756th Tank Battalion, and document their journey from North Africa to Berlin. The main focus of the film will be about the men who crewed the M4 Sherman Tanks. From inside a sweat box to an ice box, these men endured grueling, if not horrific, experiences throughout World War II in a tank. With Lowther's experience he is expecting this project to be another award winning film on his resume`. He wants audiences to smell, taste and feel what it was like to be at the controls of a Sherman Tank.

To become a sponsor for the film please go to: 
The 756th Info Page

_ Member Spotlight
Ray Rivera, USNR WWII

USS Bunker Hill Survivor
Frogman Trainee and Korean Veteran

_Ray Rivera was born in Bronx, New York. It was perhaps part of his ancestry of seafaring peoples from the French region of Corsica, that Ray was interested in the Navy ever since he can remember. At 13, he joined the group American Blue Jackets as a way to prepare for a career in the Navy. At 16, he was finally a member of the US Navy and on his way to the South Pacific on the USS Bunker Hill-- where he celebrated his 17th birthday. He became a 2nd class Petty Officer. Ray recalls that he was aboard the aircraft carrier on May 1945, when it got attacked by Japanese kamikaze pilots. He was below deck on his way to the galley, when the first plane hit the ship. He was immediately assigned to “damage control.” The fires raged on deck, and heavy smoke infiltrated into the decks below, killing many men. The crew of the Bunker Hill suffered from the loss of 346 sailors and airmen killed, 43 more missing (and never found), and 264 wounded. The damaged ship returned to Pearl Harbor, and then onto Bremerton WA, for repairs. When the war ended, the Bunker Hill became a “Magic Carpet” taking troops back and forth, throughout the South Pacific. Ray then got transferred to Little Creek VA, to become part of the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), also known as Frogmen. The UDT were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. Their primary function was to reconnoiter and destroy enemy defensive obstacles on beaches prior to amphibious landings. They were the precursor to the present-day SEALs.

Ray was discharged from the Navy in 1947 and joined the reserves. In 1950 when the Korean war started, he was called to active duty. He was assigned to the USS Grand Canyon AD-28, a destroyer tender (a ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships). He was also on a tour of duty in the Mediterranean. Ray was awarded several medals: American Defense, Asiatic-Pacific-Campaign two battle stars, Victory medal, Liberation of Philippines, the Presidential Unit citation, as well as other Korean ribbons. Ray got discharged in 1953, and moved to Florida. He then joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and became Commander for 9 years; then District Commander for 2 ½ years in Hialeah, FL. Ray is married to Alice and they both live in Pembroke Pines. They have three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ray Rivera has been one of the most active members and helpful volunteers of the NASFL Museum since 2006.

Rebecca Jones shares with us her new book: My Father's Fight of Honor - From the diary of William G. Griffin, who served in the U.S. Army during WWII in the years 1943 to 1946.

"My father, William (Bill) Glenn Griffin, served in the United States Army in World War II. Growing up he kept photographs, medals, pins, and other memorabilia in a cedar chest in my parents' bedroom. I asked him several times about it, but he would never say much about the war. He would mention England, Germany, Belgium, Philippines or Scotland - the land and the peoples, but not anything about the actual war. Imagine my surprise when I was cleaning out the house after both of my parents' death when I found tucked away in a white pillowcase a diary. I sat on the floor and began to read of a scared young man going into the Army in 1943 and continued walking with him through the days, weeks, months and years to 1946 when the war ended and the soldiers all came home.

The diary is 68 years old and is falling apart. I first started typing the diary to preserve my family’s history since the diary is disintegrating and we will no longer have such a treasure. Once I began, I knew I had to put this in a book to share with others. This book contains the actual diary of my father who enlisted into World War II in 1943 and continued to 1946 when he returned home. It is a day to day 'journey' from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Europe, to the Pacific and back again. He mentions lots of names of other soldiers. My hope is that this book will offer some insight and history to other families who were not as fortunate as we of having a living history book."

You can purchase this book from Amazon

Book Details:

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (June 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN #: 978-1463548278
• Price: $14.95

Rebecca Jones was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC where she still resides with her husband, George Carl Jones, Jr. They have two children and two grandchildren. Writing has always been a passion for Rebecca, as she has two other books listed at Amazon. She currently works at the Wake Forest University in the Information Systems Department. Rebecca also has a publishing business, and helps writers who want to write and get published without all the hassels of trying to get a traditional publisher.

Visit Rebecca Jones' Book Publishing and Writing blog at: www.rgjbooks.blogspot.com

From the Archives at: USS Houston CA-30
Survivors Association & Next Generations

Photo Acquired by John Bradford (Australia). John's source for the photograph of USS Houston (at anchor in Darwin) was the wife of the late Ron Beard who saw action while a member of HMAS Warrego’s No. 1 forward gun during the aborted convoy to Koepang and the Darwin air raid.  He left Warrego in December 1942. 

Survivor David Flynn
Still "Perpetuating the Memory of the CA-30 and Her Men"
By John K. Schwarz

"I had the pleasure recently of being able to spend the better part of a day while vacationing in Florida with this beloved survivor and his fabulous wife, Donna Mae. When greeting them, I was offered a little gift in the form of the book Allan McElhiney: One Man's Vision by John and Minerva Bloom, the story of the founder of the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Historical Association (NASFLHA).

Within a couple of days I began to read this book and couldn't put it down. Turns out that the Airport down there serving Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida, an airport I have flown in and out of for over 15 years, was a major training base during WWII for Naval aviators and enlisted Naval airmen of the U.S Navy and Marine Corps. Among its notables who trained there was President George Bush Sr. He went on to fly off the aircraft carrier San Jacinto which ties it into the USS Houston CA-30 through fund raising following the CA-30's sinking. This air station was also notable in being the base from which was flown the memorable Flight 19 which disappeared without a trace while on a training mission over what has been characterized as the "Bermuda Triangle". All fourteen crew members were lost and nothing has ever been found of the plane or crew.

Allan McElhiney was a Navy man who served during WWII aboard the second USS Asheville Patrol Frigate (PF-1), and was stationed in Newport, R.I, during the Korean War. Coincidentally, the first USS Asheville (PG-21), was part of the Asiatic Fleet! Anyhow, just like the spirit of my late beloved Dad, Otto Schwarz, Allan set about and has devoted his entire life to preserving the memory and legacy of the contributions and sacrifices made by so many of the servicemen who served at NASFL. He established the historical association which has been able to retain an original building from the WWII air station which now sits on the airport grounds as a Navy Museum. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon at this Museum and with this great WWII American hero. There he was, 85 years old, suffering from Parkinsons Disease, and staffing this Museum on his own, continuing his life's work through this Museum packed with artifacts. What a man! He is a true example of the "greatest generation".

Low and behold, commencing on page 94 of the book, is "Survivor's Story" which turned out to be a six-page depiction of David Flynn's experience as a CA-30 shipmate! I have to tell you that it made me so proud to read and see such a fabulous job David and the authors did in condensing David's story into these six pages. What a testament to the CA-30 and her crew. This is such a great example of one of our own beloved men having the courage and talent to tell the story so that the mission of "perpetuating the memory of the USS Houston CA-30 and her men" gets accomplished.

David, hat's off to you, JOB WELL DONE, and God bless you!"

John Schwarz is the Executive Director of the Blue Bonnet Newsletter of the USS Houston CA-30 Survivor's Association. He is the son of USN survivor Otto Schwarz. His father started this association in 1948. Otto recently passed away. Our deepest condolences to the Schwarz family.

To visit David Flynn's website Tribute by his son Shawn Flynn, click on this link.