Gregg Mueller USN (1919-81)

[keith A]

Gregg Mueller. Born 17 August 1919. Enlisted in the USN in June 1939. Midshipman 2nd Class 1940. Ensign 19 June 1942. Annapolis 1943 (Graduated in the shortened three-year class). Made Lieutenant 1 July 1944. Lieutenant Commander 1952 (?), Commander January 1955. This officer retired in January 1963. Naval Designator 1310 and later 1313 (grades of aviator pilot?). He is listed in the USNA Yearbook for 1943.

I am looking for a navy pilot named Mueller who served in the Korean war in 1953. Can anyone put some meat on these very bare bones? I assume he served in WW2 but was still a Lieutenant in 1949 therefore he might not have seen active service. His record has the designation Av43 (is that pilot qualified in 1943?)

best regards

Keith

[RSwank]

I looked through some of the newspapers for the 1930s through 1950s for Lafayette, IN.

He was a student a Purdue (class of 1940) but was appointed the the Naval Academy in 1939 (completing only 3 years at Purdue). He graduated from Annapolis in June, 1942. He married his wife, Barbara when he graduated. In December, 1944 he was taking primary flight training at Ottumwa Naval Air Station, IA. Clippings below says he served on the USS Washington, a battleship, (or on a cruiser?) until he started flight training in 1944.

In December 1947 he was stationed at Alameda NAS according to another article.
Earlier in 1947 he did a 7 month cruise on the carrier USS Antietam.
Before that he was in Jacksonville, FL.
, ,
This clip seems to say he served on a cruiser before flight training:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/j...ier/128718355/

At some point in the 1950s he got a Master's degree at the Naval Academy and he also studied Aeronautical Engineering at Cal Tech.


A clipping from 1950s which gives a few more details.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/j...ier/128717588/

[keith A]

cheers my friend .

I found him by looking for an flying officer who had retired in the period 1955-65. Mueller was in the top half of the Annapolis graduates of '42. Luckily there aren't many Muellers who fit the bill (two at most).

K

[keith A]

The newspaper clippings you have generously provided answer all my questions as to his pre-1953 career and it gives me a look at the man himself

I also completes my jigsaw of the eight squadron commanders and XOs of CVG5 . Only two commanders (Duncan, Suerstedt) and one XO (Mulligan) had flown combat missions in WW2, although others had seen action aboard ship including the impressive Lawrence B. Green.

LCdr Hank Fichman was with VF-51 1943-44 but was seriously injured in a flying accident before it saw combat.

[keith A]

Interestingly this was probably his first flying assignment. Fighter Squadron 153 (VF-153) was originally established on March 26, 1945 at NAS Atlantic City flying the F6F-3 Hellcat. The squadron received F6F-5s in April and relocated to NAAS Oceana in June. The squadron moved to NAS Alameda in August 1946, and was redesignated to Fighter Squadron 15A on 15 November 1946. The squadron’s first deployment was aboard USS Antietam from March-October 1947. Immediately following their return, the squadron transitioned to the F8F-1 Bearcat in November 1947. The squadron was redesignated Fighter Squadron 151 (VF-151) on 15 July 1948. VF-153 is a squadron that appears repeatedly for flyers of CVG5.