Marvin Dowdy Norton (USNA'39)

[keith A]

Enters flight school in September 1941. Qualifies as a pilot in 1942 (?). He serves in the USN until the 1960s. His medal bars indicate a lot of service in WW2 but despite being a qualified pilot I can only see an Air Medal (with a "1" device?). He nevertheless has five battle stars (two silver, three bronze) on his Asiatic-pacific campaign medal together with Philippine campaign medals.

He does not appear to have served in the Korean or Vietnam wars.

Can anyone shed light on his WW2 service?

regards

Keith

[RSwank]

His Obit here gives a little more info, particularly in the early part of WWII:

http://www.coronadonewsca.com/obitua...389caa3d3.html

Before flight training he served on the USS Witchita.

[R Leonard]

All I've got.

Marvin Dowdy Norton Jr (082697) -
9/4/1941 - ENS USN, NAS Pensacola attach for HTA flight training
2/6/1942 - LTJG USN, NAS Pensacola designated NA # 10999
6/15/1942 - LT USN, Date of rank from 1 Jul 1942 USN Register
10/26/1942 - LT USN, VT-10 USS Enterprise (CV-6)
11/15/1942 - LT USN, VT-10 MCAB Guadalcanal
3/15/1944 - LCDR USN, Date of rank from 1 Jul 1944 USN Register

And if he had a device on his air medal ribbon indicating an additional award, correctly it should be a small bronze star. One bronze star for each subsequent award up to 4 stars for 5 total awards. If he had a total of 6 air medals it would be a single silver star. The USN, during his entire service career did not use numbers to denote additional awards. On his Asiatic Pacific ribbon, as you describe it, 2 silver stars and 3 bronze equals 13 credited campaigns.

[keith A]

This is weird. 13 campaigns is impossible isn't it? The red "1" on the air medal is a mystery.

https://navy.togetherweserved.com/us...rson&ID=441849

The badges show service on the Valley Forge and with training squadron 10, as well as USS Gurke (which went into service in 1945). I wonder if the website is incorrect?

K

[twocee]

In WWII, training squadron 10 would have been designated VN10, as VT denoted torpedo squadron.

Norton flew as an Avenger pilot at the Battle of Santa Cruz. En route to the target on 26 October 1944 his aircraft was badly damaged in an attack by Zekes and he decided to head back to Enterprise. Unfortunately he could not lower his landing gear and so was forced to ditch. The crew was rescued by DD Preston.

By the end of Air Group 10's first deployment, in May 1943, Norton was VT10's Flight Officer, i.e. 3rd in command, but he appears to have been detached soon afterwards.

[R Leonard]

Originally Posted by keith A

This is weird. 13 campaigns is impossible isn't it?
K

Thirteen is a big number, but I suppose it could be possible. Air Group 10 was one of about 10 air groups that had four or more deployments, any one of which could result in one or more campaign stars depending on when and where they were doing their business and for how long.

The regulation states
Stars authorized for actual combat in operations and engagements, as authorized by the Chief of Naval Operations, will be worn on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon of the respective Area Campaign medals and will be known as engagement stars. For the purpose of this order the following definitions are applicable:

An "Operation" is a series of connected military actions occupying a specific area and time and may involve many clashes with the enemy.

An "Engagement" is an action with the enemy taking place within a restricted time and area, and of sufficient intensity and significance to justify recognition.

An "Area" is one of the three geographical areas, viz: American Area, European-African-Middle Eastern Area, Asiatic-Pacific Area.

The prerequisite to the wearing of a star on an area service ribbon shall be honorable service in a ship, aircraft unit or shore-based force at the time it participated in actual combat with the enemy. In instances in which the duty performed did not result in actual combat with the enemy but is considered equally hazardous, the Chief of Naval Operations may award an operation or engagement star to the units concerned. Not more that one star will be awarded for a single operation or engagement. Units supporting an engagement or operation, but subject only to the ordinary hazards of war, do not merit an award. (NOTE:--Any ship which has been awarded a Presidential Unit Citation or Navy Unit Commendation for meritorious participation in an action or campaign for which a combat star has been authorized is entitled to that combat start.)

For example, my father had campaign stars, one silver, four bronze, for nine qualifying campaigns, and that was all outside 9 months working up with VF-11 before going back into combat, and then 14 months at ComFAirWest before going back out with the TF-38 staff in November 1944 to the end of the war, so almost two years on the west coast or in Hawaii.

Ultimately, if one were in enough places at the right times . . .

Remember, you don't have to get shot at to get a campaign star device, just being where your presence, right unit/ship, right place, right time, means you get the device.

[keith A]

He commanded the USS Gurke 1957-58.

[keith A]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/110665062@N04/32010495678

Found this. Looks like Norton became a surface officer after a brief period as a naval aviator.

[keith A]

I will spend the day tracking down the VT-10 War diary. I expect I will find the reason Norton returns to surface duty. No Purple Heart among the medals so it may be a non-battle injury.

K

[R Leonard]

Originally Posted by keith A

I will spend the day tracking down the VT-10 War diary. I expect I will find the reason Norton returns to surface duty. No Purple Heart among the medals so it may be a non-battle injury.
K

Don't get side tracked into thinking or jump to the conclusion that an aviator commanding or assigned to a surface vessel is no longer an aviator. Carriers, for example, can only, by law, be commanded by naval aviators, in the war years including naval aviation observers, and, now-a-days, naval flight officers - in fact, technically, all aviation commands/activities must have an aviator or NFO as a commander.

In order get command of a carrier, you need some experience with a deep-draft command; by the mid 1950's that usually meant an oiler. My father, for example commanded USS Salamonie (AO-26) as a deep draft command, before a a year later, commanding USS Ranger (CVA-61). There are more than just a few aviators who commanded or simply served in a surface warship with no aviation duties. That doesn't mean they were not designated aviators, it simply means they were assigned somewhere in other than aviation duties, or in the vernacular, "not in duties involving flying" as one's orders might pointed read. Just as when assigned to a aviation related activity, a naval aviator's order would usually specifically read "duty involving flying."

Norton's designator was 1310, 1=line officer, 31=naval aviator, 0=ensign or above. The USN all along insisted that it's aviators be line officers, though if you look hard you can find the occasional medical corps or engineering corps officer and even at least one chaplain who could wear naval aviator's wings.