★★★ Memorial Monday ★★★
CAPT William "Gus" Widhelm, USN '32 was lost on this date (July 19) in 1954 when the T-28 training aircraft he was aboard crashed near Chase Field, Texas. He was the commanding officer of Chase Field at the time.
An accomplished aviator, he was twice awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. The first was as a Lieutenant and the executive officer of Scouting Squadron (VS) 8 at the Battle of Midway. The second was later that year, when he had been promoted to LCDR and taken command of VS-8, at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. In the latter battle his aircraft was shot down and he and his rear gunner spent three days in a raft before being rescued. Later in the war he commanded the Navy's first night-fighter squadron before serving as operations officer for Carrier Task Force One.
Gus was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and children John, 10; Wendy, 8, and Sally, 4.
To Honor! ⚓
http://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/WILLIAM_J._WIDHELM,_CAPT,_USN