Presentation Date: May 28, 2009
LT Frank W Balsley Naval Aviator, USN (Ret)
WWII: VB-8, VF-5; 25 Years in Navy
* Joined Navy Reserve in 1940 & worked at North American Aviation on B-25s
* Sent to Hawaii & assigned to VB-8, legendary torpedo squadron, as a ball-turret gunner on TBFs aboard the USS Saratoga
* Arrived 7 August 1942 in the Guadalcanal theater at the beginning of this pivotal campaign
* Flew combat with Pilot Gene Hanson during successful attack against Japanese carrier Ryujo, sinking it 24 August, 1942
* From 12 August – 1 December 1942, flew off Guadalcanal’s Henderson Field, during the massive naval bombardment nightly by the Japanese Imperial Navy
* 13 October was the heaviest bombardment; tent and mosquito net shredded, but he survived; fled to hills & joined 7th Marines on sniper patrols
* Evacuated to a French Island, reached Hawaii via Pan Am Clipper 1 December 1942
* Served as Aviation Mechanic, then accepted for Flight Training; earned Wings of Gold with rank of Naval Aviation Pilot (NAP); flew off carriers including USS Shangrila
* Flew over 10,000 hours in nearly every aircraft in the Navy arsenal, including F6F, F8F, F7F, TV1(F-80), TV2(T-33), R4D, … WWII: VB-8, VF-5; 25 Years in Navy
20+ More Years Flying for Civilian Contractors-Worldwide
* Born 27 November 1920 in Moats, UT; grew-up in Gardena, CA
* Outstanding athlete in basketball & golf; Compton Jr. College before Pearl Harbor
* Joined Navy Reserve in 1940 & worked at North American Aviation on B-25s
* On a golf course 7 December 1941, then immediately called to Navy active duty
* Sent to Hawaii & assigned to VB-8, legendary torpedo squadron, as a ball-turret gunner on TBFs aboard the USS Saratoga
* Arrived 7 August 1942 in the Guadalcanal theater at the beginning of this pivotal campaign
* Flew combat with Pilot Gene Hanson during successful attack against Japanese carrier Ryujo, sinking it 24 August, 1942
* From 12 August – 1 December 1942, flew off Guadalcanal’s Henderson Field, during the massive naval bombardment nightly by the Japanese Imperial Navy
* Flew many extremely hazardous missions up the "groove" to sink Japanese warships of the "Japanese Express"
* 13 October was the heaviest bombardment; tent and mosquito net shredded, but he survived; fled to hills & joined 7th Marines on sniper patrols
* Evacuated to a French Island, reached Hawaii via Pan Am Clipper 1 December 1942
* Served as Aviation Mechanic, then accepted for Flight Training; earned Wings of Gold with rank of Naval Aviation Pilot (NAP); flew off carriers including USS Shangrila
* Flew over 10,000 hours in nearly every aircraft in the Navy arsenal, including F6F, F8F, F7F, TV1(F-80), TV2(T-33), R4D, …
* After nearly 25 years Naval service, he immediately joined a major civilian contractor, (competitor to Air America), flying another 20+ years world-wide, including Laos, Vietnam, Iran, Italy, Africa, …
* Altogether, Frank has logged nearly 30,000 hours of flight time world-wide
* New book entitled A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight, includes numerous references to Frank Balsley.