Treasure Chest Thursday: A card-carrying naval aviator

Note: "Treasure Chest Thursday" is a theme used by some genealogy bloggers.  It's sort of a fun weekly "Show and Tell" for grownups.  You can read more "TCT" posts at Geneabloggers.

 

Naval Aviator card for George C. Hall (my dad), issued by the Dept. of the Navy, 23 June 1944. Scanned original, Feb. 2010, owned by the Hall family, La.

 

Page from flight log of George C. Hall, dated 23 June 1944 (the day the above card was issued), detailing flight time to date.  Owned by the Hall family, La.  Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan, Feb. 2010.

George C. Hall, c. 1944. Photo privately held by Liz Hall Morgan.

Dad originally trained on dive bombers, but switched to fighter planes when he heard more fighter pilots were needed in the Pacific. He flew an F6F Hellcat from the aircraft carrier USS Hancock in 1945 and relished telling tales of his flying days for the rest of his life.  While war was serious business, it was also a very exciting time for a kid in his early 20s from a small town in Louisiana.