Captain’s Column

As the Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and a history buff, I consider it extremely important to understand the history of the base, and the stories of the brave men and women who served in and supported the military from Corpus Christi.

In preparation for this column, I decided I wanted to talk about Memorial Day.

I reached back to try to find local residents of Corpus Christi who participated in World War II. One young pilot I discovered was a Lt. Donald Helm, United States Navy Reserve. Donald was born in 1915, in Crandan, Wisconsin, but claimed Corpus Christi as his home town.

While I could not prove Lt. Helm earned his wings at NAS Corpus Christi, he did end up flying for Bombing Squadron Nineteen (VB-19) aboard USS Lexington (CV 16) The same USS Lexington that today sits as a museum across the bridge here in Corpus Christi … The Blue Ghost! Lt. Helm and his squadron mates deployed in late 1944 and would participate in many battles to include strikes against Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

It was during the Battle of Leyte Gulf that Lt. Helm would earn his Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as a Navy dive bomber pilot. On October 25, 1944, Lt. Helm pressed his attack on an enemy aircraft carrier and obtained a direct bomb hit in the face of enemy opposition and extremely intense and continuous anti-aircraft fire. His actions greatly contributed to the sinking of the enemy carrier.

Lt. Helm and Bombing Squadron Nineteen would transfer to USS Enterprise and then USS Long Island to eventually arrive in San Diego at the end of 1944. Lt. Helm would continue his naval service, and from what I could find, attain the rank of Commander. He would marry and end up in the Virginia Beach area and have a son Mark who would also join the Navy. His son’s marriage announcement was listed in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in 1971.

The part of Lt. Helm’s story that is important for Memorial Day, has to do with his Radioman, Petty Officer John Snow.

Aviation Radioman Second Class (ARM2) John Russell Snow was born in Denver, Colorado, June 20, 1921, to John and Alice Snow. He had two younger sisters Helen and Edith who were, in 1944, 11 and 10 years old. From limited records I was able to determine that John was drafted sometime in 1942.

Lt. Helm and Petty Officer Snow were crew members who, together, flew the SB2C-3 Helldiver. Before Lt Helm heroically flew in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, he and Snow flew missions involving strikes against the Bonin and Chichi Jima islands. On one such mission on August 5, 1944, in the vicinity of Bonin Islands, they were shot down by antiaircraft fire. The “after-action report,” with input from USS Gato, the rescue submarine, included the following:

“Lt. Helm’s aircraft had a portion of his wing flap shot away at an unknown altitude and managed to control the plane until he sighted the rescue submarine. He attempted to make a forced water landing and was making a beautiful approach to the water until a few feet before he hit, at which time his left wing dropped and the plane hit the water with a terrific impact and was described by witnesses as seeming to disintegrate as it hit.”

From the official logbook of USS Gato:

1147 – “Helldiver circling Gato. He appears to be going to land.”

1149 – “No, IS!”

1150 – “Plane made water landing 1,000 yards off starboard bow. Maneuvering to pick up survivors.”

1200 – “Got Lt. Donald F. Helm aboard after considerable difficulty due to rough sea. He is exhausted after attempting to keep both himself and his back seat man, John Snow, afloat. Two of our rescue party went over the side in an attempt to assist, but Snow slipped out of their grasp and sank. Lt. Helm later told us that Snow had a bad cut, and possibly a fractured skull, in the back of his head and Snow appeared to die as Helm was attempting to hold him up. He (Lt. Helm) really felt bad about this failure.”

John Snow died in service to his country August 5, 1944 at 23 years of age. He is laid to rest at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Both men deserve our never ending praise and respect, but as we think about Memorial Day, we pay special respect to John Snow and all the men and women throughout the various wars who fought for our country and lost their lives at such a young age. A million plus men and women have died in American military service, and I would say they are indisputably … heroes.

The strength and foundation of our country is built upon the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of those who have answered the call in defense of our country. As you spend time off during Memorial Day weekend please remember to keep the memories of the fallen, their families and friends in your hearts and in your prayers.