Captain Ernest M. Beauchamp Jr., USN (Ret),
Golden Eagle Emeritus
 

Gentlemen,
 
It is my sad duty to inform you that on 5 March 2021, Golden Eagle Emeritus CAPT Ernest M. “Ernie” Beauchamp Jr., USN (Ret), made his Last Take Off in Corona Del Mar, CA., at 101 years of age. Unfortunately, we were not informed of his passing, hence this late notice.
 
Ernie was born on 13 November 1919 on a ranch near the town of Santo, TX, the son of Ernest M. Beauchamp Sr., and Pearl Mary (Scarbourgh) Beauchamp. He received his early education in Pomona, CA, and attended Pomona High School from 1934–1937 before attending Pomona Junior College. While at Pomona Junior College he became a civilian pilot. From 1939–1940, he attended LaVerne College, in LaVerne, CA. In July 1940 he joined the Navy as an Aviation Cadet and began flight training at NAS Pensacola, FL. Completing training in January 1941, he was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve on 14 February 1941 and became a flight instructor at NAS Corry Field, FL, for two months before transferring to NAS Corpus Christi, TX, in April 1941 for continued duty as a flight instructor. In July 1942 he transferred to NAS Dallas, TX, to become the Chief Flight Instructor for the following 10 months. The same year he also married Genevieve Marjorie Schwalm, and they were blessed with a son, Ernest Michael, born in April 1943.
 
In May 1943 Ernie reported to NAS Jacksonville for instruction in the VSB Operational Training Unit before reporting to Norfolk, VA to assist in fitting out and serving in Fighting Squadron 8, flying the F6F Hellcat, first and briefly aboard USS Intrepid (CV 11) for her shakedown cruise and then aboard USS Bunker Hill (CV 17). In VF-8, he served as the operations officer, for a squadron of 41 Hellcats, and participated in actions in Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai, Hollandia, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Luzon, Leyte, Formosa, and the first battle of the Philippine Sea — all of this from March to November 1944. He was awarded four Distinguished Flying Crosses, and at least 9 individual Air Medals. In describing some of the action, he noted that as flight leader of fighter escort for an Air Group 8 strike on the Japanese Carrier Force in the first Battle of the Philippine Sea, his division strafed and set a screening destroyer on fire, that probably sank, while the bomber and torpedo flights hit a carrier, battleship and two cruisers. In later action, in a fighter sweep over Formosa in October 1944, VF-8 was credited with 32 confirmed kills on that flight — 51 for the day. His 4-plane division had 10 kills, and Ernie was credited with three and three probables. Bunker Hill, and the Air Group, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for, “For extraordinary heroism in action against enemy Japanese forces in the air, ashore and afloat in the South, Central, Southwest and Western Pacific, from 11 November 1943 to 11 May 1945.”
 
Ernie detached from VF-8 in December 1944 and in January 1945 became the Executive Officer for VF-95, flying the F6F, at NAS Wildwood, NJ. In those days of rapid change as World War II was ending, Ernie accepted a Regular Navy commission and assumed command of Bombing-Fighting Squadron 74-B, flying the F-4U Corsair, in May 1945. With that squadron decommissioning in Aug 1945, he assumed command of VF-74 in September 1945, again flying the F-4U aboard USS Midway (CV 41). In November 1946, he commanded Carrier Air Group ONE-B and simultaneously had command of VF-ONE-B, stationed in Oceana, VA. Completing his command tour in May 1947, Ernie reported to Newport, RI, for General Line School. In July 1948 he began a two-year tour in the Pentagon, serving on the OPNAV staff in the Aviation Personnel division and as a member of the Medical Survey Board.
 
In July 1950 Ernie transferred to San Diego, CA, temporarily assigned to COMNAVAIRPAC while undergoing transition training to jet aircraft. In December 1950 he assumed command of VF-51 aboard USS Essex (CV-9), flying the F-9F Panther. Essex deployed to Korea from August 1951 to March 1952. In those combat operations, Ernie earned another Distinguished Flying Cross and at least three individual Air Medals. Ernie wrote “…we developed flak suppression tactics utilizing fragmentation bombs with influence fuzing to generate air bursts with extended ground coverage. On heavily defended bridges the Jets would immediately precede the ADs and F4Us with the gun emplacements as points of aim. The Props kept the trans-peninsula bridges down for weeks and months at a time. Michener called them Bridges at Toko-Ri.”
 
Ernie completed his command tour in July 1952 and subsequently attended the Naval War College in Newport, RI, completing the Command and Staff course in June 1953. His next duty station was at NAS Corpus Christi, TX, for duty on the staff of Naval Air Advanced Training, where he also flew operational and training sorties. In June 1955, he assumed command of Carrier Air Group 21, at NAS Moffett Field, CA, and aboard USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31). While Ernie flew the FJ-3 Fury, the air wing also had the F7U-3M Cutlass, F2H-3 Banshee, and the AD-6 Skyraider, as well as the AD-5N Skyraider, which he may also have flown at times. He completed a WestPac deployment from August 1956 to February 1957. Ernie finished his command tour at the end of deployment and next reported to Carrier Division One as the operations officer aboard USS Lexington (CVA 16), home ported in San Diego, CA. He again completed a WestPac deployment from June–October 1957. Detaching in June 1958, he reported to OPNAV OP-05 until June 1960 and then finished the year as a student at NATO Defense College in Paris, France. He was next assigned to the faculty of the NATO Defense College with additional duty as the liaison for NATO Council and SHAPE Headquarters. In August 1963 he returned to the States to serve on the faculty at the National War College in Washington, DC. Ernie retired from the Navy at the completion of this tour at the end of July 1966.
 
In his 26-year career in the U.S. Navy, Ernie flew over 5,250 flight hours (1,100 jet) and had 433 carrier arrested landings of which 172 were jet, on both straight deck and angled-deck aircraft carriers. He saw a significant amount of combat and was awarded 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Individual Air Medals for action both in WW II and Korea. Without question, he was on the leading edge of tactics development and refinement in both those wars, especially with the introduction of jets in the Korean conflict. By all counts, he was an early and pioneer Naval Aviator. He joined The Golden Eagles in 1989 and transitioned to Emeritus status in February 2016.
 
Ernie is interred at the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, CA. He was predeceased by his son, Ernest Michael, a USMC Lance Corporal lost in Vietnam in 1967, and his wife Genevieve Marjorie, who passed in July 2007.
 
He will be missed.
 
In sadness,
Marty Chanik
Pilot