NOTAM 01-2013 (Chandler)

CAPT Alfred W. “Hap” Chandler, USN (RET)

Dear Golden Eagles,

It is my sad duty to report that CAPT “Hap” Chandler, 89, USN (Ret) made his last take-off on 27 January 2013.  Captain Chandler was preceded in death by his first wife Marjorie, and is survived by his wife of 32 years, Nancy Ann, daughters Connie Englert and husband Jerry, Ruth Chandler, Alison Figi and husband Eric of San Diego; stepchildren Howell Wynne and his wife Amy of San Diego and Nancy Saustad and her husband David of Dallas, TX; and sister Jane Wiegand of Bethesda, MD.  He is also survived by eight grandchildren and two nephews. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 3:30 p.m., at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204.  A reception immediately following will be held at the Brook Hollow Golf Club, 8301 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75235.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Captain Chandler’s name can be made to the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, TX, or the National Naval Aviation Museum Foundation  in Pensacola, FL.

 
Captain Chandler enlisted in the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II – much to his father’s chagrin since he had earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy where his father was the Senior Dentist on the campus.  After boot camp, Captain Chandler accepted an appointment to the Navy’s Aviation Cadet Program, earning his wings in 1942.  He shipped out to the Pacific as a replacement pilot in Fighter Squadrons VF-1 and VF-5 aboard the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) and in VF-13 aboard the USS Franklin (CV-13). While aboard the Franklin, he had the dubious distinction of being blown out of his airplane when a Japanese kamikaze aircraft hit the carrier. 

Captain Chandler saw action at Truk, Palau, Hollandia, Clark Field, Saipan, Rota, Guam, Okinawa, the Mariana Islands, and the Phillipines (where he was credited with shooting down a Japanese aircraft).  For his service in World War II, he was awarded the Legion of Merit,  two DFC’ s, and the six Air Medals. 

Other notable highlights in Captain Chandler’s Navy career include his selection as the first American exchange pilot with the Royal Navy, flying jet fighters with 803 Squadron aboard the HMS Eagle (during which he survived a ditching in the English Channel); as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center, PAX River; as CO of Fighter Squadron VF-114 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63); as navigator of the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) and Executive Officer of that ship during the Tonkin Gulf incident; as the CO of Detachment Charlie in Saigon where he coordinated operations between the Navy’s Seventh Fleet and the Seventh Air Force; and as CO, NAS Miramar. 

Captain Chandler retired from the Navy after 33 years of service, during which time he also earned an MBA from George Washington University.  After his retirement, Captain Chandler channeled his energy towards highly successful operations in real estate, investing in properties throughout San Diego.  Ever the consummate aviator, Captain Chandler was proud of his ability to maintain the qualifications necessary to fly his Citation II business jet as a single pilot until just recently. 

Another of our members who was part of the “Greatest Generation” has made his last take-off.  He will be missed.

Fred Lewis – Pilot