Veteran contacts: Black Cat PBYs

CONTACTS: I get a lot of requests for contact points for different Black Cat squadrons and/or veterans. Unfortunately, I don't have this information. The best place to look for this is the U.S. Navy Patrol Squadrons website at http://www.vpnavy.com . This extensive website has sections on all of the U.S. VP/VPB squadrons, including shipmates, crews, reunions, newsletters, associations, links, and more. Also, try searching the PBY veteran database at www.pbycia.org . I have also put together a page of links to other sites that can be used to get info on U.S. veterans, that page is HERE. Finally, don't forget to check my Weblinks page for other possible links to other Black Cat squadron websites. (And if you know of any other squadron website, drop me a line.)

REUNIONS: If you are looking to attend the reunion of a Black Cat squadron (or any VP/VPB squadron), check the appropriate squadron section of the squadron reunion page on the www.vpnavy.com website.

MESSAGES TO/FROM BLACK CAT VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES:
This website seems to be the main Black Cat gathering point on the web. Judging from my emails, there is a need for a place where people can find out more about certain Black Cat veterans. So, if the above links don't help, send me an email and I'll post it on this page (which will serve as a "guestbook" until something better comes along). The rest of this page will be a space for you to ask questions of other Black Cat veterans (or their relatives). (Note: you should also post your message/request on the appropriate squadron-shipmate page at VPNAVY.COM.)

04/04/14: I recently came across another photo in my Dad's (Henley Hilburn) military memorabilia.  The date on the photo is 03-21-44.  Other info on the back of the 
photo:  N.A.S. Jacksonville, Florida.  'Official Photograph not to be used for publication by order of The Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.  Also:  Made 
for: Chief Henley Hilburn, assume this refers to the photo as a copy made for Dad.  
 
Dad was a member of the Black Cats Division.  The ID on the aircraft behind them appears to be:  J2-R-36.  One of the men is standing in front of what looks to 
be J2, but the '2' is somewhat hidden.  The men are listed L to R:  James Landry, Wm Dunn, Carl Cavitt, Gerald Coyle, Henley Hilburn. 
 
I will send copies to anyone who is interested.  Please contact me at: Otta Sue Hilburn Hill (click on the name for email address).

12/03/13: My name is Ron Miner. My father flew as one of the VP-54, VPB-54 Black Cats and perhaps was even acquainted with a parent or relative of yours. And like many of them, he passed away recently at 92.

I am trying to contact family members of other VP-54 veterans and by extension, any surviving Black Cats, to tell them about a project and ask them for any help they can offer. We are in the process of setting up a Veteran's Forum featuring these PBY crews and want to archive as much video footage as possible from a series of interviews with the vets themselves, so we are casting about in hopes of locating as many as we can. Any of you who have been fortunate enough to have listened to the tales told by a parent or relative who served know what a treasure these stories can be.

I experienced this first hand after Dad's death as we were going through some of his things and discovered a bounty of flight logs, journals, photos, and memorabilia that, up until then, we had known nothing about. We also found his collection of wartime artwork, done in places like Guadalcanal and the Solomons, that included images of planes, jungles, and even the original design of the VP-54 logo. I hadn't seen his sketches since I was a boy.

I've since written a book, "Sketches of a Black Cat," detailing the exploits of Dad as a Black Cat and celebrating his artwork. The sketches are now hanging at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon, and will be moving to a new, expanded Black Cat exhibit at the National Museum of the Pacific War~Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas in May 2014.

The book went public less than a year ago, and I have now met 4 Black Cats, two from VP-54 who knew and flew with Dad and one actually in my hometown! I've been lucky enough to speak to a number of organizations and PBY Foundations and meet so many amazing people. This has fueled my passion to do all I can to get their story out and motivate the Vets or loved ones to share their experiences or ask questions while they can. Time works against us all here, as we are losing six hundred WWII vets each day.

The Nimitz Museum and many others are interested in preserving the videos and interviews, and so I am asking for your help. Any squad members and Black Cats from other units that would be interested in participating are very welcome to contact me. We may be able to arrange interviews that don't involve travel. Any additional VP-54 information that any of you are interested in sharing is equally appreciated. - Ron Miner (click on the name for email address)

3/04/13: My Dad, Clyde Worth Curley, who passed 15 years ago, was a pilot with VP-12. He was among the original pilots who flew with the squadron on Midway, Nandi, and Guadalcanal, from its original formation in Kaneohe to his transfer back to San Diego in March 1943 due to malaria. He stayed in the Navy, went on to become an intelligence officer, and among other duties, served as Asst. Naval Attache in the early 1950's, the Embassy in Madrid, electronic surveillance over the Soviet Union in the late 1950's out of Morocco, (VQ-2), and chief of intelligence CINCPACFLT staff in the mid-1960's. Before he died, he began writing his memoir, and my mother has asked me to pull together his papers and publish them for the family. If anyone has anything to offer re these deployments, I, and my Mom, would be very grateful. And, I would be happy to share what I have, photos, etc.
Thank you, Tom Curley (click on the name for email address)

2/03/13: My father, Arthur Elmo Canady, was part of VP 12 during WWII. I'm saddened to report that he passed away today at the VA hospital in Johnson City, TN. He was 92. He was very proud of his service with the squadron. May God bless those of you left. There will never be another generation like you.

Paul Canady (click on the name for email address)

4/12/11: Hello: My name is Michael T. Miner. My father, Lt. Cmdr (ret) Howard Dwight Miner Jr, PBY Squadron VP54 Black Cats, died on March 20, 2011, after a brief illness. He was 92 years old. He served in the South Pacific having flown many rescue missions and was awarded a Gold Star. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. If anyone served with my father (or have relatives aware of service) and has stories and/or photos to share, it would be appreciated. These veterans are the heroes of their generation and will not be forgotten. With great thanks, Michael.
Michael Miner (click on the name for email address)

12/06/10: OBITUARY: Clifford M. Korsmo, a member of VPB-71, died at age 87, on November 24, 2010. During WWII he was stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Base in 1944 prior to being stationed in the South Pacific where he served as Crew Chief on a PBY Catalina ‘flying boat’ in the VPB-71 ‘Black Cat’ Squadron. Further details on his life can be obtained by contacting Karen Vigeland. (click on the name for email address)

07/06/10: Please furnish me with info on a gentleman called Westley Ned Dusatko....if you have any....I appreciate your help....
Sincerely, on behalf of his son, Don Dusatko.
Barry M. Heatherley (click on the name for email address)

06/03/10: Hello, my name is Christopher R. Nichols and my pop - George Henry Nichols was a US Navy Photographer’s Mate who flew on PBY-5 Catalinas in the European theatre in ’42 -’44. His main role then was photographing (surveying) damage done by allied bombers to sub pens, etc... I lost my pop some years ago - he was 83.

Though my pop was not a Black Cat flier I wanted to thank all of you who were, say hello and tell you what a great site you have here as tribute to what I think is one of the greatest planes of all time. I love visiting the PBY-5 Catalina exhibits at the National Museum Of Naval Aviation next to Forrest Sherman field in Pensacola Florida with my 3^rd generation Navy son - Naval Aviator & Marine Captain Eric Nichols - an EA-6B Prowler driver.

Respectfully submitted, Christopher Nichols, formerly ET2 (SW) USN ’79 – ’86

09/18/09: Hello, my name is Ray Krzyzek, my Dad (also Ray Krzyzek) was the Crew Chief of one of the Black Cats. He passed away in 1993. I remember him at times speaking about the War and Missions. One of the things that I remembered most about his stories was the mention of his Pilot .. don't remember the name but he mention that he was from New Hampshire! Dad spoke very fondly of him and mentioned that the only reason that he came back was because of the Pilot. I remember him say that there were many other pilots who were cowboys and those crews didn't return. I also remember vaguely that I think the squadron was VP-11 ... details that he didn't write down. I do remember him mentioning that the Squad was Box 4 and their planes code name was Bugs Bunny because the Japanese couldn't pronounce the B's..:-)

One of the crews names that I do remember him mentioning was someone called Lipshitz. I think he was a gunner. I had some old silk maps that I gave to my nephew which was contained in a vinyl pack along with a portable radio.... to be used if they went down. The maps showed the Luzon and Java. Prior to his deployment he did his Flight Training in Memphis Tennessee in 1944.
If by chance anyone knows the Pilot's name or anyone one else from the Crew, I don't think there were many Pilot's flying seaplanes out of NH, any info on my Dad that you could provide would be greatly appreciative!
My Mom recently pass away and I am now chartered with being the Family Historian and would like to keep a proper journal! Thanks for your time!
Ray Krzyzek (click on the name for email address)

04/28/09: Hello, My name is Dale M. Ilavsky, Sr. from Cleveland, Ohio. I am the son of Martin S. Ilavsky from Cleveland, Ohio. My Dad flew in US Navy PBYs, Black Cat Squadron VPB 71, Air Crew PBY-5A and PBY-6A, Samar Philippines, from 1942 - 1946. He was a AMM 2/C, the head mechanic who rode in the tower. My Dad passed away at the age of 85 on 4/28/2008. I have my Dad's flight log - 1942 to 1946, and his photo album. In his photo album is an article on the rescue of the Navy bomber crew from the escort carrier USS Shipley Bay, the pilot was Lt. John Evans. I also have a picture of the VPB 23 PBY crew that saved 65 survivors off the sunken cruiser Indianapolis, and a photo of Crew 8 (VPB 71) taken at Samar, Philippines. The last PBY-5A Catalina my Dad flew with was Aircraft No. 64036. He loved his time in the Navy and the PBY. I would like to make contact with anyone from Squadron VPB 71, or their families. You can contact me, Dale Ilavsky, at home: 216-267-6192, or cell phone: 216-509-7598, or e-mail: dilvasky@metrohealth.org. I hope to hear from you. Thank you, Dale Ilvasky, Cleveland, Ohio

01/20/09: Hello, My name is Eddie Wideman and although I have no relative that belonged to a Black cats squadron I am doing research for a project was hoping for an interview with a Black Cat veteran. I will conduct the interview using email or over the phone. If you are interested please send me an email at eddiewideman@hotmail.com. or Call me at (407)-876-1702 (Orlando, Florida) and let me know the preferred time for interview. Also, The sooner I am contacted the better. P.S. although you may chose either form of communication email would most likely be easier on my part. Thank You.

10/17/06: Hello. My father Howard D. Miner, served on the VP-54 BlackCat squadron under Lt Carl Schoenweiss and LCDR Kenneth Sanger. I am interested in contacting anyone that served with my father and has information to share of their time in the service. Thank You,
Michael T. Miner Email Address: miner3267@comcast.net

10/13/06: My father served in World War II, flying the PBY with the VP-52 Black Cats. He was credited with sinking a battleship at Wewak. His name was Robert Dilworth, and he died on October 7, 2006. He received many medals, including the Silver Star. He received full Military Honors at his funeral on Tuesday. His last request of me was to contact the Black Cats and notify them of reunions late this year in California, New Mexico and Washington. My father was interviewed by the Discovery Channel and you can see that interview at various times of the month on the Military Channel. It was a series called "Birds of a Feather" and called the "Black Cats".
Linda Johnson

Jack Ottinger III	Judy Ottinger (Jack Ottinger I's wife)
10N981 Hawthorne	715-356-9896
Elgin, IL 60123
847-931-7129

VETERAN INFO
REUNIONS / MESSAGES / CONTACTS

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VETERAN INFO REUNIONS / MESSAGES / CONTACTS

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VETERAN INFO
REUNIONS / MESSAGES / CONTACTS