A Beginning

Early in 1942 my Dad began his repeated attempts to join the U.S. Navy.  He had suffered heart damage due to rheumatic fever as a young man, which left him with a heart murmur. A visit to the family doctor, who happened to be his uncle, enabled him to pass the physical and off he went to Boot Camp and numerous aircraft repair schools.

Shortly after Christmas, Dad started his long trip west. First, he traveled by train to San Diego, California, then by ship across the broad Pacific to places he had never heard of: Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and finally to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. His assignment was to be an engine mechanic as part of a newly standing up organization called Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 11 (CASU11).

I do not know any of this because my Father told me numerous war stories. Like most World War II veterans, he did not discuss much about the war. However, he was a very talkative man, and I am sure he would have answered all of my questions — I just never asked.  This is especially embarrassing as just as my Dad served twenty years in the Navy, I also served a full career as a Naval Officer. He asked me about my service, but, for reasons totally incomprehensible to me, I never asked him about his war experiences. And now that he has passed away, I have become excruciatingly curious about his military service.

So this blog is dedicated to my Dad, Robert Henry Little, Aviation Machinist Mate, Petty Officer First Class. I will share in this blog what I have learned during my research efforts over the past two years and provide updates as I continue my investigation into the history of CASU11.  I wholeheartedly invite your participation in my effort as I know I do not yet have the complete story. Let’s complete the story of CASU11 together. If you have any information about CASU11, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at william.h.little@gmail.com.