Hamilton “Mac” McWhorter; former Navy commander had an early love of flying
Hamilton “Mac” McWhorter was 7 years old when a barnstorming pilot visited his hometown and he took his first ride in an airplane.
From that moment, he knew he never wanted to do anything else.
The future Navy commander was a naval aviation cadet undergoing training when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Within a couple of years he had become the first American pilot to achieve “Ace” status flying a new airplane, the Hellcat.
CDR McWhorter's memoir is entitled "The First Hellcat Ace"
His son Jon has put up a blog with the same name in his honor.
He flew missions off of the USS Essex.
CDR McWhorter passed away April 12 at his home in El Cajon. He was 81. A memorial service was held Sunday the 4th at First United Methodist Church of El Cajon. His ashes were interred yesterday, May 5 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
You can view a History Channel snippet with CDR McWhorter on YouTube.
Thank you for your service, sir.
Hotal Tango to the AO Shack on Yahoo Groups.....they let me peek........Maggie
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam.
