William "Ed" Kearns

Commander, USNR (Ret), Designated Naval Aviator from AvCad program in 1944.  First tour was flying F6Fs with VF-11 on USS Hornet (CV-12) 1944-1945.  After WW II he was an advanced flight instructor at NAS Pensacola 1947-1949. Released from active duty, he was in the active reserve at NAS Los Alamitos, CA, flying F6Fs with VF-781.  Volunteering for recall with VF-781 (now called "the Pacemakers") when the Korean War started in 1950, he was first at NAS San Diego, then NAS Miramar, where the squadron flew newly overhauled F4U-4s, then phased into F9F-2Bs for their first Korean Cruise on the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) from May to December 1951.

His awards include the DFC, Air Medal (7 awards) and the Presidential Unit Citation (with star).

He was then stationed at NAS Los Alamitos 1952-1954, and while assigned there, had temporary duty and graduated from the Naval School of Naval Justice, Newport, RI. From 1954-1956 he served with FAWTUPac [Fleet All Weather Training Unit, Pacific] at Barbers Point, HI, as instrument and night-flying instructor; and as flight leader in the Air Defense Division when FAWTUPac rotated to NAS North Island, flying TV-2s, F3Ds, and F4Ds.

Assigned to FAGU (Fleet Air Gunnery Unit) in 1956 and introduced the air-to-air lead collision rocket program with the F4D.  1958-1966 he had tours of duty with BuWeps [Bureau of Weapons] El Segundo, CA; VFR-32; Commander, Iceland Defense Force; and BuWeps Washington, DC, where he retired August 1, 1966.