As the last Chief of Staff for the Commander, US Naval Forces Europe stationed in London, I was tasked to put on a Midway mess night for our staff - an event that would prove memorable for over 100 Naval Officers and senior Navy civilians.

Our formal “dining in” in “mess kit” was held in the main Hall of London’s Imperial War Museum amidst the tanks, aircraft, rockets and artillery pieces - a setting steeped in military history and brave deeds.

Up from his regular HQ in Naples, Italy, the Commander, U S Naval Forces Europe presided over the affair as President of the Mess. Our guest of honor was a survivor of Midway and of Torpedo 8, then Ensign Albert Earnest.

He recalled how he flew one of six new TBF Avenger torpedo planes against the Japanese Carrier Battle Fleet. The new TBFs formed a detachment from the same Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) that flew from USS Hornet (CV-8) (and lost all of their TBD Devastators). Launching from Midway’s Eastern Island airfield as the Japanese raid approached in the early morning of 4 June 1942, he remembered the savage fighter and anti-aircraft fire his crew encountered while they made their historic torpedo run. Though he and a fellow crewman survived, the aircraft was much shot up and one other crewman killed.

That night, though, as he remembered events 61 years ago and yet still fresh, his every word held our full attention. Alongside the dias, we displayed a print of the flight and a TMC Pacific model of his aircraft, TBF T-8-1.

As a gift of our esteem and appreciation for his remarks and service in combat, we presented him with the print of his famous VT-8 torpedo run and the TMC model TBF Avenger, T-8-1.

As he told the story in the hall of the Imperial War Museum, his words, the model and combat art were inspirational, vivid reminders of DUTY.

Today in my study, I also display the print of the flight, signed by now Captain Earnest, along with my own TMC T-8-1 on a wall mounted display stand.

- info4nelsons
Sanford, FL