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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
CDR. R. P. Mc Grath

Commander McGrath served as a fighter pilot aboard the USS Shangri-la (CV-38) during the final months of WWII. He was awarded the Air Medal with Bronze Star.
During a strike at Hokaido / Otaru Harbor, his section leader was shot down and escaped the aircraft with only his Mae West. Ensign McGrath circled the downed pilot for approximately one hour within the harbor and in range of all anti-aircraft and ships guns. When no help arrived to rescue the downed pilot, McGrath was forced to return to the carrier due to low fuel. McGrath flew his F4U Corsair to the first available carrier on a “straight-in approach” and the engine quit from fuel starvation when he caught the wire. The deck crew repaired 37 holes in the fuselage and he returned to the Shangri-la.