P a ge 38 t o pside V olume 120 , I s s u e 2
The First Coast Guard Auxiliary Aviator by COMO Joseph Giannattasio
The first aviator to join the Coast Guard Auxiliary ' s fledgling air program was none other than Jesse F . England , a man of remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication . On a crisp autumn day , November 3 , 1945 , he was formally inducted into the Auxiliary in a brief ceremony held at Glenrock Airport , a stone ' s throw from the bustling port city of Norfolk . Present on this auspicious occasion were James Albano , commanding officer of the Norfolk Flotilla , and Albert Krise Jr ., a liaison officer serving under the District Commanding Officer of the Fifth Naval District .
Photo of a Fairchild PT-19 aircraft . Photograph courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute .
Jesse England was a man cut from a different cloth , one that was woven with a rich tapestry of experiences and skills . Born in Bourbon , Missouri in June 1911 , he joined the United States Navy in 1927 and quickly rose through the ranks , earning a fire controlman ' s rating before being honorably discharged in 1934 . Seeking new horizons , he embarked on a career with Sears and Roebuck , where he served as the service manager of their Norfolk store for eight years . But it was his love of flying that truly captured his heart , and he soon became a skilled aviator , earning his commercial pilot ' s license and becoming a flight instructor of great renown .
With the onset of World War II , Jesse England once again answered his nation ' s call , joining the Army reserve as a flight instructor and serving with distinction for two years . Upon his discharge , he and his business partner acquired the present site of Glenrock Airport , which they opened for business just three weeks before the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific theater . Though he owned eight planes that were available for the Auxiliary ' s use , only one , a venerable Fairchild PT-19 , was deemed suitable for service and was thus pressed into duty .
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