ALFRED N. GORDON, LTCOL, USMC
Alfred Gordon '39
Lucky Bag
From the 1939 Lucky Bag:
ALFRED NELSON GORDON
De Soto, Kansas
Al, Flash
Concluding that his desire to fly for the Navy was greater than his urge to remain in his beloved Kansas, Al entered the Naval Academy with his usual impulsiveness. But in these four years, his success here points to a steadfastness of purpose behind it all. Naturally athletic, only his decided preference for parlor calisthenics has kept him from being a letter man in his favorite sport—basketball. Although definitely not the studious type, our Kansas Flash is a savior of acknowledged ability, lacking only the cut-throat instinct to span those few numbers to the top of '39. In Al we have the typical happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care man whom all his friends respect and admire—and he hasn't an enemy in the world.
150 lb. Crew 4; Battalion Crew 3, 1; Battalion Basketball 4, 3, 2, 1; Battalion Baseball 2; Radio Club 3, 2, 1; Star 4; M.P.O.
ALFRED NELSON GORDON
De Soto, Kansas
Al, Flash
Concluding that his desire to fly for the Navy was greater than his urge to remain in his beloved Kansas, Al entered the Naval Academy with his usual impulsiveness. But in these four years, his success here points to a steadfastness of purpose behind it all. Naturally athletic, only his decided preference for parlor calisthenics has kept him from being a letter man in his favorite sport—basketball. Although definitely not the studious type, our Kansas Flash is a savior of acknowledged ability, lacking only the cut-throat instinct to span those few numbers to the top of '39. In Al we have the typical happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care man whom all his friends respect and admire—and he hasn't an enemy in the world.
150 lb. Crew 4; Battalion Crew 3, 1; Battalion Basketball 4, 3, 2, 1; Battalion Baseball 2; Radio Club 3, 2, 1; Star 4; M.P.O.
Loss
Alfred was lost when his AD-2 Skyraider's engine caught fire shortly after takeoff from a base in Korea on November 18, 1951. He unsuccessfully attempted to bail out at low altitude; he died shortly after the crash of his injuries.
Other Information
From Kansas City Times on November 21, 1951:
OFFICER DIES IN KOREA
ACCIDENT IS FATAL TO LIEUT. COL. ALFRED N. GORDON, 36. No Details Are Received by Parents of the Marine Squadron Commander — Lieut. Col. Alfred Nelson Gordon, 36, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred M. Gordon, De Soto, Johnson County, died Sunday in an accident in Korea. Details were not included in the information received by his parents. Colonel Gordon was a squadron commander and had been in Korea since October 23. Previously he was a wing commander at the El Toro marine base in California. In World War II Colonel Gordon completed ninety-nine missions in the Southwest Pacific. He commanded the Flying Deuces, a marine fighter squadron, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. A native of De Soto, Colonel Gordon was graduated from the high school there in 1934. He received his commission after attending the United States Naval academy at Annapolis. He earned his appointment through a high scholastic standing in a year at the University of Kansas and was not required to take an entrance examination. Also surviving are his wife, Mrs. Lee Gordon, a son, James Bruce Gordon, and a daughter, Barbara Sue Gordon, of the home in Santa Ana, Calif., and four sisters, Miss Ruth Gordon, 3721 Wyoming street; Mrs. Grace Ross, De Soto; Mrs. May Alexandre, Chicago, and Mrs. Bernice Clapperton, Venice, Calif.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. (Note the summary is incorrect; he was not shot down.)
Career
Alfred, as a Major, was commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 222 from 5 Nov 1943 to 5 May 1944.
Also as a Major, Alfred had command of Marine Night Fighting Squadron VMF(N) 531 from 16 Mar 1945 - 9 Apr 1945. He had command of that same squadron later in the year, now as a LtCol, from 2 Oct 1945 - 27 Dec 1945.
He later had command of Marine Night Fighting Squadron VMF(N) 533 from September 5, 1946 to May 10, 1948.
Photographs
From the Lucky Bag
Silver Star
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Nelson Gordon (MCSN: 0-5953), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Pilot of a Plane and Commanding Officer of Marine Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE (VMA-121), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 11 November 1951. During a sixty-plane coordinated attack against a main enemy supply route in the vicinity of Pyongyang, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon flew his plane at a dangerously low altitude in extremely adverse weather to locate the target and led his flight of eleven aircraft in a daring glide bombing assault in the face of intense hostile anti-aircraft fire, effecting numerous cuts in the railway line and inflicting heavy damage on the area. With his mission successfully accomplished, he skillfully directed the rendezvous and retirement of his strike group and led the planes safely to base. By his marked courage, brilliant airmanship and steadfast devotion to duty throughout the action, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon was directly instrumental in the success achieved by his squadron and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commanding General 1st Marine Division: Serial 2845 (March 5, 1952)
Action Date: November 11, 1951
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Company: Marine Attack Squadron 121 (VMA-121)
Regiment: 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Major Alfred Nelson Gordon (MCSN: 0-5953), United States Marine Corps, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a Pilot attached to a Marine Fighting Squadron operating in the Solomon Islands and Bismarck Archipelago areas from 18 November 1943 to 19 March 1944. During two tours of duty, Major Gordon took part in numerous fighter sweeps, escorts and strafing missions over enemy strongholds, frequently encountering intense anti-aircraft fire and fighter plane opposition. On 3 and 10 February, during bomber strikes against Japanese airfields near Rabaul, New Britain, he destroyed one fighter plane and probably shot down another. On 18 March, his accurate strafing of enemy shore batteries enabled a sea plane to successfully rescue a pilot forced down at sea off Tawui Point, New Britain. His courageous conduct and superior airmanship contributed materially to the success of all missions and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander South Pacific: Serial 0057 (January 14, 1945)
Action Date: November 18, 1943 - March 19, 1944
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: Major
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
October 1939
LT Donald Lovelace '28 (Naval Aircraft Factory)
LTjg Edward Allen '31 (Naval Aircraft Factory)
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
LT William Pennewill '29 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Finley Hall '29 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT John Yoho '29 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT William Sisko '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT George Bellinger '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Martin Koivisto '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT John Spiers '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Archibald Greenlee '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Daniel Gothie '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Albert Major, Jr. '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John McCormack, Jr. '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Phillips, Jr. '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Robert Isely '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Frank Peterson '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Charles Brewer '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Walker Ethridge '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
CAPT Floyd Parks '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Frank Whitaker '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg George Nicol '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Wendell Froling '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Edward Denney '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Richard Stephenson '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Clyde McCroskey, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Harlan Dickson '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Oswald Zink '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
2LT James Owens '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Charles Anderson '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
2LT Douglas Keeler '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Robert Seibels, Jr. '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Robert Whitman, Jr. '39 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS John Dunn '39 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Charles Stapler '39 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Dudley Adams '39 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
Memorial Hall Error?
Alfred is listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. While not an obvious error, inclusion on the panel for crashes like this (incidental to combat flights) has been inconsistent across WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
