MARSHALL W. ATKINS, LCDR, USN

Marshall Atkins '80

Date of birth: April 4, 1957

Date of death: April 21, 1993

Age: 36

Lucky Bag

From the 1980 Lucky Bag:

MARSHALL ATKINS

Springfield, Virginia

Chet, Hom-boy

Having lived just about every place possible, Chet found a home both at USNA and Springfield, Va. "The Tooth" could often be seen jogging to the "Library" (at St. Johns 2/C year and out to the seawall 1/C year) to hop into his jet and head out to those "highways." Although Chet never had any difficulty getting over the wall, when it came to mechanical genius, we're all still wondering how he gets his car started. Chet is appearance conscious. This is evident by the many hours he spent readying himself (packing his rug) for both his "Boy" and Thurs. noon. Of course we all know Nuc Power needs more good-looking, professional Black Officers. But Diane is Chet's real reason for all his pruning, she manages to be the only one who can keep that conduct case out of trouble. Whether Chet is going Navy Blue or Army Green is still in question, but whatever his choice we wish both he and Diane the best of luck. See you in Wing-16 after our swim in the reflection pool with the rest of McKee's bottom 5%.

MARSHALL ATKINS

Springfield, Virginia

Chet, Hom-boy

Having lived just about every place possible, Chet found a home both at USNA and Springfield, Va. "The Tooth" could often be seen jogging to the "Library" (at St. Johns 2/C year and out to the seawall 1/C year) to hop into his jet and head out to those "highways." Although Chet never had any difficulty getting over the wall, when it came to mechanical genius, we're all still wondering how he gets his car started. Chet is appearance conscious. This is evident by the many hours he spent readying himself (packing his rug) for both his "Boy" and Thurs. noon. Of course we all know Nuc Power needs more good-looking, professional Black Officers. But Diane is Chet's real reason for all his pruning, she manages to be the only one who can keep that conduct case out of trouble. Whether Chet is going Navy Blue or Army Green is still in question, but whatever his choice we wish both he and Diane the best of luck. See you in Wing-16 after our swim in the reflection pool with the rest of McKee's bottom 5%.

Loss

Marshall was lost on April 21, 1993 when the A-6E Intruder jet he was piloting collided with another aircraft and then crashed in Nevada. The bombardier-navigator was also killed; the other Intruder was able to land safely. They were members of Attack Squadron (VA) 34, based in Virginia but in Nevada for training.

Other Information

From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Wall of Honor:

LCDR Marshall W. Atkins (4-4-57 to 21-4-93), the son of a career Army Officer, grew up in Germany, Liberia, Korea and several locations in the USA. LCDR Atkins was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy class of 1980 and later earned a MS degree in Aviation Systems Engineering from the Univ. of Tennessee. He completed basic flight training at Pensacola Naval Training Facility and proceeded to Meridian, MS for advanced flight training, qualifying in T-2, TA-4 and the S-3 jet aircraft.
LCDR Atkins served on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and was selected to attend the U. S. Navy Test Pilot School at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD where he remained as an instructor/test pilot. He served aboard the Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) flying the A-6 Intruder fighter-bomber for Attack Squadron 36 (VA-36), where he participated in one of the most decisive victories in modern warfare flying numerous missions during Operation Desert Storm. He also participated in operations Desert Shield and Provide Comfort flying A-6 missions. He was later assigned to the A-6 attack squadron 34 on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73), his third assignment aboard a newly commissioned U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carrier.
LCDR Atkins was selected as an Astronaut candidate for both the pilot and mission specialist programs. However, his untimely death in 1993 while on a training mission at Nellis AFB, NV, put an end to his many lofty aspirations. LCDR Atkins was married to the former Diane Watson and had one son, Shawn. When asked why he chose to become a pilot, he unhesitatingly replied, "It was a dream I had since childhood."

Marshall is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.