MICHAEL F. WILSON, LT, USN

Michael Wilson '81

Date of birth: September 11, 1958

Date of death: May 22, 1986

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1981 Lucky Bag:

Michael F. Wilson

Medford Lakes, New Jersey

Mike came to the Academy by way of Medford Lakes, N.J. He came to play soccer and he played with reckless abandon. The Globe, captain of the team two years running, and his crew from the Jersey Shore, terrorized many an opponent. Mike, always one for nice clothes, had an account approaching the national debt at the stores of Annapolis. To go with his clothes Mike needed a nice car to traverse the countryside so the Bear got him a Corvette his senior year. Mike, never one to exert himself came in from three striper libs in time to snatch the next to the last NFO billet. We all wish Mike well and know he will be a complement to the fleet.

Michael F. Wilson

Medford Lakes, New Jersey

Mike came to the Academy by way of Medford Lakes, N.J. He came to play soccer and he played with reckless abandon. The Globe, captain of the team two years running, and his crew from the Jersey Shore, terrorized many an opponent. Mike, always one for nice clothes, had an account approaching the national debt at the stores of Annapolis. To go with his clothes Mike needed a nice car to traverse the countryside so the Bear got him a Corvette his senior year. Mike, never one to exert himself came in from three striper libs in time to snatch the next to the last NFO billet. We all wish Mike well and know he will be a complement to the fleet.

Loss

Michael was lost when his A-6E crashed shortly after takeoff from Oceana Naval Air Station on May 22, 1986. The pilot, LT James Hoban, was also killed, as was a pregnant woman on the ground.

From The San Bernardino County Sun on May 23, 1986:

The A-6E Intruder went down about a mile from a runway at the Oceana Naval Air Station as it began a flight to Puerto Rico to join the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, said Cmdr. Jolene Keefer of the Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force in Norfolk. Witnesses said the tail section of the two-seat jet was aflame as it went into the field alongside a largely undeveloped road that is the main entry to the base.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

At Shawnee High School in 1976, Michael was the soccer captain and was an all-state soccer star. After USNA, he was assigned to Philadelphia Navy Yard for six months before going to flight training at Pensacola. He was assigned to a replacement air group at Oceana and served a tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the aircraft carrier Eisenhower.

From the July/August 1986 issue of Shipmate:

Lt. Michael F. Wilson USN died on 22 May 1986 in an aircraft accident at the Naval Air Station, Oceana, Virginia Beach, Va. Memorial services were held on 27 May at the Air Station Chapel, Oceana.
Born in Arizona, he received a Secretary of the Navy appointment to the Naval Academy and was graduated with the class of 1981. While at the Academy, he was Captain of the Varsity Soccer Team during Second and First Class years.
Following graduation, Lieutenant Wilson entered flight training and became a Naval Flight Officer. He was a navigator/bombadier flying A6E Intruder aircraft with Attack Squadron 65 at NAS Oceana. He completed a Mediterranean deployment aboard the carrier Eisenhower.
His decorations included the Navy Unit Commendation, the Battle E and Sea Service ribbons, and the Expert Pistol Medal. He was a life member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.

Michael was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Wilson Jr., a brother, and three sisters. He is buried at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Memorials

The US Naval Academy men's soccer team awards the Lt. Michael F. Wilson Soccer Award to the player who best demonstrates the strongest will to win and desire to do the best for his team.