MILTON C. JACOBS, LT, USN
Milton Jacobs '41
Lucky Bag
From the 1941 Lucky Bag:
MILTON CHADWICK JACOBS
Dallas, Texas
Chad, a quiet, good looking Texan, is a lad with a wealth of practical sense. A hard worker, he has an industry developed by constant application to a variety of pursuits. Since he started to work in early youth, he has no frivolous unconcerned attitude towards life, but his is a definitely matured outlook towards its many complexities. Others may "star" now, but Chad is patiently awaiting the day he dons the big stripe and returns to the Fleet. There, pure book learning will not play such a prominent part and success will be the just reward of the officer who is capable of handling men and getting efficient results.
He is not one to lose sight of the joy in living; "good nature" has always been his middle name.
Always tinkering, congenial, shrewd, with a sarcastic retort for anyone that fires his wrath, Chad's ambition is to meet those gorgeous Texas lassies that are swarming Hollywood.
Battalion Football 4,3, 2, 1; Battalion Wrestling 4, 3, 2, 1; Track Manager 3; Company Pistol 3, 2, 1; Company Softball 2, 1; Boat Club 3, 2, 1.
The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.
MILTON CHADWICK JACOBS
Dallas, Texas
Chad, a quiet, good looking Texan, is a lad with a wealth of practical sense. A hard worker, he has an industry developed by constant application to a variety of pursuits. Since he started to work in early youth, he has no frivolous unconcerned attitude towards life, but his is a definitely matured outlook towards its many complexities. Others may "star" now, but Chad is patiently awaiting the day he dons the big stripe and returns to the Fleet. There, pure book learning will not play such a prominent part and success will be the just reward of the officer who is capable of handling men and getting efficient results.
He is not one to lose sight of the joy in living; "good nature" has always been his middle name.
Always tinkering, congenial, shrewd, with a sarcastic retort for anyone that fires his wrath, Chad's ambition is to meet those gorgeous Texas lassies that are swarming Hollywood.
Battalion Football 4,3, 2, 1; Battalion Wrestling 4, 3, 2, 1; Track Manager 3; Company Pistol 3, 2, 1; Company Softball 2, 1; Boat Club 3, 2, 1.
The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.
Loss
Milton was lost when his aircraft was shot down near Okinawa on April 9, 1945. He was executive officer of Bombing Fighting Squadron (VBF) 9, flying from USS Yorktown (CV 10).
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Milton was born in Marshall, Texas, and graduated from Dallas Technical High School in June 1934.
He enlisted in the Navy in November and was in San Diego in 1935. He was admitted to the Naval Academy Preparatory College at Norfolk in November, 1936. He received an appointment from President Roosevelt to the Naval Academy in 1937.
In May 1942, he was on a heavy cruiser in the Pacific and participated in the Marshall and Gilbert Island action. He was promoted to Lieutenant by July, 1942.
He married the former Nancy Ann Johnson — sister of his classmate Edwin Johnson — in November, 1942. As next of kin, she listed her address as the Multnomah Poor Farm in Troutdale, Oregon.
After his marriage, he reported for duty in New Orleans on December 2, 1942, for naval aviation training there and in Pensacola.
In November 1944, he and his wife lived in Groton, Massachusetts. He then reported for duty at San Diego, California.
His father was Milton, an insurance agent; mother Veta; brothers Robert, Edwin and Grady; and sisters Joyce and Gloria.
From From "Air Group Nine Second Pacific Cruise" book:
"Chad"' was first a Naval officer and then a Texan. A graduate of the Naval Academy, "Chad," was our Executive Officer during the early days of the squadron. The force of his personality and leadership was a major factor in the welding of our group into an efficient fighting organization. His indomitable courage and his high sense of duty will not be forgotten. No greater tribute could be offered other than to inscribe that he was what he strove to be: a courageous fighting man.
His wife was listed as next of kin; they had been married on November 22, 1942, in Vancouver, Washington. He was also survived by his parents, three brothers, and two sisters.
Photographs
From Fort Worth Star Telegram on February 28, 1945
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Milton C. Jacobs (NSN: 0-100260), United States Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Executive Officer of a Bombing Fighting Squadron and Division Leader embarked in U.S.S. YORKTOWN from 16 February 1945 to 9 April 1945.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 348 (March 1946)
Action Date: February 16 - April 9, 1945
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Company: Bombing Fighting Squadron
Division: U.S.S. Yorktown
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.
April 1941
Related Articles
Edwin Johnson '41 was his brother-in-law; Milton and Edwin's sister, Nancy, were married a week before Edwin was killed.
Earlier in 1945 Milton's commanding officer was Philip Torrey, Jr. '34. The commanding officer of a sister squadron in the group was Byron Cooke '39; Byron was killed in action only a few weeks earlier.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
