ROBERT L. STRICKLER, LCDR, USN
Robert Strickler '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
ROBERT LAWRENCE STRICKLER
Enid, Oklahoma
"Strick" "Son" "Albie" "Bobby"
Strick came to us from '31. Their loss was our gain, and a real gain it is. Strick hails from Enid, Oklahoma, and if Enid feels the same way about him that we do they must have been sorry to see him leave his native heath. They should be perpetually proud of a product like Strick, and no doubt they are.
Strick is one of our staunchest supporters of baseball. Every game, be the weather foul or fair, will find him in the stands lending his moral support to the team and ready with plenty of expert (?) advice. Though baseball is his first love he supports all athletics to the best of his ability.
Strick has graced the afternoon swimming squad since Plebe year and his manful efforts find plenty of appreciation in the large audience that never fails to gather when he makes his appearance in the pool.
Strick is a man of strong character and generous impulses, a true friend and a delightful companion.
Here's luck to you, Strick, and may we all be shipmates with you in the future.
2 P.O.
ROBERT LAWRENCE STRICKLER
Enid, Oklahoma
"Strick" "Son" "Albie" "Bobby"
Strick came to us from '31. Their loss was our gain, and a real gain it is. Strick hails from Enid, Oklahoma, and if Enid feels the same way about him that we do they must have been sorry to see him leave his native heath. They should be perpetually proud of a product like Strick, and no doubt they are.
Strick is one of our staunchest supporters of baseball. Every game, be the weather foul or fair, will find him in the stands lending his moral support to the team and ready with plenty of expert (?) advice. Though baseball is his first love he supports all athletics to the best of his ability.
Strick has graced the afternoon swimming squad since Plebe year and his manful efforts find plenty of appreciation in the large audience that never fails to gather when he makes his appearance in the pool.
Strick is a man of strong character and generous impulses, a true friend and a delightful companion.
Here's luck to you, Strick, and may we all be shipmates with you in the future.
2 P.O.
Loss
Bob was lost on October 9, 1942, when, while returning from combat air patrol to the "Turtle Bay fighter strip at Espiritu Santo" his "F4F suddenly dropped into the jungle, and he died instantly."
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Robert graduated from Enid high school in 1926. He was on the yearbook staff covering athletics. Websterian Literary Society 2, 3, 4; Hi-Y 2, 3, 4; Band, Orchestra 3, 4; Quill Annual 4; Euclidian 3; Newtonian 4. “If someday you meet an Admiral great, Remember him for it is his fate.” He wrote in someone’s yearbook over his name: May your hours of joy and happiness be abundant” Class Prophecy (as happening on an ocean liner): “Bobby” was captain of the liner.
He married his classmate Genevieve Conway in early 1940. At that time, Robert was stationed in Pensacola.
He was a pallbearer for Lt. (jg) Harold Von Weller (’33) who died in an airplane crash near Old Corry Field in Pensacola in July, 1940.
Per The Daily Oklahoman, June 12, 1943: Robert’s wife received a naval citation stating, in part: “for bravery and devotion to duty under adverse conditions . . . He was outstanding in detecting and identifying enemy craft often at great personal danger from enemy sniper fire. His skill and intelligence contributed greatly to the defeat and repulse of the Japanese.”
She remarried and died in 2000. https://www.oklahoman.com/article/2714803/genevieve-conway-strickler-rapp
Robert’s father was Henry, aka “Bert,” a manager of a dry goods store, mother Maude, brother Marvin, and sister Katherine. The Stricklers were a pioneer family of Enid.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Photographs
From his junior (1925) high school yearbook
From his senior (1926) high school yearbook
Wartime Service
Bob is mentioned repeatedly in First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat by John Lundstrom. One passage:
He graduated from Pensacola in 1936 and spent two years with VF-4B on the Ranger, followed by a year in VO-3 with the battleship New Mexico (BB 40). From June 1939 to August 1941, he instructed at Pensacola, then became XO of VF-71. Much alike in personality and style, Shands [the CO] and Strickler were quiet, capable, conservative, and dedicated naval aviators, who enjoyed the respect and loyalty of the squadron.
Bob was airborne when USS Wasp (CV 7) was torpedoed and sunk on September 15, 1942. This is the reason he and the remnants of his squadron (eight F4F-4s) were operating with the "Cactus Air Force" from land bases on and near Guadalcanal at the time of his loss. (His squadron lost 10 officers and men, and several aircraft, when Wasp was sunk.) He became the squadron's commanding officer during this time.
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 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
April 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
October 1935
LT James Craig '22
LT Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
January 1936
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
April 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
July 1936
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg James McRoberts '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Donald Lovelace '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Albert Gray '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
ENS Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
ENS Milton Ricketts '35 (USS Ranger)
ENS John Daub, Jr. '36 (USS Ranger)
January 1937
LT Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LT Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Donald Lovelace '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Finley Hall '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Albert Gray '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
ENS Milton Ricketts '35 (USS Ranger)
ENS John Daub, Jr. '36 (USS Ranger)
April 1937
LT Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LT Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Donald Lovelace '28 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Finley Hall '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Albert Gray '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
ENS William Hulson '36 (USS Ranger)
ENS John Daub, Jr. '36 (USS Ranger)
September 1937
LTjg Vernon Hain '31 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 4)
LTjg George Hutchinson '32 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 4)
LTjg Archibald Greenlee '32 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 41)
ENS William Hulson '36 (USS Ranger)
ENS John Daub, Jr. '36 (USS Ranger)
January 1938
LTjg George Hutchinson '32 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 4)
LTjg Archibald Greenlee '32 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 41)
ENS William Hulson '36 (USS Ranger)
ENS John Daub, Jr. '36 (USS Ranger)
July 1938
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (USS New Mexico)
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38 (USS New Mexico)
January 1939
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (USS New Mexico)
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38 (USS New Mexico)
October 1939
LT Renwick Calderhead '27 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Finley Hall '29 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LT John Huntley '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Martin Koivisto '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Daniel Gothie '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 1D8)
LTjg Albert Major, Jr. '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John McCormack, Jr. '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Archibald Stone, Jr. '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Wendell Froling '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
1LT James Crowther '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Mark Eslick, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Dewitt Harrell '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Webster Johnson '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Frank Robinson '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Hunter '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Walter Bayless '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Ralph Embree '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS James Mayes '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Harold Shrider '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Donald Patterson '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Raymond Moore '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Patrick Hart '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Paul Riley '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Thomas Edwards, Jr. '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Macdonald Thompson '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Howard Nester, Jr. '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
June 1940
LT Finley Hall '29 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Lance Massey '30 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Charles Ostrom '30 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Martin Koivisto '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Daniel Gothie '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Dewitt Shumway '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 1D8)
1LT Floyd Parks '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Charles Ware '34 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Joel Davis, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Powers '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Frank Robinson '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Roy Krogh '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg James Southerland, II '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Alexander Groves, II '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS James Mayes '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Harold Shrider '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Frank Henderson, Jr. '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Raymond Moore '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Paul Riley '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Thomas '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Thomas Edwards, Jr. '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Macdonald Thompson '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Howard Nester, Jr. '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
2LT Radford West '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS John Boal '37 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Harry Howell '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Howard Clark '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS William Brady '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
2LT John Maclaughlin, Jr. '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Donald Smith '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Frank Quady '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Richard Crommelin '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
2LT Dorrance Radcliffe '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Alphonse Minvielle '38 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
November 1940
April 1941
Memorial Hall Error?
Bob is not 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.
