“Harry A. Dunlap,Jr.—-Biography
My life began when I was birthed in Louisville, Ky, on the 6th day of May, 1924 in the Jewish Maternity Hospital, recently famous for their mechanical heart replacement.

In 1931 my parents divorced, father remarried and we moved to Indianapolis, In. where we lived for four years. Those were lean years but we didn’t think it was so bad because everyone else was in the same boat. My father was a good watchmaker earning $25.00/week plus commissions. In 1935 we moved again to Shreveport. La. which was the beginning of a series of moves, including Dallas, Tx ,Baton Rouge, La., Jacksonville, Fl. and Pensacola, Fl. about one every year or two. In 1939 I went to live with my Grandparents in Shreveport La. and graduated from High school there in May, 1941. A short stay in Jacksonville, Fl. and then another move to Pensacola, Fl. where I decided to join the Navy on 2 August, 1941 on a Kiddie cruise (17 yrs. old. The beginning of a 30 year career).

There has been some change in my phisique since that time: I was 5′ 9″” and weighed 136lbs. My recruiter made me eat lots of bannanas and drink water to pass the weight requirement. Then to boot camp in Norfolk. Checked into boot camp a week or so after double deck bunks replaced hamocks and whites with blue colars were retired. Gene Tunney was our physical training leader and our platoon leader was an old chief Turret Captain who weilded a mean saber on our backside if we didn’t do right. Boot camp taught us a lot about military conduct which came easy for me since I had a couple years of ROTC in High School. We were also taught how to scrub our clothes and hang them up with “”clothes stops””.

From boot camp I went to AMM A school in Pensacola and then to an OS2U squadron where I learned what happens when a wing tip float gets caught in the water upon landing. After a few months I was transferred to VT4 and served as a plane capt on P2Ys and later PBYs. Then “”December 7, 1941″” I was, then, launched into a 30 year career which placed me in duty stations such as Pensacola, where I married a Pensacola girl on September 7th 1943. I was 19 and she was ,barely, 17. It has worked out great so far. (60years) Four children. Three boys and 9 years after the last boy a girl. All this has resulted in 9 Grandchildren , 11 Great Grandchildren and 1 Great great granddaughter. (Prolific kids).

Then to Moffet Field, with Mobile Training, teaching air frames on the PV3, back to St Louis for about a year when WWII ended. As you can see I had a very dangerous four years during the War. Feel pretty guilty about that but that’s the way the chips fell. Made chief in 1947. Then my career took me to Gitmo Bay, Pensacola (one tour every 11 years), VF 43, VP-21, FASRON Special 200 at Blackbush, England where I was commissioned an Ensign LDO. I’m not sure but I think I was the oldest Ensign in the world at 34, after school in Newport where we were taught how to be an OOD of a Destroyer under way. (Valuable information for an AC maintenance type), ZP-2 for one year in Brunswick, Ga. That tour was another story especially for a brand new ensign as the power plants officer who knew little or nothing about Airships and was ,collaterally, assigned as the inflight refueling officer which had never been done before. What an experience!!

Then followed CDR. Bill Mackey for my second tour to VP-21. Then to Staff duty on CNABATRA maintenance dept..in Pensacola, then to VP-44 in Pax River. From there to Staff Duty on COMNAVPHIL at Sangley Pt., no aircaft, no personnel, other than staff. My duties there were anything that nobody else was assigned to. Such as Air Sea Rescue coordinator for the Southeast SUB PAC area, 7th Fleet Scheduling Conference where I had to convince all that I needed to be at Baguio a week before and a week after the conference to coordinate everything including golf ‘T’ times. It was a tough tour but somebody had to do it. Tropical white short every day, five days a week, duty about once a month and only three or four times longer than 8 hour days when there was a rescue operation going on. Then, in 1970, for a twilight tour of one year in Pensacola after of which I retired on Sept. 30, 1971.

Beginning in 1947, I joined the Masons (Master twice), York Rite (presiding Officer in all bodies), Scottish Rite, Grotto, Eastern Star and several affiliated orginazations. I became what you might call a joiner.
After a short time with an industrial chemical company servicing, primarily, paper mills in the southeast I quit and started doing what Momma tells me to do and playing golf (I lied about my age and joined a seniors golf assn.:-) )every chance I get..

Harry Alexander Dunlap, Jr. passed on May 30, 2010. He was born on May 6, 1924 in Louisville. (Published in Pensacola News Journal on June 9, 2010)”