BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — During the 2019 Memorial Day Weekend, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) will highlight water polo athletes who served their country during time of war.
Next on the list is Richard Crommelin – a United States Navy aviator during World War II.
One of the distinguished and only group of five brothers to graduate from the United States Naval Academy, Richard Gunter “Dick” Crommelin was a member of the Class of 1938 who competed in water polo during his tenure in Annapolis, Md.
He was designated a Naval Aviator after flight training at Pensacola and had a highly decorated career in naval aviation. As a Lietuenant Junior Grade in his first squadron in the air group of USS Yorktown he was credited with shooting down two of six Japanese Zero fighter planes during the May 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea before being shot down and ditching in the ocean.
As did his oldest brother John, he fought in the Battle of Midway, defending the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown against Japanese air attack, although the ship was lost three days later. He was awarded the Navy Cross with gold star in lieu of a second award for extraordinary heroism in both crucial battles.
Later in the war, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assigned to command Fighting Squadron 88 (VF-88) embarked on the second USS Yorktown.
Crommelin was killed in a mid-air collision with another American aircraft on July 14, 1945 operating in the vicinity of the Caroline Islands. Posthumously, he was awarded the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of his combat record.
Four of the five Crommelins were renowned as Naval Aviators, while the fifth became a surface warfare officer and was the only one to attain flag rank.
For their combined service, a missile frigate, USS Crommelin (FFG-37), was named in honor of the five brothers.
