VPNAVY VP-5 Open House
http://www.vpnavy.org
VPNAVY Address

Note NATS NoticeNote

Note NOTICE: "...Aloha My Friends--This may be a long shot, but here goes-- In December of 1949, my Dad was a 31 year old Lientenant in the U.S. Public Health Service. He was a Doctor who'd just finished his residency in Internal Medicine at Norfolk VA Naval Hospital, and he was transferred to Honolulu to treat U.S. Merchant Seamen. His office was the one closest to Nimitz Highway on Pier 4 of the Coast Guard Base in Honolulu Harbor. Dad was flown to Honolulu from NAS Alameda, California in one of the MARS Flying Boats, and housed at USCG's BOQ Sand Island, from where he looked in the want ads to find suitable housing for his wife and two kids, who would follow him on an Army Troop Ship, the U.S.S. General W. A. Mann, arriving shortly after New Year's Day, 1950. His 30 year old wife Evelyn, 6 year old daughter Anne, and 3 year old son Billy were glad to see their husband/daddy again, and all settled into a nice little house at 4448 Sierra Drive in Maunalani Heights for the duration of Lt. Sage's Honolulu stationing. As luck would have it, the 1950 U.S.P.H.S. powers-that-were decided that young Doc Sage should be reassigned less than six months after he arrived in Paradise-- To Saint Louis. Orders in hand, and bedecked in leis from many new and wonderful friends met during their half year stay in Honolulu, Dr. Sage and his young family went to the Naval Air Transport Service dock at Ke'ehi Lagoon on the afternoon of Saturday, 30 June 1950 to board one of the NATS MARS Seaplanes for the flight back to NAS Alameda, California. (Once in the SFO environs, a TWA Lockheed Constellation carried them to Kansas City, where Dr. Sage would buy a brand new 1950 Chevrolet 4 door sedan which his young daughter Anne named "Black Beauty"--This car would take them to their new home in the St. Louis metro area, where Dr. Sage rented a house in Kirkwood.) Back to the present: I've gathered most of this information from some badly faded Kodachrome slides with Dad's handwitten notes such as "MARS to HNL-1949", "Leaving for SFO-6/30/50" on the slide frames, and talks with Mom, Dad, and my Sister. I am very lucky--My Paraentsw celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary on 02 April this year, and are still doing well. Dad is 85, Mom is 84. Dad retired as a physician ten years ago, and although he does not have Alzheimer's, he does have some short term memory loss [Heck at 57, I"VE got enough of that myself!] Anyway, here's my point-- It's difficult enough to give my folks something they don't already have after a wonderful marriage that's lasted all these sixty five years, but I'd like to try: My Dad has always been fascinated by aviation, [I've seemed to have picked up that gene from him as well] and I think it would be WONDERFUL if I could find out WHICH MARS took us to NAS Alameda, California on Saturday, 30 June 1950! I know it wasn't the Caroline MARS, since that one burned on the water after an emergency landing off Oahu a month before we left--Was it the Hawaii MARS? the Philippine MARS? If any of you wonderful folks might have old records, I would be deeply in your debt if you could share them wih me, because I'd love to let Dad know which one it was for his Christmas Present--Memories like this keep him alive and youthful in his outlook, and would help make this one of his best Christmases in a long time. Signing off after rambling far too long, but gland to find your website, and deeply grateful for all you've done to defend this precious Nation, I give you my Thanks, and Aloha....William H. Sage IV sagecorp@lava.net..." [14DEC2003]


Return
"NATS Summary Page"