Lieutenant Commander Paul Gurnon, USN (Ret.) may be the only living Rhode Islander to have a geographical feature named after him. In recognition of his overall service in Antarctica, the US Geologic Survey named a section of Marie Byrd Land after him – Gurnon Peninsula. Gurnon enlisted in the Navy before Pearl Harbor in 1941, and spent much of his career at Quonset Point. The Wakefield resident was one of the last enlisted pilots in the Navy when he was commissioned as an officer in 1961. In August of 1967 LT Gurnon was transferred to VX6, the unique Antarctic Support Squadron for Navy Operation “Deep Freeze”. He retired from the Navy in 1971.
More in 2009:
2/LT William P. Armstrong William P. Armstrong (1924- 1945) was a Tuskegee Airman/Fighter Pilot, shot down in action on April 1, 1945.
George Chakoian
Domenic DeNardo
More in RIAHOF Inductee:
The Allen Family of Aeronauts The Allen Family of Aeronauts: according to New York-based aeronautical researcher Chris Lynch, “If there was a founding family of RI aviation, they are it.”
James & Ezra Allen Barrington natives James Allen (1824-1897) and his younger brother Ezra Allen (1840 – 1902) distinguished themselves through a lifelong commitment to aeronautics in the 19th century.
MG Bill Anders, USAF (Ret)
More in Units & Groups:
126th Aviation Regiment, RIANG
Paul Broadnax Paul Broadnax, the child of two well-known and influential Boston-area classical musicians, played with the Tuskegee Airmen military band and dance band.
CAPT William Calhoun Captain William McBrayer Calhoun, USN, Ret. (1948-2015) was a long-time RI resident who graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1967. Capt. Calhoun was a LTJG with the highly decorated Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) 3), nicknamed the “Seawolves”, an all-volunteer squadron formed in support of Naval Special Warfare operations and Mobile Riverine Forces.
More in US Navy:
LTC Stanley Auslander, USNR
Richard Warren Blackman Alabama-born Richard Warren Blackman (1939—2013) made a major contribution to aviation in RI through
his lengthy service with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).
Commander Harold J. Brow, USN
