WWII veterans return for reunion

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Sixty-five years after they first stepped foot on the runway at Marine Air Corps Station Santa Barbara, pilots and ground crew members from VMF-215 returned for one last hurrah.
The "Fighting Corsairs," named after the F4U Corsair planes they piloted in World War II, arrived in town yesterday and will stay through the weekend, visiting old haunts that have undoubtedly changed over the years.

In September 1942, the squadron came together from all over the nation to train and prepare for combat at what is now the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. Today, just six pilots and a handful of ground crew members remain.
At a reunion dinner last night, they shared their memories of World War II and the small coastal town where they spent six months training for battle.
"Goleta had a cleaning joint and a gas station," said pilot Ray Wolff. "It was nothing."
Wolff, now 86, described how his squadron was one of the first to fly the Corsair, learning how to pilot the distinctive, bent-wing aircraft here in Santa Barbara. To become familiar with the .50-caliber Browning machine guns, they stretched a banner out in the ocean and practiced dive and glide bombing runs with paint pellets, each pilot given a different color.
In their downtime, Wolff said the men often went out on the town, their favorite watering hole being El Paseo, which remains open today in downtown Santa Barbara.
In early 1943, the Fighting Corsairs were called out to Guadalcanal, stopping off in Hawaii and Midway along the way. They landed at Henderson Field, a muddy, slick airfield in the middle of the jungle that served as the launching point for their strafing runs and bomber escort missions.
Aerial combat was frequent, Wolff said. His first dogfight came during the first mission he flew. During his time in the South Pacific, Wolff shot down two Japanese Zeros. Robert Murray Hanson, a fellow Fighting Corsair, shot down 25, earning ace status and becoming the most successful Corsair pilot in the Navy or Marine Corps.
Wolff described sleeping in huts and eating dehydrated food and powdered milk, his face scrunching up as he recounted the filthy living conditions at Henderson Field.
Thankfully, their time on Guadalcanal ended quickly, in February 1943, and the Fighting Corsairs moved on to the Solomon Islands. Their base moved progressively forward as the Japanese retreated begrudgingly, first Munda, then Vella Lavella, then on to Torokina. For every six weeks of duty, the men had a week in Sydney, Australia. Wolff said the Australians treated them like locals, those weeks spinning into a blur of girls, dancing and the beach.
"We were young men in our 20s," Wolff said. "Need I say more?"
After flying missions in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, the men of VMF-215 returned home a year after they left the Santa Barbara airfield. Although they scattered in different directions, the Fighting Corsairs never lost the bond they shared, gathering for reunions that grew more frequent as they grew older.
"I'm just sorry all of our squadron members couldn't be here tonight," pilot Harold "Hap" Langstaff said.
Yesterday evening, Goleta Mayor Jean Blois and Councilmember Roger Aceves thanked the men for their service, also extending their appreciation to the widows, wives and children who came.
"I want to welcome all of you back to Goleta," Mayor Blois said, "which looks a lot different when you were first here.”
The mayor explained how her husband also served in the Marine Corps, saying she will always have a special place in her heart for all Marines. She then presented the men with certificates of recognition from the Council.
"It is their sacrifice that we honor and their courage that we seek to emulate today," Mayor Blois read from the declaration.
Retired Brigadier General Frederick Lopez, born and raised in Goleta, also addressed the group, describing how he served in the Marines during the Vietnam War.
"It is really my distinct pleasure and honor to be here," Brig. Gen. Lopez said. "The legacy that you built during World War II was certainly a tough act to follow."
Giving a history of the Santa Barbara airbase, Brig. Gen. Lopez described how it was far from an ideal site, with high tides and heavy rains flooding the landing field with mud.
"The Marines nicknamed the station 'The Swamp.'" Brig. Gen. Lopez said. "The standing joke among the pilots was to request permission to land on Santa Barbara Lake."
He also described the distinguished record of the VMF-215, which is credited with shooting down 137 enemy aircraft and is one of just 20 WWII Marine squadrons with an ace.
Wolff, explaining the term VMF-215, said the "V" stands for Fixed Wing, the "M" for Marine, and the "F" for Fighter Squadron. The 215 stands for the 15th Fighter Squadron of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing.
Today, the men will tour the air museum at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, laying a wreath in honor of the past Fighting Corsairs. Later this evening, they will receive Congressional certificates of recognition courtesy of Congresswoman Lois Capps.
On Saturday, after viewing a private collection of World War II memorabilia and model planes in Montecito, they will return to El Paseo for one more round.
"The jarheads wanted it one more time," Wolff said. "They're a good bunch of people. It's definitely a nostalgic trip."