Miracle landings and military heroes: RI Aviation Hall of Fame inductees

The Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame has announced its 2023 slate of honorees. The 2022 group comprises seven inductees and three special recognition awardees. The evening will be highlighted by the participation of Warwick’s Dewey Turilli, an Iwo Jima veteran and enlisted air crew member who turned 100 years old earlier this year.

The honors dinner will take place on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Cranston. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Tickets cost $65 each and can be obtained by emailing riahof@aol.com, or going to riahof.org. For further information, call (401) 831-8696.

RIAHOF has been recognizing the state’s aviation heroes since the Centennial of Aviation in 2003. The group has honored those with Rhode Island connections who have made contributions in various ways: pilots, inventors, aeronautical engineers, airline execs, manufacturers – even an aviation artist.

As you might imagine, the ranks of previous honorees are sprinkled liberally with military veterans. Rhode Islanders began serving their country in the air as far back as the Civil War, when the Allen brothers answered Lincoln’s call and flew observation balloons for the Union Army. This tradition continued through two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and in the numerous brushfire conflicts in between.

(Wearing one of my other hats, I head up RIAHOF.)

History of the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame

In 2003, organizers (of which I was one) were greeted with a snicker from skeptics: “This is Rhode Island; you’ll run out of candidates in a few years.”

Little did those skeptics know just how rich and varied our aviation history is, and just how many wonderfully skilled and talented contributors to the aerial age have been born in Rhode Island, were educated here, lived here for a portion of their lives or performed some great aviation-related act or service here.

Through 2022, RIAHOF has inducted 106 individuals and one entire family (the Allen family of balloonists/aeronauts). Previous inductees have included astronauts, war heroes, aeronautical engineers, airline executives, inventors and manufacturers.

The group has also given 51 special recognition awards – in addition to honoring four World War II WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) members from Rhode Island and the 20 or so Tuskegee Airmen hailing from this state.

More: RI Aviation Hall of Fame inducts heroes and legends

Three Rhode Island National Guard aviation units, the Civil Air Patrol, and an Air Force Junior ROTC program have also been recognized.

Each year’s induction, and the publicity it receives, generates more recommendations from the general public.

Here are brief summaries about this year’s awardees, in alphabetical order.

Col. John F. "Jack" Barrett, U.S. Air Force, Retired (1912-1997)

World War II recon, patrol and bomber pilot; commanding officer of the 152nd Fighter Squadron, R.I. Air National Guard in 1949. He graduated from St. Andrew’s Technical School in Barrington. After two years in the Merchant Marine, he learned to fly in 1930 and became a flight instructor at Hillsgrove. In 1939, he was recruited by the R.I. National Guard as one of the first pilots for the 152nd Observation Squadron. In WWII, anti-sub patrol pilot; B-17 and B-24 instructor; flight inspector, 15th Air Force, North Africa and Italy. He flew 11 combat bombing missions by the war’s end, earning four Air Medals. Promoted to colonel, 1953; commanded Air National Guard.

Lt. Col. Lynn Carter, U.S. Air Force, Retired (1919-2014)

B-26 and B-25 bomber pilot with 69 combat missions during World War II; awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre and seven Air Medals. He enlisted from California right after Pearl Harbor. After the war he moved east and graduated from Brown University and Harvard Business School. Recalled to active duty during the Korean Conflict; executive officer of a P-47 Squadron at Niagara Falls. Lived in East Providence from 1954-1962 while with the Defense Products Division of Brown & Sharpe. Served in Air Force Reserve until retirement. In civilian life, he was a steel industry executive until he retired to Westport, Massachusetts, in 1985.

Lt. Cmdr. Lynn 'Skip' Carter II, U.S. Navy, Retired (1946-)

Navy fighter pilot; commercial 747 pilot. Attended East Providence High School; U.S. Naval Academy grad, 1968. Carter, assigned to the USS Hancock, flew numerous F-8 Crusader combat missions over Vietnam, earning multiple Strike/Flight Air Medals and three Commendation Medals with combat “V.” Graduate of Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). He accrued almost nine years of sea service, also flying the F-4 Phantom in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. After retirement, he joined Atlas Air, which at the time had the world’s largest fleet of 747s. He flew them around the world for Atlas until mandatory retirement at age 60.

Cmdr. John B. Dana, U.S. Navy, Retired (1932-1988)

Naval aviator, patrol and early warning pilot. Flew ant-submarine (P2V-Neptune) and reconnaissance (EC-121) missions during the Cold War. Catapult officer aboard the Quonset-based carrier USS Lake Champlain, 1962-1964. Earned combat Air Medal during one-month deployment as a Thailand-based test pilot for U.S. Air Force sensor missions over Ho Chi Minh Trail, 1968. Operations Officer, executive officer and commanding officer of Quonset squadron VXE-6 supporting Operation DeepFreeze in Antarctica (second Air Medal). The first manager of the Quonset Industrial Park, 1974-1985.

Maj. David L. Nuttall, U.S. Army, Retired (1948-)

Army helicopter pilot, Vietnam; Master Army Aviator; accomplished civilian helicopter pilot. He earned his wings in 1968 and deployed to Vietnam in 1969 as a maintenance officer. He accrued about 500 hours of combat time, earning five Air Medals. In 1977 he joined Textron to teach helicopter flying to Iranian pilots. During his career, he served as a maintenance test pilot and aviation instructor in both the Rhode Island and New Jersey National Guard. Nuttall accrued some 7,500 hours of military flight time and earned his Master Aviator Badge. He also flew another 2,500 hours in civilian assignments – medevac, forest firefighting and oil rig support. In 2022 he received the Order of St. Michael, given to those who have served the Army Aviation community with distinction.

Lt. George Merlyn Power O’Keefe, Royal Flying Corps (1898-1954)

Royal Flying Corps reconnaissance pilot, World War I; early proponent of Rhode Island aviation. Providence native O’Keefe enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps in Toronto in 1917 at age 19. He flew a number of combat missions with No. 42 Squadron in France. Through the 1920s he was active in the Aero Club of R.I. and was part of the official delegation to greet Lindbergh when he landed at Quonset in 1927. He was a business partner and close friend of power broker J. Howard McGrath, Rhode Island's wartime governor, U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general (1949). O’Keefe was an Office of Price Administration automotive manager for Rhode Island during World War II. A prominent auto dealer and political influencer, O'Keefe died at the age of 56.

Capt. Charles Frederick Pratte Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces (1915-1945)

Bomber pilot, World War II; earned national recognition and the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving his damaged, brakeless aircraft by tying parachutes to gun mounts on forced landing. Raised in Warren, he attended URI for a year. He enlisted in April 1941 as an aviation cadet and earned his wings and an assignment to the 42nd Bomb Squadron, the 11th Bomb Group. The 42nd was at Hickam Field, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, and he later participated in the Battle of Midway. Pratte disappeared on Jan. 22, 1945, on a mine-laying mission at Chichi Jima, and was declared dead in 1946. Pratte earned four Air Medals and the Purple Heart in addition to his DFC.

Maj.  Eric 'Ric' Sawyer, U.S. Army, Retired (1945-2021)

Army helicopter pilot, Vietnam; distinguished corporate and Connecticut State Police pilot. A Hope High School grad, he enlisted in February 1966. After OCS and flight school, he joined D Troop, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry in Vietnam. During the Tet Offensive at Hue, he earned a Distinguished Flying Cross on the same series of rescue missions for which fellow 227th pilot Chief Warrant Officer Frederick Ferguson earned the Medal of Honor. Sawyer also received the Bronze Star and 31 Air Medals. Released from active duty after a tour in Germany, he earned a bachelor of science degree from URI and launched his civil aviation career. Sawyer flew for radio stations, Aetna insurance and the Connecticut State Police, ending with pipeline patrol for El Paso Energy. During his 45-year flying career, including 27 years in the National Guard in Connecticut and Rhode Island, Sawyer flew more than 40,000 hours.

Horace A. Scott (1926-2020)

World War II Navy enlisted air crew member (PBY); aircraft mechanic; commercial pilot. Scott attended East Providence High School and enlisted in the Navy at 18. After qualifying as an aviation machinist mate and aerial gunner, he was assigned to Utility Squadron 9 on Guam. Postwar he served with two transport squadrons out of Alameda before being discharged in 1947. Returning to Rhode Island, he worked as an aircraft mechanic at Quonset until he was hired by Eastern Airlines as a flight engineer. Scott learned to fly on his own to qualify for a first officer position. Thirty years in the cockpit followed, during which he flew the Constellation, DC-9, B-727 and L-1011. He accrued more than 30,000 hours of flight time.

Dewey Turilli (1923- )

On Feb. 23, 2023, former Army Air Forces radio operator Turilli celebrated his 100th birthday. He was on Iwo Jima in 1945 with the 457th Fighter Squadron. A talented woodcarver, he took over the family furniture business and has been very involved with the Providence Vet Center art program in recent years.

Calendar

Wednesday, Oct. 25; cocktails 6 p.m., dinner 7 p.m.: RI Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars annual dinner. Squantum Association, 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence. This “dining-out” will feature a brief reenactment of the notorious 1925 court martial of Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, considered the father of American air power. After hearing both sides, dinner guests will decide General Mitchell’s guilt or innocence. Attire is cocktail/semi-formal for civilians; black tie is optional. For military guests, dress blues would be appropriate, with mess dress optional. Tickets are $50 each and are available online at RIMOFW.org; or by mailing a check to RIMOFW, c/o LTC James Kenney, 26 Mohawk St., Cranston, RI 02816.

Friday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m., social hour and museum tour followed by dinner: Combat Infantrymen’s Association 80th Anniversary Dinner, Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, 6 Main St., East Greenwich. Tickets are $60 per person; all proceeds to benefit Honor Flights of R.I. Inc. Make checks payable to Combat Infantrymen’s Association and mail to 242 Manning St., North Providence, RI 02911. Include in memo line on check your choice of prime rib or fish dinner. For details, call Albert Guarnieri at (401) 241-6882.

Saturday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. breakfast, 11 a.m. shotgun start: Veterans Day golf tournament at Gloucester Country Club. Event is free for veterans and active military and is co-sponsored by the Marine Corps League. This nine-hole scramble will be preceded by a brief ceremony honoring all veterans.

Veterans and active-duty military also receive complimentary carts, continental breakfast, dinner drinks and a sweatshirt in addition to the waived entry fee.

Proceeds from a raffle will benefit Wreaths Across America 2023, sponsored by Ponaganset High School. Event is limited to 64 veteran or active-duty military golfers. To register, or to sponsor a veteran for $50, please reach out to Vincent LaFazia at (401) 233-2564 or email fazigilly54@gmail.com.

Saturday, Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Rhode Island Model Rocketry Association invites all veterans and serving military to participate in a Free Rocket Launch at the URI Peckham Farm Field in South Kingstown. Rockets provided for veterans, or you can can bring a rocket you built yourself. Just show your veterans or military ID. Veterans will have access to the low-power pads (A-D motors). For access to mid-power and high-power pads, veterans will need to be NAR members (nar.org/join-nar/).

To register, email Lucy DiMase atlucy.dimase@va.gov.

The general public may watch the launch at no charge.

To report the outcome of a previous activity, or to add a future event to our calendar, please email the details (including a contact name and phone number/email address) to veteranscolumn@providencejournal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Aviation Hall of Fame inductees: Military heroes recognized in 2023