Just came across this site. I am now 84 and remember my days at NAS FT Lauderdale. I joined the navy at age 17 in 1944 as an aircrewman. after aom school in Norman OK. I went to gunnery school at the Emory Riddle bldg on 27th ave in Miami. It was there that I met Whitey Thompson a marine who had just come back from the fleet. He and the rest of the marine group were their for a refresher course. Anyhow we finished gunnery school in Agust 1945 just as the war ended and ended up in the last class to go through operational training at Ft Lauderdale. On the day that whitey was lost I had just come back from a morning flight and Whitey was on the flight line waiting for his flight. I was probably the lsast one to talk to him before they left. The next morning I was on the first search flight out of Ft Lauderdale. I remember well it was a very lousy day real bumpy and the reason I was still at the plane when Whitey arrived is that I had thown up right behind the pilot where I was standing during the flight. I remember a very angry pilot who ordered me to clean up the mess and make sure there was no smell when he got back. Obviously I got out of there so I did not have to go on the next flight with him. So much for my story. I just want to end by saying we were all just kids aand though Whitey was the only one of the marine group that I knew, he was really quite a guy, Although he did not talk about the war I heard from others that he was on the Franklin when she got hit and he was trapped for 4 hrs below deck while she was burning. I can't verify that fact but thats what I r remember. My best to all and thanks for all that you do......R Flaherty