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History of Naval Aviation Commandery

The Naval Aviation Commandery was formed as a social organization early in the 1900's by the Yale Group of World War One. During its formative years, members supported by their formidably wealthy banking families, were provided with the funds to purchase their own aircraft and hire their own mechanics. During the period of 1916 to1921, after the First World War, members of the Commandery were drawn from the several thousand reservists coming into the newly formed units of Naval Aviation.

One of the Commandery's earliest members was Admiral John Jay Schifflin, Naval Aviator number 124, born and raised at what is now known as the Lotos Club, in New York City. He received the Navy Cross for sinking a German submarine in the North Sea in 1918.

The next expansion period of Naval Aviation came in the period of 1942-1944 and a large number of Navy and Marine fliers came through NAS Brooklyn, New York (Floyd Bennett Field), until the early 1970s. With the closing of that air station and the end of the Vietnam War, the influx of Naval and Marine aviators into the New York area greatly thinned, but the Commandery managed to retain its members, of whom many regularly attend meetings and are the stalwarts and core of the group.

The Commandery was always a tightly knit group of navy men, occasionally having meetings and dinners. On April 30, 1955, Naval Aviation's principal architect, Admiral John Henry Towers passed away. He was a former companion and advocate of the Commandery and devoted his life to developing and perfecting Naval Aviation. He was a naval leader of extraordinary talent, who recognized and promoted some of the most successful leaders produced by the Navy. He had commanded the Navy's first operational aircraft carrier, the USS Langley. During the period between the wars he argued in favor of employing aircraft carriers rather than battleships, as the dominant navy ship. He was credited as being the Navy's principal architect of its carrier aviation program and as the head of the Bureau of Aeronautics, the man whose vision made it possible for the defeat of Japan during the Pacific War. 

The Naval Aviation Commandery decided to honor its best with an award named after this superb naval leader, the Admiral John Henry Towers Memorial Award. Fittingly, the first dinner held to honor Admiral Towers took place on October 18, 1955 and the honoree was Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey. Since that time, the Towers award has been bestowed nearly every year to an individual exhibiting outstanding leadership or heroism or who has made a major contribution in Naval Aviation. The Commandery has honored such men as Mr. Leroy Grumman, Admiral James L. Holloway, Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman, Senator John McCain and President George Bush (when ambassador to the UN). For a nearly complete list of honorees.*

On April 25^th, 2001, the Commandery honored former Captain George R. A. Johns for his patriotism and heroics both in World War II and Korea. During this dinner attendees included several individuals who served at Iwo Jima in World War II, and the Chosin Reservoir in Korea and Naval Aviators who fought at Guadalcanal and Pearl Harbor. Present during this dinner was Captain Joe Carmichael, the engineering officer aboard Captain Johns'ship, Bunker Hill, who was credited with saving the ship after it was struck by kamikazis on May 11, 1945. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroics. Captain Carmichael paid tribute to Johns and two of his VMF221 marine squadron-mates, survivors of the attack and also present during the dinner.

On May 21, 2002, the Commandery honored the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71), Captain Richard J. O'Hanlon. He had just returned from the Mediterranean Sea after having participated in Operation Enduring Freedom. Present during this dinner were members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association and one of the great, great grandsons, Simon Roosevelt.

On May 13, 2003 the Commandery honored two individuals, retired Rear Admiral James A. Lair, an individual of great accomplishment, who rose from Naval Aviation cadet to battle group commander, and the present Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General William L. Nyland. General Nyland, starting his aviation career as an NFO flying F-4s in Viet Nam was the first general to be promoted to each of the four ranks of general. The aviator presenting the awards was Medal of Honor recipient, retired U. S. Navy Captain Thomas J. Hudner Jr., who captivated the audience with a brief history of the Korean conflict and his attempted rescue of former squadron-mate, Ensign Jesse Brown. Also present and recognized for their contribution to the coalition war effort during Operation Iraqi Freedom were the military attaches of the governments of Australia and United Kingdom.

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