My father, Houston R. Cannon, was the eldest of four siblings whose parents divorced during the Depression. His mother moved the family 11 times during his first 14 years. He was protection and stability to his siblings and to his father whom he lived with from the age of 14. He cooked meals and attended to other household duties while his father worked as section foreman on the railroad in Texas. I was told he was quiet, smart and very witty. It is remarkable that he made excellent grades and the honor roll in high school, and encouraged his siblings to get their educations.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1933 when he was 18. He was assigned duty aboard the USS Astoria, a seaplane tender, as an aircraft mechanic. At the end of his first stint in 1938, he applied and was accepted in flight school at Pensacola, FL. He graduated in 1939 and flew Catalina PB4Y, PBY-5, and PBY-5A. His crew were among the first to fly long distance plane (PBY) between Hawaii and Manila (via Wake and Guam) twice in 1940. He was transferred to the Phillipines in December 1940 and a year later rejoined for another three years and was due to come home on leave. However, the Phillipines was invaded by the Japanese forces on 8 December, 1941. He and his squadron VP-102 and VP-101 ended up in Darwin, Australia in Feb. 1942 with three of the 42 PBYs they started with in the early days of the war, from Cavite to Java Sea, East Indies and Australia. He then came home on 10-day leave (including travel time on a train between San Francisco and Corpus Christi, TX). He was then transferred to VP-43 in the Aleutians, where his plane disappeared shortly after the Kiska Blitz. His family never recovered from this great loss.

I was three at that time he was home on leave and have some happy memories of him. My mother remarried and we moved to New York. I had no direct contact with my dad's family until I was in my thirties and only then learned of the true hero he was . . . just as I had imagined in those years without him. He was a remarkable man and I am just beginning to know him. He was a very decorated enlisted pilot and I'm attempting to acquire his medals (he has at least 12) for my sons.

AWON has been instrumental in my locating his records, etc. and in the healing that took place when I was able to say goodbye and honor him at the memorial service held at Ft. Rosecrans Cemetery during the 2000 San Diego Convention. I am very grateful to AWON and have found "Touchstones" to be an invaluable resource.

I miss my dad . . . I missed a lot . . . but I am happy to finally give him the recognition and admiration he so greatly deserved.