Donald C. Long, U.S.N. Naval Career and Fighter Squadron 193 (VF-193) 1951 – 1953 Paperback – August 19, 2025

More than ten years after our Father, Donald Charles Long’s death, we found his military file, flight log books and his engineering instruments. Many of the pages were tissue paper with rusty clip binders and water stains, yet very readable. Serving in those early years after the end of World War Two and through the Korean Conflict, his contribution to the post-World War II development of navy fighter jets is worth preserving. Graduating from the United States Naval Academy in the Class of 1950, he first served on the U.S.S. Duncan (DDR-874) in Korea. Two tours of duty on the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34), as a member of fighter squadron VF-193 and as a flight instructor at Whiting Field in the mid-1950s are important parts of his service. While serving on the U.S.S. Duncan (DDR-874) in the spring of 1951, he rescued a sailor who fell from the U.S.S. Philippine Sea (CV-47). Details of keeping the enemy at bay and directing aircraft fire at the Battle of Wonsan Harbor are also included. For his efforts at Wonsan Harbor, Don was awarded a Commendation Ribbon with a Combat V. Confidential training to drop a nuclear bomb was a story he shared late in life with my brother-in-law.A trip to the National Archive in College Park, Maryland gave me the opportunity to copy many pages of the log books of the U.S.S. Duncan and the U.S.S. Philippine Sea. This book is largely a book of images. Highlights from his military file and complete flight logs are included. How many of today’s generation have seen a handwritten ship log or flight log? We are preserving his efforts so that future generations and his descendants see his place of history. Read more