[Richard L. Cormier oral history interview (Part 2 of 3)]

In this three-part oral history, fighter ace Richard L. “Zeke” Cormier is interviewed by Eugene A. Valencia about his military service with the United States Navy. In part two, Cormier continues to describe his experiences with Composite Squadron 1 (VC-1) and Fighting Squadron 80 (VF-80) during World War II. He also discusses his postwar assignments, including his time with the Blue Angels and his time at the 5th Air Force Headquarters in Seoul during the Korean War. Cormier also shares stories about the life and military career of fellow fighter ace Patrick D. Fleming, who died in a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crash in 1956.

Richard L. “Zeke” Cormier was born on December 19, 1919 in Centralia, Washington. He joined the United States Navy in 1941 and was designated a naval aviator the following year. During World War II, Cormier served several combat tours, first with Composite Squadron 1 (VC-1) aboard the USS Card and then with Fighting Squadron 80 (VF-80) aboard the USS Ticonderoga and USS Hancock. He remained in the military after the war and continued his naval aviation career with Fighter Squadron 2A (VF-2A), Fighter Photographic Squadron 61 (VFP-61), Attack Squadron 113 (VFA-113), and Air Group 11. He also commanded the Blue Angels, the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, during the mid-1950s and served as executive officer aboard the USS Wasp. Cormier retired as a captain in 1964 and passed away in 2001.

Biographical information courtesy of: Boyce, Ward J., ed., American fighter aces album. Mesa, Ariz: American Fighter Aces Association, 1996.