Text on label: "Eugene Hanks. II."AbstractIn this two-part oral history, fighter ace Eugene Ralph Hanks discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. In part two, he continues to describe the combat mission that took place on November 23, 1943. He also discusses other events from his Pacific Theater tour, including other combat missions and encounters and notable incidents aboard the USS Lexington (CV-16).BiographyEugene Ralph Hanks was born on December 11, 1918 in Corning, California. He joined the United States Navy in 1941 and graduated from flight training the following year. A member of Fighting Squadron 16 (VF-16), Hanks served two combat tours in the Pacific Theater, one aboard the USS Lexington (CV-16) and one aboard the USS Randolph (CV-15). He remained in the military after the war and went on to command Joint Tactics Squadron 1 (JTS-1), Fighter Squadron 142 (VF-142), and Fighter Squadron 51 (VF-51). He also served as a test pilot and flew with the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. Hanks retired in 1969 as a captain and passed away in 2014.Creation Date1990-02-19SubjectAces (Fighter pilots)Air pilots, MilitaryFighter pilotsGrumman F6F Hellcat FamilyHanks, Eugene RalphLexington (Aircraft carrier : 1943-1991)Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter) Zeke (Ben, Ray) FamilyUnited States. NavyUnited States. Navy. Fighting Squadron 16World War, 1939-1945PlaceMarshall IslandsExtent1 sound cassette (30 min., 38 sec.) : analog ; 4 x 2.5 inOriginal Formatoral histories (literary works)audiocassettesBibliographic CitationThe American Fighter Aces Association Materials/The Museum of FlightRightsIn copyright
American Fighter Aces Association, [Eugene Ralph Hanks oral history interview (Part 2 of 2)], [2002-02-13-1139_AV_091]. Museum of Flight Digital Collections, accessed 13/01/2026, https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/7603