This Military Service Page was created/owned by
John Bellew, LT
to remember
Bellew, Michael F.X., CDR.
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Contact Info
Home Town New York
Date of Passing Oct 30, 1969
Location of Interment Long Island National Cemetery (VA) - Farmingdale, New York
Passed away on active duty, U.S. Naval Hospital St. Albans, NY July 1969.
Other Comments:
Graduated from Fordham University and received Masters degree from Colombia University.Commissioned Directly in 1942. Served as a Line Officer in destroyers in Med & Pacific. Ship hit by Kamikaze off Okinawa, spent time at Naval Hospital San Diego. Transferred from Line to Supply Corps after the war. Served aboard USS Coasters Harbor (AG-74) at Operation Crossroads A-bomb test at Bikini Atoll. He was later determined to have developed pancreatic cancer due to radiation at Bikini. He died on active duty in 1969 while stationed at NAS Kingsville, TX His widow, my mother, was awarded a settlement from DOD over 20 yrs. later.
Cdr. Bellew was awarded the Royal Order of Phoenix by the Greek government for his assistance to Greece during their civil war 1946-1949. The medal was held by the Dept. of State, and not released to his family until after his death, for reasons unknown.He served as liason officer to foreign navies while stationed in Washington, D.C.
Cdr. Bellew served in Turkey 1955-1958 as an advisor to the Turkish Navy. He authored two books in the Turkish language while stationed at the submarine base in Golcuk, Turkey. He was also stationed at Sigonella, Sicily.
1968-1969, 310X, Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville TX
The Naval Air Station's primary mission is to train tactical jet pilots for the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
History
NAS Kingsville began its history in 1942 as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Kingsville (NAAS) functioning as an auxiliary field for NAS Corpus Christi. Back then, the missions was similar today's operations; training (or in this case, support for training) for Navy pilots.
At the time, both fighter and bomber training was supported, but in 1960 the installation became an all-jet training facility after a brief "intermission" when the site was placed into caretaker status from 1946 to 1951.
In 1968 the airfield became what it is today. Redesignated as NAS Kingsville the Air Station began hosting flight training and is know as one of three centers for Navy jet training operations. Today the Air Station hosts approximately 500 military members (including student jet pilots) and more than 200 civilians. For more information see NASK homepage
