Gentlemen,
It is my sad duty to inform you that on Monday, 4 December 2023, Golden Eagle RADM William E. Newman, USN (Ret), made his Last Take Off in St. George, UT. Bill was born on 27 December 1939 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of William Benedict and Florence Vivian (Skorup) Newman. Bill grew up in Chicago and was a competitive swimmer at Leo High School. He knew at age 15 that he wanted to be a Navy carrier pilot and at age 17 left home for the Naval Academy. Bill was an All-American swimmer at the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated with Bachelor of Science degree, and was commissioned an Ensign on 7 June 1961. Flight school at NAS Pensacola, FL, was next and Bill received his Wings of Gold on 10 October 1962.
Bill next underwent replacement pilot training with the VA-125 Rough Raiders at NAS Lemoore, CA, the West Coast Replacement Squadron for the A-4 Skyhawk. In April 1963, he reported to the VA-22 Fighting Redcocks, and in 1965 the squadron embarked aboard USS Midway with CVW-2 for a momentous Vietnam War deployment in the early days of Operation Rolling Thunder. Bill would be awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross as part of a four-plane coordinated strike on a heavily defended target near surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites and a North Vietnamese airfield, in a low-angle, low-altitude bomb attack against intense enemy opposition, accurately delivering his bombs, destroying one building, and damaging another. Later in the deployment, during an Carrier Air Wing fly off to Cubi Point, Philippines, the tail of an A-4 sliced into the internal wing tank of another A-4. Bill, flying a tanker-configured A-4, streamed his refueling drogue, tanking the stricken Skyhawk receiver until the very last moments of an approach and landing.
On 13 August, the carriers on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin (five carriers at the time) launched 76 Skyhawks to destroy the SAM sites, billed as the “First Iron Hand” mission. It did not go well; five Skyhawks were shot down (two pilots killed, three rescued at sea) and seven others were hit and damaged, resulting in no SAM sites destroyed or damaged. The nose of Bill’s Skyhawk was blown off by a large caliber anti-aircraft shell and debris fodded the engine. Bill nursed the badly damaged airplane feet wet, ejected near a destroyer five miles off the coast, and was rescued. Midway returned to CONUS in November 1965 after an 8 1/2-month long combat deployment where Bill flew 130 missions. His first operational tour was a baptism of fire. The Navy suffered its highest per-sortie loss rate of the entire war during mid-1965, as the North Vietnamese brought in massive numbers of anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) pieces and then SA-2 Guideline SAMs. It was the year of the war marked by the most American casualties.
In November 1965, Bill reported to NAS Patuxent River, MD, prior to duty at the Empire Test Pilot School, Farnborough, Hampshire, England, for test pilot training and in December 1966, was assigned to the Weapons Systems Test Division, Naval Aviation Test Center, Patuxent River, serving as an Ordnance Project Pilot conducting experimental weapons separation tests. In January 1969 he underwent A-4 refresher training with VA-44, the East Coast A-4 Replacement Squadron at NAS Cecil Field, FL. In April 1969, Bill reported to the VA-83 Rampagers, at NAS Cecil Field. Flying the A-4C, he embarked on the first deployment of USS John F. Kennedy to the Mediterranean Sea from April until December 1969. Upon returning from deployment, VA-83 transitioned to the A-7E Corsair II before deploying again to the Mediterranean from January until July 1971, embarked this time aboard USS Forrestal.
In July 1971, Bill reported to the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL, graduating in June 1972. He then served as Flag Secretary and Aide to the Commander, Carrier Division FOUR (COMCARDIV 4) as the command transitioned to Commander, Carrier Group FOUR (COMCARGRU 4) and developed the concept of the CARGRU commander being responsible for all aspects of the battle group. In December 1973, he was assigned as Operations Officer for VA-122, the West Coast A-7 Replacement Squadron, at NAS Lemoore. In April 1975, he assumed duty as Executive Officer of the VA-95 Dambusters at NAS Lemoore, deploying to the Western Pacific aboard USS Kitty Hawk from May until December 1975. He assumed command of VA-95 the next month.
In October 1977, Bill took command of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, serving as the Boss for more than 200 air shows. In December 1979, he commenced a training track prior to assuming command of CVW-9 in July 1980. Based at NAS Lemoore, CVW-9 deployed to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean embarked in USS Constellation from February until October 1980, including a response to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. In October 1981, he was assigned to the CNO staff in Washington, D.C., as Air-Launched Weapons Program Coordinator in OP-507. In July 1983, Bill became Head, Air-Launched Weapons Requirement Branch (OP-507) and in February 1984, commenced a training track at Surface Warfare Officers Schools Command, Newport, RI.
In August, 1984 he took command of the combat stores ship USS White Plains, which shifted homeport from Yokosuka, Japan to Guam, in September, followed by an Indian Ocean deployment from October until December and then conducted Western Pacific operations from February through March 1985. In January 1986, Bill attended the Defense Systems Management College at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, to become one of the first to transition to the new Material Professional designator, a program established by Secretary of the Navy John Lehman. He graduated in June 1986 and was assigned to NAVAIR as Executive Director for Group Operations, Systems and Engineering Group (Air-05B.) In July 1987, he became a NAVAIR Major Program Manager, Defense Suppression Systems (PMA-242,) including the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) which had begun deploying in late 1985. In March 1989, he became the NAVAIR Program Director, Tactical Aircraft Programs (PDA-10) and was promoted to Rear Admiral lower half on 1 July 1990.
In November 1990, Bill took command of the Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, CA, and in January 1992, also assumed command of Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division at Point Mugu. In December 1993, he was assigned as the NAVAIR Organization Transition Executive (AIR-03TE,) which included merging NAS Point Mugu and NAS China Lake into a single command and in April 1994, was assigned as the NAVAIR Assistant Commander for Research and Engineering (AIR 4.0). In July 1994, Bill took command of the Naval Air Warfare Center. He retired on 1 July 1996.
Bill served for 29 years, flew 5,200 flight hours, made 900 carrier arrested and 47 rotary wing shipboard landings, and flew 130 combat missions during the early and very intense days of the Vietnam War. He commanded VA-195, The Blue Angels, CVW-9, USS White Plains, PMA-242 (HARM), the Pacific Missile Test Center, and the Naval Air Warfare Center (Weapons). He served in major acquisition program management and engineering oversight of Naval Aviation development programs, as well as flag command of the Naval Air Warfare Centers research and experimental activities performed on 53,000 square miles of test ranges in Southern California. Bill’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (two awards,) the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal (two individual and twelve strike/flight,) the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” (three awards,) and many others.
Following retirement, Bill held executive management positions with The Boeing Company for several years, being primarily a “change agent” to optimize the newly merged company’s 850 nation-wide laboratories, test facilities, and related test processes. Bill was a member or officer of the British Empire Test Pilot School, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), The Blue Angels Alumni, the Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Ancient Mariners Rowing Club, the DC Masters Swim Team (setting new U.S. national swim records), Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Marine Corps League.
He is survived by the love of his life, wife Susan Kingsbury Newman of Ivins, Utah, and his four children; Elizabeth Newman, Joseph Newman, David Newman, and Matt Newman, and two grandchildren; Tanner and Mason Bilby, all of Ventura, California. He is also survived by his brother, Robert Newman of Vernon Hills, Illinois, and sister, Barbara Pigott of Sun City West, Arizona. Services and Bill’s burial will be on 15 December 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 S. Dixie Drive, St. George, Utah. Visitations will be on Thursday, 14 December from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and again on 15 December, from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Metcalf Mortuary, 228 West St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah. Due to the Christmas season and guest travel plans, Bill’s Celebration of Life will occur in the early months of 2024. Details will be provided when available. He will be missed.
In sadness,
Keith Stalder Pilot |
