Captain Isador Joseph Schwartz, USN.

[EdMajor1955]

I've done some very barebones research on him and found more info off of an auction of his flight notebooks which gave me some more insight of his WW2 carerr 1932 USNA grad, served on the USS Chicago as part of VCS-5. In 1938 then Lieutenant Schwartz successfully completed the Link Trainer syllabus 1940 he was in VP-22 which won the Von Schiff Trophy that year. In 1943 promote to LCDR he was assigned to Transition Training Squadron Atlantic and was qualified as commander of the PBY  Catalina airframe. Sometime in May or June 1944 he was transferred from there to become commanding officer of Headquarters Squadron 5-2 and was flying the PBM Mariner, and by September of 1944 he was relieved as CO and then assigned as the navigator of the brand new Essex-class carrier Bonhomme Richard and presumable served out the rest of the war aboard her. Skipping ahead to the post-war era he's the XO of USS Pine Island for Operation Highjump in Antarctica and in the 50s the CO of the Barnegat-class seaplane tender USS Orca and the rest of his career is a biiit murky. 

[29navy]

He Retired July 1963.

[29navy]

Here's his Obit.  Looks like his last command was CO if NAS Marietta, GA.

[29navy]

 

CO Of USS Orca July 1954 - July 1955

[EdMajor1955]

He is for sure the most interesting uniform I own. And I missed out on it a few years ago, came back into contact with the seller and finally got it in hand. Seeing his flight logbooks on ebay some time ago also reminded how small the world actually is.

[R Leonard]

This is what I have for him during the war years

LT, USN, Date of rank frm 1 Jul 1941 USN Register, 7/1/1940

LT, USN, NAS Jacksonville FL in 1 Apr 1941 USN Active Duty Directory, 3/23/1941

LCDR, USN, Date of rank frm 1 Jul 1942 USN Register, 6/15/1942

LCDR, USN, TTSLant PBM Det ComAirLant (OIC) NAS Banana River, 11/15/1942

CDR, USN, Date of rank frm 1 Jul 1944 USN Register, 8/28/1943

CDR, USN, TTSLant PBM Det ComAirLant NAS Banana River detach, 9/13/1943

CDR, USN, TTSLant (CO) as noted in 31 Dec 1943 AirLant CO listing, 9/18/1943

CDR, USN, TTSLant (CO) ComAirLant NAS Norfolk, 11/5/1943

CDR, USN, TTSLant detach as noted in 31 Dec 1943 AirLant CO listing, 11/18/1943

CDR, USN, HEDRON-5-2 (CO) as noted in 31 Dec 1944 AirLant CO listing, 1/1/1944

CDR, USN, HEDRON-5-2 detach as noted in 31 Dec 1944 AirLant CO listing, 9/23/1944

CDR, USN, USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) NavO, 10/10/1944

[Father V]

Great feeling when a lot of research comes together.

[PonchoWilson]

On 3/18/2024 at 5:58 PM, EdMajor1955 said:

I've done some very barebones research on him and found more info off of an auction of his flight notebooks which gave me some more insight of his WW2 carerr 1932 USNA grad, served on the USS Chicago as part of VCS-5. In 1938 then Lieutenant Schwartz successfully completed the Link Trainer syllabus 1940 he was in VP-22 which won the Von Schiff Trophy that year. In 1943 promote to LCDR he was assigned to Transition Training Squadron Atlantic and was qualified as commander of the PBY  Catalina airframe. Sometime in May or June 1944 he was transferred from there to become commanding officer of Headquarters Squadron 5-2 and was flying the PBM Mariner, and by September of 1944 he was relieved as CO and then assigned as the navigator of the brand new Essex-class carrier Bonhomme Richard and presumable served out the rest of the war aboard her. Skipping ahead to the post-war era he's the XO of USS Pine Island for Operation Highjump in Antarctica and in the 50s the CO of the Barnegat-class seaplane tender USS Orca and the rest of his career is a biiit murky. 

 

[PonchoWilson]

Hello -- this is Poncho Wilson (Charles Calkins Wilson III) in Alpharetta, GA (north metro Atlanta).

 

I'm Capt. I.J. Schwartz's grandson and penultimate bloodline surviving relative of my grandfather's (mother's) side of the Schwartz family. 

 

Joined this forum late last week -- appreciate the vetting as acceptance -- after doing some introspective searches online heading into New Year 2025 following my father's (Charles C. Wilson, Jr.) February 2023 death and finally fighting to the end of a nearly two-year battle to preserve the dignity of his sordid Cobb County Probate Court estate case 23-P-0459.

 

So I was pleasantly surprised to find this forum thread and images of my grandfather's surviving personal effects as artifacts along with his World War II Compensation form(s) -- which has helped me fill a HUGE factual gap in my true lineage/origins rather than relying upon family conjecture years earlier.

 

HUGE revelation; PROFOUND thanks!

 

But I'm DYING to know how those of you gained possession of these other items -- purely out of curiosity -- as I'd considered so much more of his military history forgotten or trashed/destroyed as other 'family' members didn't seem to care so much about preserving them for future generations. 

 

I am fascinated to NO end as relieved to know these items posted here have been preserved as well as APPRECIATED. 

 

My mother fought TOOTH and NAIL to save many of Capt. Schwartz's prized and perilously earned personal effects, many of which I have fought and sacrificed greatly myself to keep and preserve after my mother Susie Wilson's (nee Schwartz) passing in October 2004.

 

So I've taken great pride as dutiful care in preserving as displaying Capt. Schwartz's effects over the years myself.

 

Attached is Capt. Schwartz's original United States Naval Academy diploma as it proudly sits and enduringly displays in my WilsonMediaUSA.com office beside my Journalism degree from Georgia State University.

 

I have many other small but irreplaceable heirlooms of Capt. Schwartz's as well - his Wings of Gold with a small but heartfelt inscription on the back from my late grandmother Caroline to 'Dory' is one of my prized personal possessions. 

 

I don't have a photo of that readily available. 

 

But I'm happy to post pix here if someone replies with interest. 

 

Meanwhile, here's hoping some of the images I've uploaded with this post will help fill in some gaps as well for those of you who've taken an interest in my grandfather's Naval career as service to our country.

 

Very many thanks -- and best wishes for a healthy happy 2025 ahead!

 

"Poncho" Wilson 

 

[Father V]

Welcome to the forum!

[EdMajor1955]

Welcome to the forum! It was a long battle over I think three years for me to actually receive the uniform off of Ebay of all places.  The seller had originally lost it somewhere in their house in 2019 or so and then I finally received it in February of last year.

[FlyNavy02]

I happed to see this post and immediately recognized Capt. Schwartz.

 

Many years ago, I acquired an autographed 8" x 10" photograph of a USN captain, the CO of NAS Atlanta in July 1960, but had been unable to read the signature. What a small world!

 

Thanks for posting!

 

 

 

 

[EdMajor1955]

Captain Schwartz is my hands down favorite uniform and represents the earliest uniform I have currently. It’s from when he was assigned to USS Chicago I believe.