Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1932 Lucky Bag:

DeWITT WOOD SHUMWAY

Dave Shum DeClinton

Musical Clubs; 1 Stripe.

Dave came down from Potsdam, New York, with an old-timer’s record in baseball. However, his hopes for participation in Navy athletics were shattered when he received a broken condyle and a permanently weakened jaw from a collision sustained at Plebe varsity baseball practice.

He did not allow over two months at the hospital, during plebe year, to keep him back in the Academics or in making youngster cruise, but kept right in with the rest of the class.

Determined to find some useful outlet for those few spare moments, DeWitt turned his attention to music. A group of music lovers could be found in Shum’s room any time listening to him pound the xylophone or play the cornet.

DeWitt could always be depended upon for his best. He laughed off his disappointments and was always ready to start the next morning with a cheery “Let’s plug ’em today, Burt.”

We all know that Dave, through his quiet, determined, and never failing efforts, will make his way in the Fleet as he has done here at the Academy.

---

DeWitt was Bugle Corps Sub-Commander.

Obituary

From Find A Grave:

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Shumway was designated naval aviator #4243 in 1936. Graduated from US Naval Academy, Class of 1932. Was awarded the Navy Cross and two Distinguished Flying Crosses during World War II. Was involved in the Battle of Midway as the executive officer of Bombing Squadron Three (VB-3).

Commander Shumway and eight other officers and enlisted men were killed on Culebra Island when aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CV-40) accidently bombed an observation tower located near the weapons range.

Shumway was the son of Harold Rouse and Pearl May Wood Shumway. In addition to his mother and sister Mrs. Ruth (Joseph) Dalton, he left his widow, the former Miss Helen Diane Battle and son David.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

A native of Oneonta, New York, Dewitt graduated from Potsdam high school in 1927. He attended Clarkson college for one year.

At Corpus Christi in 1941, he supervised the photographic laboratory and map-making departments.

Per the Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, New York, April 6, 1946: He joined a bombing squadron aboard the U. S. S. Saratoga in November, 1941. He became squadron commander in August, 1942. He later served in the Office of the Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics.

Dewitt was on a nine-day inspection tour of Caribbean bases when the accident occurred.

He was survived by his widow, the former Dianne Battle, and his son David of Dallas, Texas. He was also survived by his mother Pearl and sister Ruth who was assistant supervisor of music in the Syracuse, New York, schools.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Photographs

Source

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander DeWitt Wood Shumway (NSN: 0-71403), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber and Acting Commander of Bombing Squadron THREE (VB-3), attached to the U.S.S. YORKTOWN (CV-5), during the “Air Battle of Midway,” against enemy Japanese forces on 4 - 6 June 1942. Lieutenant Commander Shumway led his squadron in a vigorous dive-bombing assault against Japanese naval units, in the face of concentrated anti-aircraft fire and powerful fighter opposition, and pressed home his attack with courageous aggressiveness and utter disregard for his own personal safety. His capable initiative and inspiring leadership contributed to the high state of combat efficiency which enabled his squadron to score at least five direct hits on an enemy aircraft carrier. Lieutenant Commander Shumway’s inspiring leadership and the valiant devotion to duty of his command contributed in large measure to the outstanding success of these vital missions and reflect great credit upon the United States Naval Service.

General Orders: Commander in Chief Pacific: Serial 3013 (July 16, 1942)
Action Date: June 4 - 6, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)
Division: U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5)

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander DeWitt Wood Shumway (NSN: 0-71403), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Squadron Commander of Bombing Squadron THREE (VB-3), attached to the U.S.S. SARATOGA (CV-3), during the operations of the U.S. Naval forces against a Japanese Naval Task Force in the Solomon Islands area on 24 August 1942. Without regard for intense anti-aircraft fire and air opposition, he led his squadron in a dive bombing attack with precision, vigor and heroic determination. In so doing he contributed to an extraordinary measure to the glorious destruction of a Japanese aircraft carrier.

Action Date: August 24, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)
Division: U.S.S. Saratoga (CV-3)

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander DeWitt Wood Shumway (NSN: 0-71403), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism while participating in aerial flight in the line of his profession, as Squadron Commander Bombing Squadron THREE (VB-3), embarked in the U.S.S. SARATOGA (CV-3), during operations of the U.S. Naval forces against the Japanese occupied Solomon Islands on 7 August 1942. He led his squadron in three determined and effective dive bombing and strafing attacks against enemy land installations and troop concentrations, thereby assisting in completely silencing enemy opposition and assuring the success of our landing operations without undue casualties. In so doing he contributed in an extraordinary measure to the successful and glorious invasion of our forces in that area. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Action Date: August 7, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)
Division: U.S.S. Saratoga (CV-3)

Related Articles

Cyrus Radford, Jr. ‘40 was also lost in this incident.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together, or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.