Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1943 Lucky Bag:

ROBERT JAMES FOSSUM

Bob Fossum, that “man from Dakota,” the terror of the badlands and of more than one feminine heart, came to the Navy with a light heart if there ever was one, and it didn’t get an ounce heavier during his whole sojourn in good old Crabtown. Bob was never known to worry about a thing and least of all about academics. Keeping tab on the sports world seemed to be his main diversion, plus an active participation in intramural sports and activities. Foss was a star man on the battalion wrestling team and lent more than moral support with his ready smile and genuine enthusiasm.

---

The Class of 1943 was graduated in June 1942 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Robert was lost on September 1, 1954 when the F3 Skyknight he was piloting crashed in the Mediterranean Sea. He was flying from USS Coral Sea (CV 43) as a part of their Mediterranean cruise.

Other Information

From the Class of 1943 anniversary book “25 years later…”:

Bob was born in January 1920 in Breckinridge, Minnesota. He was appointed from North Dakota and entered the Academy on 7 July 1939. Upon graduation he served in the battleships Alabama and Wisconsin followed by flight training. In 1949 he served in Attack Squadron 3E and Observation Squadron 23 as Executive Officer. Duty with Commander Air Force Atlantic and Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training Command followed. Then Bob served as Executive Officer of Fighter Squadron 11 and thence to duty on the carrier USS CORAL SEA. While flying from the CORAL SEA as a pilot Bob was killed in a crash on 1 September 1954, at sea.

He wore the following medals: American Defense Service with Fleet Clasp, European-African-Middle East, Asiatic Pacific with two bronze stars, Philippine Defense with one bronze star, American Theatre and WWII Victory.

He was survived by his wife Shirley Auld and son Gary who at Bob’s death resided at Round Bay. c/o Mrs. Hugh Auld, Severna Park, Maryland.

Coral Sea’s cruise was from July 7 to December 20.

He was survived by his wife, Shirley Auld, and three children, Bobby, Susan, and Gary. (Information from October 1954 issue of Shipmate.) Robert’s body was not recovered; he has a memorial marker in North Dakota.