Richard L. Cevoli (October 24, 1919 – January 18, 1955) served as a

United States Naval Aviator A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guard ...

and carrier fighter pilot during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Decorated for valor in both conflicts, Cevoli reached the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

before he was killed in a plane crash in 1955.

Pre-military

Richard Leo Cevoli was a lifelong resident of

East Greenwich East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan s ...

. He graduated from

La Salle Academy } La Salle Academy is an American private, Catholic all-boys' high school in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. The school is run by the Eastern North American District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. ...

and later from

Rhode Island State College The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-gra ...

, where he earned a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

. He worked for the engineering firm, Merritt, Chapman & Scott, and joined the Navy a month after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

Military career

World War II

While serving with Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) aboard the U.S.S. ''Intrepid'', Cevoli and other members of the squadron strafed a Japanese battleship during the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

, silencing many of its guns. The following day, he scored a hit with a 500lb bomb, disabling a Japanese aircraft carrier. Cevoli is also credited with four confirmed air victories and three probables during his service with VF-18.

Korean War

From 1949 until 1951, Cevoli served as the Executive Officer in Fighting Squadron 32 (VF-32) on board the USS ''Leyte''. In the winter of 1950, he and his pilots provided close in air support against 70,000 Chinese soldiers crossing the

Yalu River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between China and North Korea. Its valle ...

and enabled 30,000

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

soldiers to escape encirclement. He was also division leader for Thomas J. Hudner Jr. and Jesse L. Brown. He radioed for help when Brown was shot down on 4 December 1950, during the mission for which Hudner would receive the Medal of Honor. The story of Brown and Hudner's friendship and service is the subject of

Adam Makos Adam Makos (born 1981) is an American author and military historian. His works include '' A Higher Call'' (2012), which recounts the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident, and ''Spearhead'' (2019), a detailed biography of World War II tank g ...

' book ''Devotion'', which was subsequently turned into a feature film.

Thomas Sadoski Thomas Christian Sadoski (born July 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Don Keefer in the HBO series '' The Newsroom'' (2012–14) and as Matt Short in the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'' (2015–19). Early life and e ...

was cast to play Richard Cevoli.

Post-war service

After the war, Cevoli graduated from the Naval War College. In 1954 he assumed command of Fighting Squadron 73 (VF-73) and attained the rank of

. He was killed during a training mission on January 18, 1955, when his F9F-6 Cougar jet crashed into a forest shortly after takeoff from Jacksonville, Florida.

Awards and honors

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

Distinguished Flying Cross with one gold award star * Air Medal ribbon

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

with 7 gold award stars *Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame - 2005 *A post office in

was named after him - 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cevoli, Richard 1919 births 1955 deaths Accidental deaths in Florida American civil engineers American Korean War pilots Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States United States Navy officers Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy pilots of World War II Recipients of the Air Medal Naval War College alumni University of Rhode Island alumni People from East Greenwich, Rhode Island 20th-century American engineers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1955