Thomas Caldwell Turner (March 29, 1882 – October 28, 1931) was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

who was a Marine aviation pioneer. He was killed in an accident while serving as the Officer in Charge, Aviation, a position which is currently known as the

Deputy Commandant for Aviation The Deputy Commandant for Aviation (DCA) is the United States Marine Corps' principle advisor on all aviation matters and is the spokesperson for Marine Corps Aviation programs, requirements, and strategy throughout the Department of the Navy ...

Early career

Thomas C. Turner was born on March 29, 1882, in

Mare Island, California Mare Island (Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east ...

. Enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1901, he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

a year later. Turner served overseas in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, before taking part in the battle of Veracruz in 1914. Turner was an aviation enthusiast and learned how to fly in his free time while he was the commanding officer of the Marine Barracks at San Diego.

Marine aviation career

In 1917, he was promoted to major. The Marine Corps also approved a request for Turner to be temporarily assigned to the

Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of ...

. While assigned to the Signal Corps, he held command of

Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...

, an Army Air Station in Houston, Texas. On March 14, 1918, Turner earned his wings and was designated as

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-base ...

#772. He was also designated as the 73rd Marine aviator. In May of 1918 Lt.Col Turner assumed command of Barron Field outside of Fort Worth, Texas and was still in command when the
Barron Filed Review
' was written in 1919. In October 1919, Turner was given orders to take part in combat operations against bandits with the First Provisional Marine Regiment in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. When he left Haiti in 1920, Lieutenant Colonel Turner was the senior ranking Marine aviator. Turner's friend,

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

John A. Lejeune John Archer Lejeune (; January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's 2n ...

, appointed him as the Officer in Charge, Aviation for the Marine Corps in December 1920. He would fill this position until March 1925. On April 22, 1921, Turner set a record for the longest flight ever made by a Marine or Naval aviator when he led two Airco DH-4s on a flight from Washington, D.C. to

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

and back. For this flight, Turner was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Turner later went to China to command the Marine aviation elements of the 3rd Brigade. Supporting the peace-keeping operations in China, the Marine squadrons flew nearly 4,000 sorties. These sorties included conducting photographic reconnaissance of Chinese forces and transporting mail and passengers. Brigadier General

Smedley Butler Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881June 21, 1940), nicknamed the "Maverick Marine", was a senior United States Marine Corps officer who fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution and ...

praised Turner and his aviators for their service in China. In May 1929, Turner, now a colonel, was again made the Officer in Charge, Aviation.

Death

On October 22, 1931, Colonel Turner flew a new amphibious boat plane, the Sikorsky RS-1, to the Marine headquarters in Haiti. On October 26, he made a normal landing at a beach in Gonaïves, Haiti. The port

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Marti ...

sank into the sand about two feet, and Turner exited the plane to inspect the damage. Turner did not take into account the depth the landing gear had sunk, and, consequently, the difference in height above ground between the number 1 and number 2 engines when he walked by the

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

, and he was struck in the side of the head and critically injured. He died two days later on October 28 in a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...

. At the time, Turner was one of the best-known aviators in the Marine Corps. Turner was also due to be promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

, which would have made him the first Marine aviator to hold that rank. Turner’s body was returned to the United States and he was laid to rest in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on November 5, 1931. Major Roy Geiger replaced Turner as the Officer in Charge, Aviation on November 6. The position was left unfilled for nine days due to the untimely death of Colonel Turner. Turner Field at

Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico (MCAF Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. It was commissioned in 1919 and is currently home to HMX-1, the squadron that flies the President of ...

was named in his honor. The

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Ac ...

was later formed on Turner Field in July 1941.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Thomas C. 1882 births 1931 deaths American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Aviators from California Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American military personnel of the Banana Wars Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps colonels United States Naval Aviators Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Haiti Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1931