The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-16
Flying Field Dedicated To Lieut.. Gordon Lewis Hard Boiled Dive Bombers Who Have Brushed Against Wings of Death in Tears at Services for "Buddy"-Local Youth Eulogized
 by Comrades.

By Captain Ned Thomas, Marine Corps Public Relations Officer, formerly of the Santa Paula, Calif., Chronicle.
 Central Luzon, Phillipine Islands -Delayed)-"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away"
 Nearly 100 grim-faced Marine pilots, gunners and ground crew. men stood in tight llttle circle as the chaplain read from Revela- tions. It was memorial service for a buddy who had gone down in flames.
 He was First Lieutenant Cor don R. Lewis, g, of Waterbury, Conn. He and his radio gunner, Corporal Samuel Patrick Melish, of Cincinnati, Ohio, had been shot down 13 days before by Japanese anti aircraft fire during 8 dive bombing strike west of Clark Field, Their bodies were not at the services. The plane had crash ed in enemy territory. :
 And heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and tlley shall be His People"
 Lieutenant Abram G. Kurtz, Navy Chaplain from Scranton, Pa, was conducting the Protestant service just off the taxiway at the airstrip which had been rice pad dies two weeks before. As he read the scripture, sturdy little blue Dauntless dive bombers-the kind in which Lieutenant Lewis and Corporal Melish had met their deaths-settled onto the runway. They were returning from another strike. It was dusk.
 Lieutenant Lewis father, the Reverend Gomer R. Lewis, is a minister. He and Mrs. Lewis live aI 529 Highland avenue, in Water bury, where the Reverend MT. Lewis is pastor of congregation al church. Corporal Melish, a Catholic, had listed his sister, Miss Jean Melish, of 925 Egan Hill Drive, Cincinnati, as his nearest of kin. He would have been 21 if he had lived 18 more days. A pri- vate Mass had been said for him the day he was lost, by Lieutenant Adrian I. Dwyer, Catholic Chap lain from St. Louis, Mo.
 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying neither shall there be any more pain.'
 The little knot of men stood now al the edge of patch of bamboo trees. They were silent. Their heads were bowed. Their eyes were wet.
 They were members of the "Fly- ing Eggbeaters" squadron. Most Of them had been together ever since the squadron had been organized IS months before at Fl Toro, the Marine Air station near Santa Ana. Calf. They had been over seas together for IT of those 18 months.
 These two men, who had flown together as pilot and gunner all those 18 months, were the first men of the squadron to be killed in combat. They also were the first casualties suffered by the Diving Devildogs of Luzon" as dive bomb CT pilots of the First Marine Air Wing are being called here. Lewis had picked out some Jap rolling stock as his target and had gone after it in a shallow dive. He had dropped his bombs and was about to pull out when a 20 nm. shell hit his plane. The plane crashed, exploded immediately, and burst into flames. It was four miles west Of Fort Stotsenburg in Pampanga province.
 Second Lieutenant Robert w Kirkpatrick, "A, of Lundale, w. Va, his wingman and tentmate, say, him go down. They had been as close as any two men could be, living and flying together at Bougainville, Emirau, and now Luzon. When Kirkpatrick returned fro mthe strike he was crying.
 Lewis had been heading a sec- tion of three planes in the forma- ton. His division leader was Cap tain Ernest zalay. 25, of 1ndio' Calf.
 He too had lived with Lewis and had had him as his wingman for nine months before Lewis was made a section leader.
 And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.'
 Six days after the crash Colonel