James H . Flatley Vice Admiral James Henry " Jimmy " Flatley Jr . ( June 17 , 1906 - July 9 , 1958 ) was a World War II naval aviator and tactician for the United States Navy . Early life . Flatley was born in Green Bay , Wisconsin and graduated from St . Norbert College . He was a 1929 Naval Academy graduate who earned his wings in 1931 . An early squadron assignment found him with VP - 4F , flying Douglas PDs and Consolidated P2Ys . In December 1941 he was with VF - 2 flying the Brewster F2A , the Navy ’ s first monoplane fighter . World War II . Combat Leader . Flatley was an aerial - gunnery expert and World War II squadron and air group commander . As Executive Officer ( XO ) of Fighter Squadron VF - 42 , he was one of the key participants in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 — the first carrier - vs . - carrier duel . A few days before , Flatley had been ordered back to the States to form a new fighter squadron , but he managed to get permission to stay for the coming battle . Flatley was awarded the Navy Cross for " extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage " during the Battle of the Coral Sea . After Coral Sea , he returned to the states to form VF - 10 , flying F4F Wildcat s . Named the Grim Reapers , as Commanding Officer ( CO ) , Flatley became a " Reaper Leader . " There were successes at Guadalcanal , but several losses which left him frustrated . Following his tour as Commander Air Group Five ( CAG - 5 ) on board USS " Enterprise " ( CV 6 ) , during which he helped introduce Grumman ’ s F6F Hellcat to combat in August 1943 , Flatley at the age of 36 never flew combat again . He received a Navy Cross for Coral Sea ; two Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism , a Bronze Star for action with Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands , and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal . Tactician . Flatley — with John S . Thach and Butch O ' Hare — was instrumental in communicating tactical advice throughout naval aviation and changing the perception that the F4F Wildcat fighter was inferior to the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero . Flatley ' s belief was that it was superior to the Zero when properly utilized . Flatley said of the Wildcat : " " Let us not be too critical of our equipment . It shoots the enemy down in flames and brings most of us home . " " He was not overly impressed by the Zero , but attributed the Japanese fighter ' s success to the high quality of Japanese pilots . His writeup on enemy capabilities received favorable notice at senior levels of the U . S . Navy . The expression Thach Weave did not come into the lexicon until Flatley named it in his after action report for the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands . He recounted how LCDR John S . Thach ’ s " Beam Defense tactic " had allowed him to escape almost certain destruction during the battle . Flatley wrote : " " . . . the four plane division is the only thing that will work and , I am calling it the Thach Weave . " " Flatley later received a commendation for his bravery in retrieving wounded personnel after the carrier USS " Bunker Hill " ( CV 17 ) was hit by Kamikaze s on May 11 , 1945 . Post war . Flatley remained in the Navy after the war and became a key figure with Navy ' s postwar air - training program . After commanding the carrier USS " Block Island " ( CVE - 106 ) for a year , Flatley became deeply involved with assessing Naval Aviation ' s disastrous safety record and ultimately helped develop the Naval Aviation Safety Center , today ' s Naval Safety Center . After the war he was training director of the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi , Texas Air Station ; commander of the Naval Air Station Olathe in Olathe , Kansas ( which was renamed " Flatley Field " from 1962 – 1969 ) ; and commander of the Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk , Virginia followed by the carrier USS " Lake Champlain " ( CV - 39 ) . He also held various staff positions . He retired from the Navy on June 2 , 1958 and was promoted to Vice Admiral concurrent with his retirement . He died barely a month after his retirement at the US Naval Hospital , Bethesda , Maryland , on July 9 , 1958 .