A Farm Boy Joins the Navy: An Oral History, Written Down: Cotton Fields, Steel Ships, Airships and Missiles

Commander Walter D. Ashe, Jr., served during World War II and the cold war as a gifted airship pilot. "Dub" Ashe earned the respect of aristocrats, admirals, scientists, fellow pilots and a president's daughter, but none of that seemed possible early in his life. Childhood ended at age seven when his father's death plunged the family into poverty. A math whiz with a photographic memory who also loved fun and sports, Dub missed days and weeks of high school because he had to work to keep food on the table. His Depression-era teachers understood and helped. A scholarship paid for two years at Memphis State University, but he was too poor to accept until his aunt and uncle provided room and board - and a job. Three years of good grades (and little sleep) followed, but further education seemed remote. Discouraged, he unintentionally joined the Navy (by signing up for a "free" cruise), and soon faced either scraping decks as a seaman- or an intense, compressed midshipman program at Northwestern University. He emerged a happy, promising and well-fed ensign. His girlfriend learned he would make more money if they married, so they did. A week later he went to sea. When Mrs. Evaline Ashe finally could follow him, she arrived at Pearl Harbor two months before the Japanese attack. Ashore with her Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, Dub got back to the ship while enemy planes still swarmed. His ship was partially sunk in shallow water, but soon was back at sea. Two years of war later, the Navy desperately needed airship pilots, but the Raleigh's executive officer sat on Dub's application. How he got into Naval aviation anyway is a lesson in seizing the moment, hilarious and typical Dub Ashe. "The boy commander" flew airships from the end of the war until the Navy stopped using them in the 1960s. In those final days, he worked closely with Dr. David C. Hazen of Princeton to develop a "flying wind tunnel." Ashe's reputation led to other problem-solving assignments for the Navy, including a role in the Cuban missile crisis and a civilian career. Dub Ashe was a stubborn, seemingly unstoppable guy who repeatedly found himself in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, often despite opposition. Horse sense, audacity, integrity, brains, gumption, and good mentors served him (and his country) well.