Last Name:   
Gove
Picture
First Name: 
Irving P.
Nickname:  
Bud or Irv
Born/Died  
16 April 1916  / 15 April 2003
Hometown:
Hartford, CT.  (born in Avon, MA)
Squadron:
First Pursuit Squadron
Position: 
Crew Chief
Victories
 
Decorations:
Bronze Star, Presidential Unit Citation, several Chinese awards
Pre AVG: 1933 - Naval Reserve, 5th Battalion, 19th Fleet Division, Hartford, CT.    1934-35 Mechanic for Descomb Flying Service, Hartford.  1936-1940 USS Lexington, mechanic bm2 dive bombers and Douglas bd-1 torpedo planes. 
AVG Service: August 15, 1941-January 30, 1942 - Toungoo, Burma.  January 30-March 9 - Rangoon, Burma.  March 9 - Kunming, China.  July 4 - Hengyang, China.  Volunteered to remain two extra weeks.  Discharged 18 July 1942.  Master Sergeant.
Post AVG, WWII:
Rejoined Navy.  Worked for a time as Flight Engineer in the Naval Air Transport Service.

Post War Career:
Honorable Discharge January 1954.  Went to work for American Overseas Airlines as a Flight Engineer. While there he was sent to Amsterdam, Holland, to Schipol Aerodrome (what was left of it) to train Flight Engineers.  American Overseas Airlines was bought out by Pan American Airlines and he worked as a Flight Engineer until 1964.  (PAA didn't need Flight Engineers with jets coming.)  During this time he had a boat built in Holland and after taking it down to the Mediterranean
through the canals, with his wife Marcia and son Steve aboard, he left Europe and sailed the boat back to Florida, stopping at Antigua and most of the other islands.  Summers while school was out they spent in the Bahamas or up in Maine.  During the winters he did sailboat racing and worked in the marine store that he had bought.  After deciding that he wanted to retire, they moved up to the mountains of North Carolina, to Linville.  There he helped build some of the trails that people hike today on a famous mountain.  He is buried in Black Mountain Veterans Cemetery.