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AMERICAN RED CROSS PIN
Echoing military lapel pins, the members of the American Red Cross sometimes wore collar devices like these. The American Red Cross became the chief provider of relief supplies and services, supporting both the troops and civilians.
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CLARK FRANKLIN RINEHART
Missouri native Clark Rinehart became a Naval Aviator in 1938. He reported to the USS Lexington (CV-2) and briefly was assigned to VB-2 before becoming a Wildcat pilot, flying with VF-2.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement in aerial combat as pilot of a fighter plane in action against Japanese forces. He failed to return from a mission on 8 May 1942. A destroyer escort was named after Rinehart in 1943. The next year, Rinehart’s widow sponsored the vessel during launch at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in New Jersey.
Slat 10
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EDWARD HENRY "BUTCH" O'HARE
O’Hare became the Navy’s first ace in February 1942. Taking on a squadron of nine enemy bombers, he destoryed five of the incoming threats and earned the Medal of Honor. He later became an instructor on Maui, operating a “finishing school” for young Navy pilots.
During his service he helped pioneer naval night-fighting activities in the Pacific. On the night of 26 November 1943, O’Hare was killed when his F6F Hellcat fighter was hit by enemy fire from Japanese aircraft near Tarawa. In 1945, a destroyer was named in honor of O’Hare and, years after his death, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago was named after the lost aviator.
Slat 11
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ELISHA TERRILL STOVER
Stover served aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8) until it sank in October 1942, during the Battle of Santa Cruz. Operating with his squadron from Guadalcanal, Stover shot down three enemy aircraft. He later returned home, assigned to the new Combat Information Center (CIC) on the new Essex-class carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10).
Constantly asking his superiors to go back into combat, Stover was assigned to VF-5 on the Yorktown, flying an F6F Hellcat. His plane was lost during an attack on Truk on 16 February 1944. After the war, investigations concluded that Stover was taken prisoner and later executed by the Japanese. His remains were never recovered.
Slat 11
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GEORGE SCULLY
Pennsylvania-born George Scully got his private pilot’s license in 1940 and enlisted in the Navy in June 1941. He was trained as a torpedo bomber pilot and flew TBM Avengers for VT-44, later becoming the squadron’s commander. This unit first served on the light carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28) beginning in September 1944 and later was assigned to the light carrier USS Langley (CVL-27).
On 7 October 1944, Scully and two crewmen were reported missing in action when their TBM Avenger bomber went down on a mission near Formosa. None of them were ever seen again.
Slat 24
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JAMES HENRY FLATLEY, JR.
Green Bay native James Flatley graduated from the Naval Academy in 1929 and earned his wings in 1931. When war broke out, he flew some of the earliest fighters in some of the initial battles in the Pacific, ultimately scoring six kills to become an ace.
Flatley, along with O’Hare and Thach, was a pioneer of fighter tactics, teaching young aviators how to use their Wildcat fighter effectively against superior Japanese Zero aircraft. It was Flatley who coined the term for John Thach’s “beam defense” maneuver, calling it the Thach Weave. Leaving training duties on Maui, he helped introduce the Grumman F6F Hellcat into combat in August of 1943. During and after the fighting, Flatley was deeply involved in Navy air training, tactics, and safety programs.
Slat 12
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JIMINY CRICKET ILLUSTRATION
Pinocchio’s comical and wise-cracking partner appeared in this form in the famous 1940 Disney animated film.
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JOHN LEPPLA
Leppla was a former scout pilot drafted by James Flatley to fly fighters from the USS Lexington (CV-2). He later operated in squadrons attached to the Yorktown (CV-5) and Enterprise (CV-6), becoming a fighter ace for destroying five enemy aircraft.
During the Battle of Santa Cruz on 26 October 1942, Leppla’s Wildcat was shot down while he attempted to protect American torpedo bombers from attacking Japanese Zero fighters. In a letter to his mother Leppla had written, “We who are gone must be considered the price of freedom, the sacrifice for greed. Some must die so others may live. I am glad to be able to give my life in the hope that someday man will stop fighting and live peacefully.”
Slat 12
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JOHNNY TALBOT
Talbot flew from the USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Battle of Midway. Forced to ditch at sea when his fuel ran out, his sinking Wildcat almost pulled him down. He spent six days lost at sea, alternately scorched by the sun and chilled at night. He admitted later that he was unsure of the outcome of the battle, fearing that the Americans might have departed, leaving him alone in his raft with half a canteen of water.
He was eventually spotted by a Catalina rescue plane and plucked from the sea. Talbot spent the rest of the war as a trainer and combat flier, In April 2005, the Iowa State Senate passed Resolution 42, to honor the aviator from Centerville, Iowa.
Slat 11
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MARINE CORPS LAPEL PIN
The famous Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the official emblem of the United States Marine Corps. Elements of its design can be traced back to emblems worn by Continental Marines during the American Revolutionary War.
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MARINE CORPS LAPEL PIN
The famous Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the official emblem of the United States Marine Corps. Elements of its design can be traced back to emblems worn by Continental Marines during the American Revolutionary War.
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PAUL HUBERT RAMSEY
Ohio native Paul Ramsey graduated from the Naval Academy in 1927 and flew from both the USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3), flying with VF-2 during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. On 7 May, Ramsey led the fighters escorting the torpedo bombers that sunk the Japanese light carrier Shōhō.
He later was appointed director of the flight test division at the Anacostia Naval Air Station and flew the Navy’s first helicopter. He commanded the carrier USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) during the Korean War. He retired from the Navy in 1966 to become a consultant.
Slat 10
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RALEIGH ERNEST “DUSTY” RHODES
Californian Dusty Rhodes was shot down by enemy planes during the Battle of Santa Cruz in 1942. Wounded and adrift, surrounded by sharks, he was picked up by a Japanese warship. He spent much of the war as a prisoner in Yokohama in a camp nicknamed the “Brick Yard.”
After World War II, he joined the Blue Angels for the 1947 season, later becoming flight commander and helping to develop some of the group’s most famous maneuvers. He flew again in combat during the Korean War and retired to become a project engineer at Lockheed Missiles and Space Company.
Slat 12
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RALPH WEYMOUTH
Ralph Weymouth graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1938 and spent two years on surface ships before becoming an aviator. He first saw action with VS-3, flying from the USS Saratoga (CV-3) near Guadalcanal and later served as the skipper of VB-16, flying from the USS Lexington (CV-16). He went on to serve as a Navy pilot in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He retired in 1973.
During occupation duties in Japan, Weymouth saw the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki up close. The experience compelled him to found Veterans for Peace, an organization which promotes alternatives to war, become a vocal anti-nuclear campaigner, and an environmental conservationist.
Slat 22
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RAYMOND WILLIAM “SULLY” VOGEL, JR.
Michigan native Sully Vogel graduated from the Naval Academy in 1936 and became the operations officer of  VF-11, and later the squadron’s executive officer. During a combat mission on 2 May 1943, Vogel’s Wildcat collided with that of another pilot from VF‑11, William Maxwell.
Both men survived the accident, but Vogel would not be so lucky years later in Korea. On 19 August 1950, Vogel’s F4U Corsair was shot down near Seoul, Korea while taking part in a mission from the deck of the USS Philippine Sea (CV-47).
Slat 14
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RICHARD SALISBURY "DICK" BULL, JR.
Pennsylvania native Dick Bull was a Naval Academy graduate commissioned as an ensign in 1936. He trained as a Naval Aviator in Pensacola in 1938-1939 and became a naval observer assigned to the American Embassy in London, England. He reported to the USS Lexington (CV-2) a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in aerial combat before failing to return from a mission on 8 May 1942. A destroyer escort was named after Bull and when the vessel was transferred to the British Royal Navy, another USS Bull went into service named after the lost aviator.
Slat 10
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ROY MARLIN "BUTCH" VORIS
California native “Butch” Voris was in Navy flight school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He flew Wildcats with VF-10, under the command of James Flatley, initially from the USS Enterprise (CV-6). Over the subsequent years, Voris flew from many carriers, became an ace, and was wounded in combat.
After the war, Voris flew with the first Naval Flight Demonstration Team, known as the Blue Angels. He served with the group during their first tour in 1946 and 1947. He later commanded Naval fighter squadrons and did another stint with the Blue Angels, this time in jets, in 1952 and 1953. He retired from the Navy and became a consultant for Grumman and NASA.
Slat 12
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RUSSELL LAWRENCE REISERER
Long time California resident Reiserer entered the Navy on 1942. He was assigned to VF-2, attached to the USS Hornet (CV-12), during actions off the Marianas Islands on 19 October 1944. After having completed his mission, with his ammunition partly exhausted, Reiserer noticed the approach of a group of more than fifty enemy planes to a nearby field on Guam. With fantastic odds against him, Reiserer turned into the attackers, shooting down five enemy dive bombers in quick succession, the last with a single gun.
He ended the war with nine confirmed kills. For the accomplishment of becoming an “ace-in-a-day,” he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, for “outstanding courage and determined skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
Slat 12
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STANLEY WINFIELD "SWEDE" VEJTASA
Swede Vejtasa was born in Paris, Montana and enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1937. He became a flier two years later. His first assignment was with VS-5 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) from August 1939 to May 1942, during which time he was credited with destroying 3 enemy Japanese fighters while flying an SBD Dauntless dive bomber.
Vejtasa then served as a Wildcat pilot with VF-10 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), destroying another 7.25 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. His later assignments took him stateside. In later 1944 Vejtasa served as Commanding Officer of VF-97, and then as Commander of Air Group 44 until the end of hostilities.
Slat 13
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U.S NAVY SEABEES INSIGNIA STAMP
The name of the Navy’s corps of fighters and builders came from the initials of “Construction Battalion,” or CBs. The Seabee logo was an angry bumblebee, swooping in with weaponry and tools at the ready.
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U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS PIN
Early in the war, the fighting arm of the U.S. Army Air Corps became the U.S. Army Air Forces, but the uniform collar insignia, a winged propeller, went unchanged. Many veteran fliers still called the branch “the Air Corps.”
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U.S. ARMY CAVALRY PIN
At a time when the Army was transitioning from horses and mules to mechanized machines, Hawaii’s military men and women were reliant on both in the 1940s.
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U.S. ARMY CAVALRY PIN
At a time when the Army was transitioning from horses and mules to mechanized machines, Hawaii’s military men and women were reliant on both in the 1940s.
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U.S. ARMY FIELD ARTILLERY PIN
Crossed cannons denote the Army’s mobile heavy weapons, able to support front-line troops by engaging targets from behind the front lines.
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U.S. ARMY HOSPITAL DIETICIAN PIN
Any army requires proper nutrition and hydration to assure top physical performance, mental alertness, and endurance. This task is even more vital for a soldier recovering from sickness or injury.
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WILLIAM ROBERT MAXWELL
Wisconsin native “Bob” Maxwell became an aviator on 1 July 1941. On 2 May 1943, after a collision with a squadron mate, Maxwell bailed out of his Wildcat at 14,000 feet. He remained missing for a full two weeks until picked up by a rescue plane.
Upon reaching safety, he told of spending three days in his raft before reaching the island of Tetipari. He walked the length of the island in seven days, encountering only a crocodile. He then launched his raft for Rendova, in hopes of locating an Australian coast watcher. He was met by friendly natives who took him to safety near Segi Lagoon on May 17. Maxwell went back to flying, downing seven confirmed enemy aircraft before the end of the war.
Slat 15
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EREHWON TODAY



On the slopes of Haleakalā, Erehwon Ranch is still part of Maui’s lush landscape. Spelled “nowhere” backwards, the von Tempsky family’s welcoming oasis was seemingly isolated from combat and cacophony taking place on the island and across the Pacific. This video, filmed by Everett Peacock, shows a portion of the 5,000 acres temporarily enjoyed by visiting military men.



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ABOUT THIS TOUR



Thousands of visitors signed the wall in the von Tempsky estate. The daunting task of deciphering the names is an ongoing project. Many people visited more than once. Others signed with a flourish and still other names are lost to wear and fade. Special thanks to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, who hold the original wall as part of their archival collection.



CREDITS
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HOW TO USE THIS TOUR



This touchscreen behaves similarly to a hand-held device (smartphone or tablet).


• To move the von Tempsky Wall background image, touch and drag the cursor across the image.
• To enlarge, use a pinch zoom gesture—you may need to use both hands on the screen surface.
• Alternatively, use the buttons in the control bar to move and/or zoom.


Icons superimposed on the von Tempsky Wall bring up more information and images on the individuals who signed it or the pins and illustrations they left behind. The last button in the control bar temporarily hides these icons and allows for an uninterrupted view of the wall.


The buttons on the menu bar at the bottom bring up infomation boxes, such as this one, to contextualize the von Tempsky Wall as an informal record of the airmen and military personel stationed at Maui during World War II.
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MAUI
WARTIME TRAINING BASE


The military takeover of Maui was extensive. A pair of Naval air stations housed hundreds of new young aviators and Camp Maui was home base for thousands of men in the 4th Marine Division. Day and night they practiced combat, setting out for the island’s beaches, forests, and hillsides or into the skies to perfect their warfighting skills.


From 1942 to 1945, Maui was bisected by numerous military maneuver and training areas, used by fliers, soldiers, and Marines to fine-tune nearly every tactic they used during amphibious invasions in the Pacific. While many areas were heavily populated on a day-to-day basis, Maui’s artillery impact area was nearly always empty because it was regularly pummeled with live rounds from American weaponry.
TRAINING AREAS 1942 - 1945


① ARMY FIRING POINT
② MARINE TRAINING AREAS
③ MANEUVER AREA
④ IMPACT AREA
⑤ NAHIKU MANEUVER AREA
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THE WALL OF EREHWON



Perched on the slope of Maui’s extinct volcano Haleakalā lies the historic site of Erehwon Ranch, owned by the von Tempsky family. Erehwon, which is “nowhere” spelled backwards, boasted a resplendent manor house built with a panoramic view of the Pacific far below. In one room of the house, it became tradition for guests visiting the ranch to sign the slatted wooden wall, starting in the 1930s.


When war came to Hawai’i, the owners of the ranch, Gordon Robert von Tempsky and his wife Mamie, took a special liking to the aviators based nearby, inviting them to the ranch and into their home for some much-needed rest and relaxation. The couple’s own son, Gordon, was overseas, serving as an Army Air Forces flier. But what most servicemen remembered most from their frequent visits to Erewhon was Gordon’s elder sister, Alexa von Tempsky Zabriskie. She was described as a motherly figure, an excellent conversationalist, and always kind and gracious to an endless multitude of homesick young men headed off to combat. Along with the hundreds of Naval Aviators who signed the wall, you can see the names of U.S. Navy sailors, Marines, Army aircrew, and soldiers, all of whom at least temporarily, adopted Erehwon as their home away from home.


The wall is filled with a fading cavalcade of visitors’ signatures, as well as cartoons, inside jokes, and military insignia. Use this screen to explore the Wall of Erehwon, see distinctive iconography, and learn the stories of some of von Tempsky’s visitors, who also happened to be the U.S. Navy’s most notable fliers from World War II.


For more information about how to navigate this interactive click the HOW TO / ABOUT button in the menu bar.
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Alan DeCoite
Anonymous
The von Tempsky Family
Cory Graff
Annie Mejía
PJ Müller
Marissa Rowell
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
Rod Bengston
Alexis Stallings
Ashlie Duarte
Mike Tobin
Wayne Kawamoto
Gen. Rick Richardson


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Johnny Walker
Everett Peacock
Guy Stevens
Michael Horne
United States Navy
National Naval Aviation Museum
United States Marine Corps History Division
National Archives and Records Administration
University of South Carolina
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i.
UHM Library Digital Image Collections
The Bishop Museum
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