"Hometown Hero Remembered for Bravery, Loyalty; World War II flying ace wanted to be buried in Cortland rather than Arlington National Cemetery" by Robert Gavin
CORTLAND – Levi Chase returned home to Cortland in the summer of 1943 as an officer, a war hero and one of the top flying aces of World War II. His hometown greeted him with honors, banquets and celebrations.
Bill Dickinson's return home from the Marines that same summer hardly generated the same excitement. He was just another private on leave. But to Chase, he was a friend.
Hearing that Dickinson was in town, Chase slipped away from one of the banquets in his honor and looked up his old pal. It was as though they never left Cortland, Dickinson recalled.
That loyalty, friends said, was typical of Chase, who died Sunday at 76 after a long illness. History will remember him as Cortland's greatest military hero of this century, a major general and fighter pilot who flew more than 500 missions during three wars.
But those who knew him best said they'll remember a man who never forgot his friends, family or where he came from. He was a humble, modest man who found talk about hunting and fishing more interesting than his wartime exploits, friends said.
Dickinson said he could always call the general by his childhood nickname, "Squeak."
"He was always the same guy," said Dickinson. "It (the fame) never went to his head."
Chase was to be buried today in his family's plot in Cortland's Rural Cemetery. Friends gathered Wednesday night for a wake at Wright-Beard Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue.
Chase was born in Cortland and graduated from Cortland High School. His boyhood friends said he was an average kid. He liked to drive fast and seemed fearless. But he never exhibited a burning desire to fly.
But World War II brought out a genius for flying. He was one of only three American pilots to down enemy planes from all three Axis powers: Germany, Italy and Japan.
After the war, he returned home and steered clear of airplanes. He began studying law, with the idea of following in the footsteps of his father, Levi Sr., a lawyer and one-time Cortland County district attorney.
But he was called back to duty for the Korean War and made the military his career. He completed his 512th and last combat mission in Vietnam and retired in 1973 as a major general and commander of the 9th Air Force.
He received many decorations for bravery, not only from the United States but from four foreign nations and the United Nations. Cortland County named its airport after Chase in 1972.
Friends said he never bragged about his achievements. He graciously accepted the honors bestowed upon him by his hometown, but would have been just as happy if people didn't make a fuss, they said.
His quiet, unassuming manner, however, contributed to his commanding presence. Mary Ann Kane, the director of the Cortland County Historical Society, said she was struck by his reticence when, as a little girl, she attended a banquet in his honor in 1943.
"Even in World War II, he was bigger than life," Kane said. "There was just something about him."
He was about 6 feet tall, trim, in good shape, but not particularly well-built, recalled Kane. But he had a square jaw that exuded strength and determination.
John Bent of Rochester saw that strength and determination in action. Chase trained Bent to fly fighter planes, and both men flew in the North African campaign during World War II.
"He was just a damn decent man," Bent said. "He taught me a lot about flying, and it probably saved my life."
Bent and other friends said they don't know what made Chase, an essentially private man, so brave. They said he was a patriot. He believed in his country and its best values.
In his later years, he liked to drive around the area to see the woods where he hunted or the streams where he fished, and talk about old times, a friend said. Scottie Ames, a longtime family friend, said he could have chosen Arlington National Cemetery for his burial.
But he wanted to be buried in Cortland. "He was a hometown boy," Ames said. "He didn't seek the limelight, and he didn't make a big show of anything. There'll never be another one like him."
(Published in the Syracuse Herald Journal, Thursday, September 8, 1994)
CORTLAND – Levi Chase returned home to Cortland in the summer of 1943 as an officer, a war hero and one of the top flying aces of World War II. His hometown greeted him with honors, banquets and celebrations.
Bill Dickinson's return home from the Marines that same summer hardly generated the same excitement. He was just another private on leave. But to Chase, he was a friend.
Hearing that Dickinson was in town, Chase slipped away from one of the banquets in his honor and looked up his old pal. It was as though they never left Cortland, Dickinson recalled.
That loyalty, friends said, was typical of Chase, who died Sunday at 76 after a long illness. History will remember him as Cortland's greatest military hero of this century, a major general and fighter pilot who flew more than 500 missions during three wars.
But those who knew him best said they'll remember a man who never forgot his friends, family or where he came from. He was a humble, modest man who found talk about hunting and fishing more interesting than his wartime exploits, friends said.
Dickinson said he could always call the general by his childhood nickname, "Squeak."
"He was always the same guy," said Dickinson. "It (the fame) never went to his head."
Chase was to be buried today in his family's plot in Cortland's Rural Cemetery. Friends gathered Wednesday night for a wake at Wright-Beard Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue.
Chase was born in Cortland and graduated from Cortland High School. His boyhood friends said he was an average kid. He liked to drive fast and seemed fearless. But he never exhibited a burning desire to fly.
But World War II brought out a genius for flying. He was one of only three American pilots to down enemy planes from all three Axis powers: Germany, Italy and Japan.
After the war, he returned home and steered clear of airplanes. He began studying law, with the idea of following in the footsteps of his father, Levi Sr., a lawyer and one-time Cortland County district attorney.
But he was called back to duty for the Korean War and made the military his career. He completed his 512th and last combat mission in Vietnam and retired in 1973 as a major general and commander of the 9th Air Force.
He received many decorations for bravery, not only from the United States but from four foreign nations and the United Nations. Cortland County named its airport after Chase in 1972.
Friends said he never bragged about his achievements. He graciously accepted the honors bestowed upon him by his hometown, but would have been just as happy if people didn't make a fuss, they said.
His quiet, unassuming manner, however, contributed to his commanding presence. Mary Ann Kane, the director of the Cortland County Historical Society, said she was struck by his reticence when, as a little girl, she attended a banquet in his honor in 1943.
"Even in World War II, he was bigger than life," Kane said. "There was just something about him."
He was about 6 feet tall, trim, in good shape, but not particularly well-built, recalled Kane. But he had a square jaw that exuded strength and determination.
John Bent of Rochester saw that strength and determination in action. Chase trained Bent to fly fighter planes, and both men flew in the North African campaign during World War II.
"He was just a damn decent man," Bent said. "He taught me a lot about flying, and it probably saved my life."
Bent and other friends said they don't know what made Chase, an essentially private man, so brave. They said he was a patriot. He believed in his country and its best values.
In his later years, he liked to drive around the area to see the woods where he hunted or the streams where he fished, and talk about old times, a friend said. Scottie Ames, a longtime family friend, said he could have chosen Arlington National Cemetery for his burial.
But he wanted to be buried in Cortland. "He was a hometown boy," Ames said. "He didn't seek the limelight, and he didn't make a big show of anything. There'll never be another one like him."
(Published in the Syracuse Herald Journal, Thursday, September 8, 1994)
"Hometown Hero Remembered for Bravery, Loyalty; World War II flying ace wanted to be buried in Cortland rather than Arlington National Cemetery" by Robert Gavin
CORTLAND – Levi Chase returned home to Cortland in the summer of 1943 as an officer, a war hero and one of the top flying aces of World War II. His hometown greeted him with honors, banquets and celebrations.
Bill Dickinson's return home from the Marines that same summer hardly generated the same excitement. He was just another private on leave. But to Chase, he was a friend.
Hearing that Dickinson was in town, Chase slipped away from one of the banquets in his honor and looked up his old pal. It was as though they never left Cortland, Dickinson recalled.
That loyalty, friends said, was typical of Chase, who died Sunday at 76 after a long illness. History will remember him as Cortland's greatest military hero of this century, a major general and fighter pilot who flew more than 500 missions during three wars.
But those who knew him best said they'll remember a man who never forgot his friends, family or where he came from. He was a humble, modest man who found talk about hunting and fishing more interesting than his wartime exploits, friends said.
Dickinson said he could always call the general by his childhood nickname, "Squeak."
"He was always the same guy," said Dickinson. "It (the fame) never went to his head."
Chase was to be buried today in his family's plot in Cortland's Rural Cemetery. Friends gathered Wednesday night for a wake at Wright-Beard Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue.
Chase was born in Cortland and graduated from Cortland High School. His boyhood friends said he was an average kid. He liked to drive fast and seemed fearless. But he never exhibited a burning desire to fly.
But World War II brought out a genius for flying. He was one of only three American pilots to down enemy planes from all three Axis powers: Germany, Italy and Japan.
After the war, he returned home and steered clear of airplanes. He began studying law, with the idea of following in the footsteps of his father, Levi Sr., a lawyer and one-time Cortland County district attorney.
But he was called back to duty for the Korean War and made the military his career. He completed his 512th and last combat mission in Vietnam and retired in 1973 as a major general and commander of the 9th Air Force.
He received many decorations for bravery, not only from the United States but from four foreign nations and the United Nations. Cortland County named its airport after Chase in 1972.
Friends said he never bragged about his achievements. He graciously accepted the honors bestowed upon him by his hometown, but would have been just as happy if people didn't make a fuss, they said.
His quiet, unassuming manner, however, contributed to his commanding presence. Mary Ann Kane, the director of the Cortland County Historical Society, said she was struck by his reticence when, as a little girl, she attended a banquet in his honor in 1943.
"Even in World War II, he was bigger than life," Kane said. "There was just something about him."
He was about 6 feet tall, trim, in good shape, but not particularly well-built, recalled Kane. But he had a square jaw that exuded strength and determination.
John Bent of Rochester saw that strength and determination in action. Chase trained Bent to fly fighter planes, and both men flew in the North African campaign during World War II.
"He was just a damn decent man," Bent said. "He taught me a lot about flying, and it probably saved my life."
Bent and other friends said they don't know what made Chase, an essentially private man, so brave. They said he was a patriot. He believed in his country and its best values.
In his later years, he liked to drive around the area to see the woods where he hunted or the streams where he fished, and talk about old times, a friend said. Scottie Ames, a longtime family friend, said he could have chosen Arlington National Cemetery for his burial.
But he wanted to be buried in Cortland. "He was a hometown boy," Ames said. "He didn't seek the limelight, and he didn't make a big show of anything. There'll never be another one like him."
(Published in the Syracuse Herald Journal, Thursday, September 8, 1994)
CORTLAND – Levi Chase returned home to Cortland in the summer of 1943 as an officer, a war hero and one of the top flying aces of World War II. His hometown greeted him with honors, banquets and celebrations.
Bill Dickinson's return home from the Marines that same summer hardly generated the same excitement. He was just another private on leave. But to Chase, he was a friend.
Hearing that Dickinson was in town, Chase slipped away from one of the banquets in his honor and looked up his old pal. It was as though they never left Cortland, Dickinson recalled.
That loyalty, friends said, was typical of Chase, who died Sunday at 76 after a long illness. History will remember him as Cortland's greatest military hero of this century, a major general and fighter pilot who flew more than 500 missions during three wars.
But those who knew him best said they'll remember a man who never forgot his friends, family or where he came from. He was a humble, modest man who found talk about hunting and fishing more interesting than his wartime exploits, friends said.
Dickinson said he could always call the general by his childhood nickname, "Squeak."
"He was always the same guy," said Dickinson. "It (the fame) never went to his head."
Chase was to be buried today in his family's plot in Cortland's Rural Cemetery. Friends gathered Wednesday night for a wake at Wright-Beard Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue.
Chase was born in Cortland and graduated from Cortland High School. His boyhood friends said he was an average kid. He liked to drive fast and seemed fearless. But he never exhibited a burning desire to fly.
But World War II brought out a genius for flying. He was one of only three American pilots to down enemy planes from all three Axis powers: Germany, Italy and Japan.
After the war, he returned home and steered clear of airplanes. He began studying law, with the idea of following in the footsteps of his father, Levi Sr., a lawyer and one-time Cortland County district attorney.
But he was called back to duty for the Korean War and made the military his career. He completed his 512th and last combat mission in Vietnam and retired in 1973 as a major general and commander of the 9th Air Force.
He received many decorations for bravery, not only from the United States but from four foreign nations and the United Nations. Cortland County named its airport after Chase in 1972.
Friends said he never bragged about his achievements. He graciously accepted the honors bestowed upon him by his hometown, but would have been just as happy if people didn't make a fuss, they said.
His quiet, unassuming manner, however, contributed to his commanding presence. Mary Ann Kane, the director of the Cortland County Historical Society, said she was struck by his reticence when, as a little girl, she attended a banquet in his honor in 1943.
"Even in World War II, he was bigger than life," Kane said. "There was just something about him."
He was about 6 feet tall, trim, in good shape, but not particularly well-built, recalled Kane. But he had a square jaw that exuded strength and determination.
John Bent of Rochester saw that strength and determination in action. Chase trained Bent to fly fighter planes, and both men flew in the North African campaign during World War II.
"He was just a damn decent man," Bent said. "He taught me a lot about flying, and it probably saved my life."
Bent and other friends said they don't know what made Chase, an essentially private man, so brave. They said he was a patriot. He believed in his country and its best values.
In his later years, he liked to drive around the area to see the woods where he hunted or the streams where he fished, and talk about old times, a friend said. Scottie Ames, a longtime family friend, said he could have chosen Arlington National Cemetery for his burial.
But he wanted to be buried in Cortland. "He was a hometown boy," Ames said. "He didn't seek the limelight, and he didn't make a big show of anything. There'll never be another one like him."
(Published in the Syracuse Herald Journal, Thursday, September 8, 1994)
Inscription
LEVI R CHASE
MAJ GEN US AIR FORCE
WWII KOREA VIETNAM
DEC 23 1917 SEP 4 1994
Family Members
Spouse
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
