VERNON R. HAIN, LTJG, USN

Vernon Hain '31

Date of birth: October 12, 1907

Date of death: November 23, 1937

Age: 30

Lucky Bag

From the 1931 Lucky Bag:

Vernon Rex Hain

Dayton, Ohio

"Rex" "Vic

The sages say that early environment does much to mold one's future. It was natural, therefore, that a summer at C. M. T. C. should turn Rex's steps toward a military life. Fate, and a Congressman, decided it.

Academy life has not dealt severely with him. Studies caused work but no worry. He was a real asset to the rifle team. In fact, Rex is one of the best marksmen in his class. When he was not busy making holes in targets he ambled around the Yard taking snapshots for the Lucky Bag. He is responsible for most of the pictures in this book, certainly all of the bad ones. Though he is a busy individual he is always ready to talk, argue, or explain anything, whether you want to listen or not.

His friends are many, for a genial, good nature and a readiness for any kind of fun make it impossible for you not to like him. Success for Rex is assured. His love for the Service and his conscientious application to any task set before him will keep him climbing upward in the Navy.

Photographic Editor, Lucky Bag; Class Crest Committee; Pep Committee; Small Bore 4, 3, 2, 1 rNt 3; "N" 2; Rifle 4, 3, 2, 1 rNAt 3; rNt 2 Captain 1; Expert Rifleman; Star 2; "N"Club; Three Stripes

Vernon Rex Hain

Dayton, Ohio

"Rex" "Vic

The sages say that early environment does much to mold one's future. It was natural, therefore, that a summer at C. M. T. C. should turn Rex's steps toward a military life. Fate, and a Congressman, decided it.

Academy life has not dealt severely with him. Studies caused work but no worry. He was a real asset to the rifle team. In fact, Rex is one of the best marksmen in his class. When he was not busy making holes in targets he ambled around the Yard taking snapshots for the Lucky Bag. He is responsible for most of the pictures in this book, certainly all of the bad ones. Though he is a busy individual he is always ready to talk, argue, or explain anything, whether you want to listen or not.

His friends are many, for a genial, good nature and a readiness for any kind of fun make it impossible for you not to like him. Success for Rex is assured. His love for the Service and his conscientious application to any task set before him will keep him climbing upward in the Navy.

Photographic Editor, Lucky Bag; Class Crest Committee; Pep Committee; Small Bore 4, 3, 2, 1 rNt 3; "N" 2; Rifle 4, 3, 2, 1 rNAt 3; rNt 2 Captain 1; Expert Rifleman; Star 2; "N"Club; Three Stripes

Loss

Vernon was lost on November 23, 1937 when his plane crashed at Ocatilla Airport, California.

He has a memory marker in Ohio; he is buried in California. He was survived by his parents and three brothers.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.