Naval Air Station Kingsville Inducts new Member to Hall of Heroes
Lt. Cmdr. Peter Lunaas is the newest member of the air station’s Hall of Heroes. He was inducted in a brief ceremony conducted by air station Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Korsmo, Sept. 30.
Press Release
NAS Kingsville Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Korsmo inducted Lt. Cmdr. Peter Lunaas into the air station’s Hall of Heroes, Sept. 30. Lt. Cmdr. Lunaas was nominated by his son, Mark, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Connie, and their son, Marshall.
NAS KINGSVILLE – Lt. Cmdr. Peter Lunaas is the newest member of the air station’s Hall of Heroes. He was inducted in a brief ceremony conducted by air station Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Korsmo, Sept. 30.
Lunaas earned his coveted “Wings of Gold” in Dec. 1943 and trained with the Hellcat Squadron in Great Lakes, Illinois before joining Admiral Marc Mitscher’s Task Force 58 aboard USS Ranger in the Pacific Theater. He saw action at Truk and the Mariana Islands chain and is credited with having shot down three enemy aircraft.
After the war, Lunaas graduated from Test Pilot School as NAS Patuxent, Maryland where he worked alongside test pilot John Glenn, before being assigned to Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Kingsville with ATU 222.
During the Korean Conflict, Lunaas served aboard the USS Leyte Gulf and USS Boxer before returning to NAAS Kingsville in November 1958.
In 1962, Lunaas was assigned to the U.S. Military Technical Advisory Group as party of a 14-month tour of duty in Indonesia.
He returned to NAS Kingsville in January 1964 and retired from the Navy on July 1, 1965. He joined the Naval Aviation Ground Training School at NAS Kingsville as an instructor teaching students aerodynamics and aerial navigation until January 1987. He died less than a year later on Nov. 20, 1987.
Lt. Cmdr. Lunaas was nominated for inclusion into the Hall of Heroes by his son, Mark, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Connie, and his son, Marshall.
NAS-Kingsville Change of Command Ceremony
NAS KINGSVILLE – Captain Thomas A. Korsmo became the 35th commanding officer of Naval Air Station Kingsville relieving Captain Erik A. Spitzer who had held the position for more than four years.
Press Release
Naval Air Station Kingsville conducted a change of command ceremony on July 2. Capt. Thomas Korsmo relieved Capt. Erik Spitzer, who had commanded the air station since May 2016.
NAS KINGSVILLE – Captain Thomas A. Korsmo became the 35th commanding officer of Naval Air Station Kingsville relieving Captain Erik A. Spitzer who had held the position for more than four years.
Navy Region Southeast Rear Adm. Gary Mayes joined the incoming and outgoing commanders by video teleconference during which he awarded Capt. Spitzer the Legion of Merit medal for his exemplary performance in command.
The admiral praised Spitzer for being the driving force behind more than $150 million in infrastructure improvements, including the renovation of two major aircraft hangars and the ground training building, the construction of three new ammunition bunkers, and the installation of a new airfield lighting system.
In his farewell remarks, Spitzer lauded his staff and the various tenant commands on the base for their efforts while he was at the helm.
“I was truly blessed to have such an outstanding team. I could not have accomplished anything without their support and hard work,” Spitzer said.
Due to Department of Defense COVID-19 restrictions, attendance at the ceremony was limited to family members and a few military guests. As a result, both Kleberg County and the City of Kingsville each honored Spitzer at their commissioner’s meetings June 22.
County Judge Rudy Madrid, himself a retired naval officer, presented a plaque recognizing Spitzer’s service to the base and to the county. Later that evening, Mayor Sam Fugate presented Spitzer with the key to the city in appreciation of his concerted efforts to reinforce NAS Kingsville’s position as a trusted friend and committed partner to the community.
Spitzer departs Kingsville to take command of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
Korsmo comes to Kingsville after serving as the Head, Officer Community Manager for the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Millington, TN.