Navy Commander Gordon "Bunny" Eugene Schecter was born in Deer Lodge, Montana on June 4, 1912, the son of James Eugene Schecter (1886-1950) and Darle Mae Hess (1885-1950). His father was a former railroad engineer and a real estate dealer. After high school, Gordon entered the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1931 and after four years on their football team he graduated in 1935. He volunteered for the Navy's flight program and reported into NAS Pensacola in 1938 in Class #115-0. Following his completion, he immediately married a Pensacola girl by the name of Beverly Jacqueline Thomas (1921-1996) on June 1, 1939.
He received orders to Pearl Harbor and Beverly set sail aboard the SS Matsonia in Los Angeles and joined him on February 15th. However, this placed her and their newborn son directly in the path of the Japanese attack force that struck Pearl Harbor the following year. She and her son were able to return to the States safely as but her husband would pay a price a few years later. He was eventually assigned to Squadron VF 45 aboard the carrier CVL 30, USS San Jacinto, where he rose to become the squadron's commanding officer. One of his shipmates happen to be President George Bush, who flew in the San Jacinto's torpedo squadron and was shot down in September 1944. Flying his Hellcat fighter on February 16, 1945 in harsh weather, he struck a vital enemy aircraft plant north of Tokyo. Flying through thick anti-aircraft fire his attack group created heavy damage to the enemy installations. As they began their return flight back to their carrier the group was attacked by an overwhelming flight of enemy fighters. During the air battle his group shot down at least twelve enemy planes without the loss of a single American plane. During the fight, he shot down his fifth enemy fighter, thereby becoming a Navy "ace" of which, he was awarded the Silver Star for his heroism and leadership. Four weeks later, on March 18, 1945, his squadron was assigned to a bombing mission over Okinawa, just prior to the US Marine landing on the 1st of April. Sadly, the 32-year-old Schecter was shot down over the island and killed instantly. His wife Beverly and their son Donnie were contacted by the naval authorities at their home at 719 North 19th Avenue and informed that her husband was missing in action. His remains were recovered after the battle and buried on the island. His remains were disinterred and returned home at his family's request in December 1948 aboard the SS Dalton Victory along with 36 other American dead. In January 1949, he was buried with full military honors in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, CA. Beverly would never remarry and passed away at the age of 75-years old in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
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