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Colbus, Louis (1931- )Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired) |
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Based on three interviews conducted by Paul Stillwell from August 1984 through December 1984. The volume contains 388 pages of interview transcript plus an index. The transcript is copyright 2001by the U.S. Naval Institute; the interviewee has placed no restrictions on its use. |
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Commissioned in 1954 after training as an NROTC midshipman at the University of Carolina and Penn State University, Colbus served initially in the destroyer escort Albert T. Harris (DE-447) and on the staff of Commander Escort Squadron 12. He had temporary duty in late 1958 on the staff of Commander Task Force 88 for nuclear weapons testing, and then was flag secretary, 1958-60, to Rear Admiral Edward C. Stephan, Commander South Atlantic Force. After he took the general line course at the Naval Postgraduate School, he was executive officer of the destroyer escort John R. Perry (DE?1034). He had shore tours in the mid-1960s in the Bureau of Naval Personnel and as a student at the Naval War College. Back at sea, he was executive officer of the destroyer Basilone (DD-824) during her first Vietnam deployment, then commanded the destroyer escort McCloy (DE-1038) in NATO ops. He was part of the program staff that developed the Spruance (DD-963)-class destroyers. In the early 1970s he commanded the destroyer Jonas Ingram (DD-938), then served on the staff of Commander Carrier Division Six. After duty in the Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Colbus was one of the initial students in the Senior Officer Ship Material Readiness Course in Idaho, and later commanded Destroyer Squadron Two from 1976 to 1979. His final tour of duty prior to retirement in 1982 was as chief of staff to Commander Carrier Group Eight. The three rear admiral aviators he served were Bob Dunn, Jim Service, and Jerry Tuttle.