Post by Imprints of Honor

We honor and remember Captain Larry L. Ernst, born in Charleston, West Virginia, on 19 July 1943. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, he was awarded an NROTC scholarship to the Ohio State University, where he met Bobbie; they married in 1965 and were together for 60 years. In 1969, he graduated from Top Gun school and returned in 1977 as an instructor and executive officer. His last command was the USS Midway (CV-41), which he brought into San Diego harbor in 1991 to become a permanent naval museum. In over 27 years of military service, he flew over 4,600 hours in jets, props, and helos. He logged 136 combat missions, 658 fixed-wing carrier landings, and 28 rotary wing landings. His awards include a Presidential Unit Citation, 6 Air Medals, and 2 Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V.” He was also selected for the West Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame and received the James Bond Stockdale award for inspirational leadership when serving as commanding officer of VF-101. Captain Ernst's story was featured in Since You Asked® Book XVIII, Edition 1 (2022). Following its publication, he volunteered as a speaker, and following the watching of the Top Gun: Mavericks movie with our volunteers, he answered questions about the real-life situations behind the film.