Shultis, Roland A. (b. 10 AUG 1877, d. 10 FEB 1948)

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Note: At home he was known as "Conny". Sometimes he was known as C. J. "Conny" was inducted into the US Naval Reserve as a Lt. in Minnesota. He served aboard the Aircraft Carrier Saratoga as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. During the Battle for Iwo Jima, Conny was sitting on the wing of an aircraft on the flight deck, consulting with the pilot of the aircraft about his engine's performance, when a Kamikaze crashed into the "Sara's" deck very close to where he was sitting. The plane may have also damaged the Combat Information Center during the crash. Conny was wounded very seriously having lost a leg at the groin and one arm was practically torn off. As he lay dying, he asked the Chaplin helping him to tell the medics not to bother with tending to him as he would surely die. He requested that the medics minister to the less seriously wounded. This was done per his request. He died gallantly in great pain. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. One source indicates he was Lt. Commander in rank at the time of his demise. On the Saratoga Memorial plaque, he is noted as J. Bevier. The "Sara" suffered at least two, and possibly three, Kamikaze hits that day. The family genealogist [Dale A. BeVier] received a letter from Conny's brother, Joseph Hasbrouck BeVier, concerning this tragic event. Following are quotes from parts of that letter.

" That Conny might suggest that others be helped rather than he is consistent with his attitude and behavior as I know it. It seems ironic that this man, who hated strife and violence and regarded war as the height of immorality and bestiality, should be severely injured, but then defer to others.
About myself: there were four boys in our family; Conny was the oldest; I was third, four years younger than Conny. Like Conny, I was in the Navy and was the Aircraft Maintenance Officer on a carrier. The carrier I was on was the USS Independence, CV 22. The Independence operated in the Pacific theater and supported the Iwo Jima engagement, but subsequent to the Sara. As we were steaming out to Iwo, we passed the Sara hull down on the horizon, going back to Pearl. Prior to his assignment to the Sara, Conny had been on the USS Intrepid, CV 11, and traveled in the same task force as the Independence. He and I spent two liberty afternoons when the fleet anchored at Ulithi Atoll. It was during those liberty visits that he and I learned we had similar jobs. It is from that similarity that I form my conjectures about what happened on the Sara that day. By the way, the Intrepid had also been hit by a Kamikaze and returned to Pearl where Conny was transferred to the Sara and left for Iwo.
A third brother, William E, was a Navy fighter pilot during the Korean War (he is 10 years younger than I). He claims Conny was the Catapult Officer on the Sara. Where his information comes from, I don't know; he can supply it if you wish to pursue the point."
Yours very truly, J. H. BeVier (Joseph Hasbrouck)

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Note: He was a lifetime resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Earned a BA from U. of Minnesota in Aeronautical Engineering in 1942. Served in WW II from 1942-46 as an aircraft maintenance officer with rank of Lt JG. His ship, the carrier USS Independence, was first carrier to conduct night flight operations. Owned his own company called Hydraulic Service Incorporated started in 1963. An avid golfer and long time member of the Minnesota Valley County Club.

Source: (Death)
Titel: Obituary

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Note: BS in Mechanical Engineering, BS in Business Administration, Master's degree, and a Ph.D in mechanical engineering. All degrees earned at the U. of Minnesota. Served in the U. S. Naval Reserve. On active duty 1953-1957, serving as a naval fighter pilot in the Mediterranean Sea achieving the rank of Lt. Taught Mechanical Engineering at Union College for 5 years. Holds 10 patents in his field. Moved to Buffalo in 1975 and worked as a mechanical engineer for Praxair Corp.

Ann Louise Woodworth earned a BA in English from Bucknell U. in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Occupation was part-time advertising copywriter and proofreader for the Buffalo News.

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