World War II While serving with Fighting Squadron 18 (
VF-18) aboard the
U.S.S. Intrepid, Cevoli and other members of the squadron strafed a Japanese battleship during the
Battle of Leyte Gulf, silencing many of its guns. The following day, he scored a hit with a 500lb bomb, disabling the Japanese aircraft carrier
Zuihō on 25 October 1944. Cevoli is also credited with four confirmed air victories and three probables during his service with VF-18.
Korean War From 1949 until 1951, Cevoli served as the Executive Officer in
Fighting Squadron 32 (VF-32) on board the
USS Leyte. In the winter of 1950, he and his pilots provided close in air support against 70,000 Chinese soldiers crossing the
Yalu River and enabled 30,000
United Nations soldiers to escape encirclement. He was also division leader for
Thomas J. Hudner Jr. and
Jesse L. Brown. He radioed for help when Brown was shot down on 4 December 1950, during the mission for which Hudner would receive the Medal of Honor. The story of Brown and Hudner's friendship and service is the subject of
Adam Makos' book
Devotion, which was subsequently turned into a feature film.
Thomas Sadoski was cast to play Richard Cevoli.
Post-war service After the war, Cevoli graduated from the Naval War College. In 1954 he assumed command of
Fighting Squadron 73 (VF-73) and attained the rank of
Commander. He was killed during a training mission on January 18, 1955, when his
F9F-6 Cougar jet crashed into a forest shortly after takeoff from Jacksonville, Florida. ==Awards and honors==