MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif -- Some Marines stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar may not remember Miramar’s first commanding officer.

A chance to revisit some of that history was presented May 22 at the Airman Memorial Chapel at MCAS Miramar when a memorial service was held for retired Col. William M. Frash, the first commanding officer of MCAS Miramar.

Frash, who recently passed away May 5, served as the youngest commissioned officer of a squadron in the Marine Corps and later the first commanding officer of the base which by that time was Miramar.

After earning his wings in early 1942, he was transferred to Camp Kearny, San Diego, and became executive officer for Marine Fighter Squadron 122, which was shipped to the Pacific. Camp Kearny later became MCAS Miramar.

Col. Gregory L. Goodman, commanding officer, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and also a friend of Col. Frash, spoke about his memories of the colonel.

“This generation was gathered by common values; duty, honor, economy, courage, service, and love of family and country,” said Goodman. “All these qualities I found in the heart of the man I would know as Col. Bill Frash.”

Goodman closed out his words with, “He was a Marine, he was all Marine, and he was much more than that to me.”

Frash attended University of California Berkeley where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He joined the Marine Corps soon after and trained at the Naval Air Station, Opalocka, Fla., receiving his wings in early 1942.

After retiring his commission, Frash started a successful business career working for Northrop Aviation and others before becoming an executive recruiter with Heidrick & Struggles. The last twenty plus years he spent as a rancher on his avocado ranch in the Valley Center, Calif., area where he set about writing historical adventure novels calling upon his Marine Corps experiences and love of history. Over the last decade he published four books.

In closing the ceremony, Frash’s son William H. Frash then stood in front of the 50 plus attending and showed his love for his father.

Lifting his head and looking up, as if he were speaking to his deceased father, William said, “I love you dad, and you will always be my hero.”