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the 2nd Army Air Service under Colonel Frank P. Lahm and Colonel John F. Curry. The duty of this unit was a courier service to Coblentz , Germany occupied by United States troops. This assignment included considerable training in navigational and instrument flying. 
In May, 1919 Bonnalie returned to the United Stated, resigned his commission as First Lieutenant and resumed civilian life. He then went into mechanical engineering work in industrial plants, which included estimating, design and construction, followed by about eight years as mechanical engineer, Maintenance of Way, Department of the Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco. 
In 1925 he joined the Naval Reserves as a Lieutenant U.S.N.R. and commanded Reserve Squadrons at Oakland, California and Glenview, Illinois until World War II.
While with the railroad Bonnalie attempted to have them bid on a Government air mail contract from San Francisco to Chicago, but was turned down when Boeing Air Transport were the successful bidders.l Still interested, he joined Boeing in 1929 at the Boeing School of Aeronautics on the Oakland Airport. While there he was co-author of a book "Airplane Maintenance" with Younger and Ward, published by McGraw Hill in 1937.
Shortly after Bonnalie joined Boeing the Air Transport Division became United Air Lines and he not only assisted in their training program but also became Assistant Head of their flight department, then later was made President and General Manager of United in Mexico, known as LAMSA. This air line was sold in 1952 and Bonnalie was moved to Denver, Colorado as Director of the United Flight Training Center.
About this time the Government Foreign Operations Administration asked United Air Lines for assistance in their overseas activities connected with aviation. As a result Bonnalie was assigned to this project as a part time duty. This involved foreign travel for the State Department to study training and develop air lines and facilities.
By the time of Pearl Harbor Bonnalie had been advanced in the Naval Reserves to Lieutenant Commander, Production Division, Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy De- [[Department]]

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