 From July 1943, he served as Chief of Staff and Aide to the Chief of Naval Air Intermediate Training Command and Deputy Chief of Naval Air Training, based at NAS Pensacola.Soucek was awarded the Legion of Merit with Gold Star for his service in this capacity.In March 1945, he was appointed Officer-in-Charge of the fitting-out of the carrier , becoming the first commander on her commissioning on October 27, 1945.