Seven Years Gone...

For Strength

I'm not sure how many of you know who Carroll F. LeFon, Jr. was, don't know how many of you used to read his offerings over at Neptunus Lex. One thing you should know is that this blog would probably not exist had it not been for the man we knew, and loved, as Lex.

The Military Hall of Honor has this to say about the man -

Carroll "Lex" LeFon was, by his own description, a retired US Navy captain, incipient crank, rapidly aging curmudgeon and used-to-be naval aviator with over 4000 hours in fighter aircraft, predominantly the FA-18C Hornet. His operational experience included seven carrier deployments, including several in support of Operation Southern Watch, enforcing UN Sanctions in the Southern No-Fly Zone over Iraq. After commanding an operational FA-18 squadron he reported to the USS Constellation in 2001, later serving as her Operations Officer in the Arabian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Shore tours include tours as instructor pilot in basic jet training, as an adversary instructor and as the Executive Officer of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).

Lex retired from the Navy in 2008, after serving as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Training on two flag staffs. He was a 1982 graduate from the US Naval Academy with a BS in Political Science, with a Master of Science in Systems Engineering Management from the US Naval Postgraduate School.

The site also relates what happened on this date, seven years ago.

Carroll "Lex" LeFon was killed in a plane crash on the morning of 6 March 2012 when his Israeli F-21 Kfir fighter jet crashed in bad weather conditions near the west gate of Naval Air Station Fallon, NV; he was 51. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, CA.

I strongly recommend that you go over there and read the whole thing, it shouldn't take more than a minute.

But Lex was more than just a retired Naval Aviator who lost his life in a tragic accident...

He was a husband, a father, a brilliant pilot (the Navy calls 'em "aviators"), a superb writer, a man of faith, a friend and mentor to many, a leader, and a patriot.

I remember exactly what I was doing when I learned that he was gone. It was the day after the accident, the 7th of March, 2012, I was sitting in my office in Andover, Massachusetts, coffee in hand, ready to start my day, as I started every day, with a trip to Neptunus Lex. Within moments, the world stopped, everything just stopped. In a post from 2017 I reproduced what Lex's co-blogger Whisper (another Naval Aviator), wrote on that day, which you can read here.

The remainder of the day passed in a gray mist. I remember calling my daughter, The WSO, to let her know that Lex was gone, she too was a fan. All I remember saying is, "Honey, it's Dad, Lex is gone..." I really don't remember much else about that day. I remember my boss remarking that I seemed a bit distant (those who know me will know that that is a most unusual state for Your Humble Scribe to be in, normally I'm loud and jovial, emphasis on loud). When I told her that a friend of mine had died in a plane crash, she understood.

The seventh was a Wednesday, I don't recall if I went to work on Thursday or not (I was off every Friday in those days), the next few days were a bit of a blur. My morning routine was never the same after that but I found others who felt the same way.

We connected online, later many of us connected in person. We get together now and again, sometimes we gather in Sandy Eggo (as Lex was wont to call it) at the Shakespeare Pub & Grill (the official name, we just call it Shakespeare's) where Lex could often be found, having a Guinness, chatting with friends.

We've also met in Connecticut and most recently in Arlington, Virginia, not far from where The Hobbit dwells (those who know, know) two years ago...

We few, we happy few...

Every year on this date I remember the man. Today the world will stop for a bit, not like seven years ago, but there will be a moment. It will grip my soul and squeeze, just a bit. He was far too young to have been taken from his loved ones.

I started this blog roughly two weeks after that day. It helped to fill the void, it helps to keep him in my mind while I write. While I will never be as good at this as he was, it has been a pleasure, and something of an honor, to write for you all. Reading your comments has become my new morning ritual, as it were. I treasure that, believe me.

Tonight at 2000 hours local, I shall open an adult beverage and lift my glass to the memory of Carroll F. LeFon, Jr., Captain, United States Navy (retired). A mentor and a friend, gone, but never forgotten.

Damn it, I miss him. Dusty in here.

See you on the other side Lex...

The line in Latin is from a poem written by Gaius Valerius Catullus.