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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, May 29, 2023

My Five

 Well...Let me start off with wishing all y'all a relaxing, peaceful, memory filled Memorial Day.

While you're standing around having an adult recreational beverage while tending the smoking of the Brisket (it's a state law in Texas.  Brisket must be served, smoked, on Memorial Day.  Punishment for non-compliance is said to be severe.  I don't know, I've never broken the law.)

Stay on Target, juvat! 

Yes, oh esteemed Sarge of mine!

While you are standing guard on your brisket, I'd like to tell you about a five-some I remember on this day and their stories.

I was stationed at Holloman AFB in October of '84. I'd been checked out as an instructor for a very short time.  I was getting ready for a mission that was going to one of the local airspace areas in Eastern New Mexico.  The Supervisor of Flying Hot Line rang and when the Duty Officer answered there were a couple of  "Yes, Sir's" then he hung up, walked over to the schedule and drew a line through all the flights that were going to those areas.  (Airspace use was tight with two Fighter Wings at the base and another one near Clovis NM, so going to another area generally wasn't an option.)

In any case, my flight was one of the cancelled.  I asked the duty officer what had happened.  He told me there had been an accident on one of the low levels below the airspace and while the investigation was going on, the airspace was closed.

Later that afternoon, more information was available.  A single ship F-111 sortie had hit the ground on a low level flight,  no ejection was attempted.  The Instructor Pilot on the mission was Capt Alan J. Pryor.  He went by Joe.  I knew that because he'd been in my ROTC detachment at Texas Tech.  I'd also worked with him pumping gas into airplanes at the Lubbock airport.  He'd graduated the December before me, been an IP in ATC after UPT, then got the 'Vark as his post ATC reward.  The Accident Report could not find a cause.  They hit the ground at an estimated 700 knots.  Doubt they even realized it happened.

I couldn't find a picture of Joe, but this video will give you a bit of a feel for an F-111 at low level.  Looks like it's in England, which means they aren't as fast or as low as they would be in NM.






While still stationed at Holloman, I'd trained an A-10 driver who was going through the IP course.  He had just gotten married and had bought a house across the street from us.  Good guy.  Could shoot the gun and drop bombs quite well.  Didn't have a lot of experience at air to air, but caught on pretty quickly.  In any case, it's now 1987, and I'm fully checked out in the Eagle.  I'm in the squadron and the duty officer asks me if I'd been assigned at Holloman.  I said I had and he asked me if I knew a Ross LaTorra.  I told him I did.  He told me he'd just been killed in a mid-air.  

That sucks the air right out of ya'.  He'd been on an Air-to-air ride with two students, one in his front seat and one solo on his wing.  During the last engagement before RTB, the solo student lost sight of lead and thinking lead was below him, pulled up.  unfortunately, lead was inverted directly above him.  Ross and his student were killed instantly.  The solo student managed to eject and was rescued.  If interested, here's more details

Ross as a Air Force Academy Cadet

So, I've left Kadena and am about half way through ARRRMMMMEEEE Training Sir! when the Air Force Colonel in charge of all the Air Force Majors (~20) going through the school, calls me into his office.  Now, remember, at Kadena, I was a Flight Commander in charge of ~10 guys.  (That means I wrote their performance report and got to sit in on and receive the butt chewings when they screwed up).  Later on, I was the Assistant Operations Officer, the third in command of the Squadron.  I got to make coffee.  But, the guys in my Flight were MY Guys.  

So, being a lowly Major with no responsibilities other than not embarrassing the Air Force at an Army School, I wonder what the Colonel wants.  I knock and go through the usual pleasantries of entering a senior officer's office. (Hint: it involves a salute and an mentioning of name and rank).  He asks me to sit down (uh-oh).  

Then he says, "juvat, I know you were in the 12th TFS at Kadena until recently."

"Yes, Sir"

"Well, Apparently there was an accident last night involving the 12th and one of the pilots is missing presumed dead."  

Since virtually all of our flying was above the Pacific, it's a pretty good assumption.

I ask if he has a name.

Captain Robert Schneider, call sign "Rocket".

My heart sank.  Not only was he in my squadron, he'd been in my flight and indeed was my wingman.

I gulped a couple of times and might have blinked quite a bit, then asked if he had any details.  All he said was that apparently there had been a mid-air collision.  I asked about the other jet.  It had safely recovered.

Unfortunately, Rocket's airplane was seen to fly into the water.  The accident report later said that minimal damage had occurred to either airplane, but that the horizontal tail of the jet that recovered had pieces of canopy and blood on it.  The only good news is Rocket never knew what hit him.

I'd always heard that, in the Fighter World, losing a wingman is one of the hardest things to get over.  I agree.

Rocket is in the first standing row.  The aft fin of the missile is pointing at his head.  Sorry, this is the only picture I could find.

 

Next on my list, is Ed Rasimus.  Ras, as he was known, died of Cancer in 2013.  Why do I remember him on Memorial Day?  YGBSM!

Ed flew two tours in Vietnam, one in the F-105 and one in the F-4.  Both involved flying missions in North Vietnam.  Hanoi at the time was supposedly the most heavily guarded target in the history of aviation.  I had the honor to have him as my IP when I was going through the AT-38 IP course when I was assigned to Holloman.  The man knew how to fly the jet and it was extremely rare that I was able to bring "weapons" to bear on him.  So rare, that I'm pretty sure he "let me" when I did.  Post Vietnam, he made Major the very first time it was possible.  But another trait of his was he would tell you exactly what he thought without sugar coating.  Evidently, he did this to a General who didn't take it well.  Ed retired as a Major.  Another reason he's one of my heroes.

He's also an accomplished writer.  If you haven't read his books, you should, cheapest ride in a fighter cockpit you'll ever get.

Love the Fighter Pilot 'stache and the "I can kick your ass anytime I want" smile. Describes Ed to a T.

Finally, there's one more on my Memorial day list.  Not in the Air Force, not even in the Military.  Rather, he did his duty in the State Department.  That would be Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.


He gave his last full measure on Sept 11, 2012 in Benghazi Libya at the hands of terrorists attacking US sovereign territory.  That episode, and our governments handling thereoff, still bothers me and I will not forget it.  RIP Ambassador.

Only one of these 5 died in "combat", the others risked it all to be the best they could be in case they were needed in combat.  Ed proved he could do it when needed.  I have no doubt the other 3 could have also.

Rest in Peace, Warriors!

 


34 comments:

  1. Thanks for your remembrances juvat, just got done planting flags outside along the street.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nylon (for the Flags)
      juvat

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  2. Thank you for the post. Good to remember those who went before and what they lived for. Yesterday, after church, the wife and I drove to Fort Sam Houston cemetery to take a bundle of wildflowers from our property to our son's grave. Fields of headstones and flags covering hundreds of acres. Light overcast and a cool breeze waving the flags. Many, many people coming out to spend time with and to remember their loved ones. Smiles on our faces watching a pair of ducks guiding their ducklings across the roadway back by section 60.
    Life carries on and memories remain....
    - Barry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barry,
      Thanks, I'm glad the weather cooperated and you got to visit your son. My condolences and thanks for his service. Hang in there.
      juvat

      Delete
  3. https://youtu.be/si_H9GXuGtU

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    Replies
    1. Joe,
      Very nice, somber and appropriate.
      Thanks
      juvat

      Delete
  4. I guess I'm fortunate that I never lost anyone that close. I know of about a dozen, but no class A's in my squadrons, or other tragic deaths in uniform save one. My first AW (enlisted Aircrew sonar operator) did a couple IAs to Iraq and Afghanistan, but never came back. He returned to the US, but he couldn't leave the war there. He became one of the 22 a day. That Benghazi tragedy still ticks me off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mind broken or body broken, there are lots who never made it back whole. I've known a few.

      There's one in my complex, gets visited weekly by Vet Affairs and he gets visited almost daily by my dog. I fully expect him to be one of the 22 one of these days. And we just got another this last week. Quiet guy, gets driven by medical shuttle at 6AM three times a week so that means either cancer treatment or dialysis. I'll be sure to look him up and let my dog hang with him a bit.

      Dogs do that, keep people alive who are broken, and sometimes even heal them. I know. I'm one of them.

      Delete
    2. Tuna,
      Again at Holloman, we had a Lt Col who had been shot down in Vietnam and spent some time in the kind care of the North Vietnamese. He also never recovered. He would never press an advantage, would knock off a fight at the drop of a hat It was dangerous business, but...Eventually a non-flying job opened up on the base and he volunteered for it. Did well and eventually retired as an O-6. We understood, but we needed to teach the 2Lt's to be aggressive. That having been said, had I gone through his experiences, I'm not sure I'd have been any different.
      juvat

      Delete
    3. Beans,
      Dogs are indeed excellent mental health care providers. For all sorts of problems. I talk to mine regularly.
      juvat

      Delete
  5. Thank you for sharing their names Juvat, and especially for Ambassador Stevens.

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    Replies
    1. THBB,
      Thanks. Yeah, that episode grates on me.
      juvat

      Delete
  6. During my stint in the C-130, I lost a few friends to training or operational accidents. Two were lost after the no-go-around point on an approach to a remote field in the Alaskan mountains. The accident report stated that the aircraft impacted the ground with 100 Gs force. They were taking supplies to the remote location. Another was lost when the wing on one side of their well-worn C-130E at Little Rock AFB separated from the rest of the aircraft on a night low level formation training flight just northeast of the airfield while on approach to a drop zone just west of the airbase. This lead to a major fix to the E Model. Yet another died in a crash at Ramstein AB, Germany, when they encountered a vertical fin stall at low altitude on take off for an air-land cargo mission. These occur with asymmetric power at low airspeed relative to the weight of the aircraft. This is not to one-up you but to share in the loss. The crews (and possibly passengers) that died in these accidents should be remembered as they were protecting our nation during the Cold War.

    Please, Juvat, don't call the Texas Brisket Police on me. We are going to our daughter and son's-in-law this evening for hamburgers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After perusing Texas State (unwritten) Laws, meat is meat. The meat po-po will only come out if you have a 'garden' burger or some other Austinite food experience.

      Delete
    2. Bill,
      I think that fills the same criteria I used. They were lost in training. Training for Combat Support missions resupplying troops on the ground. We all had different missions, but all were pointed towards "...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies..."

      As to Hamburgers, they ARE ground brisket and you ARE cooking them on the BBQ, right? No blood, no foul!
      juvat

      Delete
    3. Beans,
      Hmmmmmm, sounds suspicious to me. But, they could've changed the law.
      juvat

      Delete
    4. Got a good laugh out of "Austinite food experience"! "Grass,bark & clay eaters" is my tag for 'em.
      Cletus

      Delete
    5. Cletus,
      I'll have to remember that phrase. Pretty appropriate.
      juvat

      Delete
  7. Uf-tah. Good call on Stevens. He was/is what you hope all amassadors are like, but aren't. Dammit. And, yes, still pisses me off. An embassy is sovreign soil, an amassador is the representative ruler of that soil.

    I used to only know of a couple people close to me who have passed. Now it seems more every year. I keep them alive in my head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beans,
      Thanks, I agree. "The Sainted One" screwed the pooch on that one. No, that's not the only pooch either.
      juvat

      Delete
  8. My cousin Rufus (Marauder Feb 1945), Jeanie's bro-in-law Milton (Bergstrom F-4, 1965), Jeanie's surrogate dad at our wedding - Scottie (F-4 NVN 1966). Others, not KIA or such, but gone nevertheless after a life of service and a peaceful retirement. Aging brings interesting people back to mind. Camaraderie and trust amongst us most of all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LtFuzz,
      God bless and keep them all.
      Agreed on the last. Those two characteristics are one of the reasons I like this blog so much. Its readers solidly fill those requirements.
      juvat

      Delete
  9. Glass to glass encounters above the earth were not uncommon in the ACM business. I can remember thinking "I better just keep this thing steady and let us drift apart".

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    Replies
    1. LtFuzz,
      You're right about that. There were several evenings when arrival at home began with kissing the wife at the door and VERY shortly thereafter a medicinal scotch.
      juvat

      Delete
  10. I never served in the military. Probably a good thing; even at 68, I've been described as a "pistol ".
    But, I did 11 years on our local fire/ambulance department. Done CPR on every age bracket.
    Not really combat related, but it was my contribution to society.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve,
      No worries. Fire/Ambulance (and Police) are one of those things you "don't need, until you need them, and then you need them BAD!"
      So thank you for your service. No, I haven't needed you...yet!
      juvat

      Delete
  11. Thank you for this reminder.

    I used to live in Clovis, NM. I saw a lot of F-111s back in the day. IIRC, there was an electronic bombing range near Melrose, not far from Clovis. An F-111 doing low level terrain following maneuvers was quite a sight.

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    1. FF,
      Yeah I went to Texas Tech and my Folks lived in Las Vegas (NV, not NM). I remember driving back to school on the Highway between Santa Rosa and Clovis one night. Something very loud and very fast and very low passed over me. Scared the snot outta me. Had to have been a 'Vark. (The rest of the Air Force calls the F-111 the "Ardvark" or just 'Vark.) My other experience with them was on a Red Flag mission. They were the lead element of the strike package I was right behind them. I kept crowding the spacing between us so asked them to push it up. That was the last time I saw them until the debrief. But...flying low level without hands on the controls? No way I'm gonna sign up to do that. Course, Joe might have had something to do with that.
      juvat

      Delete
  12. The only "vark" driver I knew was Joe Minnix. A few years my senior and politically my adversary. We had a bet on the Goldwater/Johnson (?) thingI I remember him getting into a "fight" with my GIB. I think some alcohol might have been involved, but he bit the ear of my GIB enough to make a mess. He was last heard from over Laos. The "capsule" escape mechanism did not work.
    I am re-reading "When Thunder Rolled" thanks to your reminder. I find myself to be Wimpy Peake, on the Phantom side. What a shock to read about those days again.

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    1. LtFuzz,
      Alcohol involved with Fighter Pilots? Nah...Say it ain't so!
      But...I think you're right, I'm going to start working my way back through Ed's books. Just because...
      juvat

      Delete
  13. Brian Shul recently passed away. This guy is one of the most heroic people Ive ever heard of...212 combat missions, burned to a crisp when shot down, recovers and flies the SR-71, excellent moto speaker. But retired as a major. Must be a good story behind that. Maybe involving a general's wife.

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    Replies
    1. Anon,
      I commented on Borepatch's blog (I think) about that. Brian was also in my squadron at Holloman. Great Guy, Great Pilot and very funny. Good Storyteller also.
      juvat

      Delete

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