I remember

 Well, Folks, I hope you enjoy your time off today.  It's always nice to get away from the Rat Race and enjoy some family time.  However...remember the price paid for that privilege.  

In yesterday's post, Sarge had a pretty long list of folks that answered the call.  Mine is a bit shorter, but only because these were folks I actually knew and was assigned with at one point or another while on Active Duty.

Unfortunately, I only have photos of two.

First on my list is Captain Alan J (Joe) Pryor.  Joe had been a year ahead of me in ROTC at Texas Tech. He and I worked together fueling Jets at the Lubbock airport to pay for beer and stuff.  He graduated, got commissioned, went to Pilot Training and was assigned to fly the F-111.  After qualifying in the "Aardvark", he was assigned to Cannon AFB, Clovis New Mexico and eventually became an Instructor Pilot in the Airplane.

It's an Aussie Vark, but a pretty cool picture.

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On  17 Oct 1984, He was out giving a new pilot a night upgrade ride. He was in the Weapons System Operator's seat.  The new pilot was in the left seat. Unfortunately, they hit a thousand foot (AGL) hill @ 700K.  I strongly doubt they even knew what happened.  More details (which support my hypothesis) can be found here.

RIP Joe

Next on my list is Capt Ross LaTorra. 

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 He'd been one of my students when he was going through Instructor Training at Holloman AFB, Alamogordo NM.  He'd had a couple of tours in the A-10 and it was time to pay his dues by instructing 2LT's in how to fly and employ a fighter.  He'd completed that training, gotten married, bought a house directly across the street from Mrs. J and I.  Good Stick, took a while to get "Up to Speed" (Literally, having flown the much slower A-10), but got it done and was a fine IP.

I had left Holloman and was going through F-15 transition training in Phoenix.  Mrs. J was still at Holloman finishing out her assignment.  She called one evening and told me that Ross had been killed in a mid-air collision with the other aircraft in his flight.   Rocked me to the bone.  Suffice it to say I was a bit "timid" in the next 1 v 1 air to air training.  Got called in to my Flight Commander's office and he asked "WTF was going on up there?" (Not only was he my Flight Commander but my IP on the ride.) I explained.  He said he was "sorry that had happened, but it does and you can't let it get to you in the air, that's what church is for. Get over it, or drop out."  I got over it.  But Ross is still on my weekly prayer list during Mass.

I graduated from F-15 transition and reported to the 12TFS ("Dirty Dozen") at Kadena AB Okinawa.  I was a senior Captain by now and needed a leadership position, so was appointed as the C Flight Commander.  Now, this position doesn't really carry any authority, just a lot of responsibility.  If one of my pilots screwed up, I got to go with him and get my butt chewed with him.  Got called in to the Squadron Commander's office one day (wondering who did what to whom?), he asked me to sit down, which reduced the anxiety level quite a bit, were he going to do some butt chewing, I'd be at attention.  In any case, he told me that we'd gotten an "interesting" new pilot assigned to the squadron. His name was Bob Schneider. His previous "fighter" assignment had been as a T-33 target pilot for Air Defense Command.  

 

 T-33 Source

Since this was supposedly a "fighter", he was not sent through Fighter Lead-In instead going straight to F-15 transition.  Since he was a qualified "fighter" pilot, his transition to the Eagle was primarily how to take it off and land and not much else.  So, The Boss, realizing that I had been an instructor at Lead-in asked nicely (yeah right) if I'd take him under my wing and give him an "Off the books" Lead-in program.  

Yes, Sir!  

Bob's first ride was very eye-opening.  The debrief was very long and detailed.  But the thing about Bob was he was a fast learner and rarely made the same mistake twice.  We had about a month to get him trained as an actual F-15 Fighter Pilot before we went to Cope Thunder in the Philippines.  Cope Thunder is a very large training exercise with up to 100 airplanes airborne at one time. It was quite intense.  In any case, Bob and I got it done and when the Squadron Commander took him up for a 1V1 to make sure, he came back and gave me an Attaboy.  Those were extremely rare from him.

Bob had one small Achilles Heel.  He didn't need more than a Beer or two and he'd be fearless and bullet proof.  However, in order to be a "REAL" Fighter Pilot, you need a tactical call sign.  (Think "Maverick" in Top Gun).  That Friday evening, Bob had his requisite two beers with the usual result.  An emergency meeting of the  tactical call sign naming committee (AKA the squadron) was called and quickly settled on "Rocket".  

All that having been said, he did quite well in the 12th.  I picked him as my wingman and flew with him whenever I could.  We got pretty darn good as a team. But, all good things must end.  I got my next assignment to Army Command and Staff and left that summer.  The Squadron at that time was gearing up for another Cope Thunder which started about the time I reported in to Leavenworth.  A couple of days later, the USAF ranking officer, also a Fighter Pilot, called me into his office and confirmed that I'd been in the 12 TFS at Kadena. 

Yes, Sir. 

He handed me an Accident Report of a Midair Collision at Cope Thunder.   One jet had managed to RTB, the other had spiraled down in controlled flight into the ocean.  No Ejection.

Rocket!

32 years ago, still gets to me.

Heaven Bound

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Let's keep on Driving on though. 

I've now completed Army Command and Staff and Missus J has just informed me that she has been selected for Army Command and Staff.  Since we'd been separated for a year, I talked to my personal Personnel Person (AKA Missus J) to see what we could do to be together.  The School for Advanced Military Studies (AKA SAMS or the Jedi Knight Training Academy) chose me as their token Fighter Pilot for the next year's class.  First day of class, we're told we have to write a thesis and we'd have an adviser assigned to us to "help".   My thesis was on Command and Control of Tactical Air Sorties.  

Reasonable, right? For a Fighter Pilot?  Given that I had just completed the Army's version of Command and Staff College, I knew where most of the clash points were in discussing use of Tactical Air Power. 

I was told to see my Advisor, LtCol Harry M, Murdock to get acquainted and get started.  Reported in to him and quickly noted that his uniform was neither Army Green, nor Air Force Blue.  Seems he was a Marine.  

Suffice it to say, while a very nice guy (who outranked me), he was also very adamant about Marine and Navy airpower usage.  IOW, he thought it belonged to the Marines, past, present and future.

We had some interesting discussions, to say the least.

I managed to graduate, as did he, and went on to our follow on assignments.  I went to Camp Smith HI, the Headquarters Pacific Forces Command.  He went to Camp Pendleton where he took command of a Training Battalion there. On a training exercise, he was trying to get his battalion across a flooded creek.  Unfortunately, he lost his footing and was swept away.  His body was found four miles downstream. 

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None of these fine Officers were lost in combat, but they all were lost training to be their very best should the need arise.  That does nothing to reduce their valor and love of Country nor my respect for them. Rest in Peace and Well Done!

Peace out, y'all!