The Aircraft Carrier

Atlantic Ocean (June 20, 2004) – The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits along the East Coast while participating in Summer Pulse 2004. Truman is one of seven aircraft carriers involved in Summer Pulse 2004. Summer Pulse 2004 is the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe, in five theaters with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Summer Pulse is the Navy’s first deployment under its new Fleet Response Plan (FRP). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Ryan O'Connor (RELEASED)

I have been to sea on an aircraft carrier twice. Each time for just a day. Once on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower with The Nuke (I also had Christmas dinner on the Ike one year) and once on the USS Ronald Reagan with The WSO. My buddy Glenn (aka ORPO1) was along for that ride as well.

Rode USS Dwight D. Eisenhower out of Norfolk, rode USS Ronald Reagan out of Sandy Eggo. As The Nuke was part of ship's company on the Ike I got to see that side of things, as The WSO was in USS Ronald Reagan's air wing, I saw that side as well. Well, a brief glimpse, nothing more. Try doing their jobs for six to eight months at sea. Whole different thing. (I should note that Glenn was an airedale when he was in the Navy, so I got a unique take on the enlisted side of things in the air wing from him.)

So I have a thing for carriers and the men and women who crew them and fly off the flight deck to go in harm's way. While I'm still under the weather (aka "feel like crap") and while I do love cats, no funny kitten videos today (though I did like your suggestion Tuna), no sir, no ma'am. I give you another documentary, this one on the aircraft carrier. Good stuff.

A wee bit long but interesting and educational.

And I'm all about interesting and educational.

No, really.

Almost Forgot...

Started doing this blogging thing five years ago today.

Five years, 2,078 posts (including this one), 1,246,004 page views, and 29,560 comments. So far. And I'm still enjoying it.

Five years ago it was just me. Now I've got Juvat and Tuna. They have contributed a great deal. (Now I've just got to get down to Texas to actually meet Juvat in the flesh. Heck, I see Tuna all the time now, and that's a good thing!)

Mustn't forget Colin Kimball either, while he's not a regular he has contributed a few, very well received, guest posts. (Haven't met Colin in person, yet, but we have chatted on the phone. Which is something as I ain't a big phone guy. Never know what to say and all that. If I get to Texas I need to look him up as well.)

Thanks to all those guys.

While the diverticulitis might get me down, it's not going to knock me out.

Here's looking forward to many more years of this blogging thing.

Tip o' the hat to all my readers, I suppose I could do it without you, but what would be the point?

Now, back to bed. Though I am feeling significantly better today, a clear liquid diet doesn't induce one to be very active.

Bleh.

Battered and Bruised, But Still Afloat

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Got home from work on Monday, felt okay. But as the evening wore on, I started to feel this nasty, oh-so-familiar pain down low on the left side of my belly.

No sleep was to be had Tuesday night, there was no comfortable position with that pain flaring up.

Yup, my old friend diverticulitis has apparently returned.

Spent most of the day at my Doctor's office, many tests, much blood work (I feel like a pin cushion), then it was off to get a CAT scan...

Alright, alright, a "CT scan."

Where many holes were punched in Yours Truly in order to inject the contrast. Yeah, that was fun.

Like the lady at the CT scan said, "Man, if you keep this up, they won't be able to call you semi-colon. You're running out of gut my friend!"

A kind word or two directed skywards would be much appreciated.

Dang. It is always sumthin'.

Hello Vern*

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Spring is in the air. Has been for a while, pay no attention to those recent snowstorms, Mother Nature has perhaps had a few too many. But the cardinals are singing...

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Er, I mean...

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Anyhoo.

The WSO just returned from the homeland of her mother, The Missus Herself. The Land of the Morning Calm, otherwise known as 대한민국, or the Republic of Korea (for all you non-Hangul speakers). There she spent a very nice almost-a-week in the port city of Busan (부산) where she met up with husband Big Time, whose boat was making a port call.

As The WSO is now on terminal leave (which simply means that she is on leave from the Navy and won't be returning to active duty, she's done, finished, and has decided to be a full time Mom, rather than an NFO) she has the time to spend gallivanting around the Pacific rim. (Though "gallivanting" may be too strong a term, as anyone who has ever flown over the Pacific can attest to. One suffers through the journey. While one might gallivant at the destination, the trip itself is anything but pleasurable. Having made that trip a time or three, I know a thing or two. Unlike Juvat, I didn't fly myself with all the attendant wonders therein, no, I flew commercial, inside a flying Petri dish. Always fun. And yes, I did digress, thanks for noticing.)

Now there was one side effect of The WSO's trip to lands far to the west, different time zone dontcha know? A time zone which is ahead of Little Rhody time by 13 hours. While The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe tried very, very hard to dissuade our youngest child from texting us at 3 in the AM, we never quite succeeded. So sleep was very much a catch-as-catch-can affair last week.

"Dad, you don't need to get up and read my texts. Read them when you get up."

"Uh sweetie, you're 6,849 miles from us, in an area of the world under constant threat from the NORKs, and a number of time zones away to boot. Of course, we're going to check your text messages, hoping they don't say, 'Hey, there are North Korean tanks coming down the street, any suggestions on what to do?'"

While there were no texts regarding NORK armored fighting vehicles in the streets of Busan (which, old school fellow that I am, want to spell "Pusan") the texts were many and often very funny. Because of kakao.

Uh? Because of what Sarge? Cocoa? Coca? What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

Actually the correct term is...

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Which comes with some very hysterical emoticons and is very Korea-centric. The Missus Herself and all of her fair sisters use this app extensively. I like to call it "Korean koobecaF," which it isn't, not really. But you can exchange all sorts of pictures and such and, drum roll please, it costs nothing. No international charges for texting from 6,849 miles (and multiple time zones) away.

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So we had great fun with that. Even if it was at oh-dark-thirty. So sleep, it's something I haven't been getting a lot of lately. I suppose it's over-rated. But only if you've had enough.

Sleep that is.

So yeah, Spring is here, the crocuses are coming up, the daffodils are not far behind and soon I can dial back the boiler temp. It's been a cold winter, not snowy really, but deuced cold. We've been going through oil faster than I care for and with the warmer weather approaching I can look forward to saving some coin on heating costs.

Until summer comes roaring in, then the air conditioners come on line and the electrical costs go up.

Sigh, it's always sumthin'... (As my old pal Buck liked to say. Miss him we do.)




* Well, Monday was  the vernal equinox, wannit?

"Poor is the country that boasts no heroes, but beggared is that people who, having them, forgets.” *

With any luck at all, my Family and I will have just returned from a bit of vacation touring the Whisky Distilleries in the Highlands of Scotland.  Therefore, I have prepositioned this post in anticipation of being in recovery mode and unable to compose the prose in a timely manner for publication on my stated schedule.

Update: While we're going to refer to this trip as the "Tour of Unfortunate Events", we are home safely.  The formal AAR will be published in the near future, after collating pictures from several sources.  However, here is the Trip Summary.

Now, on with our regularly scheduled programming.

As regular readers of this blog are aware when I'm at a loss for subjects (aka Frequently) or pressed for time, I have a habit of posting about Air Force Medal of Honor Recipients.  I think the masthead quote is as good a reason as any for choosing this subject, and I regret that prior to starting to post on this subject, my knowledge of the history of a large portion of the 60 Recipients was nonexistent.

Col William A. Jones III (as an Aviation Cadet)
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One of those Recipients, whom we are about to learn a bit more about, is Col William A Jones III.  Unfortunately, there isn't a lot written, beyond his citation (below) about the man and the actions that led to his receiving the Nation's Highest Award for valor "above and beyond the call of duty".  My initial reaction on reading the histories I could find were along the lines of  "brave...but Medal of Honor?". Then I found this post and this one.

I was wrong.

So, without further ado, let's learn a bit more about this Warrior.

Col Jones was commissioned from West Point and got his wings on July 4th, 1945.  Prior to Vietnam, he flew a plethora of aircraft including B-25s, B-24s, and B-47s.  In 1965, after completing Air War College, he was assigned to the Pentagon, and on completion, in order to return to flying, he volunteered to fly A-1s, knowing that would result in an assignment to Vietnam. (To be frank, I understand his mindset and likely would have done the same.)

A-1H Loaded for Bear
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In 1968, he had completed his checkout and was given command of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AB.

The squadron was renamed shortly after Col Jones' mission
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The action we're about to discuss took place along the Ho Chi Minh trail near the DMZ.  A pair of F-4s (Carter 01 and 02) had been shot down and a rescue mission was in place.  Col Jones was leading a flight of A-1s charged with locating the survivors, protecting them and the rescue helicopters and then escorting the helicopters back to base.  Nakhon Phanom (NKP) is right on the border of Thailand and Laos and is approximately 90 miles from the rescue area. 

 The crew of Carter 01 were quickly picked up and returned to base.  The pilot of Carter 02 had safely landed and the rescue forces are in contact via radio.  His backseater was never heard from again.

One of the things drilled into Aircrew during survival training is to use the time in the chute wisely.  Those few minutes descending will be the last time you get to look around and get your bearings.  You should look for landmarks, enemy forces, roads, inhabited area and potential hiding places.  Everybody on the ground is officially "not your friend."

So, Carter 02A apparently has taken that training to heart and found a hiding place near the base of some Karst (tall jagged chunks of rock mountains).  As nobody was airborne as he descended, nobody knew his precise location.  Neither the bad guys, nor the good guys.

This is good and bad.  Good--The bad guys can't find your pink butt immediately.  Bad--The good guys have to locate your pink butt without indicating to the bad guys where it is.

A bit of a chess game is being played.  To further complicate this situation, the weather is crummy with low ceilings and the area is extremely mountainous.  A FAC, also working the mission, has advised the rescue forces that the bad buys have several 37mm AAA guns in the area as well as numerous smaller caliber AAA sites.

Col Jones in his A-1H
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So, enter Col Jones.

The opening move in this operation is to locate the survivor.  Given this is jungle, seeing him from the air is unlikely.  The A-1s will have to fly over the area receiving vectors from the survivor as to where he is either from his visual on them or more frequently from the sounds of the aircraft in relation to him.

This takes time.  The bad guys will use that time to 1) locate and capture the survivor and 2) bring up more defenses.

But...It's got to be done.

Col Jones works the area flying slowly with aircraft maneuvering further restricted by weather and terrain.

As he's making one of these passes, he feels an explosion beneath the aircraft and his cockpit fills with smoke.

Now, unlike a jet which is filled with JP-4 (essentially kerosene), an A-1 uses high octane AVGAS, which is much more flammable than JP-4, and more prone to explosion when exposed to flame.

His aircraft has been hit, there's smoke in the cockpit, so he may be on fire and he's flying an aircraft where that fire could easily ignite the fuel.  What does Col Jones do?

He continues to search for the survivor for another 10-15 minutes.

At some point, the survivor radios that Col Jones is directly over head.  He's now located.  However,simultaneously with that call, a AAA gun on the top of the Karst where the survivor is hiding opens fire at Col Jones.  

Col Jones realizes that the Jolly Greens cannot come in and recover the survivor until that gun is destroyed, but given the survivor's proximity, there's no way to call in an airstrike, as a short bomb could land on the survivor.  

Col Jones elects to attack the site with his rockets and guns. 

On his second pass, his aircraft is hit again and the rocket to his ejection system is hit and ignites.  He attempts to eject, which causes the canopy to separate, but the rocket which lifts the seat out of the aircraft has been destroyed.  Ejection is impossible.

However, as all this excitement is going down, he sights the survivor.

As he exits the immediate area, in an aircraft that's visibly on fire, he attempts to communicate the survivor's location to the remainder of the rescue forces, but the radio is blocked by calls that he's on fire and needs to bail out.

By the time the fires are extinguished and radio discipline reestablished, he is without transmission capability on his radio. Additionally, he is severely burned.  He elects to return to NKP.  Much of his instruments have been shot away and the aircraft is badly damaged.  His wingman rejoins on him and he flies the rest of the way home on his wing.

This was apparently the actual aircraft Col Jones flew.  Unfortunately it was shot down on 22 Sep 1972 as the last Skyraider lost in Vietnam
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Upon recovery at NKP, he refuses treatment for his burns until he can communicate the survivors location so the rescue operation could continue.  Ultimately his sacrifice was worth it as the survivor was rescued later that day.

Col Jones was medically evacuated to Ft Sam to recover from his burns. Eventually he was returned to flying status and was unoffically notified that he would receive the Medal of Honor.  As he was flying his personal aircraft home to be with his wife and children, the plane crashed and Col Jones perished.  President Nixon presented the Medal to his widow in a ceremony on 6 August 1970

Rest in Peace, Warrior!  

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Col Jones Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Col. Jones distinguished himself as the pilot of an A-1H Skyraider aircraft near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. On that day, as the on-scene commander in the attempted rescue of a downed U.S. pilot, Col. Jones' aircraft was repeatedly hit by heavy and accurate antiaircraft fire. On one of his low passes, Col. Jones felt an explosion beneath his aircraft and his cockpit rapidly filled with smoke. With complete disregard of the possibility that his aircraft might still be burning, he unhesitatingly continued his search for the downed pilot. On this pass, he sighted the survivor and a multiple-barrel gun position firing at him from near the top of a karst formation. He could not attack the gun position on that pass for fear he would endanger the downed pilot. Leaving himself exposed to the gun position, Col. Jones attacked the position with cannon and rocket fire on 2 successive passes. On his second pass, the aircraft was hit with multiple rounds of automatic weapons fire. One round impacted the Yankee Extraction System rocket mounted directly behind the headrest, igniting the rocket. His aircraft was observed to burst into flames in the center fuselage section, with flames engulfing the cockpit area. He pulled the extraction handle, jettisoning the canopy. The influx of fresh air made the fire burn with greater intensity for a few moments, but since the rocket motor had already burned, the extraction system did not pull Col. Jones from the aircraft. Despite searing pains from severe burns sustained on his arms, hands, neck, shoulders, and face, Col. Jones pulled his aircraft into a climb and attempted to transmit the location of the downed pilot and the enemy gun position to the other aircraft in the area. His calls were blocked by other aircraft transmissions repeatedly directing him to bail out and within seconds his transmitters were disabled and he could receive only on 1 channel. Completely disregarding his injuries, he elected to fly his crippled aircraft back to his base and pass on essential information for the rescue rather than bail out. Col. Jones successfully landed his heavily damaged aircraft and passed the information to a debriefing officer while on the operating table. As a result of his heroic actions and complete disregard for his personal safety, the downed pilot was rescued later in the day. Col. Jones' profound concern for his fellow man at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

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* Cited here as a quotation contained in Col Jones' Book "Maxims for Men-At-Arms" published by Dorrance  & Co of Philadelphia.

War At Sea

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I'm reading that book above right now, after having just finished Mr. Hornfischer's most excellent Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, and this one is proving to be just as well-written and researched as Last Stand.

Now I have to admit that I've become something of a naval fanatic in my declining years, what with the progeny having served in the United States Navy and my son-in-law still on active duty. Of course, a lot of the work I've been doing since I retired from the Air Force has been for the Navy as well. (As the Navy put all three kids through college, well let's just say, I love the Navy.) But I have long had an interest in fighting ships and the men (and now women) who crew them.

As my political post from yesterday made me feel a bit dirty, I hate talking about politics, I decided to cleanse myself with a post about fighting ships, but just a short one. (That book ain't gonna read itself dontcha know...) A few more pics from the U.S. Navy Museum (battleships of course) to start and one from Battleship Cove in Fall River.

USS Missouri

USS Houston (CA-30) a Northampton Class Cruiser*
Pennsylvania Class Battleship

USS South Carolina

View from the bridge of the USS Massachusetts, a battleship, of course.

And I have a video for you, some of the narrative in the video isn't all that accurate (no, really?) but there is a lot of awesome footage of those mighty grey ladies, the battleships.

See you Tuesday (Juvat already has something ready to go for Monday as he staggers back from Scotland).


* Oops, I should have looked more closely at the hull, not brawny enough to be a battleship. Thanks Scott.

Enough Already...

Donald J. Trump taking the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. (White House Photo)

I have refrained from posting about politics for a while now.

But...

Fifty-eight days. It's been 58 days since Donald J. Trump took the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States.

The world has not ended. In fact, the country seems to be doing pretty well.

Since the election, which was 118 days ago, the party which did not win the election has not stopped whining, bitching, and crying about it.

I am sick of it.

They need to get over themselves, they lost.

Nobody cheated, the Russians had nothing to do with it.

The old Establishment screwed up the country. We, The People, had had enough. We spoke. In the primaries, in the general election, and the consensus was, "Let's give the outsider a shot." The mainstream morons in the Republican and Democratic parties had their shot. They didn't listen. They thought they knew better.

We disagreed. Constitutionally of course, that's how Americans do things. We have a process, we followed it, and BINGO we have a new President.

Don't like it? Do a better job next time. Pick someone that the majority of the voting public can actually stomach. Hillary, Bernie? No, are you kidding? Jeb Bush? Seriously?

I have stayed away from mentioning politics for a while now. It's been fairly easy, but this latest nonsense with that idiot Maddow made me vomit. I had to say something. Just to let you all know that what some of these clowns are doing sickens me.

Damn. No wonder the American public despises the media.

Enough already.

Sarge, out...