VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter

November 2004

All the old newsletters;

for members list: www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html

Chairman:

Seykowski, Edward CWO4 607 N 70 E Valparaiso, IN 46383 219-462-3636 edseykow@juno.com FAX 219-462-2168 1959-1962 AT2 Karen

Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman:

Smith, MD Roger G. LT 34464 SW Firdale Rd Cornelius, OR 97113-6218

503-628-2229 FAX 503-648-9179 rgs@coho.net

Office: 256 SE 2nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-648-7126 LT(jg)1955-8 Joan

Our reunion at Gettysburg was a success on several levels.

We successfully transplanted our effort from Pensacola when other navy groups just cancelled.

We lost a number of participants who had made other commitments and some who had severe storm damage, but we picked up a few who wouldn’t have come otherwise.

We had a broad mix of people from all eras and all ranks.

We toured the battlefield and had a prodigious patriotic history lesson.

We also visited Dwight Eisenhower’s home and met a very capable Lincoln impersonator.

We were favored by the presence of the Governor of Connecticut, M. Jodi Rell, the wife of our member, Lou Rell.

We were favored also by the inspirational talk given by our member, Captain Jim Mulligan, USN, ret. formerly a 7 year prisoner of war. Jim sold copies of his book, Hanoi Commitment, and many of us went home with copies. (Available for $15 plus postage from the author: CAPT James A. Mulligan, 912 Five Points Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2642 757-481-0776. Lucille.

Roster of attendees:

John & Noele Adkins, Vincent & Shirley Beaston , Russ & Barbara Bishop, Commodore Jack Bookhultz , Richard & Joyce Bray, Jim & Claire Campi, Raymond F. & Ellen Coller, Francis Creney, CAPT Ralph & Charlotte DeWalt (who have 4 sons who are naval aviators), Ken Eastman, CAPT Jim & Miel Ehret, Richard & Patty Frederick, Judge Richard & Carol Greenwood, Terry & Virginia Hays, Robert & Carol Howard, Dave Lamb, Dr Doug & Linda Lloyd, Larry Martin & friend, Roy Philpott, from England, Bob & Rose Marvin (who were presented with a founder’s plaque.), Jack Meagher, CDR Walter & Loretta Miesse, Frank & Barbara Moynihan , CAPT James & Louise Mulligan, David & Donna Picard , Lou & Gov. M. Jodi Rell, CAPT Robert & Gladys Sage, Richard Sargeant, Ron & Charlene Schmidt, CAPT Stan & Edith Schwartz, Ben & Hildreth Schwiening, Ed & Sidney Sellman, CAPT Frank & Eileen Sequeira, Ed & Karen Seykowski, Stu Shulman, Billy & Bee Simpkins & daughter (Linda) , Dr. Roger & Joan Smith, Bill & Georgann Speaker, Fred Tiemann, John & Mrs Trinca ,

Milt Tyler, Jim & Helen Victor, Pete Weiland

The business meeting re-elected the current leadership and voted to hold next year’s meeting in Pensacola. The date is not settled. Washington, DC was tentatively penciled in for 2006, the attraction being the Udvar-Hazy museum. (I visited there this occasion, and it is spectacular.)

Dues: The newsletter runs on dues. We send the newsletter (approximately every 2 months) to all with e-mail addresses and to all without who pay dues.

We send to different selected members every time to encourage participation, and to guys whose e-mail has gone gunnysack to get them to send us their up-dated one.

We beg people to send us names of men they served with so we can try to find them.

Our membership has increased from 136 guys in 2002 to 1160 today. We have over 400 names in our memorial section besides that. It’s all on the website. Write and tell us who you recall serving with. Give us some clue where to find them.

A guy with a name like Abraham Y. Zabfast we can find.

If your friend was Charlie Smith, forget it unless you are sure he lives in the likes of West Cupcake, Kansas.

Dues are $10 per year. Checks drawn to VC-12 or VAW-12 or VC-12/VAW-12 can be mailed to me at 256 SE 2^nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123. (That’s my office; my home mailbox is a rural box along the county road and is not secure for funds.)

We hit up a lot of guys for dues at the reunion, but didn’t get everyone. Anybody unsure can ask for the list to see if he’s current. The new year starts after the Reunion business meeting. If you paid before that, you may have paid 04 dues but not 05. We do not publish the dues list on the website.

Membership report since the reunion:

New members

Conard, Dean E. 1425 Muir Ln Burnsville, MN 55337 952-890-6215 LT(jg)1315 America 1965-6 no interest. Recovering from cancer.

Eckard, William F. 900 Anna Joy Ct Chesapeake, VA 23320-1401

757-436-6166 eckard1@cox.net LT(jg) 1355 Saratoga 1964 School Photographer

Ehrgott, Richard J. 10220 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77024 713-984-0893

LT(jg) 1325 America 1965-6

Flynn, Ronald D. 69 Huxley Cir Evesham, NJ 08053 856-810-7777 rdflynn@snip.net LT(jg) 1355 Valley Forge 1958

Fredericks, Roy C. CDR 20181 SE 116^th Av Inglis, FL 34449-4006

352-447-0027 mousseg@earthlink.net LT(jg) 1325 America 1965-6. Gloria

Hodson, Ted L. CDR 220 Bunker Arch Williamsburg, VA 23188 757-229-0809 zorrolives@eathlink.net LCDR O-in-C America det 1965-6

Been LSO c VF-53; Air Boss of Hancock in VN. Lived in St Croix.

Hollinger, Robert B. 24 Ledgewood Dr. Dover, MA 02030 508-785-3088 bhollinger@barringtonp.com LT(jg) 1325 America 1965-6 Deborah

Slaughter, Jimmy R. CAPT 8470 Meliaceae Dr Pensacola, FL 32514 850-479-7520 1310 LT(jg) America 1965-6 USNA

Woodka, Thomas K. CDR 117 Broadwater Williamsburg, VA 23188-8003
757-564-0062 mwoodka@earthlink.net Marcia LT(jg) Forrestal 1964-1965. Then transitioned to Intruders. Active in the Intruder Assn. Works for Grumman.

E-mail address change

Englund, Paul R. 115 Paddington Green Huntsville, AL 35824 256-464-9820 prenglund@bellsouth.net LT(jg) FDR 1961

Dewalt, Ralph CAPT Charlotte. Ralph_dewalt@navyfederal.com

Deceased

Ernest Gordon Carlburg, CDR 10239 S 175th Ave Goodyear AZ 85338

623-386-3277 cburg50@cox.net 1961-4 Enterprise det 65 1962. Retired Fm Lufthansa. Sonia. Died 10/7/04 Cancer. He was known to all as Gordon.

Donald E. Derwerd LT(jg) 1325 America det 1965-6 born 8/29/40; Died of a heart attack in Minn. 1/23/98. Older brother, Dick, in Phoenix 602-957-4503

LT(jg) Robert O. Farris, 1315 America 1965-6. Bob Farris transitioned to A-7s after VAW-12 and died ejecting from an A-7 in approximately 1968 (I was stationed at FCPCP at the time and my wife had kept in touch with Bob’s wife, Betty. (Rbt Hollinger recollection)

He flew into the water on a night approach to the America while operating off San Juan. I was on the America at the time as Air Ops/AAW for the Battle Group Commander. (Fredericks’ first recollection)

Bob had his accident while flying from the Nimitz in the late 70's. I was the navigator on the Nimitz and we were conducting work-ups around Puerto Rico. During a night recovery his plane disappeared on final a few minutes after he reported departing marshal. The weather was very foul with numerous thunderstorms, so we formed the available ships in line abreast and went back the final bearing conducting a visual search but had no luck. The next day I learned (second hand) the helo had recovered his helmet, but I am not sure of this. (Fredericks’ subsequent recollection)

CDR (SC) Richard Hoskins died in Sept 2004. Served in VC-12 1954-6.

CAPT Jerald C. Lawrence Died in VA 2004. Not the Gerald Lawrence in West Virginia. 8^th CO VAW-12.

Mark E. Poole 12036 Hiram Pl NE Seattle, WA 98125 206-364-9793 mejpoole@aol.com LTJG 1954-5 NAOC Hornet 1955 det His wife is Jean. He Died suddenly 9/30/04

He wrote me this just a few weeks earlier:

I got to thinking the other day about what it meant to be in VC-12 on cruise in 1955. That was only 10 years after WWII. As a 23 year old, that didn't catch my attention nearly as much as it does today at 72. Long range search radar coupled with aircraft control was new, and anyone above the rank of Lt. who understood what we were about had either done homework or remained in the dark. This, of course included Air Group Commanders and all shipboard personnel. It also included our own pilots, who had their own stuff to keep up with. Some of them resented being "bus drivers" instead of jet jockeys, and who could blame them?

Two stories illustrate what I'm pointing to:

1. One evening we were launched for our three hour flight, and our only assignment was to get the position of another force in our area. As soon as wheels were up and radar turned on, we saw the force and reported it - as anyone knowledgeable at all would guess - so we just tooled around until time to come home.

2. From Iwakuni, one plane was assigned to go to the west coast of the island (can't remember the field) to pick up an admiral and bring him back. I was in the back of the AD-4, Jerry Dempsey flew the plane. Soon after starting out, his nav gear broke down, and weather was not good. It was no sweat for me to steer us through the valley corridor along the mountain ridge - contrast was very sharp. We got to the coast, went out over the bay, turned around and headed to the runway which ran right to edge of water. We came out of the soup at 500' lined up perfectly and landed without incident. Poor Jerry had been sweating the whole way, and afterward pilot respect for what could be done from the back seat went up to the top. They started to strut their stuff among pilots from other squadrons. We really belonged! I've thought about the F2H pilots who had to trust us while we directed an "intercept" in the middle of the night. And I can only guess at the equipment sophistication that's in play now compared to the primitive stuff we had.

Alan H. Thompson 10563 Bluff Rd Eden Prairie, MN 55347 952-941-5190

LT(jg) Randolph 1957-8 pilot. Forrestal 1959. Terminal lung CA 1/04. Died 8/04. Constance (Connie) conniet@iopener.net