“VP 21 JULY 1955 TO FEB 1957

AFTER FINISHING FLIGHT TRAINING IN HUTCHISON I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE US NAVAL JUSTICE SCHOOL IN NEW PORT AND AFTER 9 WEEKS OF UCMJ I REPORTED TO VP 21 IN BRUNSWICK ME JUST IN TIME TO FIND OUT THAT WE WERE DEPLOYING TO MALTA WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

l WAS RAISED IN SOUTH JERSEY IN A MILITARY FAMILY. MY DAD WAS IN BOTH THE 1ST AND 2ND WW AND GOT OUT AS A COLONEL AFTER 27 MONTHS BUILDING AIRSTRIPS IN ADAK, SINCE MANY OF MY FAMILY HAD ALSO BEEN IN THE MILITARY WHEN I HIT A COUPLE BUMPS IN MY WAY THRU CORNELL AS A NROTC STUDENT MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO JOIN THE NAVCAD PROGRAM.

WHEN I GOT MY WINGS I WAS NOT SURPRISED TO FIND THAT I HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO BRUNSWICK FOR I HAD ASKED FOR WHIDBEY, OR ANY PLACE IN CALIFORNIA. OFF WE WENT TO MALTA AND I REALLY ENJOYED LEARNING TO FLY REAL AIRPLANES (P2V5F) WE DID THE ASW BIT AND NATO EXERCISES AND MANY FAM TRIPS TO ALL AREAS OF EUROPE AND WESTERN ASIA AND NORTHERN AFRICA WE RETURNED TO BRUNSWICK IN MARCH 56 AND DID THE USUAL SCHOOLS AND WEEKEND TRIPS TO WHEREVER TO BUILD OUR FLIGHT TIMES. LATER THAT YEAR WE WENT BACK TO MALTA AND THE MISSIONS HEATED UP WE SPENT MANY HOURS TRACKING THE RED SUBS COMING OUT OF THE BLACK SEA AND HEADING FOR ALBANIA (FUNNY, AREN’T THEY OUR FRIENDS NOW?

WE ALSO DID ASW WITH THE 6th FLEET AND ON ONE TRIP WE HAD PROBLEMS. WE WERE FLYING PATTERNS OFF THE FORRESTAL AND AFTER A FEW HOURS OF THIS WE HAD PLANE PROBLEMS WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSED US TO SHUT DOWN THE STARBOARD ENGINE. COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CARRIER INDICATED OUR NEAREST LAND WAS MALLORCA SO OFF WE WENT. AS IT TURNED OUT IT WAS NOT THE CORRECT ADVICE AND WE BARELY MADE IT TO MALLORCA AND WERE BARELY ABLE TO KEEP THE PLANE IN THE AIR. ON FINAL ONE OF THE WINGS DIPPED AND WE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE AIRPORT AND FINALLY CRASHED IN AN OLIVE ORCHARD. THE PPC WAS TOM SZCZHOWSKI (NOW STACK), I WAS THE COPILOT AND I BELIEVE BANDA WAS ALSO ABOARD. THE WORLDS OLIVE SUPPLY WAS SEVERELY AFFECTED AND NO-ONE WAS KILLED. HOWEVER, I DO RECALL THAT THIS WAS THE 3RD OR 4TH P2V5F TO CRASH IN THAT 12 MONTH PERIOD.

AFTER THE CRASH I SPENT 2 WEEKS IN AN AIRFORCE HOSPITAL IN WIESBADEN AND THEN TO US NAVY HOSPITAL IN PHILADELPHIA FOR APPROXIMATELY 17 MONTHS RECOVERY AND THEN RETIRED FROM THE NAVY. I FINISHED UP MY BA WORK AND GOT AN MBA FROM U OF PA AND WORKED FOR 24 YEARS AND RETIRED FROM KRAFT QUAKER OATS, SMITH KLINE AND FRENCH AND ANDERSON CLAYTON. SINCE THEN I HAVE MUCH TIME TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD. HAVE BEEN BACK TO MALTA MALLORCA, RUSSIA , ODESSA, AND THE BLACK SEA AND I SHOULD NOTE THAT SITTING IN THE HARBOR ALONG THE BLACK SEA IS THE LARGEST SUBMARINE I HAVE EVER SEEN (SHADES OF THE RED OCTOBER).

IN LOOKING THRU THE VP-21 ROSTER INFO I AM SURPRISED TO NOT FIND MANY OF MY GOOD FRIENDS FROM THAT ERA FERD KELLEY JIM WELCH, BUD SCHEMERS, TIM HEALY, JOHN PISTAULKA, SARKESIAN, HERMS, ANDERSON-AND ON IT GOES. THAT IS ABOUT IT. THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE WITH SOME OF THE FINEST INDIVIDUALS I HAVE EVER MET.

FINALLY, I MARRIED IN 1962, HAD TWO CHILDREN BOTH LIVING IN CALIFORNIA AND HAVE FOUR GRANDCHILDREN. I HAVE FOUND THAT BEING IN NEVADA IS A VERY GOOD PLACE FOR GRANDPA TO BE.”