#212—“Down Time,” Part 2: USS Kitty Hawk (On-duty)

F-14 Tomcat (VF-84 Jolly Rogers) prepares to launch from USS Carl Vinson (CV-70). June 15, 1982. PH3 Dostie, USN.

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) Above Photo: An F-14 Tomcat aircraft waits behind the blast deflector panels as another F-14 from Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84) prepares for launching during flight operations aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70)…. Read more#212—“Down Time,” Part 2: USS Kitty Hawk (On-duty)

#211—“Down Time,” Part 1: NAS Agana, Guam (On-duty)

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) I write a lot about times on the flight deck during flight ops, which, as you may recall, are always exciting. But it’s not all about an adrenaline rush. We weren’t always flying planes. There… Read more#211—“Down Time,” Part 1: NAS Agana, Guam (On-duty)

#208—“Timeless Treasures”

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) Growing up in Gainesville, Florida, my parents gave my sister and me a Kodak disposable camera, sometime in the 1960s. You remember those … 12 shots in a weird-looking yellow box. You’d turn the entire… Read more#208—“Timeless Treasures”

#206—Those Things That Stay With You …

USS Ronald Reagan (2009) E-2 Hawkeye on Cat 2

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) By the time you read this blog post, I’ll have just turned a young 71 years old. I don’t know about you, but when I make another trip around the sun, I count my many… Read more#206—Those Things That Stay With You …

#203—Welcome Aboard!

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) My transfer orders read, “Report to USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) no later than March 20, 1975.” I’d left my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam, a month earlier (February), after spending 15 months working one… Read more#203—Welcome Aboard!

#199—You Remember That Time When …

US Navy Veteran Patch

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) You Got Home, Knowing You Were No Longer in the Navy My sister, Anne, had flown out from Florida to San Diego. Our plan was to drive back across the country in my 1976 blue… Read more#199—You Remember That Time When …

#197—What the Hell Did I Get Myself Into?

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) “I don’t know what I’ve been told …163 got a ‘hole lotta soul.Sound off … 1, 2.Sound off … 3, 4.Bring it on down now.1,2,3,4, 1,2Let’s go!” Ahh, the cadence of Company #163 marching from… Read more#197—What the Hell Did I Get Myself Into?

#196—Your Mission … Should You Decide to Accept it

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) Do you remember when you first joined the Navy (or military … it really doesn’t matter which branch)? Do you remember the recruiter who totally agreed that whatever job you selected was “The best job… Read more#196—Your Mission … Should You Decide to Accept it

#190—Westpac ’75: Heading Home

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) I’m writing a multi-part series of articles about a US Navy cruise in the Pacific, commonly known as a “Westpac.” I made one Westpac in 1975. It made quite an impression on me and it’s… Read more#190—Westpac ’75: Heading Home

#185—Westpac ‘75

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) When you join the United States Navy—at least back in my day (mid-70s)—you work with your recruiter to select a specific rating, i.e., a job. Not everyone gets what they ask for, simply because the… Read more#185—Westpac ‘75