April, 2014

Vigilante History

VigilanteVigilanteRVAH NAVY NewsletterRVAH NAVY Newsletter

The Vigilante, designed and built for the U.S. Navy by North American Aircraft Division at Columbus, Ohio, was the onlyMach 2 bomber to serve aboard a Navy carrier. Initially designated the A3J-1 attack bomber, it was one of the largest

and heaviest aircraft ever accepted for service aboard U.S. Navy carriers.Production began in 1956 and it entered squadron service in June 1961.

156 total Vigilantes were built, bringing coolness back to carrier decks for many years.Following are those Vigilantes lost over the years (in BUNO order) – There may be some omissions – While researching

this, I found many conflicting documents. Records are spotty to say the least-To the best of my knowledge, this is pretty close to correct.

148926 - RVAH-6 - 3/14/1968 -Crash into Tokyo BayLCDR CampbellLT Cook148928 – RVAH-7 - 1/1/1970Unexplained Crash/Cubi Pt.CDR (CAG) Billings (KIA)LTJG Beaver (KIA)148932 - RVAH-11 - 7/29/1967USS Forrestal fire149278 - RVAH-1 - 5/5/1968Shot down over NVNLT Giles Roderick Norrrington (POW)

150826 - RVAH-13 - 5/19/1967Engulfed in flames over NVNLCDR James Lloyd Griffin (POW)LT Jack Walter (POW)150830 - RVAH-6 - 10/22/1966SAMLCDR Thomas Carl Kolstad (KIA)LTJG William Blue Klenert (KIA)150842 - RVAH-6 - 3/31/1969Unexplained Explosion over LaosCDR Danforth Ellithorpe White (KIA)LT Ramey Leo Carpenter (KIA)151615 - RVAH-1 - 10/16/1965

151632 - RVAH-13 - 12/22/1965Shot down over NVNLCDR Max Duane Lukenback (KIA)LTJG Glenn Henri Daigle (POW)151633 - RVAH-7 - 12/15/1965Shot down over NVNLT J K Sutor (SURVIVED)LTJG G B Dresser (SURVIVED)151634 -RVAH-12 - 8/13/1967Shot down over NVNLCDR Leo Gregory Hyatt (POW)LTJG Wayne Keith Goodermote(POW)LT Giles Roderick Norrrington (POW)

LT Richard Goerge Tangeman (POW)149283 - RVAH-11 - 5/18/1968CDR Charlie Negus James (POW)LCDR Vincent Duncan Monroe (POW)149284 - RVAH-11 - 7/29/1967USS Forestal fire149293 - RVAH-5 - 11/25/1968Shot down over NVNCDR Ernest Albert Stamm (POW)LTJG Richard Cobb Thum (KIA)149302 - RVAH-12 - 8/17/1967AccidentCDR Laurent Norbert Dion (KIA)LTJG Charles David Hom (KIA)149305 - RVAH-11 - 7/29/1967USS Forestal fire149306 - RVAH-5 - 12/9/1964Lost at sea due to navigational errorLCDR Donald Wayne Beard (KIA)LTJG Brian John Cronin (KIA)149309 - RVAH-6 - 8/19/1966Shot down over NVNLCDR J K Thompson (SURVIVED)LTJG G Parten (SURVIVED)149312 - RVAH-9 - 1/16/1966Starboard engine exploded T&GLCDR Charles David Schoonover (KIA)ENS Hal T Hollingsworth (KIA)

151615 - RVAH-1 - 10/16/19651st official listed Vigi Shot downLCDR James Franklin Bell (POW)LCDR James Leo Hutton (POW)151618 - RVAH-7 - 5/7/1972Shot down over NVNCDR Clarence Ronald Polfer XO (POW)LTJG Joseph Eugene Kernan (POW)151619 - RVAH-1 - 7/20/1965Number 1 cable broke and into the seaCDR Valentin George Matula CO (KIA)LT Carl Eugene Gronquist (KIA)151623 - RVAH-7 - 2/12/1967Shot down over NVNCDR C H Jarvis (SURVIVED)LTJG P M Artlip (SURVIVED)151624 - RVAH-13 - 12/20/1965Shot downLCDR Guy David Johnson (KIA)LTJG Lee Edward Nordahl (KIA)151625 - RVAH-13 - 2/3/1966

Shot down over NVNLT Gerald Leonard Coffee (POW)LTJG Robert Taft Hanson (POW)151627 - RVAH-13 - 3/9/1967Shot down over NVNCDR Charles Lancaster Putnam (KIA)LTJG F S Prendergast (SURVIVED)

(POW)156616 - RVAH-1 - 6/7/1972Shot down over NVNLCDR C H Smith (SURVIVED)LT L G Kunz (SURVIVED)156633 - RVAH-13 - 12/28/1972Shot down by MiGLCDR Alfred Howard Agnew (POW)LT Michael Firestone Haifley (KIA)156634 - RVAH-5 - 10/17/1971Flew into the sea during a trainingflightCDR Lauren Ray Everett (KIA)LCDR Paul Amos Stokes (KIA)

“Unarmed and Unafraid”

Meet The “STAFF” –The people that keep the RecceNet site up and running!

Bob Marioni is our webmaster.He is a brilliant tech guy and Bob was 100% instrumental in setting up and

maintaining our original website and RecceNet. Thanks for all your hard work Bob!!

“I was born in Hamden, CT on Dec 12, 1956. I graduated from Hamden High School in June of 1974. I had already enlistedin the Navy’s delayed entry program. I ended up going to Navy Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes on January 2,1976. After boot camp I was stationed at NATTC Memphis in Millington, TN where I attended BE&E school and AvionicsTechnician A School.I received orders to RVAH-5, NAS Key West upon graduation and I can remember the day I got my orders. Everyone wasgetting orders to a carrier, NAS JAX, NAS Miramar, NAS Oceana and bases like that. When the Chief handed me myorders to Key West he said “MahRohney, (they always pronounced my name wrong) you is one lucky sumbitch!” I hadno idea where or even what Key West was but after I got there I knew what he was talking about.I attended FRAMP at RVAH-3 and one day a 1st Class in the squadron told me about the BOOST program, which was anofficer candidate school for those who had the ability to go to college but not the means. I applied and after a month Iwas accepted. I went to San Diego and began the program. I had a Marine Gunny Sergeant as a drill instructor and wentto college classes for 8 hours a day. We ran and did calisthenics after class each day in the morning and after class.All was going well until I failed a vision exam and was told I was unqualified to get into the Naval Academy without awaiver. I looked at the previous two classes and no waivers were approved so I decided to go back to the fleet.I received orders to RVAH-6, NAS Key West as I had completed FRAMP. Went back as an E-3 and went right to messcooking working mid rats at the chow hall. After that I went to the Line division because there were no billets in the twoAvionics shops due to squadron decommissioning and an overload of ATs. I became a Plane Captain and did a MedCruise on the USS Nimitz. Loved working on the flight deck!

After that I got out of the Navy in late 1981 and went to college for a while. I married,

After RVAH-6 decommissioned I was transferred to the Line Division of RVAH-12 and did adeployment to Rota, Spain. I did some time on detachments to Sigonella and Naples.After RVAH-12 decommissioned I re-enlisted and went to VP-4 in Barbers Point, HA. I was anInFlight Technician and I did a deployment to NAS Cubi Pt in the Philippines.

Our Very Own “Humor In Uniform”

After that I got out of the Navy in late 1981 and went to college for a while. I married,worked in IT for more than 30 years and now live in Hypoluxo, FL with my wife MaryBeth. I have two children and a beautiful little granddaughter.I current am an IT Manager and work part time as a Karaoke Host 2-3 nights a week. Iown a Harley Davidson and I ride in the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club for fun.”

“You dumb #*% have volunteered for FODWALKDOWN whether you like it or not. You

have, of your own stupidity, signed up by beingin the wrong place at the right time."

Yep… Single file, nuts to butts… Aft to forward, turnaround and do it again! Rain, shine, high winds andheavy seas, 110 degrees and brass monkey cold.“FOD walkdown will commence immediately for ALLHANDS!” (But it always seemed that E-6 and above,O-3 and above always seemed to have “otheressential duties” and were excused… hmmmm….)And it was always amazing to me how much crapwould accumulate on the deck in a short period oftime. Screws, rivets, poptops, broken chain links,pebbles (how in heck do pebbles get on the flightdeck in the middle of the Med?) pennies, and otherassorted flotsam and jetsam. On one occasion, Ifound… A BULLET! It was wedged in a padeye and thatcaused all sorts of mayhem as they tried to figure outwhere it came from and how it ended up on deck!(They figure that a pilot had extra rounds in a flightsuit pocket and it fell out). Ahhh… fond memories!

Does Anyone Know?Hey, Gents; (From Mike Dacin)Got a question that's been puzzling me for awhile.

Attached is a photo of the emblem Heavy 11 was usingat the time I was in it (as an AME2), which was for the(final) 74-75 Med Cruise on the Saratoga. Thought I'dthrow the question out there to see if anyone knowswhen Heavy 11 changed to this squadron emblem fromthe old style that is always displayed on the web pageand the newsletter? I'm sure someone out there mustknow the answer to this one! Thanx for listenin', and anyinput anyone might have, Mike Diacin.

Welcome to Our New Members!Welcome to our new members of RecceNet!These new shipmates have come aboard since January,2014. Beginning next month, we will update our “NewMembers” board monthly.

UPDATE: RA5C BUNO 146697 –“This aircraft is not in the museum at Pax River, but is

located at the Strike Hangar on a pedestal. I was just upthere recently working with the F-35B/C JSF program

and took a picture of it. There is an RA-5C in themuseum also.”

Thanks: Harley Montelongo

The New RVAHNAVY T-shirts are now available in theGear Locker.

The Performance Dry-Fit T shirt will be $18 and thecolors will be Aviation Maintenance Green and LineShack Brown with a solid black design front andback. The fabric breathes. It doesn't stay damp withsweat...it wicks dry. How cool is that?

The traditional Black Vertical Stripe is represented on theGreg PepitoneJohn A. Brant

Le BryantPaul W. Franchina

Ulric M RobertsDebbie Fowler Baatstad

Bill UsherStan Isaacson

Bob KuperinskyNorman Hammock

Paul BernhardDavid S Miller

Arthur GooselawPhilip Choyce

Donald Gale Rudd

James SummersSteve Weaver

Norman OubreJohn HroncichTommy Taylor

Ron CosseyTroy C. Spratling

Jim JohnJames M. Johnson

Jim Kiffer

Steven WordenDonald Ennis

Joe ParvinLawrence (Larry) Blackburn

Gehl Benjamin Brabant

Welcome aboard shipmates!Don’t forget to salute the ensign and the aft galley

is open until 1800. Burgers and Bug juice!

The traditional Black Vertical Stripe is represented on thefront and back of the shirt. The Vigilante Silhouette isup-front and dead-center.In addition to the Squadron Names the shirt alsoincludes the Aviation Flight Wings and Maintainer RatingIcons that were used in most RVAH Units.And I bet if you look around (Ebay?) you can find an“Iron on” crow for that left sleeve…We can say with confidence that you will be noticed inthis shirt. Navy and Marine Corp Vets on the go willrecognize your shirt and the fellowship will ensue.Check the “Gear Locker” on RecceNet for ordering info!And for those of you that have already ordered yourshirts, SEND US A PICTURE! Take a picture of you (orsomeone else) wearing your new RVAH NAVY shirt andpost it on the website or email it to me(aztouche@gmail.com) and we might use it on the GearLocker “shirt pages”. This could be your big modelingbreak!!

TECH TIPS!! - PASSWORDS!

Back a few weeks ago, I was helping someone with their computer and after I got done doing what I needed to do, I had toreboot their computer... the logon screen came up asking for a password.I glanced down at the monitor and what do I see but a Post-it note with the phrase... “lucky74”AHA! So, I typed that into the password space and yep... the computer opened up...Passwords are kind of a moot point for most people... I have found passwords written on Post it notes attached tomonitors, written on keyboard trays, written with a Sharpie on the bottom of the mouse, tacked to a bulletin board, tapedright on the keyboard, written on the desk itself, and written in felt tip on the plastic part of the monitor.And so, For one week, I kept track of my passwords. 74 different things required a password over the course of the week...Of that 74, there were 28 different passwords because different sites and companies have different rules for how manyletters, how many numbers and what combinations you can use...No wonder we write these down! How can you keep track, especially when you have to change them all the time!Oh sure, there is software out there that you can use (Roboform, Kapersky, etc), but that means you have to keep thatsoftware updated with the new passwords or it’s useless...But here’s an easy, and fun password generator that will make this all a lot easier... and best of all, you can still use thatPost-it note stuck to the monitor to keep track...Most places require some combination of letters and numbers, and this meets that requirement...For the numbers? Use your birth year... or some milestone year in your life...For me, it’s my birth year... 1948 (yeah... I’m that old...)Now for the letters… Pick a song you really like... One of my favorites is “Hot Rod Lincoln”. So, for this month’s password,we’ll use that song...Take the first line of the song…“My Pappy said, “Son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’, if you don’t stop drivin’ that hot rod Lincoln...”Take the first letter of each word in that line...“mpssygdmtdiydsdthrl”Ok... It’s a little long, but you can shorten it to the first stanza... “mpssygdmtd”Then you take the first two numbers of your birth year and put them in front of that string... and the last two numbers atthe end of the string...“19mpssygdmtd48”“19mpssygdmtd48”And that’s our password for the month...“But Bill” you whine... “How am I gonna remember that? I can’t even remember my PIN for the ATM!”Ahhh.... Here’s where the beauty part comes in...Remember all those Post it notes stuck to the front of the monitors?Well, you’re going to put your own note up... only it will say something like,“Commander Cody 1” or “HRL 1” or something that will remind of which song you used... the number “1” after thereminder tells you what line of the song you used... so that anyone sitting down will have no clue what it refers to or whyyou have “Commander Cody” written on a post it on your monitor... but you’ll know...Folks... don’t use the actual name of the song... they may not figure it out but it will be a whole lot easier if they know thesong... you’re just looking to give yourself a clue...Now, some passwords require more numbers... if so; just repeat the birth year as needed...Need 6 numbers? - 19mpssygdmtd1948See how this works?

Next month, we use a new song... Let’s use... Old Time Rock and Roll by Seger... and thesecond line... And reverse the birth yearSo, our password now is... “48isalttbm19” (I’ll sit and listen to them by myself)And our reminder post it note will read, “Risky Business 2” or “Seger Rocks 2”How cool is this? Easy to remember, and fun... you could sing to yourself while you type it...One of my favorite ones was Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”... The Post-it cluewas...“Shufflin her feet 2”... The password?“19sdwddddd48”Never let it be said that we aren’t here to educate and entertain you!!And keep you safe online!!And one last thought… you could change your password to “incorrect” so whenever youforget, the computer will tell you…. “Your password is incorrect”!

ThePicturePage!

Send me your pics!Let me know who’s in thepic, where it was taken,

when it was taken and anystory that goes with it!

Thanks!!

1970-71 Kitty Hawk Westpac Heavy 6 Avionicscrew group picture, nice hat by the way MR. C.

Courtesy: Don F. Bailey

H-12 line at it's best. I was proud to bea member of the team.Courtesy: Bob Marioni

Plane Captain CertificationCourtesy: John Ciffone

RVAH -1 Happy TIGER603 off the SARA

Courtesy: Richard Huss

Jay Montgomery and Dennis McCleary sleeping inline shack –Connie West-Pac Cruise 71-72

Courtesy: Benjamin Coleman

A3D - VAH5 on deck of USS Forrestal MedCruise 1963/4 Courtesy:

Richard callahan

Photo was taken as the Vigilantes were leavingAlbany, GA and going to Key West.

December, 1973.Courtesy: Chuck Hoskin

AE Shop RVAH7 at the 7th Fleet Club,Olangapo PI 1972Tom Taylor, Billy Wynn, Russ Bradley, Chief Corn, Robert

Bass. Mike Lanier, Jack Coffey, Larry Giddens, MikeDunlap. Courtesy: Mike Dunlap

April Birthdays!Always remember the immortal words of Joseph Lee(Or Fred Flinstone… I get those two confused)

“You don’t quit playing when you get old…You get old when you quit playing!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL Y’ALL!You are officially too old to die young!!And revel in your Geezerdom!

(Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone but if I did, it’s because I’m old, the eyesight isn’t as good as it once was andthe memory is… uh… the memory is… Damn… forgot what I was going to say…)

Happy Birthday Ya Swabs!

David S Miller April 1Alex (the GERMAN) April 1

Alex Ananiew April 1Kathryn Alexander April 2

Tom Harman April 3Dave Weber April 3

Larry Steven Parr April 4Tom Ball April 4

Harrison MATT Moore April 5Ron Hines April 5

Richard Shore April 6David L Kindsfater April 6Sheri-Lin Frederick April 7Fred MacLennan April 7

John Provenzano April 16Bill Armstrong April 18

John (Doug) Woodring April 19Edward Williams April 19George Gravelle April 19Mark Cochran April 20

Roderick MacNeil April 20Pete April 20

Cliff Thirtyacre April 21Wilber C Moran April 21

Walter Olson April 22Hugh Stephens April 22

Kenneth C. Otis II April 23Ray Windstein April 23Fred MacLennan April 7

Doyle Wayne Batey April 7Bob Miller April 9

James Worth Holcombe April 10David E Clearwater April 10

Robert Dietz April 12Ronald Bryant April 12Dean Liebegott April 13

Steve (Boog) Howell April 14Michael Elaman April 14

Jim Block April 14John Arthur Knight April 14Salvatore Falzone April 15

Jeffrey Davis April 15Mike Mercer April 15Bryan Smith April 16

Ken Kratz April 16Byron Hernandez April 16

Ray Windstein April 23Tom Shane April 23

Marlon Clark April 24Robert D. Ivins April 24Doug Ralston April 25

Allen C. Wagonblott Jr April 25Glenn A Smith April 27

Douglas J Maher April 27Bob Swanson April 27

Michael V. Lee April 28Ed Seitz April 28

John Luigi Liccini Jr April 29David F. Rankine, Jr. April 30Robert Kenna AMS2 April 30

John Peluso April 30Dennis Hoel April 30Joan Johns April 30