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Medal of Honor recipient Capt.Thomas Hudner, USN (Ret.) led a31 May symposium on the KoreanWar by describing his wartime

experiences as part of the two-dayKorean War Sea PowerCommemoration in Pusan, SouthKorea. In December 1950, then-Ltjg. Hudner crash-landed his ownairplane to aid fellow squadron

pilot Ens. Jessie Brown, shot downby antiaircraft fire. Brown wastrapped in the burning wreckage ofhis aircraft. Hudner attempted toextract him, but was unable to doso, even after a rescue helicopterarrived and its pilot was able toassist. Both Hudner and the pilot

Naval Aviation News November–December 2003 39

Awards

Navy Chief Warrant OfficerJerome A. Burneka received theNavy and Marine Corps Medal forhis brave efforts in combating a fireaboard Constellation (CV 64) on 8November 2002. The medalrecognizes lifesaving heroism, notinvolving conflict with an enemy, atthe risk of one’s own life.

HS-5 was named winner of the2002 Adm. John S. Thach Awardfor meritorious achievement by acarrier-based antisubmarine warfaresquadron.

VF-211 was the winner of the2002 RAdm. Joseph C. CliftonAward for meritorious achievementby a fighter squadron.

George Washington (CVN 73)was awarded the Battenburg Cupfor the third time in the last five

years. The award is given to thecrew who has most distinguisheditself in the Battle Efficiencycompetition and achievements orimprovements in administration andleadership.

The winners of the 2002 Jig DogRamage Award are CVW-14 andAbraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Theannual award is given to the airwing-carrier team with the bestperformance as an integrated unit.

VFA-146 was the winner of the2002 RAdm. Clarence WadeMcCluskey Award for meritoriousachievement in the air-to-groundmission by a fighter or strike fightersquadron.

AO1(SW/AW)Travis Jordan,right, received theJohn W. FinnAviationOrdnanceman ofthe Year Award,which recognizesthe Navy’s topAO. It is namedin honor of Lt.John W. Finn, theonly aviationordnanceman to receive the Medalof Honor.

VAQ-192 was presented theAdm. Arthur W. Radford Awardfor meritorious operationalachievement by a carrier-basedtactical electronic warfare squadron.

VAW-113 was named winner ofthe RAdm. Frank Akers Award formeritorious operational achievementby a electronic attack squadron.

38 Naval Aviation News November–December 2003

Cdr. Ron Carlson was presented theDistinguished Flying Cross for his

extraordinary achievements whileflying an S-3 Viking on a refuelingmission with VS-32 in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom. Duringthe flight an environmental controlsystem compartment fire caused theloss of the main hydraulic system andnearly all flight-related electricalsystems, but Cdr. Carlson was able toperform a 185 mph, nighttime, no-flapvisual landing on board TheodoreRoosevelt (CVN 71).

During a 24 June ceremony at the NavyMuseum on the Washington Navy

Yard, D.C., sculptor and retired masterchief Larry Nowell presented a wood-carved bust of Rep. Randy “Duke”Cunningham of California to themuseum’s art collection. While serving aboard Constellation(CVA 64), Cunningham became one of only two Navy aces of theVietnam War, downing five enemy aircraft. His first kill occurredon 19 January 1972 followed by another in May. Later that monthhe shot down three MiGs during one dogfight. The Navy awardedthe Navy Cross to Cunningham and naval flight officer WilliamDriscoll, the second Navy ace.

NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTERHONORS NAVY ACE

Left, “Showtime 100,” a VF-96 F-4J Phantom IIflown by then-Lt. RandyCunningham, left, and hisradar intercept officer Lt.Willy Driscoll.

Capt. Thomas Hudner, USN (Ret.)

Above right, sculptor Larry Nowell. Above, Rep.Randy Cunningham, second from left, looks on asNaval Historical Center Director Dr. Bill Dudleyspeaks at the ceremony.

A VMGR-234 KC-130 Hercules firesflares over Iraq during Operation IraqiFreedom. This photo by LCpl. AndrewWilliams is the Association of NavalAviation’s latest bimonthly photocontest winner.

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continued the rescue effort untilBrown died. Months later, Hudnerlearned he had been selected forthe Medal of Honor. PresidentHarry S. Truman presented it tohim in the White House RoseGarden on 13 April 1951.

RecordsVMA-513 AV-8B Harrier II pilot

Capt. Mike Trapp and his wingman,Lt. Col. Jim Dixon, surpassed50,000 Class A mishap-free hoursfor their squadron during anOperation Enduring Freedomcombat mission. VMA-223 markedthe milestone two weeks earlier.This represented a majoraccomplishment for vertical/shorttakeoff and landing aviation.

RescuesOn 15 July an HH-65 Dolphin

from CGAS Houston, Texas,rescued two shrimpers in the Gulfof Mexico after their 92-foot vesselWater World began taking on waterduring Tropical Storm Claudette.After a one-hour trip through 50-knot headwinds, the helo arrived atthe area to find the vessel had sunk.

40 Naval Aviation News November–December 2003

NAVAL AVIATION BATTLE EFFICIENCY

WINNERS, 2002

Ships: Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), George Washington (CVN 73),Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and Wasp (LHD 1).

Squadrons:Category LANT PACHC HC-6 HC-5HM HM-14 N/AHSL HSL-24 HSL-51VAQ CVW VAQ-132 VAQ-139VAQ Expeditionary N/A VAQ-133VAW VAW-125 VAW-113VC Adversary VC-8 N/AVC UAV VC-6 N/AVF VF-143 VF-211VFA VFA-131 VFA-147VP VP-26 VP-4VPU N/A VPU-2VQ EW VQ-2 N/AVQ TACAMO N/A VQ-4VRC N/A VRC-30VS VS-31 VS-33

Above, Capt. Mike Trapp of VMA-513 returns from a mission in theAV-8B Harrier II (see Records). Right, Trapp marks the combatsortie on the squadron map of Afghanistan.

The aircrew spotted the two victimsin the water and deployed the rescueswimmer. One of the victims wasstill attached to the vessel via a longrope, which the rescue swimmerhad to cut in several places.Afterwards, the victims werehoisted aboard the helo and taken toa local hospital.

Rescue swimmers from HS-11on board Enterprise (CVN 65)rescued two injured crewmen fromseparate fishing vessels on thesoutheast coast of the U.S. during a12-hour span on 21 June. The firstrescue occurred when Enterpriseresponded to a medical distress callfrom the fishing vessel Satisfaction,on which a crew member hadreceived internal injuries from a fall. Enterprise launched an HH-60H Seahawk to retrieve the victim.Because heavy seas prevented therescue swimmer from landing onSatisfaction’s deck, he was deployedto reach the vessel by water. Once

on board, the rescue swimmerdetermined that the victim wouldhave to be hoisted from the water,and a second swimmer was loweredto assist. The helo hoisted all threeaboard and flew the victim to alocal hospital.

During the Seahawk’s return trip,Enterprise received another distresscall involving a crew member with

an injury aboard the fishing vesselTail Chaser. Upon arrival, the rescueswimmer entered the water andswam to the vessel. The victim wasplaced in the water, hoisted into thehelo and transported to the samehospital.

In July a Marine went overboardfrom Tarawa (LHA 1) during the

A CH-46 FINDS A NEW HOMEIN PENSACOLA

Above, an HC-6 CH-46 Sea Knight lands for the last time at the NationalMuseum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla. Above right, guest speaker Capt.Charles G. Deitchman, USN (Ret.), recounts the helo’s history. Right, Cdr.Jonathon D. Picker, HC-6 CO, piloted the helicopter on its last flight.

Race fan Angie May,who works for CNO’sDirector, Air Warfare,poses with the NavyNASCAR show car atthe Pentagon. DriverCasey Atwood and co-owner Terry Bradshawmet with CNO Adm.Vern Clark and ActingSECNAV HansfordJohnson, had lunchwith 15 Sailors, thenautographed a Navyposter that proclaims“Life, Liberty and thePursuit of Those whoThreaten It.”

Photos by Capt. Michael V. Franzak

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HM-15’s ability to rapidlydeploy airborne minecountermeasures (AMCM)

and a heavy-lift combat logisticscapability anywhere in the worldwithin 72 hours was put to the testtwice during forward-deployedoperations in support of OperationsEnduring Freedom and IraqiFreedom (OIF). Four of HM-15’sMH-53E Sea Dragon helicopterswere disassembled and 200 tons ofequipment and 135 squadronpersonnel were airlifted via six C-5 Galaxy aircraft to Bahrain to form Detachment 2.Two weeks later, four more MH-53Es, 235 personneland 400 tons of AMCM weapon systems weredeployed to Sigonella, Sicily, to form Detachment 1.

In Bahrain, Det 2 was tasked with several directcombat support missions during OIF, including the firstsorties flown by Navy rotary wing aircraft north ofUmm Qasr during the initial days of the war. During a56-day period, Det 2 transported over one millionpounds of cargo and mail, and more than 1,500passengers, significantly contributing to thesustainment of Navy combat operations in Iraq.Additionally, HM-15 provided direct combat support toIraq, including the transportation of over 135 enemyprisoners of war from Navy ships into forwardencampments inside Iraq.

Meanwhile, Det 1 was busy providing vital AMCMcountermine protection to coalition ships operating in

the eastern Mediterranean Sea andSuez Canal approaches. Personnelquickly rebuilt and flight testedtheir helicopters and embarked onboard Cleveland (LPD 7), whichserved as the mine counter-measures support ship. Attached tothe Task Force CTF 62 minecountermeasures force, the Det 1Blackhawks helped complete themost detailed route survey everconducted of the northernapproaches to the Suez.

Det 1 aircraft also conductedvertical on-board delivery (VOD) missions to theHarry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Theodore Roosevelt(CVN 71) carrier battle groups and the Iwo Jima (LHD 7) amphibious ready group, and transportedmuch needed oversized cargo for units operating in theMed. The det also received urgent tasking to providetwo aircraft for VOD support to the 26th MarineExpeditionary Unit at Souda Bay, Crete, to assist inoffloading armed Marines and bulk ammunition frommoored ships to the Souda Bay airfield. The smalldetachment moved 198 personnel and 183,500 poundsof equipment in just a few days.

As a direct reflection of HM-15’s accomplishments,the Blackhawks remained in Bahrain as the permanentforward-deployed MH-53E AMCM and heavy-liftVOD capability in the Fifth Fleet’s area ofresponsibility.

HM-15 BLACKHAWKSSHINE DURING IRAQIFREEDOMBy Ltjg. Jim Schwarze, HM-15 PAO

Top, AME3 Aimee Anderson and AD3Iran Crawford view the Arabian Gulffrom an MH-53E Sea Dragon. Above,an MH-53E tows an MK-105 influencemagnetic weapon system.

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night approximately 560 milesnortheast of the Hawaiian Islands.After the “man overboard” call wentout, the flight deck crew launched aCH-46 Sea Knight to assist in thesearch. Later, an aircrewman spottedthe Marine in the water. The victimwas quickly picked up and taken toTarawa’s medical department, wherehe was reported in good condition.

An NAS Whidbey Island,Wash., UH-3H Sea King crewpicked up a stranded hiker nearNewhalem, Wash., over the 4 Julyweekend. The hiker had used hissatellite phone to call for help afterbecoming stuck on a small ledge.The North Cascades National ParkService requested the helo afterdetermining they could not extractthe hiker from his location. Thesearch and rescue medical technicianrappelled from the Sea King to thevictim and assisted him whilesuspended in midair, because theledge wasn’t big enough for twopeople. The victim was secured tothe medical technician and hauled amile before being lowered to theground to waiting rangers.

YELLOWSHIRTSTHINK SAFETYBy JO2 Beth Johnson, Nimitz (CVN 68) Public Affairs

Order and attention to detail are essential to the flightdeck of an aircraft carrier. With so many airplanes,

equipment and people launching and recovering aircraft,there must always be extra sets of eyes lookingeverything over and making one more check.

These eyes belong to the flight deck directors, oryellowshirts, the cops of the flight deck. ABHAN RustyYoung from Nimitz air department’s V-1 division saidthe yellowshirts are the voice of safety on the flight deckduring flight operations, “A yellowshirt’s first concern issafety of everything and everyone on the flight deck.They have to direct aircraft around the deck, park themsafely, watch over the squadrons and think about safetyat all times. Safety is their biggest concern.”

Young is only the second airman, and the firstfemale, to qualify as a flight deck director aboardNimitz since the ship came out of its refueling complexoverhaul in July 2001.

Becoming a yellowshirt takes time and dedication.Sailors start out as blueshirts, driving tractors. Afterabout a month, a Sailor can become a redshirt workingin crash and salvage, or can work on qualifying tobecome a yellowshirt. The qualification time is aboutfour months.

According to ABH1(AW) Marlowe Durmiendo,Young’s attaining her goal of being a flight deckdirector has encouraged other female airmen in thedivision to work for the same goal. “Being an airmandirector is an accomplishment,” he said. “The airmanhas to be able to tell people on the flight deck what todo, where to go and not be intimidated because theyare outranked. Not many airmen can do that, but Young has managed to pull it off.”

The CNO Safety Awards recognize a command’s commitment toprofessionalism, solid leadership and competent risk management whichlead to safe and effective operations. The following were the 2002winners:

NAVAIRLANT: HS-11, HSL-48, VAW-120, VF-103, VF-211, VFA-131, VP-45, VS-31 and VX-1.

NAVAIRPAC: HC-5, HS-8, HSL-47, VAQ-140, VAQ-142, VAW-113, VFA-127, VPU-2, VQ-4, VQ-139 and VS-33.

MARFORLANT: HMLA-167, HMLA-269, HMM-162, HMM-266,VMA-223, VMA-542, VMAQ-1, VMFA-251 and VMFA-332.

MARFORPAC: HMH-361, HMH-363, HMH-462, HMLA-169,HMLA-369, HMM-161, HMM-262, MCAS Miramar, Calif.; VMFA-121, VMFA-122, VMFA-232 and VMFA-314.

NAVAIRRESFOR: HC-85, HCS-5, VFA-204, VFC-12, VP-94, VR-51, VR-55 and VR-61.

CG FOURTH MAW: HMM-764, HMM-774, VMFA-142 andVMGR-452.

CNATRA: HT-18, VT-6, VT-9, VT-10, VT-21, VT-27 and VT-35.NAVAIRSYSCOM: VX-20.

Left to right, Col. JamesSexton, USMC (Ret.), Lt. Col.Duncan Milne and Col.Timothy Hanifen took part inthe dedication of an AH-1JSea Cobra for display atNAS JRB New Orleans, La.

Naval Aviation News November–December 2003 4544 Naval Aviation News November–December 2003

An HMM-264 CH-46 Sea Knight flies along the Liberiancoast as part of the aviation combat element of the IwoJima (LHD 7) amphibious ready group. The ARG launchedmore than 200 Marines of the 26th Marine ExpeditionaryUnit to support peacekeeping efforts in war-torn Monrovia.

Peace of mind has finallycome to the families andfriends of nineservicemen of VO-67whose OP-2E aircraft,similar to the squadronaircraft at right, crashedduring the Vietnam War.Recovery of the remainsbegan in 1996 and wascompleted in 2002. Thisyear, full identificationwas completed and theremains were returned totheir families. A ceremonywas held on 19 June atArlington NationalCemetery where six of thenine were buried and amonument for the entirecrew was displayed.

Members of VR-46 show proper respect at the retirement of a squadron DC-9 Skytrain II after 36 years of service, includingmore than 64,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours and over 57,000 landings around the globe.

C H A N G E O F C O M M A N D

CVW-14: Capt. Scott H. Swiftrelieved Capt. Kevin C. Albright,26 Jun.

CVW-17: Capt. Mark D.Guadagnini relieved Capt. Dana R.Potts, 15 Aug.

CVWR-20: Capt. F. ClayFearnow relieved Capt. StanO’Connor, 16 Aug.

HS-7: Cdr. Douglas Cuthbertrelieved Cdr. Kevin Kenney, 11 July.

HSL-47: Cdr. Matthew J.Pringle relieved Cdr. Markus K.Hannan, 8 May.

Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71):

Capt. Johnny L. Green relievedCapt. Richard J. O’Hanlon, 25 Jun.

VAQ-130: Cdr. William Lawyerrelieved Cdr. Thomas Payne, 19 Jun.

VAQ-132: Cdr. William Reaveyrelieved Cdr. Ron Reis, 21 Aug.

VAQ-142: Cdr. Jeffrey R.Graham relieved Cdr. Daniel G.Doster, 4 Sep.

VFA-82: Cdr. Thomas V. Halleyrelieved Cdr. Stephen R. Foley, 10 Jun.

VFA-115: Cdr. Dale E. Horanrelieved Cdr. Jeffery R. Penfield, 14 Aug.

VP-30: Capt. Richard Heimerlerelieved Capt. Brian Prindle, 15 Aug.

VR-53: Cdr. Christopher A.Ryan relieved John B. Fluhart, 27 Apr.

VR-57: Cdr. Joseph Cookrelieved Cdr. Rey Consunji, 15 Nov.

VS-35: Cdr. John P. Lussierrelieved Cdr. Greg L. Looney, 2 Jul.

VT-22: Cdr. James H. Hinelinerelieved Cdr. William G. Davis, 1 Aug.

FUTURE NAVY PILOTBy JO1 Karen M. Golembieski, Boxer (LHD 4)Public Affairs

High school junior Adam Smith was on vacationwith his parents in Hawaii when he helpedrescue an injured swimmer. “I was climbing a

rock,” he said, “and I heard people yell, ‘Help! Call911!’ So I swam over to see what I could do. Afterthe victim was brought ashore, Cpl. Quentin Gwynnand I determined that he had no pulse and wasn’tbreathing, so we started CPR until he came around.”Gwynn, a member of the 11th Marine Regiment onboard Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), handled therescue breathing while Smith took care of the chestcompressions, and the swimmer was soon revived.

A local Honolulu newspaper printed a story of therescue and mentioned Smith’s future ambition toattend the U.S. Naval Academy and become a Navyhelicopter pilot. That caught the attention of an officerwho invited Smith to join a Tiger Cruise on boardBoxer (LHD 4). Lt. Paul Oden, a pilot for HC-11Search and Rescue Detachment 6, acted as one ofSmith’s temporary mentors. “I took him up to theaircraft and basically gave him a tour of all thecontrols,” he said. “He had a lot of questions andseemed to be really interested.”

The first step Smith plans to take toward his dreamafter graduating from high school is earning a degreein engineering from the Naval Academy. For now,however, he can savor his time spent on Boxer.

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