VigilanteVigilanteRVAH NAVY NewsletterRVAH NAVY Newsletter January, 2018

Wishing You a Happyand Safe New Year,

2018and Safe New Year,

2018

VigilanteVigilanteRVAH NAVY NewsletterRVAH NAVY Newsletter January, 2018

RVAH-5 – “Savage Sons”

Please Note:The information presented here is from a variety of sources and I’ve done my

best to verify the information as correct. But we all know how the internet is. Ifyou find some grossly wrong, please let me know (aztouche@gmail.com) and I

will make the correction in a future issue.

We will be featuring a squadron each month so stay tuned!

RECONNAISSANCE ATTACK SQUADRON FIVETHE SAVAGE SONS"

Reconnaissance Attack Squadron FIVE has both an"official" and an "unofficial" origin. Although it is notconsidered the "official" origin of RVAH-5, there wasa Composite Squadron FIVE commissioned on 6September, 1943 at NAS Seattle, Washington. Duringthe years prior to its decommissioning, the squadronparticipated in action at Guam, Peleliu and Leyte

RVAH-5 – “Savage Sons”1958 - Won fourth BATWING one Bombing Derby,won the Third Annual Naval Air Weapons Meet at ElCentro, California representing the Atlantic Fleet.Named the top Heavy Attack Squadron in the Navyfor the year, and won the Douglas Bombing Trophyfor the year 1957. Deployed twice to theMediterranean.1959 - Won the Chief of Naval Operations SafetyAward for 1958­1959. Won Seventh HATWING ONEBombing Derby, including Wing Commander'sTrophy.1960 - Received the Atlantic Fleet Battle ReadinessExcellence Pennant ("E"). Deployed toMediterranean aboard USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59).1961 - Deployed to Mediterranean aboardFORRESTAL - the third cruise in as many years. Thesquadron set many bombing and flight time recordsfor A3 squadrons.1962 - Topped all other Atlantic Fleet Heavy AttackSquadrons by 750 flight hours for the year. Receivedthe Atlantic Fleet ("E")for the second time in threeyears.

participated in action at Guam, Peleliu and LeyteGulf. In one span from April, 1944 toDecember,1944, VC-5 flew 2273 combat sorties anda total of 7527.4 hours. The squadron returned tothe United States following the war and wasdecommissioned on 1 October 1945.The "official" origin dates from the commissioning ofVC-5 at Moffett Field, California in 1948. Thesquadron was known as the "Grim Reapers" and flewthe P2V-3 Neptune until March 1950 when the firstof the North American AJ-1 "Savage" aircraft wasreceived. The squadron moved to Norfolk, Virginia inlate 1950, and to NAS Jacksonville, Florida in 1952,deploying twice to Port Lyautey, Morocco during thisperiod. In February 1955 the squadron moved toSanford, Florida, and with the new nickname "TheSavage Sons of Sanford".Flying the AJ "Savage", the "Savage Sons" won thefirst HATWING ONE Bombing Derby in the Spring of1957. In October of the same year, the "SavageSons" won the second HATWING ONE BombingDerby, flying the new A3D "Skywarrior". During theperiod from January 1958 until January 1968 thesquadron underwent many changes, both in missionand aircraft. Highlights of this period were:

years.1963 - Transitioned to North American RA5C,changing the squadron's primary mission frombombing to tactical reconnaissance.1964 - Became first operational squadron to deploywith RA5C. Deployed on USS RANGER (CVA-61) andplayed a key role in early combat operations overVietnam.1965-1966 Deployed to the Mediterranean aboardthe Navy's newest attack carrier, USS AMERICA(CVA-66).1967 - Deployed to the Mediterranean aboard USSAMERICA parti­cipating in extensive sea surveillanceduring the Israel-Egyptian crisis.In April 1968, the "Savage Sons of Sanford' departedNAS Sanford for the last time. The squadron homeport would be changed to NAS Albany, Georgia priorto their return from that deployment. RVAH-5 leftCONUS in May 1968 on an eight month deploymentto Southeast Asia embarked in USS CONSTELLATION(CVA-64). The squadron was engaged in Air WingFOURTEEN combat operations, flying pre-strike,bomb damage assessment, and electronicreconnaissance. RVAH-5 remained in WESTPAC untilJanuary 1964 when it returned to its new home atNAS Albany.

RVAH-5RVAH-5 / Vietnam / Cold WarDuring the Vietnam War, RVAH-5 completed fivecombined Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and Vietnamdeployments, and two Atlantic / Mediterranean(LANT/MED) deployments on the following carriers:

5 August 1964 – 6 May 1965, USS Ranger, WESTPACand Vietnam30 November 1965 - 10 July 1966, USS America,LANT/MED10 January - 20 September 1967, USS America,LANT/MED29 May 1968 – 31 January 1969 USS Constellation,

WESTPAC and VietnamOn 25 November 1968, RA-5C BuNo 149293 was lostin combat.[The pilot, CDR Ernest Stamm, ejectedsuccessfully, was captured, but died in captivity on16 January 1969 as a POW in North Vietnam; he wasposthumously promoted to CAPT and his remainswere returned to the United States in March 1974.The navigator, LTJG Richard Thum was killed duringthe shootdown and his remains were returned to the

RVAH-5 / Cold War21 June 1974 - 23 December 1974, RVAH-5 wasembarked on USS Constellation for a WESTPACdeployment. Budgetary pressures following the endof the Vietnam War force the Department of Defenseto again close several stateside air bases, to includeNAS Albany, Georgia. Following completion of its1974 deployment, RVAH-5 shifts home stations fromNAS Albany to NAS Key West, Florida.30 January 1976 - 7 September 1976, RVAH-5 wasembarked aboard USS Ranger for a WESTPAC/IndianOcean deployment.Attrition of airframes and the increasingmaintenance and flight hour costs of the RA-5C in aconstrained defense budget environment forced theNavy to incrementally retire the RA-5C and sunsetthe RVAH community beginning in mid-1974. Carrier-based reconnaissance was concurrently conductedby the active duty VFP community at NAS Miramarand the Naval Reserve VFP community at AndrewsAFB / NAF Washington with the RF-8G Crusader until29 March 1987, when the last RF-8G was retired and

the shootdown and his remains were returned to theUnited States in September 1977.[

Budgetary pressures of the Vietnam War force theDepartment of Defense to close several stateside airbases, to include NAS Sanford, Florida. Upon returnfrom their 1968-1969 deployment, RVAH-1 shiftshome stations from NAS Sanford to the formerTurner AFB, renamed NAS Albany, Georgia.14 October 1969 – 1 June 1970, USS Ranger,WESTPAC and Vietnam11 June 1971 – 12 February 1972, USS Enterprise,WESTPAC and Vietnam16 November 1972 – 23 June 1973, USS Ranger,WESTPAC and Vietnam.

29 March 1987, when the last RF-8G was retired andthe fast reconnaissance mission was fully transferredto the active duty and Naval Reserve VF communityat NAS Miramar, NAS Oceana, NAS Dallas and NASJRB Fort Worth as a secondary role with the FuaryTomcat equipped with the Tactical AirReconnaissance Pod System (TARPS).Following its return from its final Western Pacificdeployment in September 1976, RVAH-5 commencedthe inactivation process and was finally inactivatedat NAS Key West on 30 September 1977 followingover 29 years of active service.

Group photograph of personnel of the U.S. NavyReconnaissance Attack Squadron RVAH-5 Savage Sonsjust prior to the squadron's disestablishment on 30September 1977. In the background is one of thesquadron's North American RA-5C Vigilante aircraft(BuNo 156631). The photo was probably taken at NavalAir Station Key West, Fl. (USA).Date1977

RVAH- 5

The Funny Page

From “Boom” Powell:Would you do me a favor and run this in the nextVigilante Newsletter. Many thanks. Yours aye, Boom

Specialty Press (the publisher who did my history oflanding aboard ship, WAVE OFF!) has asked me to do abook on the A3J-1/RA-5C Vigilante. There are sevensoftbound titles,(including mine for Osprey) some ofwhich go back many years, and Specialty feels anew,10"x 10" hardbound book about the A3J/RA-5Cwould fill a big gap in the book market today.

While much has been published, I know thereare still stories out there which should be told. Not tomention photos buried in albums and drawers. Myrequest to all of you who were in the Vigi community isto send me your stories, manuals, instructions,citations, pictures, etc. The book will cover VAH(Savages and Skywarriors) which led up the A3J, thenthe concept and development of the Vigilante itself.Personal memories throughout the entire life of theVigi—and beyond (restorations and displays)—will addinterest to the book.

If you cannot scan appropriate photographs orslides or even negatives, send them to me and I willreturn the originals. This also applies to any othermaterial.

With your help this book will be the most

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which is annually onDecember 7, commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, inHawaii, during World War II. Many American service men andwomen lost their lives or were injured on December 7, 1941.National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also referred to asPearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day.On the direction of the President, the flag of the United States ofAmerica should be displayed on the homes of Americans, theWhite House and all United States government buildings. Theflag should be flown at half-mast to honor those who died in theattack on Pearl Harbor.Many associations, especially those linked with Pearl Harborsurvivors or those who died from the attack, participate inspecial services to commemorate the event. Memorial servicesare held at venues such as the USS Arizona Memorial in PearlHarbor.BackgroundOn Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, the American Army andNavy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the ImperialJapanese Navy. The attack came as a surprise to the AmericanArmy and Navy and lead to great losses of life and equipment.With your help this book will be the most

comprehensive coverage of the Vigilante story ever.R.R. “Boom” Powell Vigihawk@gmail.com

Army and Navy and lead to great losses of life and equipment.More than 2000 American citizens were killed and more than1000 were injured. The Americans also lost a large proportion oftheir battle ships and nearly 200 aircraft that were stationed inthe Pacific region. More than 60 Japanese servicemen werekilled, injured or captured. The Japanese Navy also lost fivemidget submarines and 29 aircraft.The Japanese military had hoped that the attack on Pearl Harborwould prevent the United States of America from increasing herinfluence in the Pacific. However, the events in Pearl Harboractually led to the escalation of World War II. The day after theattack, the United States declared war on Japan and so enteredWorld War II. President Franklin Roosevelt in a speech toCongress stated that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was “a datewhich will live in infamy”. Shortly afterwards, Germany alsodeclared war on the United States. In the months that followedthe attack, the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” swept theUnited States and radio stations repeatedly played a song of thesame name.In 1991, which marked the 50th anniversary of the attack onPearl Harbor, the United States Congress established the PearlHarbor Commemorative Medal. This is also known as the PearlHarbor Survivor's Medal and can be awarded to any veteran ofthe United States military who were present in or around PearlHarbor during the attack by the Japanese military. The medalcan be awarded to civilians, who were killed or injured in theattack.

Please Note:: This article was originally planned for theDecember Newsletter but it got bumped by the SpecialHoliday Newsletter – Sorry it’s late!!Editor

Welcome to Our New Members!Welcome to our new members of RecceNet!

THE GEAR LOCKER IS MOVING!!Please keep an eye out for the new location

on the RecceNet website.Until then, the Gear Locker is temporarily

closed!

RVAH-12 ReunionThe RVAH-12 Reunion was postponed due to

Hurricane Irma! The new date will be announcedsometime in the future!

From: Robert Winter : Subject RVAH3 Aircraft addition

Remember this aircraft?Nicknamed Building 200 This pictaken in Eluthera BahamasRVAH 3 DC3

John Morales

John H. Low

Rube Ross

Kevin ONeil

Larry Lassise

Harold Kiesewetter

Welcome aboard shipmates!“Attention All Hands! There are men working inthe sail. Do not raise, lower, rotate or radiate

from any mast or antenna. There are menworking in the sail."

Shoppers!Even though the Gear Locker is temporarily out ofcommission, there are still alternatives…Here are some Navy items that you can pick up!If you go to Amazon, and type in “US Navy RVAH” and/or“US Navy RA5C” in the Search box, you will find all sorts ofstuff.And I don’t know about y’all, but I do love my coffee and Ihave a collection of mugs… this will be my newestaddition to the collection – Available at Amazon -

Harold Kiesewetter

Seymour Baer

JanuaryBirthdays!

Happy Birthday,Ya Swabs!

You know you’re getting old whenyour favorite childhood toys showup on “American Pickers” asantiques…

Paul R. Williams 16-JanuaryBilly Smith 16-January

Scott (Goatroper) Moses 16-JanuaryBill Usher 17-January

Charles Ziliani JR 18-JanuarySanford A. Mullet 19-January

Michael A. Perryman 19-JanuaryTerry D. Wickland 19-January

Keith W. McMullen 19-JanuaryPhillip Calkins 20-JanuaryChuck Huber 21-January

Robert J. Young 22-JanuaryJeffery J. Robertson 22-January

John Vermillion 22-JanuaryJames W. Caulder jr 22-January

H Steve Hazelton 22-JanuaryDonald Hawk 23-January

Michael Rosselle 23-JanuaryGehl Benjamin Brabant 23-January

Eric D. Peterson 23-JanuaryGeorge P. Duport 23-January

Arthur "Mike" Standridge 24-JanuaryGreg Fussell 24-January

F. Dainer 1-JanuaryRaymond D. Jones 1-January

Keith Dennis 1-JanuaryDave Shaffer 1-JanuaryDave Fiack 1-January

Ronald Duval 1-JanuaryStephen F. Bokros 2-January

David Bickel 4-JanuaryJohn Eckel 5-JanuaryM. Monroe 5-January

Osker Dugger 5-JanuaryJohn Eckel 5-January

Rodney D. Chapman 5-JanuaryTom Gillespie 6-JanuaryKen Witherby 7-January

Dan Vander Meer 7-JanuaryJames W. Staton Jr. 7-January

David W. Gerdes 7-JanuarySean Mullaly 7-JanuaryJoe Nelson 8-January

Steve Josephus 8-JanuaryRick Adams 8-January

Michael Kitson 9-January Greg Fussell 24-JanuaryTravis Pence 24-January

Alain (Frenchie) Boniec 25-JanuaryMark B. Lamprey 25-JanuaryMerle (Pete) Dack 26-January

John Ciffone 27-JanuaryBasil F. (Woody) Woodard 27-January

David A. Turner 27-JanuaryGeorge Shattuck 28-January

Lee Schoonmaker 28-JanuaryAndy Shupe 28-January

Donald Kisker 29-JanuaryChris Nozzarella 30-January

Dennis Kimberlin 30-JanuarySteuart N. Hall (Nick) 30-January

John Highland 30-JanuaryKevin Pruitt 31-January

Jay Krall 31-JanuaryJohn Blum 31-January

Michael Kitson 9-JanuaryJames O. Miller II 10-January

Laura Klein 10-JanuaryRotten Ralph Feeback 10-January

David H. Small 10-JanuaryJohn Martin 10-JanuaryJohn Meyer 11-January

Rickey B. Martin 12-JanuaryPhilip J. Mulberry 12-January

Bob Bruno 12-JanuaryWalter E. Sudol 13-JanuaryRobert Harker 13-January

Michael McInnis 14-JanuaryThomas W. Flowers 14-January

Philip L. O'Brien 14-JanuaryDavid I. Mackie 15-JanuaryJohn M Huckno 15-January

Keene Little 15-JanuaryJames E. (Jay) Langley 15-January

Dale A. Hunt 15-JanuaryJeffrey Amick 43 16-January