A Love Story that is 48 years old this D-Day 2014: It is the 6th of June, again. I hope this day never fades from my memory. It was the 22nd anniversary of D-Day in 1966, the 70th here in 2014 . . . yep 48 years has slipped away. This is the day the US Airborne dropped in during the night and the allies went ashore at Normandy Beach to face Germany in WWII. For me in 1966 - it was the day I should have been departing Quonset Point, RI “on leave” to be with this wonderful gal. I had asked Rebecca Annette Holt’s parents the previous August for their permission to marry. Looking back, we knew a lot and yet “so little” about each other. Odd how differently I think today - but - on that Monday morning - somewhere off the coast of Bermuda - anxiety was a building for me. We had been at SEA on the USS Wasp for over a week now. I was on board my aircraft in final preparations for the initial recovery launch from the, prime recovery vessel for the Gemini space capsule, which had been orbiting a few days. Our VS-31 Squadron fixed wing Stoofs were to fly into the drop zone to guide the helicopters carrying the Frogmen and flotation gear to the capsule’s splashdown location. Shortly before engine start - a sonic boom was audible and the air boss announced over the channel to abort our launch. Exiting the cabin I was able to watch the plume of the Gemini 9’s parachute as it descended to the ocean’s surface (in line of site) from the top of our aircrafts wings - still folded. Very shortly, the flotation device was attached, dye markers deployed. THE THING was clearly visible as the Carrier began to steam over to come along-side the bobbing Gemini capsule. It seemed like no time till the capsule was plucked from the SEA and lowered into a cradle on the carrier’s rear port elevator. A common socket spinner wrench was used to open the space capsule’s hatches. Then out stepped astronauts Stafford and Cernan. [As fate would have it I would meet Gene Cernan again, years later, attending a UCLA management class.] With the Capsule safely aboard and some brief ceremonies in the lower hanger deck, the astronauts were catapulted on flights back to Cape Kennedy and the big boat began to steam back toward Boston. Before the evening mess, my crew captain, Commander Evens (who was also VS 31’s Executive Officer) summoned me to his quarters. In the days prior to the recovery I had been informed that the squadron could fly me to Bermuda as soon as was aboard. The capsules return was 11 days late at this point. All this was based on the assumption I could get enough money together (which I did from my shipmates.) From Bermuda I would be able to get a commercial flight to Little Rock in time for my wedding on the 12th. All the while my crew (four of us) CMD Evans, LT XYZ (and yes XYZ was how he was referred to and I dont know why) and fellow enlisted member Topham had been riding me with the line - that with the delays in this recovery cruise would save me from “marriage.” CMD Evans just wanted me to know that I was set to depart the next morning onboard the Carrier Onboard Delivery “COD,” better known as the mail plane, for Bermuda. He wished me well. So this day was ending and a near perfect day (though late) was looming. Of course the word spread thru the ranks and the ribbing began to crescendo. The next morning (7 June) I packed had breakfast and reported to the ready room to sign out on leave. There was CMD Evans, LT Gersinslaugher, “GER” for short - the squadron’s Landing Signal Officer, LT XYZ and a co-pilot (I don’t remember) and Gibson, a fellow crewman. While signing my leave papers, CMD Evans informed me that XYZ would be flying me into Searcy AFB, just outside Little Rock. We would be stopping at NAS Norfolk, VA (to refuel) and dropping Gibson off at Tri-Cities airport in Johnson City, TN. Totally shocked at this news . . . I do not remember a thing about what I might have said. In any case, I shifted into the euphoric state. We pre-flighted, boarded our squadron Grumman Tracker and launched behind the COD. We were airborne for NAS Norfolk. In-flight I began to consider many issues, since no one in NLR had any idea about all this. Gibson was to call from Johnson City, where we were scheduled to drop him off . . . just to let the folks know our ETA into Searcy AFB. Without me knowing, GER had told Gibson to tell them he would be landing at the Little Rock Municipal airport. At the moment I don’t remember the details of how he worked this out - I saw the flight plan . . . and . . . it was to Searcy AFB. It wasn’t till Gibson was dropped and we were airborne out of Tri-cities that I was told we would be landing at Little Rock and Rebecca would be there. Thinking back on this, I realize XYZ had dropped the radio channel from my headset. Typically I would have picked this up on this early . . . but this day I had lots of things on my mind. For one, I would only be one day late . . . but I had none of my clothes, where were all back at NAS QP in Rhode Island. I still remember the XYZ - to tower - dialogue after getting on the deck at LR Municipal. The tower air-controllers kept telling him to take taxiway so and so to the transit area. On the intercom he was saying “we ain’t taking no “freaking“(sp) transit taxiway. Then, keying the radio mic “tower, you are breaking up.” Shortly, the Grumman braked at one of the main terminal loading ramps and he shut the starboard engine down. I stuffed my helmet and accessories into my flight bag and slipped out and latched the hatch. I stood out front as he restarted the engine and checking the wing tips, we exchanged salutes and the Grumman revved the engines and began the roll back out to the runway. I turned as a terminal door opened and there was the love of my life, Rebecca, her Dad and a small crowd of folks watching this strange looking plane taxi out and take off. I was about to start the next 33 years (6-12-66) with this wonderful gal, Rebecca. Version 8 (with corrections - 6-6-2014)
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 22:22:32 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015