I flew in the A-3, which we called the Whale, throughout the first half of my naval career, racking up several hundred hours and over forty "cats and traps," or launches and recoveries aboard aircraft carriers. By 1987, while I was still flying (as a crewmember, I'm not a pilot), I didn't fly in the A-3 any more.
In January 1987, one of my sailors at Naval Security Group Activity Athens, Greece, Craig Rudolf, who was deployed to the USS Nimitz, was aboard Ranger 12 when it crashed trying to recover aboard the carrier. Of course, this must have been devastating for the crew's families, but since we were in Athens, we never got a chance to meet them, to grieve with them. But the shipmates of the lost crewmembers were shocked, stunned and greatly saddened at their loss.
This event has stuck with me through the years. At my retirement ceremony almost eight years later, many memories of my twenty years in the Navy flooded through my mind, but foremost among them was the loss of Ranger 12. In fact, I could barely speak through the sobs when the time came for my farewell speech.
I was again overcome by emotion on Tuesday. Fortunately, I was just one of many among those assembled for the ceremony. But it's important for us to remember those who have lost their lives in the service of our country, even though it may be painful.
