Re: Fav CAG story (was Re: US Navy nose cone colours?)

>  Here's 'nother CAG/Tomcat story -- during one of the "killer May"
>evolutions, we ran out of F-14s, literally. 

Ha!  That Ubangi A-7 pilot that got to be "fighter pilot for a day" couldn't
have been happier - the May inbound looked like all the previous ones, except
it had an A-7 "fighter escort"!   The Tomcat hung off to the side, as if it
didn't want to be seen in the same formation :)) 

> The only up jet was the
>one CAG was flying as all the alerts kept going down on deck.  Sooooo,
>we tanked him and kept him airborne...for 5 or 6 cycles as I recall (I
>remember passing him off to the oncoming E-2 as we RTB'd, sometimes
>it's good not to have IFR capability).  I also recall he was kind of
>stiff when he finally landed and got out of the jet 

LOL

>
>  My first encounter w/CAG came during my first underway period
>(workups) as a newly minted NFO (Ensign-type) standing my very first
>SDO watch underway.  Our CO was standing in for CAG at 8 o'clock
>reports that night (cue the foreboding music).  He had had a long
>night/day already and when he got back from his flight, headed for the
>rack, asking me to wake him about .5 prior to 8 o'clocks.  "Sure
>skipper, no problem"  1805 and CAG office called "politely" asking (as
>only the 5MC would permit) (a) where is the CO for 8 o'clocks and (b)
>for my presence in CAG office, pronto.  Stopped by, woke up CO enroute
>who rolled his eyes and said he'd meet me there (CAG Office).  After
>cooling my heels for a few tension filled minutes, I was summoned in
>whereupon CAG thundered "Ensign, why wasn't your CO at 8 o'clocks and
>just what the h*ll were you thinking?"  I looked him straight on and
>said (quite honestly, I might add...) "Jeez CAG, I thought 8 o'clocks
>went down at 8 o'clock....?"  The choking sound I heard I later
>attributed to CAGOPS trying not to laugh out loud.  CAG stopped, tried
>to say something and finally just threw me out of the office...  Of
>course, our SWO made sure I got the requisite training all new SDOs
>should get, as well as ample opportunity to put said training to
>practice for the next week :/

Beats my first encounter with him.  I was a pup, not old enough to
drink/shave/vote/etc., and our first portcall was the Bahamas.  Remember the
Playboy Club?  I ditched my E-1-to-E-3 friends and raced to that club's
bar/casino and had myself an awful tasting tequila sunrise.  While I was busy
trying to not blow it out on the floor, the slightly surly gent beside me at
the bar looked on as if I was going to be first to be voted off the island.  No
uniform, but I could tell by the way he growled that he was used to giving
orders to 17 year olds...  I found another seat and switched to Tres
Generations (good call!), while he sat alone at the end of the bar with all his
'friends'.  Back on the boat, I passed him one day and realized I had had a
close brush with CAG.  To show how much of a kid I was, I honestly thought CAG
and the Air Boss were the same guy - and I was used to the Boss bellowing for
me by then. 

"Plane Captain, Seven Four Seven, man your damned aiiiirrrrrrplane!"  I used to
hear that one in my sleep.

- obviously. :))

Will, have you ever written it all down?  I bet you could put together
something with a career like yours.  If you need pix of Ike, let me know - I
took hundreds on that cruise (already looked - I have a couple good shots of
one of your birds on the cat at readiness, but unforch its a bit soft focused).

v/r
Gordon