http://tailstrike.com/070494.htm

“Cockpit Voice Recorder Database

…7 April 1994 – Fedex 705”

I also served in COMCARGRU 3, the reserve carrier group that evaluates the battle readiness of active duty carrier groups per JTFEX and COMPTUEX. You wouldn’t believe the number of former carrier aviators who fly for FEDEX. Or, maybe you would.

It happened.

The Sailors on that fig 7 performed many remarkable feats. The skipper recalled one sailor who kept an emergency pump operating for over 24 hours. I don’t recall the details of the pump or the Sailor’s name off the top of my head. But the pump required careful attention and maintenance to operate as long as it did. You really had to go to a C school to learn how to operate it. This Sailor hadn’t, so later skip asked him about it.

It turned out the Sailor didn’t know how to swim. And he had looked at the shark and sea snake infested waters of the Gulf and decided, whatever he had to do, he was going to keep the Sammy B. afloat. He did. He learned what he had to learn on the job.

He was a black man, BTW. I throw that tidbit out as bait for anyone who wants to accuse conservatives of being racists. I don’t care how white the New York Times newsroom is, that Sailor gets my vote and has my confidence every time. Hands down.

Lost in all this is the namesake of the ship(s). Attention to citation:

“For extraordinary heroism as member of the crew of a Higgins boat assisting in the rescue of a group of marines surrounded by enemy Japanese forces on a beachhead on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on September 27, 1942. Although he knew that his boat was to be used for the purpose of drawing enemy fire away from other craft evacuating the trapped marines, Roberts, with utter disregard for his own personal safety, volunteered as member of the crew, with his lightly armored boat stationed in an exposed position, he gallantly remained at his post until, at the close of operations, he was wounded by enemy fire. By his great valor and fearless devotion to duty he contributed directly to the success of his mission, saving the lives of many who otherwise might have perished.”

Rest in peace, Samuel Booker Roberts.

I often have a similar reaction as Snoper here, but to martial arts or military history productions. Or to put it into another parlance, stage fights on Hollywood and various other things people think is real or realistic.

These days, I just overlook those issues and suspend my disbelief. There’s no particular reason for me to expect producers of media to get the details right. Even if they have expert testimony, authorities, and personal experience with such, unless I’m reenacting and reconstructing the incidents in question, I can make no guarantees that anyone else could pull it off. Besides, most things in sword fights and art of war, is designed to deceive and be invisible. It’s not designed to be seen or marveled out. Got a cross purpose issue. Although these days with first person cams and movies like ‘Henry’, perhaps the times are changing.

For ATC, I would probably pretend that they were on strike during Reagan’s era or something of that nature.

How could all concerned keep functioning ( fighting and flying a large commercial airliner) with these kinds of injuries? How could all four of them even remain conscious?

Co-pilot Tucker and pilot in command Sanders were Navy. I gather from the video, although it’s strongly implied, they were naval aviators. Which means the Marines had a say in it. And the Marines wouldn’t let weakness slip by.

Not to take anything away from the other services. A good friend (whom I have unfortunately lost track of over the decades) at the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center was prior enlisted in the Army. He was a Green Beret in his former life. He told me about a time he was training in hand-to-hand combat. He got stabbed in the leg. He said it felt like somebody hit him with a baseball bat. He sat down, looking at the knife sticking out of his leg. His officer came by and said, “What are you going to do, son, in real life? Just sit down and die?” My friend thought to himself, “You know what, he’s right.” He stood up and completed the training evolution, knife in thigh and all, before seeking medical attention.

You can do more than you think you can. And I’m no Green Beret or SEAL. If you are willing. The Navy left it to the Marines to weed out the unwilling when it came to aviation. The will to win, the SEALs say, is more important than the skill to win.

http://de413.org/2011/05/08/silver-star-to-paul-henry-carr/

“THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Washington

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the
SILVER STAR MEDAL posthumously to

PAUL HENRY CARR, GUNNER’S MATE THIRD CLASS
UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Gun Captain of a 5″/38 Mount on the USS Samuel B. ROBERTS, in action against enemy Japanese forces off Samar Island during the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, October 25, 1944. With the power of the rammer lost and mechanical failures in the ammunition hoist, CARR manned his station steadfastly in the face of continuous close-range fire of enemy guns during an attack by a numerically superior Japanese surface force on the Samuel B. Roberts. By his outstanding technical skill and courageous initiative, CARR was instrumental in causing rapid and heavy fire from the gun to inflict damage upon an enemy heavy cruiser. Although mortally wounded by the premature detonation of a powder charge, fired by hand, CARR tried unassisted to load and ram the only projectile available to that mount after order to abandon ship had been given. His aggressive determination of duty reflected the highest credit upon CARR and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.”

For the President,
/s/ James Forrestal
Secretary of the Navy”

Carr was ripped open from crotch to throat. The Sammy B. had suffered sufficient damage that the air injection system, which evacuated the gases from the receiver and bore of the 5″ gun he commanded, was inoperative. So the final round his gun mount would ever fire cooked off before his crew could close the breech block, killing his crew and gutting him like a fish. After his skipper ordered abandon ship he was dragged from his gun mount once. He had fired every round from his handling room save one. After he was dragged out, he crawled back in to attempt to fire the last round. He died at his station.

I do not recognize this navy that surrenders boats to the Iranians and cries.

“”

Wow, I just spent 46 minutes of billable time at work watching this. I meant to just just glance at it and then come back to it after work but couldn’t stop watching….

How could all concerned keep functioning ( fighting and flying a large commercial airliner) with these kinds of injuries? How could all four of them even remain conscious?

http://vaviper.blogspot.de/2013/09/rita-hayworth-is-stayin-alive.html

I remember my DI’s name, though. No one ever forgets that.