USS Midway (CV-41) Aircraft Carrier

We're right smack in the middle of US Navy (and Marines) territory.  I wake in the morning to the cadence-driven tromp of Marine recruits doing their morning PT.  I had hoped I'd see some Navy ships while here, but I was quite surprised, (and filled with joy) to find out that the USS Midway (CV-41) was docked about 2 miles away, and had been converted to a museum.  My brother, Kelly, had been stationed on the Midway when she was ported in Japan.

Kelly was a rescue swimmer in the helicopter squadron. He flew Search and Rescue missions, and plane guard missions (where the chopper is in the air during launches and recoveries to retrieve the aviators should their plane go down) This was the type of helicopter he flew in.

When I saw this bird, my heart quickened, and my chest filled with pride, because when I was in the Navy, this was the type of aircraft I worked on. It's an A-7 Corsair II. The "A" indicates that it's an attack aircraft, which translates to bomber.  My first orders were to the A-7 squadron, VA-97, based out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA.

So you can imagine how I felt when I saw this decal on the port side of the bird.... YEAH BABY! That's MY Squadron insignia!

When VA-97 was deployed to my ship, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), it had a "NL" on the tail, and of course "Carl Vinson" instead of "Constellation". It makes me wonder if I had worked on this bird.

As my friend Deb and I walked through the corridors of the ship, she mentioned that my brother's fingerprints were probably all over the ship. I went through the enlisted men's mess, and imagined him sitting there eating sliders and drinking bug juice.  It's quite possible he walked through this very passageway.  It was very strange, because he died in 2004, and I felt like he was there.

Balboa Rendezvous

So now I'm in San Diego for Balboa Rendezvous.  I'm here with my dance partner, Deb, for a weekend of sight-seeing and dancing, as well as fine dining.

We've met and spoke with some interesting people, and I want to share some of their stories.

At the airport in Canton, Deb spoke with the man next to her, asking if his flight was for work, or pleasure.  He said he was flying to Atlanta to see his 22 year old son, who he hadn't seen in 20 years, and his grandson.  That brought a flood of unasked questions to mind...

I was making conversation with our shuttle driver, Sandy.  We were talking about the Navy and Marine bases around, and she mentioned that the USS Midway was now a museum, open to the public.  I stated that my brother had been stationed on the Midway in the 80's, but then informed her that he had died.  She went on to say that her daughter, Amanda, who was 19, had died a month ago in a car wreck.  She said Amanda had her license for a year, and had never been in an accident before, but this was a rainy night, and she lost control of her car while going around a curve.  The young woman hit a propane truck.

While at Balboa Park, we sat in the back of the little trolley that makes it's rounds about the park.  We watched three young children perform a shell game in the seats, first Charlie and his younger brother were sitting together, then brother got up and sat in the back with his sister, Mags.  Their father called for Charlie to come to the back, but he didn't, instead, Mags went up to sit with him.  No sooner had she sat down, than Charlie got up and went to the back to sit in a bench by himself.  We spoke with them a little later and found out they were from Australia, on a 4 month vacation to Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

I've been delinquent...

Haven't posted here in a long time. So much for my 50,000 words!

I've got some new stuff to write, later today.