"qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote in message
ups.com...

Diamond Jim wrote:
"qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote in message
ups.com...

Boomerang wrote:
Doesn't the last line of the first paragraph say "SGT, USMC"?

When I went to El Toro, MCAS on a X/C, about a hundred years
ago(actually in 1974), with my primary instructor in VT-25(Dave
McNally, foto F-4 pilot)., he introduced me to one of the last(last?)
USMC enlisted pilots. Flew 2 hole 'E'A-6Bs..very cool.


Hummmmmm? You sure about that date? The last four Marine Enlisted Pilots
(NAP's) retired at the same time on Feb 1st 1973. The last Navy Enlisted
Pilot (NAP) retired on Jan 31, 1981. The last Coast Guard one retired
sometime in 1979? I believe.

I started flying in advanced in Jan 1974..went on a X/C with him to El
Toro between that time and July, 1974...Could it have been a NFO type?.
Enlisted NFO flying in queer A-6, two holers..Altho I remember when I
started and fisnished the X/C WAS (ouch!) 32 years ago.

IIRC there were some enlisted Marine back seaters in the F-4's early on, but
I think that all of them eventually became LDO's or Warrants. (The Marines
needed back-seaters quickly and transioned some radar operators into the
job.

There is no telling what went in those "Queers" grin or came out of them
either. big grin. It could be very likely that some of the enlisted
electronic spooks from the Marine Radio Battalion rode in the EA-6A's, I
know they flew with their Navy spook counterparts in the EC-121
Constellations. (We will just refer to all these aircraft as generic
EC-121's even though there were many different designations used for them).
I believe these same Marine spooks were also seen in EA-3's, various
electronic A-1's, P-2/O-2 Neptunes on the USS Liberty, USS Pebulo, and on
"Red Crown" crusiers offshore of NViet. IIRC wasn't their one of these
Marine stowaways on the P-3 that was in the air-to-air fender bender with
the Chineese F-8 a few years back? There is no telling where else they hung
around at.


However they may have been a few Marines, former NAP's, that were not on
flight status, or who held commisions the retired after that. But those
four
were the last Enlisted Marine Pilots that were flying. If someone wants
the
names, I can contact a friend and get them. He has a copy of the ALMAR
(All
Marine Message that announced their retirement).