VAH-10 Shipmates
ANDERSON, Dave deonanddave@sedona.net "...I was assigned to VP-42 from 1967 until it was decommissioned in 1969. Then I went to VAH-10 until 1970. Just retired from AT&T would love to here from old friends. Thanks to Ken McKenzie for telling us about this site..." [15APR2000]
FAAS, ARM3 Dan c/o Mr. Frank Holmes Circa 1944 fholmes101@aol.com "...I retired from the Navy in Nov '68 & lived in Oak Harbor right outside NAS & they have had many FAW-4 Reunion at the CPO club & golf tournaments & I know some people in passing. I never went to the Reunions, but I would ask people who had attended. If they mentioned the "SCOUTS" NADA. I said that's how they treated us, so why would it be any different now. In fact. I just attended a reunion for Heavy Attack Squadron Ten, VAH-10. I was in it on the USS Constellation CVA-64 when the Viet Nam fiasco started in 1964. I also belong to the Fleet Reserve Association and (VP-45) Patron Forty Five Assn, an outfit I was in for 4 yrs. During the Korean affair NAS Norfolk, Virginia & NAS Coco Solo, Panama, Canal Zone flying PBM-5s. I guess I've been in every sort of outfit imaginable. I started in PBYs, went to a VJ-3 outfit utility squadron, then to VS-48, to instructor duty in NAS Corpus Christi, Texas to NAS Memphis, Tennessee to VF-61 NAS Oceana, Va. We had F8F's made a North Atlantic Cruise on FDR straight deck. Came back and got F9Fs. They didn't rate any Aviation Radiomen & I got transferred to USS USS Valcour (AVP-55) as an RM TX to VP-45 PBM - shore duty NAS Boca Chica, Florida & flew in F3D's radar operator. Then to "B" school in Memphis - to Hawaii 56-59 VW-12 Early Warning Squadron, flew many 16 hour flights WV-2 (Constellations). Changed rate from AL1 to AT1 and got transferred to next hangar VP-6 and deployed to Japan for 7 months flying off Kaua & USSR measuring their radar & locating them & getting chased by MIG's. Every hop was 14-16 hours. Used the jets and the recips for take off, carried 4000 gallons of fuel. Shore duty again, a RAG outfit VAH-123. I was electronic shop chief, we had 30 A/C and lots of maintenance. I did fly for a while as a radioman in a P2V-3 till they got A3D2T's & A3D2Q's & A3D2P's (thats trainer/transport) "q" countermeasure & "P" photo plus basic A3D2. They called it shore duty - we had three shifts around the clock plus I was making carrier quals every month or so. Lets see Coral Sea CVA-43, Bon Homme Richard CVA-31, Ticonderoga CVA-14, Independence CVA-62, Lexington CV-16. More sea duty VAH-10 A3D2, could have flown as a crewman. By that time I had in 20 & declined -- let the young studs do that. Med 9 month cruise in '63 and 1 yr in '64 (Viet Nam) I was gone 30 mos out of a 3 year tour. When we came back from Viet Nam in 3 mos they sent our squadron to Air Group 1 on the FDR for a Med cruise. About that time my children were young teenagers & I figured I had enough of that BS so I got shore duty at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington in VAH-123 again. Formed VA-128 Light Attack with A-6s and the RAG outfit. I was Electronics shop Chief again & some BS. Going on carrier qual for pilots. They had beach dets and ship dets. Seemed like I always got the ship det. While on the FDR I was CAG Maintenance Chief. The ship was out of Mayport, Fla. When we went on carrier quals on the Independence, we flew to NAS Norfolk, Virginia to get aboard & the Lexington out of NAS Pensacola, Florida all the other carrier quals were out of NAS Alameda, California or NAS North Island, San Diego, California & Fleet Logistic A/C junk. Now they have nice jet transports. That's all behind now. I worked for the Navy for about 9 years as a electronic tech then the FAA and my wife and I went to Alaska over the Arctic Circle as a electronic tech. It was like living in the 20's and 30's, no TV and not much radio. We were at a place called Bettles Field a lot of local flying in small planes. I maintained equipment VHF for over the poles flights, they talked to Anchorage but was all keyed through our equipment. Also had TACAN & OMNI also had glide slope equipment. I had to maintain teletype equipment as an electronic tech. But the money was in the wage grade positions so when an opening came, I Tx to Juneau where I had the teletype shop. I took care of all the teletype in SE Alaska for the FAA & Weather Service. There were 8 people in Anchorage that took care of the rest of Alaska. So when I had 40 years service I quit. For a number of years we had a 5th wheel trailer and did the snow bird bit to Arizona & California, even went to Key West and Corpus Christi played a lot of golf. Had 2 children,daughter Sidney & Mark. Sid born in Panama, Mark in Memphis. Sid worked around the world in banking London, Jobere, Melbourne, Vienna, NYC. Then she decided to work out of Seattle. We sold our house out of Oak Harbor, Whidbey Is and we live with her. Mark lives in Reston, he is a heavy truck mechanic and has our two grand persons. Lets see who have I run into. There was a fellow named Bass in Dutch and he made Ens there. That was in 44-45. In '45 I went aboard the FDR and who should be the JOOD but Ens Bass. In the early 50s flew from NAS Coco Solo, Panama, Canal Zone to NAS Norfolk, Virginia to go to a FAETU School & Fleet exercises & ran into "Scratch", we called him that, his name Gene Foreman AOM3/c, I know 3 incidents involving ordnance he had a hand in -- two in Dutch Harbor. I ran into Mr Mathwick in Memphis in 1955. He was a Commander and the Legal Officer. Also Burt Johnson - he was another radioman at Dutch. He got married while we were back to Seattle to train for the SBW4Es. I was his best man and I got married a week or so later and he was my best man. They came up and visited us a few years back. Also Bill Pietz, we visited them in Calif when we went there several times. I also ran into Pena AOM3/c in Corpus in 1946. Also ran into Ortega AM1/c , I'm sure he stayed in & retired. I have a lot of pictures (snapshots). I'm looking at a 8x10 of Det 3 Dutch Harbor. It was taken while Johnson, Peitz and I were back in Seattle. 14 EMs and 4 Officers and I have all the names on the back. I have a nice picture I think of an SBD Taxiing in blowing snow. I also have some of the new birds SBW4Es and the USS Teal AVP-5. In case you are wondering I didn't get to fly back with the planes, came back on the Teal - 65 normal complement, 250 VS48 people. Sleep where you can find a place. 19 days from Dutch Harbor. I slept in the main whale boat. I had a sleeping bag. Most people slept on army cots on the fan tail except we hit the tail end of a typhoon and everybody had to sleep inside. For a few days we only made 1 knot, a real rough ride. After we hit the inside passage they dropped the hook every night, didn't seem like they were in any gig hurry to get back. Say, I'm running out of spit. Maybe you can make some sense out of all this rambling..." [20JUN2005]
HAMMOND, AOCS Edwin G. Retired 67sled@comcast.net "...I was stationed with VQ-1 in 1962-63 in NAS Atsugi, Japan. I was Aide-De-Camp to Master Chief Renner and worked in the Ordnance Shop. I served with Heavy Attack squadrons VAH-4, VAH-10 and VAH-123 and A6A's in VA-145 from 1960 til 1969, on Active Duty. I was with VP-69 as an Ordnance Aircrewman from Feb 1970 til retirement in Dec of 1989. Active with the PBY Memorial Foundation Command Display at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington Seaplane base as a Docent for the Command Display..." [BIO Updated 24NOV2009 | E-Mail Updated 24JUL2007 | 01FEB98]
HANSEN, Kelly D. keldar@uswest.net "...I would like to know if anybody was in VAH-10 from 1966-1968. If so, please contact me. Also, does anybody know if HatRon-10 is still alive and kicking? I have not been in touch with anybody from the squadron in about 27 years. When I got out August 7, 1968, Commander Quinn was my CO. Any information would be appreciated, thank you..." [18SEP2000]
MURPHY, AWC Raymond F. Retired ray@wiztronics.com "...Joined VP-69 in 1981 as AW1 out of LAMPS community. Served with the Totems till June of 1992 when transferred to ASWOC/TSC NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. Thoroughly enjoyed flying as SS3 in the P-3. Retired out of the ASWOC/TSC on 1 November 1992 as an AWC. Will always consider VP-69 to be one of the finest Squadrons I ever served with. And I served with VAH-2, VAH-10 and RVAH-3 as an A3 Crewman. Also served with HSL-31 and HSL-35 as a LAMPS MK1 Sensor/SAR Crewman. Had the honor of being the initial Flight Test Crewman for the SH-60B program back at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in the late seventies..." [14APR2000]
PALMER, Don mauser9@aol.com "...I served with VP-2 (68-69). Fond memories of NS Sangley Point, Philippines, CRB, and Tainan. After serving 24 yrs in the Navy, the VP was the best. Other sqds were VA-122, VAH-10, VP-69, VF-301, VA-303 and VAK-208. Staff duty in NAR NAS Alameda, California, CVWR-30, NAR San Diego, and COMHELWINGRES NORIS. Anyone know what happened to VP-2 Shipmates Lt Swanner or AN Jim Nolan?..." [27NOV98]
SALISBERRY, AMH3 Gary texgab@windstream.net "...I served with VAH-123 and VAH-10 (1960-1962)..." [01SEP2013]
SPRINGGATE, PH Robert "Bob" bspringgate@hotmail.com "...Went to boot camp at NAS Sand Point, Seattle, Washington in December of 1965. The Navy started me out training to be an ADR. Then we got P-3 Orions, so they decided I'm make a good ADJ. They were wrong. Ended up working in the photo lab and earning my PH designation. Probably not the best career move, as the only way to move up as a photographer is to wait for another photographer to die. Eventually went on active duty to NAS Whidbey Island, Washington in September of 1967, where I joined "the Heavies", the VAH squadrons. Deployed with VAH-10 onboard USS Coral Sea in Sept. of 1968..." [09MAR2010]
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