To Brent – And All the Boys in the Blue

Us dirt Marines sure appreciated you when we needed you.

The Most Dangerous Job in the World.mp4

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52 Responses to To Brent – And All the Boys in the Blue

  1. Trinity WatersTrinity Waters says:

    Excellent! Thanks for posting the link.

  2. MLHMLH says:

    Thanks for the video, Dev. The middle was hard to watch. Had a wound care patient once (while at Portsmouth NMC, Va) who got his hand sucked into an intake. Lucky: he only lost all 5 digits.

    • DevereauxDevereaux says:

      A lot of people don’t recognize just how dangerous military aviation is. The naval aviator making a carrier landing is basically landing a 150 mph airplane in a controlled crash. His “landing zone” is postage size appearing spot that is pitching and rolling – cuz the ocean is never still. Watch an AF fighter land, and it’s a 5 mile approach and greasing on the runway. Watch a naval aviator (Navy and Marine) and if they don’t pull smoke, it was a lousy landing.

      But regardless of service air crew die. They do so year in and year out. I lost a good friend flight surgeon and a squadron pilot that had managed to survive Nam only to crash in the fields of western Illinois. Grunts don’t die in peace time much – but pilots do.

  3. EThompson says:

    When we civilians are having a bad day, these types of posts truly help boost morale.

    Funny thing about morale; the military manages to produce their own and the rest of us reap the benefits.

    Thanks for sharing this.

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      It is hard to explain, but the stress coping mechanism on board ship is humor. It doesn’t matter what department you are in or what your job, there is always a laugh on board.

      The Shooters and the rest of the Yellow shirts that move us around the deck are a special breed of that humor and we had a sign language all our own.

      The yellow shirts that taxied us around were the only ones that could smart off to us and threaten to fight us and get away with it. That was a two-way street.

  4. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    I love videos that put the spotlight and attention on the Air Department (Blue, Purple, and Yellow Shirts) and the squadron maintainers (Brown, White, Red, and Green Shirts). It is easy to do high res videos with cool music about planes and aircrew, but the guys in this video are the ones that make it happen.

    I was the Line Division Officer (Brown and White Shirts) for Fighter Squadron 213 when we deployed to Iraq in 1995. Greatest experience in the Navy leading those sailors.

    The guy that got sucked down the intake lived. There are stator vanes in front of the first fan of compressor blades that kept him out of there. The engine was destroyed needless to say and I believe he lost his hearing which is awful, but small considering how it could’ve ended up.

    Great video Devereaux and thanks for the props.

    Fly Navy!

  5. EThompson says:

    “It is hard to explain, but the stress coping mechanism on board ship is humor. It doesn’t matter what department you are in or what your job, there is always a laugh on board.”

    I understand this because we all use humor to deflect stress, but I saw more on this video. Totally admire the dedication to the job and yes, the machismo and pride of accomplishment.

  6. NandaNanda says:

    TANKS,RAH! & S/F, All! Wonderful stuff, Dev!

  7. EThompson says:

    As an aside Brent, the “hook” function on a jet landing on the carrier appears to be an extremely dangerous and difficult accomplishment. Pls shed some light on this for civilians.

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      The process is simultaneously simple and complex.

      The aircraft approaches the ship on a 3.5 degree glide slope where we are descending at 6-700 feet per minute.

      Approach speed varies, but the F/A-18’s in the video are 140-150 knots (multiply times ~1.1 to get MPH). Airspeed is key and has to be flown very precisely (not as hard as it sounds) because that determines how high the nose is raised. It should be the exact angle so the landing gear and hook point touch at the same time.

      The glide slope is adjusted to so the hook point touches the deck just behind the 3 wire with the landing gear slightly in front of the 3 wire. The wires are numbered 1 – 4 with the most after wire being #1.

      The wires are huge if you can’t tell from the video. Probably the size of your calf or upper arm. They are routed through a big hydraulically controlled block and tackle system below deck that is adjusted for each type aircraft based on weight and approach speed. The arresting gear engines let the wire out at just the right pace with the proper resistance to slow the jet and stop it right before the edge of the deck.

      Every 100 times the wire is pulled out it gets disconnected from the pendants, pushed overboard, and replaced in a matter of minutes. If it needs replacing while we are recovering they strip it, throw it overboard, and we continue recovering with only 3 wires, not a big deal. Then replace it after the recovery to save time.

      We maintain glide slope by looking at lights on the left side of the deck and maintain centerline of the landing area using the markings and drop lights off the back of the ship.

      Fly the aircraft on speed, on glide slope, on centerline and the landing gear and hook hit at the same time. The hook grabs the wire and go to full power. It feels like you just flew into a wall.

      We go to full throttle in case the hook misses the wire known as a ‘bolter’ so we can fly it off the edge of the deck and try again.

      I once had 5 bolters one night and recovered on my 6th try. Not a fun experience, but we all go through it. It is called a night in the barrel.

      Daytime it was the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Night time never gets comfortable nor should it.

      • EThompson says:

        “Daytime it was the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”

        Giggle.

        I’ve read the ground crew often suffers from severe dermatological reactions to the oil and gas emissions; kudos to those troopers as well.

        • DevereauxDevereaux says:

          5 bolter, huh!? Surprised you had enough gas to make all those approached.

          I once read a great story about the recovery of a flight of 4 Crusader jets back in the old days. The weather was really bad and the last guy ended up following the wake of the destroyer that was following astern in order to find the ship. If I can find it I’ll try to post it. Apparently there was some serious concern about recovering the planes.

        • DevereauxDevereaux says:

          “Daytime it was the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”

          Nope! Firefight!

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      The guys that worked for me liked me and took the hook point off the jet I got my 300th landing in. I use it for doorstop in my office.

  8. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Wow, that is fantastic. I’ve only ever seen long shots of carriers because it highlights the landing, but seeing these great guys and their work is fascinating! Bravo, fellas!

  9. TKC1101TKC1101 says:

    Great video. It shows why we do have an edge with a long legacy of carrier operations. The Russians and Chinese are finding out it is not easy.

    Competence displayed with life or death in the balance.

    Godspeed to them all.

  10. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    The crews in the videos work 12 hour shifts 6 to 6. Those are very long days in some demanding conditions.

    • jzdrojzdro says:

      Hi Brent, That seems nuts, but they obviously stick with that because it works the best. Do you know why they like it better than 4-hour watches or some other arrangement?

      Deveraux, thank you for putting this up.

      It’s nice to see you all here.

      • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

        I bet it is because they only have two full crews to do the work with a buffer of safety. If they had three they would do an 8 hour rotation.

        • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

          *****

          Flight Ops, even Iraq combat ops are generally noon to midnight so that means the flight deck is really active about an hour prior to an hour after. The rest of the time is re-spotting aircraft, maintenance, etc.

          There are only enough guys to run 2 shifts.

          Additionally, air department gets a break following recovery before the next launch.

          The days are long, but if you ask anyone out there better to work 12 hour days and have the time go by.

          • jzdrojzdro says:

            Thanks; the details help so much toward comprehending the thing.

  11. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    I thought of the times in the less than optimal weather conditions. Low light and low visibility is tough enough in a car but …

    In life I like to try and find the person or people who do the work and don’t get the credit. They make life happen. Often times their value is never realized until they are gone. It takes a whole lot of work to get that person in the air.

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      Daytime in the rain was nice because we flew a Case 3 straight in approach. Piece of cake to land off of that unless the deck was pitching.

      The maintenance guys also liked when we flew through the rain and rinsed the salt spray off the jets. If there was a rain squall near the ship or on our way back we would always blast through the rain and give the jet a rinse.

      • jzdrojzdro says:

        Mutuality, the promise and expectation of mutual courtesy and support, operates in a lot of settings.

        When you say something like “Case 3 straight in approach” the taxonomy of the decision tree immediately comes to mind, even to somebody like me who has never heard of “Case 3.” In so many settings, the various actors are not using the same decision tree! So that must have been a sort of lifeline for you, knowing that on that carrier everyone darn well was. Is that accurate? Seems essential, with that, the skill, and the devotion being the sources of success of the enterprise.

  12. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    “Life in the barrel” must have been hard, Brent. You don’t have the option not to try again. Was it hard to shrug it off recenter and focus on the present task instead of kicking yourself?

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      Dime, I am still trying to get life correct and every day is a night in the barrel lately.

  13. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Brent, humor helps a lot. It is a great way of communicating especially between guys. The clever dis brings people together. That is why I try never to joke with you.

    Sure the jerseys and helmets get to showboat but it’s the socks that do all the walking and sweating. Does Brent even remember us? No.

  14. EThompson says:

    Just re-read Howard Wasdin’s book as a member of Team Seal Six to remind myself how difficult it can become to defend our country. Also know there is a lot of controversy about Marcinko.

    Any thoughts on either of them B? It’s hard for civilians to separate the wheat from the chaff.

    • MLHMLH says:

      In my limited, but real, experience, the good special operators are anything but rogue. Rogue gets people killed.

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      I’ve not read either book.

      This is my basic theory on special operators. They have no business writing books about anything remotely related to what they do.

      There are sound strategic, tactical, and professional bearing reasons behind the phrase “silent professional”.

      • MLHMLH says:

        Agreed.

      • EThompson says:

        “There are sound strategic, tactical, and professional bearing reasons behind the phrase ‘silent professional’. ”

        Understood; assume you didn’t approve of Eastwood’s movie either? That film certainly exposed a lot of intricate data particularly regarding Arabic female shills.

        • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

          I don’t watch movies so not sure which one you are referring.

          I just think too many SEALs have gone Hollywood with their books, etc.

          My opinion is that to this day nobody should know SEALs exist. I bet if you had the opportunity to ask a majority of them they would feel similarly.

          • MLHMLH says:

            Yep.
            Don’t see books by USAF Combat Controllers or USA Green Berets. Where did the Nav go wrong?

          • EThompson says:

            Makes sense. I will admit I was somewhat taken aback that the SEAL who actually shot bin Laden went into great detail about that operation on national TV.

            (And I was referring to the film American Sniper” previously.)

  15. RightAnglesRightAngles says:

    Fantastic! (Except for that one part) It was like a ballet.

    • jzdrojzdro says:

      Yep! Better than ballet because done with a purpose – form and function together.

  16. annefyannefy says:

    a whole lot of awesome.

    xo

  17. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Great post, Dev.

  18. DevereauxDevereaux says:

    Just added this link to the original post – to try stuff out that Cotton Buffer speaks of elsewhere.

    • BrentB67BrentB67 says:

      Just another day in the life….

    • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

      I imagine all the gents in this photo ended up in the category, “got ’em, but … fully retracted until further notice”.

      Since we seem to be on a jag of “Don’t try this at home unless you’re a Marine and don’t know any better,” have you seen this: https://youtu.be/uM5AI3YSV3M

  19. DevereauxDevereaux says:

    Nice, Vlad!

    There is no argument Herc’s are some awesome birds. Khe Sahn was kept supplied by those birds coming in, touching the runway with the ramp down, tossing out the hook and getting the supplies pulled out and immediately taking off. Talk to the guys who were there and you learn the gooks starting tubing when the birds showed up low and close. They even hit one I believe. But so many made it through and the Marines got their supplies.

    That said, if you’re ever invited for a crosscountry in one, politely turn them down. You don’t have enough time in your life.

    • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

      I dunno, Dev, I don’t think a Herc could be any slower than the C-54 the Navy offered up for a coast-2-coast Christmas eve ride home. Not unless it taxied all the way, and then at least it wouldn’t hit every freaking bit of air turbulence between Pensacola and NAS Alameda .

      It was the sleigh ride from hell. I was one of the few passengers who managed to avoid using his airsick bag, but by the time we hit the west coast I was as green as the Grinch who stole Christmas.