Enjoying life with my wife Tina, my step daughter Caressa, my grandkids, my new home here in Rockingham and NASCAR. Knee deep in the American Legion and riding my Harley. Working for WIC after taking a year off after retiring in December 2006. Loved my time in the Navy. Went to Great Lakes for boot camp, on to NATTC Millington for AW A school then to VP-31. Had a great time in VP-9, where I grew up and made 3rd and 2nd. back to the RAG. Flew 2500 hours plus in the P-3 and moved on to the Viking world. Went to VS-41 and on to be a Screwbird at VS-33. Made 3 cruises and was VS-33 1986 SOY and picked up AWC. Back to the RAG at VS-41 with a TAD to FCDSSA Point Loma. Help bring the S-3B to the fleet and was selected to CWO. Onto TSC Kadena, learned alot about Tactical paperwork. Flew with VP-1 as an OUTLAW HUNTER GUY, Cool. Was the ASW Evaluator for HSL-51 TORP-EXs. Rode the Indy as the VPLO. Back to VS-41 to become a TACCO. VS-29 was a great time and learned to be a TAO with the DESRON. Made 2 cruises in VS-29, Kitty Hawk and Carl Vinson. A RAG guy again, front seat training on back to Japan with VS-21 and OIF. Those of you that remember Ms Donna, we lost her to cancer April 13th 2001. She will always be in our hearts. Back to sea forward deployed, Two cruises in VS-21, Kitty Hawk love boat cruise and OIF, 120 days at sea there and back from Japan, stop nowhere and liked it. The RAG, VS-41 was my last tour. My ships includes Kitty Hawk 5 cruises, Nimitz, Vinson, Ranger, Constellation, Lincoln and Indy. 660 traps and 2400 S-3 hours 300 in the front seat, not bad fo a P-3 guy........Those night traps will put hair on your chest.........
Other Comments:
Very happy in North Carolina with my wife Ms Tina and her daughter Caressa, NHS member 8 years running. Very proud of my three daughters Heather, Christina and Tiffany. All three have grown up and become great women. Heather is a Engineer, Christina a Nuclear power tech for the Navy (EM2) and Tiffany an 2 time Iraq deployed Sergent in the Army. Heather Boys, Edward Jr, Trevor and Preston and doing very good and Tiffany's, husband Dan (USA SSG) and son Jacob is very well also. Christina and her husband Dave have had a little salior as of 1/22/09, Kyle, 7#-15oz, 19 3/4 and they are all well . I could not be prouder of my family.....................If your ever down here in the Carolinas, stop by and see us for BBQ and sweat tea and maybe a little makers mark...... NASCAR rules, If your not rubbing, your not racing!!!! I went to Daytona last year and this year back to Darlington and Indy................................................................Lets go Racing Boys
Operation Southern Watch (Iraq)
From Month/Year
August / 1992
To Month/Year
March / 2003
Description Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of monitoring and controlling the airspace south of the 32nd Parallel (extended to the 33rd Parallel in 1996) in southern and south-central Iraq during the period following the end of the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992 with the stated purpose of ensuring Iraqi compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 (UNSCR 688) of 5 April 1991, which demanded that Iraq "immediately end this repression and express the hope in the same context that an open dialogue will take place to ensure that the human and political rights of all Iraqi citizens are respected." Nothing in the resolution spelled out the Iraqi no-fly zones or Operation Southern Watch.
Iraqi bombing and strafing attacks against the Shi’ite Muslims in Southern Iraq during the remainder of 1991 and during 1992 indicated Saddam Hussein chose not to comply with the resolution. Forces from Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France participated in Operation Southern Watch. The commander of JTF-SWA, an aeronautically rated United States Air Force (USAF) Major General, assisted by an aeronautically designated United States Navy (USN) Rear Admiral, reported directly to the Commander, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM).
Military engagements in Southern Watch occurred with regularity, with Coalition aircraft routinely being shot at by Iraqi air defense forces, though they were usually only reported in the Western press occasionally. An intensification was noted prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though it was said at the time to just be in response to increasing activity by Iraqi air-defense forces. It is now known that this increased activity occurred during an operation known as Operation Southern Focus.