Best Friends Craig Henderson...You just have to love and respect this man. He was so nice, so decent, so everything
Craig Major...Very intelligent. My right hand man. Retired as an officer
Jeffrey Cathey...A likeable and nice man. Great personality
CPO Hollingsworth..."Mr. Cool" aka "Boss Hog"
Irvin Carter...A tightwad. Probably wealthy now.
Michael Moon...A very hard worker. Easy to get along with.
Alphonso Doss...Somewhat quiet. An Airman (future Cdr) that you could tell was going places.
Theodore Greene...A good worker who was as gullible as could be. Not a day passed without Craig Major and me pulling dozens of pranks on him.
Charles Powell.....An exceptional CPO and all around nice guy.
"Best Friends" does not adequately describe these men but there were things about them that just stood out and cause me to affectionately remember them. This list is not all inclusive.
Best Moment I had many best moments, too many to name them all. It was a privilege for me to make the final cruise on USS Coral Sea (CV-63). I enjoyed my time at sea on USS America (CV-66). When we went to sea on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), it was great to see that my former shipmate, ABH1 Spires from USS Okinawa (LPH-3), was now Cdr Spires. Way to go "Gordy!"
Worst Moment This is the first time that I have ever mentioned my "worst moment." It was probably the worst moment of my Naval career. The first time the Kestrals saw me was when we went to quarters onboard Coral Sea. I marched to the forecastle wearing my 32" waist double knits with the CO, Cdr Philip Howard. It was as if I was invisible. Cdr Howard neither acknowledged nor introduced me. The crew stood there at parade rest without even knowing my name or hearing me speak. That moment stuck with me throughout my tour with the Kestrals but did not stop me from being a good CMC. Cdr Howard rained on my parade but Cdr Henderson gave me an umberella. When I left VFA 137 to retire, I elected not to have a retirement ceremony. I regret that. My wife spent 28 years as a Navy wife and I should have decided to have a retirement ceremony to acknowledge and show my appreciation to her. I have apologized to her a thousand times.
I often wondered why Cdr Howard did that but I never asked. If I had asked him at that time I probably would have been fired. If anyone knows his whereabouts, tell him that I can be reached at smnhrc@yahoo.com or send me his e-mail address.
Chain of Command Cdr Philip Howard, Commanding Officer
Cdr Craig Henderson, Executive Officer
