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Contact Info
Home Town Carlotta/Eureka
Last Address Corpus Christi, Texas
Date of Passing Jul 08, 1982
Location of Interment Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery - Eureka, California
On 8 July 1982, LCDR Barkdull was serving as an instructor pilot aboard a Beechraft T-44A turboprop of the Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Christi, Texas.
His aircraft and another T-44A collided during a training mission approximately 2 miles south of the Cabaniss Field auxiliary landing site. Both pilot instructors and 4 students were killed, with the planes coming down in a grain field.. They were flying VFR at the time of the accident. Other details as to cause not know as of this writing.
Those lost were:
From Squadron 31:
Lt. Thomas A. Vonnegut (Honolulu, HI) (Instructor Pilot)
Ens. Cary P. Jones (Gainsville, FL) (Student Pilot)
Ens. Joseph F. West, Jr. (Graham, TX) (Student Pilot)
From Squadron 28:
LCDR Curtis R. Barkdull (Warner Robins, GA) (Instructor Pilot)
Ens. Robert B. Barnett, Jr. (Lauderhill, FL) (Student Pilot)
Ens. Jeffrey A Edwards (Raleigh, NC) (Student Pilot)
LCDR Burkdull began serving in the Navy on 20 June 1972.
He left a wife, Pamela, at his death.
LCDR Barkdull was interred in Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Eureka, California.
Note:
Earlier, then Lt. Barkdull served as a pilot aboard the USS Kittyhawk (CVA-63) during WESTPAC Cruise 30 May 1979 - 25 February 1980 with VAW-114.U.S. Navy Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron. Possibly flying the E-2C Hawkeye.
Training Exercise - UNITAS '79
From Month/Year
January / 1979
To Month/Year
December / 1979
Description UNITAS exercises are sponsored by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command with the objective to foster cooperation and increase interoperability among the navies of the Americas. Held continuously since 1959, UNITAS has become the premier multinational naval exercise in the Southern Command area of operations.
During the two-week exercise, participating units have the opportunity to train as unified force in all aspects of naval operations, from maritime interdiction to anti-submarine and electronic warfare. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command sponsors UNITAS exercises with the objective to foster cooperation and develop interoperability among the navies of the region.
UNITAS supports U.S. Southern Command objectives for enhanced maritime security in its area of responsibility. It is intended to train participating forces in a variety of maritime scenarios to test command and control of forces at sea, while operating as a multinational force to provide the maximum opportunity to improve interoperability.
