Our U.S. Navy

It has been an interesting trip for your old long-time retired Air Force officer and pilot. An airline trip, in the rear as a passenger, ugh, but on time and efficient. Omaha, Grannie Annie chose to stay with our daughter, to Chicago, busy, to Providence, Rhode Island. Oh, how our country changes from our home in the center to the East Coast. This summer from droughty brown plains to green tree-covered low hills weaving through coastal inlets and roads winding crooked as a snake.

My trip, a great honor, was to officially confer the solemn “Oath of Office” to “new “ Captain Chris Forch a second cousin from Stratton. Twenty-one years, ten months and six days prior I had sworn him into the Navy as an Ensign. Incidentally, shortly thereafter I also had the honor of swearing in his sister Kim as an Ensign in the Navy Nurse Corps where she served for eleven years until family took priority. Family, military service — it runs in our blood.

On arrival at that cool and green place, I was tickled to hear how they had experienced drought this summer-all of two months. Their lawns had turned brown but were again green after a big rain, 9 inches, two days before I arrived. The fields of corn, sunflowers and more looked more like our pivot irrigated fields at home. I guess perceptions of drought are relative.

The base where Chris teaches is strictly a training base for naval officers and officer candidates. There are no aircraft or ships evident yet a nearby marina must have hosted a hundred yachts, sailboats and other private craft. Hence the base consisted of row upon row of temporary and permanent housing. The Naval War College is also there, a future destination for new Captain Forch. Obviously, the Navy takes great pride in this facility as all streets and sidewalks are kept in good condition and the lawns and common areas are trimmed, mowed and all kept with excellent care. All of we Americans can be proud of how our tax dollars are spent in training this essential branch of our armed forces.

Captain Chris teaches a class of senior officers in training to become fighting force ship Captains and XOs (Executive Officers the ship second in command). He recently served a tour as Captain of the guided-missile destroyer USS Michael P. Murphy in the Pacific Theater. That area will be our first line of defense if the Communist Chinese decide to invade our friend and ally Taiwan.

One of the reasons that Chris wanted me to come was for me to talk to his class was that he uses for example an experience that this old KC-135 air refueling crew member experienced over the Gulf of Tonkin one day in 1967. Chris asks his class for a show of hands if “You were asked to go and try to rescue someone in distress and in so doing you would likely be court-martialed (Military for arrested and put before a judge in court) would you do it?” Chris says that usually only two or three will raise their hands. Then he tells the story of how our crew broke tradition and provided fuel to six Navy aircraft to save them from running out of gas before they could get back to their aircraft carriers. Six “saves” and the first time, ever, that the Air Force refueled the Navy.

That first refueling changed Navy/Air Force relations and such operations are now commonplace. And yes it took several days of high-level negotiations at the Pentagon before our crew was decorated with Distinguished Flight Crosses and Court-martial was not necessary.

It was a wonderful trip. The support of Chris and Kristi’s family and going back to the comfortable collegiate feeling of a military base. In the ‘60’s we lived nearby on Cape Cod and I felt a little homesick for the nice cool damp weather and the wonderful seafood that is available in that area. Still, it is great to be back home in the Southwestern Nebraska that we so love.

That was the way I saw it.

Dick Trail