RVAH-13

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Comment by William L Wilkerson on October 9, 2014 at 11:59pm

Sorry, his name is Robert R. "Boom" Powell.  He was he last Skipper of RVAH-7.  The Aircraft (156615) that I attached to my previous comment, was the last landing on a Carrier (USS Ranger) on 17 August 1979!   I don't know its travels between Aug 1979 Until the Museum received it in 2012. 

Comment by William L Wilkerson on October 9, 2014 at 11:36pm

North%20American%20RA-5C%20Vigilante%20-%208.jpgIf anyone is interested in a Vigilante History written by a Pilot, Robert R. "BOOM" called "RA-5C Vigilante Units In Combat".  It is NOT a concise history, but it does cover major points.  You can get from Amazon.com.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I visited Castle Air Museum at Atwater, CA.  I took a picture a Vigilante Buno 156615 with RVAH-7 insignia on it. Attached!!

Comment by Steve Ewing on October 9, 2014 at 10:43pm

Does anyone have hidden away  a copy of the Heavy 13 disestablishment program handout from the decommissioning ceremony? We could use a copy for inclusion with the package Al Plunkett is going to provide to the Naval Air Museum.

email us at :rvahroster@gmail.com if you can provide one.

Comment by Dennis Thomas (RADAR) Rader on July 30, 2014 at 11:36pm

I wanted to add that in 2004 I went to Hanoibut never saw the plaque, but I did visit the hanoi Hilton and saw Senator McCain's flightsuit on display.  There is now a luxury highrise hotel right next to the prison, and inside the prisdon there is three guillotines on display.

Comment by Dennis Thomas (RADAR) Rader on July 30, 2014 at 11:31pm

For Don Rudd: Yes, you are correct about LCdr Griffin and Lt. Walters, both excellent officers and fine gentlemen, especially Griffin.  I live in Knoxville and Griffin and his wife both attended the Univ. of TN here, but he left for the naval Academy where he got his degree.  I was in the cockpit of the a/c next to theirs when they did their preflight before that fateful flight, and the look  on their faces told a fearful story.  The day they got shotdown was Ho Chi Minh's birthday and today there is a plaque commemorating the shootdown in Hanoi.  Walters died the following day and Griffin the next day, as we learned after the war. Griffin is buried at Arlington, but nt know where Walters is buried.  The main thing I want to point out is that a few years after the war Griffin's widow met and married another Vigi pilot who was a POW for quite a few years and when released discovered his wife had divorced him.  She later wrote a good book titled 'A Heroes Wife' which has many letters between them during that 66-67 cruise, and some events I can recall. Her name is Dora Griffin Bell and the book is available in paperback from Amazon for little cost.  I have it and it is a good read, so perhaps you may check it out!

 

Comment by Bill Armstrong on March 30, 2014 at 4:32pm

Newsletter update. We also lost a Plane and Crew on a Med Cruise in January 1970. Rainy cold night, only one cable, and a plane with engine problems. We were getting 100% out of one engine and only 90% out of the other, full AB from both. The plane missed the cable, took off and barrel rolled over a Russian Trawler into the sea. Searched all night and half of the next day with no results. Lost CDR Richard Barnes and LTJG Curtis Wolf  RVAH%2013%20.pdf

Comment by Donald Estes on March 30, 2014 at 3:43pm

Joined RVAH-13 in 1964 as air intelligence officer. Deployed to Vietnam on board USS Kitty Hawk 1965-66. Subsequently joined Wing (RVAW-1), working for Joe LaRocca (senior intel) with Dave Sullivan, under command of CAPT Fowler. Both good tours-great friends and memories. In my 31 years in the Navy--these years were probably the most defining in my career. My thanks to the RVAH community--it will always have a special place in my heart. God bless to all.

Comment by Steve Ewing on March 24, 2014 at 4:48pm

I've put together a few ideas about how to search for that buddy we all lost contact with years ago when they or we shipped out to a new duty station or left the service..

1) Did you check here on Reccenet to see if they've "shipped over with us?  Click on Shipmates in the menu at the top of the page (or click this link: Shipmates!) and enter their first or last name in the search box and click the magnifying glass icon (or just hit the enter key on your keyboard) and you'll see any and all matching that name who are registered here on Reccenet.

I2) f you know their approximate age and where they were from or where they went after the Navy you can get leads from this website without paying them for everything they may know: http://www.intelius.com/

3) There's the "Buddy Finder" on military.com

4) I've had luck just typing the name in a websearch like google.com.

5) If you belong to facebook or an other social media site you can sometimes find folks there. Just recently I found a former Heavy 6 and 12 sailor on facebook  when I finally managed to spell his last name correctly. ;-)

Comment by Steve Ewing on March 13, 2014 at 2:46pm

If anyone is trying to find a "long lost buddy" send me an email to rvahroster@gmail.com and I'll look and see if we have anything on them. I can't release their info, but I will email them (if they have a current email address on record) and let them know you're looking for them. Tell me in the email what you're willing for me to give your old shipmate for contact info (email. phone, snailmail address). Then it's up to them to try and contact you back (If they don't respond or hide even better there's nothing I can do).

Comment by David Bennett on March 1, 2014 at 3:36pm

You're not wrong. In 1973, Reconnaissance Attack Wing 1 began relocation from NAS Albany to NAS Key West in preparation for eventual closure of the base in Georgia. All RECONATKRON squadrons had relocated to NAS Key West by late 1974. They were decommissioned over a six-year period that coincided with the phased retirement of the RA-5C. RAW-1 went away in early 1980, following decommissioning of the last Vigie squadron, RVAH-7.

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