VigilanteVigilanteRVAH NAVY NewsletterRVAH NAVY Newsletter

February, 2015

CDR. Harlie B. Helms, Jr.USN Retired,Former CO of RVAH-5

CDR. Harlie B. Helms, Jr. USN, 84 passed away January 2, 2015, at York Hospice Care Center, surrounded by hisloving family. He was born in Geneva, Alabama, however considered himself a native of Gainesville, Florida. The sonof Lucile S and Harlie B. Helms, Sr. He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1948, lettering with the BaritoneHorn. He attended the University of Florida, Sigma Chi fraternity before entering the Navy in April, 1951 as a NavalAviation Cadet. He was commissioned from that program and received his wings in October, 1952 .The beautiful andwell educated stewardess with TWA, Cody H Benner stole his heart and they were married on September 9th, 1953 inSan Mateo, California. His first tour of duty was with VA-195 in the Pacific Fleet, making two cruises aboard USSOriskany (CVA-34). In January 1957 he reported to NAAS Kingsville, Texas where he served with ATU-102 and ATU-202 as a flight instructor. Commander Helms was selected for the Navy Five Term program in 1958 and reported toColumbia University in September. He graduated in January, 1960 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He thenattended CIC Officers School at NAS Glynco, Georgia and the CCA Officer School at NAS Olathe Kansas beforereporting aboard USS Independence (CVA-62) as CCA Officer. He served in that billet for one Mediterranean cruiseand as Assistant Air Operations Officer for a second deployment to the Mediterranean. The Commander's backgroundin Heavy Attack began in 1962 when he reported to NAS Sanford's VAH-3 in Sanford, Florida for transition to the A-3B. He was assigned to VAH-11 detachment #8 where he served as Training Officer and Operations Officer. While inthat squadron, VAH-11 won the NAVAIRLANT Battle Efficiency awards for 1963, and 1964 and the 10th AnnualHATWINGONE 'Bombing Derby.' In June 1965, Commander Helms graduated from the School of Command and Staff,Naval War College, Newport Rhode Island. While at War College he completed the requirements for a Master'sDegree from George Washington University. He then served in the Bureau of Naval Personnel until July, 1967, whenhe returned to NAS Sanford, Florida to transition into the RA5C Vigilante as Executive Officer of RVAH- 5. As ExecutiveOfficer of RVAH-5, Commander Helms, made an eight month WESTPAC Deployment cruise on USS Constellation (CVA-64) during which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for action against the enemy in Vietnam He assumedcommand of RVAH-5 in March 1969 and led the squadron on another deployment to WESTPAC aboard the USS

“I've chased theshouting wind along,and flung my eager

craft through footlesshalls of air. . . .”

“We stand together brothers, comrades, and mates and we pause to respect the departed,and reflect, on the life we choose to follow.”

command of RVAH-5 in March 1969 and led the squadron on another deployment to WESTPAC aboard the USSRanger (CVA-61). The squadron conducted extensive reconnaissance operations in Southeast Asia His nextdeployment was aboard the USS Roosevelt (CVA-42) as Air Boss where he received his Navy Commendation Medal onOctober 19, 1970. Leaving the sea for land be began Service in OPNAV and received a Commendation for completingthree years of service on board in the Office of Naval Operations on August 29, 1975. During that time he alsocompleted Navy Strategy at the Naval War College in 1972 and continuing education at Catholic University. HisHonors earned included: The Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, United NationsService medal, Korea Service Medal, China Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal (Cuba), Armed ForcesExpeditionary Medal (Cuba) Vietnam, Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal,Sigmund Rhee Presidential Unit Citation Korea Unit Citation. Pilot positions included: Naval Carriers Assistant AirOperations, CVA . Commanding Officer, Reconnaissance Attack Squadron, Air Office, CVA . Upon retirement to hishometown of Gainesville, Florida from Potomac, Maryland in 1976, Harlie received his real estate license and tookemployment with John Merrill, INC Realtors then in April, 1986, he began working with Mike Warren, AMJ, INC.Realty where he remained for 14 years until his final retirement. The Blue recliner was his final destination of restingwhere he could enjoy family, naps, music, movies and never miss a Gator football game. Harlie was predeceased byhis devoted wife, Cody B. Helms, of 58 years on February 16, 2012.

CDR. Richard August Daum,USN RetiredFormer CO of RVAH-11

Richard August Daum's battle with pancreatic cancer ended on Nov. 8 at his home in Danville, Calif., in thearms of his wife of 52 years, Clare Hasenpusch Daum, surrounded by his beloved family.His fighting spirit, which defined his 79 years, never faltered in his final months of life.Dick was born on Sept. 25, 1935, on a farm in Butler to Austrian immigrants August and Johanna.He attended Penn State where he studied chemistry.In 1955, he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program. In 1957, he was commissioned an ensign anddesignated a naval aviator. He flew the F2H-4 Banshee aboard the USS Randolph and the USS Saratoga. In1960, he went to Monterey, Calif., to attend the Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a Bachelor ofScience degree in Naval Science.It was during this time that his life would forever change, when in 1961 he met the love of his life, Clare,and they were married in July of 1962. In 1963, the first of two sets of twins arrived with the births of Pattyand Polly followed by Peggy and Ricky just 18 months later.Dick's Naval career would continue for 21 years with most of those years spent flying a reconnaissanceaircraft, the RA5C Vigilante, which took his family to Sanford, Fla., Albany, Ga., Key West, Fla., and back toAlameda, Calif., where they settled in nearby Danville.CDR. Daum was the CO of RVAH 11 from 1973 until the squadron was decommissioned in June, 1975.When he retired from the Navy, he had more than 800 carrier landings and almost 150 combat missions inVietnam. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, nine Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medalsand the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device.After retiring as a naval aviator, he started a second career that lasted 23 years as a vice president with

“I've chased theshouting wind along,and flung my eager

craft through footlesshalls of air. . . .”

“We stand together brothers, comrades, and mates and we pause to respect the departed,and reflect, on the life we choose to follow.”

After retiring as a naval aviator, he started a second career that lasted 23 years as a vice president withDean Witter Reynolds in Berkeley, Calif.In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Patty (Wayne) Harvey, Polly (Tim) Hackett, Peggy(Tim) Mitchell, and Rick (Shana) Daum, and his beloved grandchildren, Will and Hannah Harvey, Shelby andNick Hackett, Mandy Mitchell, and Eleanor and Grace Daum.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, Ted.He was a voracious reader, an avid sports fan - especially of his Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penn State,U.C. Davis football and San Francisco Giants - a devoted Papa, a great storyteller, a master of the oneliners, and in his later years, a rabid coin collector.A memorial Mass for Richard August Daum, was held at 11 a.m. Nov. 28 at the Corpus Christi CatholicChurch, 322 St. James Drive, Piedmont, Calif.Donations can be made to the Hospice of the East Bay, 550 Morello Ave., Martinez, CA 94553.

February, 2015

US Navy Rating Structure

The U.S. Navy's enlisted occupational system is a productof more than 200 years of Naval evolution. The Navy ofthe United Colonies of the 1775 era offered only a fewdifferent jobs above the ordinary level of seaman. Theseincluded Boatswain’s Mate, Quartermaster, Gunner’sMate, Master at Arms, Armorer and Coxswain, Thesewere titles of the jobs that individuals were actuallyperforming and became the basis for Petty Officers andratings. During this time, ship crews were taken fromcivilian life and enlisted for only one cruise, thus makingthe job at hand rather than career possibilities theprimary consideration. It was not until 1841 thatdistinguishing marks for a rating were prescribed in theRegulations of the Secretary of the Navy and specialtymarks were not added to enlisted men’s uniforms until1866. The marks consisted of the tools or instrumentsused in each rating's specific duty. The Master-at-Arms,the police officer of a ship, wore the star of authority andthe Gunner’s Mate wore two crossed cannons. Currently,all specialty marks for new ratings are approved by thePermanent Naval Uniform Board which is a division ofthe Bureau of Naval Personnel.As the Navy’s rating system has changed so has theNavy. The first steamship, mine, radar, torpedo, aircraftcarrier and many other “firsts” all established a new erain the Navy, and each directly impacted the enlistedoccupation structure. During World War II, the Navy

Navy Enlisted Classifications (NEC), which are numericalcodes attached to a specific rating and are frequentlyused to indicate specialized qualifications andEmergency ratings.Emergency ratings, which are specific ratings that can beestablished in time of war and are distinguished by aletter of the alphabet enclosed in a diamond.[4]

The word "rate" is used in two ways within thestructure. First, rate is a paygrade. Enlisted navypersonnel do not have rank: only naval officers do.Second, rate is an abbreviation that contains both therating and the paygrade abbreviations. For example, aBoatswain's Mate has the rating abbreviation BM, and ifthe person is a Petty Officer Second Class which is a "2"abbreviation, then the person's rate would be BM2 (BMis the rating and the 2 is Petty Officer Second Classpaygrade E5). The paygrade abbreviation is alwaysadded right after the rating abbreviation. The rates(Paygrades) are as follows:3 – Petty Officer Third Class (paygrade E4)2 – Petty Officer Second Class (paygrade E5)1 – Petty Officer First Class (paygrade E6)C – Chief Petty Officer (paygrade E7)CS – Senior Chief Petty Officer (paygrade E8)CM – Master Chief Petty Officer (paygrade E9)

occupation structure. During World War II, the Navyalso briefly maintained a rating of Specialist, similar tothe rank in the US Army. The rating of Specialist wasdiscontinued in 1948.After more than 200 years of evolution, today’s Navyenlisted rating structure still plays a key role in careerdevelopment, serves as a basis for training, detailing,advancement, and simply keeping tabs on severalhundred thousand Navy Personnel.The pay grades E-4 (Petty Officer Third Class) through E-9(Master Chief) fall within the rating structure. It isfurther broken down into four types of ratings andclassifications:General ratings, which consist of broad occupationalfields such as Electronics Technician, Machinist’s Mate orMachinery Repairman.Service ratings, which are made up of sub categories ofgeneral ratings that require further specialized trainingand qualifications – Service ratings are established,changed, and removed depending on servicerequirements and changes in the way personnel aremanaged.

Paygrades E1 through E3 can also have a ratingabbreviation preceding their paygrade symbol if they aregraduates of Class "A" schools; have received the ratingdesignation in a previous enlistment; are assigned to abillet in that specialty as a striker; have passed anadvancement examination and not been selected foradvancement for reasons of numeric limitations onadvancements; or have been reduced in rate because ofpunishment. Examples: BMSR is a Boatswain's MateSeaman Recruit (paygrade E1); MMFA is a Machinist'sMate Fireman Apprentice (paygrade E2); MRFN is aMachinery Repairman Fireman (paygrade E3).

And then, there is the…

Master ChiefPetty Officer ofThe Navy!!

The MCPON!

US Navy Enlisted Rating Symbols

Things You May (or may not) Know About the Navy!Founded on October 13, 1775, by an order of theContinental Congress, the U.S. Navy is the largest navy inthe world, and is steeped in lore and tradition.Presidents, astronauts, artists, and athletes have wornits uniform, and untold thousands have lived by thewords engraved on the Naval Academy chapel door:“Non sibi, sed patriae,” or: ”Not for self, but forcountry.” Here are eleven things you might not knowabout the Navy.1. The Navy’s birthplace is in dispute.Beverly, Massachusetts, and Marblehead,Massachusetts, have long argued over which was thebirthplace of the Navy. Each town claims to be homeportof the schooner Hannah, the first armed sea vessel of theAmerican Revolution, and founding boat of the U.S.Navy. (It was so named for Hannah Glover, wife ofGeneral John Glover of the 21st Marblehead Regiment.)Marblehead provided the crew; Beverly outfitted theship. (The men of Marblehead are notable for anotheraction during the American Revolution—they rowedGeneral George Washington across the Delaware Riverjust before the Battle of Trenton.)Other cities vying for recognition as the birthplace of theNavy include Philadelphia, PA; Whitehall, NY; andProvidence, RI. The Navy takes no position on its place oforigin.2. All submariners are volunteers.Most attack submarines in the U.S. Navy are 33-feet

4. The Navy SEAL Trident is sometimes called the“Budweiser.”

The trident worn on the uniforms of Navy SEALs isofficially designated as the “Special Warfare Insignia,”but is sometimes called the “Budweiser,” named in partfor the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)course, the grueling twenty-five week special warfareschool. The trident also has an uncanny resemblance tothe Anheuser-Busch logo.5. Why was TOPGUN founded?The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructorprogram—previously called the United States NavyFighter Weapons School, but more popularly,“TOPGUN”—was founded during the Vietnam War. TheNavy was concerned by the poor performance of its air-to-air missile attacks against the North Vietnamese, andordered an evaluation of its combat aviation program.Inadequate crew training was decided to be at fault, andTOPGUN was established, where pilots would engage inrealistic dogfight training against aircraft comparable toMost attack submarines in the U.S. Navy are 33-feet

wide, and about the length of a football field. Ballisticmissile submarines are the length of the WashingtonMonument. Submarines stay submerged for months at atime. There are no windows, there is no night and day,you have fifteen square feet of living space and noprivacy—and there’s a nuclear reactor right behind you.(They don’t just let anyone in a submarine. Allsubmariners are volunteers, and have passed rigorouspsychological and physical tests. Claustrophobics neednot apply.) Those serving on submarines are among themost highly trained personnel in the military.3. How does the Navy name its ships?In 1819, the United States Congress placed the Secretaryof the Navy in charge of naming ships—a power he orshe still enjoys. Generally, names are compiled by theNaval Historical Center based on the suggestions of thepublic, sailors, and retirees, and from naval history. TheChief of Naval Operations formally signs andrecommends the list to the Secretary. Ships named forindividuals are christened by “the eldest living femaledescendent” of that individual. Commissioned ships areprefixed with USS, which stands for United States Ship.Though the convention had been in use since the lateeighteenth century, it was not standardized orformalized until 1907, by Teddy Roosevelt.

realistic dogfight training against aircraft comparable tothe enemy of the day. By the 1970s, Navy kill-to-lossrates went from 3.7:1 to 13:1—a testament to theprofound and radical success of the program. It laterbecame the basis of a Tom Cruise movie, and not to spoilanything, but don’t get too attached to Goose.• Neil Armstrong flew armed reconnaissance as a Navalaviator during the Korean War. In 1951, he landed onKorean soil after his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fireand he had to eject. Eighteen years later, he landed on amore famous patch of ground.• There’s a good argument to be made that RobertHeinlein’s literary universe was influenced by his time atthe United States Naval Academy, from which hegraduated, and his time on the USS Lexington and USSRoper.7. NCIS isn’t just a TV show. (Although the guy behindthe TV show also brought us Quantum Leap. Oh boy.)The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is a federal lawenforcement agency operating from 140 locations in theworld. Special agents for the largely civilian organizationare charged with criminal investigations (obviously),counterterrorism, and counter-intelligence. It wasfounded as the Office of Naval Intelligence, and at thetime was responsible for gathering information onforeign vessels, passengers, bodies of water, and navalinfrastructure. During World War I, its mission expandedto espionage and sabotage. Today, it’s a cash cow forCBS.

Welcome to Our New Members!Welcome to our new members of RecceNet!

Welcome aboard shipmates!Don’t forget to salute the ensign and the aft galley is

open until 1800. Mystery meat and Bug juice!

OH CRAP!! Rickey B. Martin

H Steve Hazelton

Kenneth Bass

William F. Aspinall, jr.

Bill Keech

Ronald Pollard

Keith H. Rhea

Tommy Anderson

David M. Brooks

Patrick Malloy

Richard A Loper

Suzanne Helms Benner

Rick Hall

SHOW YOUR COLORS!!

Be sure to check out the RVAHNAVY Gear Locker!We have the Performance Dry-Fit T shirt at $18!The colors are Aviation Maintenance Green and Line

Shack Brown with a solid black design front andback. The fabric breathes. It doesn't stay damp withsweat...it wicks dry. How cool is that?

We also have ball caps for every squadron, we haveRVAH NAVY decals for your windows, we havelanyards to hold that ID and we have the way coolChallenge Coins. If you haven’t seen the coins, youhave to check them out! RVAH-7 coins are shownbecause that was MY squadron! But we have themfor ALL squadrons!Show your pride and support RVAH NAVY!!

Cap’n Crunch?? Shouldn’t that be…CDR. Crunch??

X-Wing Fighter in Catwalk on USS LongIsland after landing accident – 1942

Courtesy: Area 51 Photo Archives

The PicturePage!

Many of you have picsposted on the RecceNet

website, but there’s no infoto go with the pics. I’d loveto use those photos, but I

need the info that goes withthem! Email me for info on

how to add captions to yourpics. (aztouche@gmail.com)

RVAH-14 on cat of USS Kennedy(CVA-67) 1970

Courtesy: WikiMedia

RVAH-5 personnel group photo , 1977Courtesy: WikiMedia

Vigilante (BuNo 149307) from RVAH-5 andA-3B (BuNo 147659) from

Heavy Attack Squadron VAH-2Courtesy: WikiMedia

Vigilante (BuNo 149313) of heavy reconnaissancesquadron RVAH-6 after an emergency landing on the

Constellation in the waters off Vietnam, in 1966.The aircraft lost the aft canopy on a catapult shot.The pilot was CDR Art Skelly and the RAN was LTJG

Joe Shevlin. Note that the aircraft wears a greencamouflage paint. The U.S. Navy experimented withaircraft camouflage and painted half of the aircraftof Attack Carrier Air Wing 15 with dark green colorsto blend in with the Vietnamese jungle. The results

proved inconclusive for the U.S. Navy.U.S. Navy planes would not be camouflaged until

the 1980s.Courtesy: WikiMedia

Five A3J-1 Vigilante bombers of heavyattack squadron VAH-7 Peacemakers of

the Fleet, Carrier Air Group 6 (CVG-6), onthe U.S. aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

(CVAN-65) in 1962.Courtesy: WikiMedia

February Birthdays!And remember that you should take every birthday with a grain ofsalt… This works much better if the salt is accompanied by aMargarita!! Drink on and celebrate!!Congratulations… You are officially too old to die young!!And revel in your Geezerdom!

Happy Birthday YaSwabs!

Joseph Wesley Smithey Jr. 1-FebruaryCarroll E "TRAIL" Blazer 1-February

Don F. Bailey 2-FebruaryStephen P. Johnson 2-February

Jesse O. (Jay) Anthony III 3-FebruaryGus Young 3-February

Tommy Anderson 3-FebruaryCharles Clifford Finton 4-February

Horace O. Foil, Jr. 4-FebruaryStanton W. Betts 4-February

Ron Cossey 4-FebruaryEddie H. LeFiles 5-February

Ricky L. Henrickson 6-FebruaryRalph Smith 6-February

Rick Henrickson 6-FebruaryKenneth M. Carlton 7-February

Troy Zipperer 7-FebruaryHoward Moody 7-February

Moe Ryan 8-February

Susy House 13-FebruaryDieter F Palmer 13-FebruaryHarry D. Polny 14-February

Ronald E. Moseley 14-FebruaryGuenter Kleinmaier 15-February

Jerry R. Batson 15-FebruaryDale Adkins 15-February

Bruce Moore 16-FebruaryEdward R. Harig 17-February

Casey L Hill 17-FebruaryWilliam Nedostup 18-FebruaryJohn Burl D'Albora 18-February

William Sargent 18-FebruaryTony "Hook" Albright 19-February

Michael Davis 19-FebruaryJohn Mouw 19-February

Jeanette Keel 20-FebruarySteve Hyatt 20-February

Michael P Andrews 20-FebruaryMoe Ryan 8-FebruaryDavis Kenneth Harold 8-FebruaryBruce H. Greenwood 8-February

Joe Trigg 8-FebruaryWesley D Williams 10-February

Bud Steil 10-FebruaryNorman Oubre 10-February

Timothy R Canady 11-FebruarySandra LaPlante 11-February

Chuck Hoskin 12-FebruaryDennis Moss Brown 12-February

Jerry Gehrig 12-FebruaryGary T Kilbride 12-FebruaryLeslie E.Jones 12-FebruaryBob Jellison 12-FebruaryJames Dick II 12-FebruaryPaul F. Shea 12-February

Danny Conatser 13-FebruaryMike McAllister 13-February

Michael P Andrews 20-FebruaryAlan Weiss 20-February

Walt Rosenquist 21-FebruaryDean Kelly 23-FebruaryMike Clay 24-February

Larry Quentin Sawyer 24-FebruaryMarvin E. Terhune 24-February

John Snively 24-FebruaryRoland R Landry 25-February

Ron Stephens 25-FebruaryCleve Turner III 25-February

David M. Brooks 26-FebruaryKenneth M Colgate 27-FebruaryRobert Geopfarth 27-February

John Loren Brammer 27-FebruaryJack Smith 27-February

Steve Daniel 28-FebruaryCharles J. Davis 28-FebruaryAlbert Perrella 28-February