by Joe Weber
Austin reached for his cap, then walked out the door. He remained expressionless as he and Leigh Ann silently walked past the State Department and CINCPAC representatives.
Once outside, Brad took Leigh Ann's hand as they walked down the steps. "Everything seems to be okay as far as my screwup is concerned."
"That's wonderful," she said gleefully. "I'm so happy for you." "I think," Brad replied cautiously, "as far as I can tell, that I'm just a piece of the bait."
Leigh Ann looked perplexed. "What do you mean by that?"
As they reached the sidewalk, Brad stepped around her to be next to the curb. "I think," Brad said, saluting a navy lieutenant commander, "that Senator Kerwin is one of a number of influential people who are concerned about the prosecution of this war. How it's being managed or, more to the point, mismanaged." Brad glanced at Leigh Ann. "They're trying to sort out the lies that cover the duplicity that conceals the falsehoods."
Hugging his arm, Leigh Ann looked up. "Are you free to go--to leave town?"
"Absolutely. I was simply cannon fodder."
"You are not cannon fodder," she admonished, placing her arm around his waist. "Where shall we go?"
"Well," Brad chuckled, "technically, I should return to San Diego, but what the hell. My career is down the tube, and I'm probably a terminal captain."
She smiled coyly. "What are you suggesting, Captain Terminal?"
"How about if we stop at Lake Tahoe, en route to San Diego?" "I'd love to," she laughed mischievously. "We could stop in Las Vegas, and get married."
Wide-eyed, Brad came to a halt and looked at Leigh Ann. She burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. Just a little humor, flyboy."
Then they were both surprised to hear a voice behind them. "Captain Austin, is that you?"
They turned around to see the lieutenant commander they had just passed. He was walking toward them.
Brad came to attention, saluted again, and said, "Yes, sir." A questioning look crossed Brad's face.
"You don't know me, but I'm Lou Metcalf of the Navy's Congressional Liaison staff. I was hoping to catch you before you left the hearing. I've been asked to tell you that the CNO, acting on Senator Kerwin's request, has directed the Marine Commandant to write you up for a Silver Star for your gallantry in combat. It will be presented to you in San Diego when you arrive there."
"Pardon me, Commander," Brad stammered, "but I'm confused. I wouldn't think that the Navy would want me around after this debacle and the testimony I just gave."
"Not at all," Metcalf replied. "You are exactly the kind of aggressive aviator that the CNO and Commandant really want. You'll be reassigned to the Marines in Da Nang to complete your tour. After that, who knows?" Metcalf smiled. "But, I'll bet you can write your next orders after this tour in Vietnam. Just try not to get killed or captured."
Leigh Ann was listening intently. She looked straight at Metcalf. "What's the Silver Star?"
"Your guy just earned the nation's third-highest award for valor."
Brad shook Metcalf's hand, almost pulling his arm from its socket, then he engulfed Leigh Ann in an immense bear hug. "Leigh Ann, under the circumstances, we had better bypass Tahoe and go straight to San Diego."
Filled with pride and relief, Leigh Ann nodded yes. "Things," Brad smiled, "have a different tint all of a sudden." Metcalf grinned and shook his head as he watched the happy young couple rush hand in hand to the taxi stand.
EPILOGUE:
Following extensive hearings during August 1967, the Senate Armed Services Committee came to the conclusion that the Vietnam air war had not achieved its objectives. The finding did not attribute the lack of success to the inability or impotence of air power.
The committee discovered that the fragmentation of our air might was caused by overly restrictive controls, limitations, and the doctrine of gradualism forced on our combined aviation resources.
The restrictions prevented the flight crews from waging the air campaign in the manner, and according to the timetable, which would have achieved the maximum results.
Shortly after the Senate Armed Services Committee arrived at its conclusion, Secretary of Defense Robert Strange McNamara left the Pentagon. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, on March 31, 1968, announced that he would neither seek nor accept renomination.
*
GLOSSARY
AAA Antiaircraft artillery, also known as triple-A. Rapid-firing cannons or machine guns, often aimed by radar and computers. ACM Air combat maneuvering. Two or more fighter pilots engaged in aerial combat.
Afterburner Also known as burner. Jet-thrust augmentation by injecting raw fuel into the engine.
Air Boss Air officer responsible for all hangar and flight-deck operations.
Alert Five Fighter aircraft armed, fueled, and manned. Ready to launch in five minutes.
Alpha Strike All-out carrier air-wing attack.
Annunciator Panel Display lights that warn a pilot about aircraft cautionary or emergency situations.
Atoll NATO code name for Soviet-manufactured heat-seeking air-to-air missile.
Ball The optical landing device on an aircraft carrier. Also referred to as "meatball."
Bandits Enemy aircraft.
BARCAP Barrier combat air patrol. Used to protect vessels at sea.
Barrel Roll Air combat maneuver for achieving an advantage over an adversary.
Barricade Safety net of nylon webbing used to stop aircraft unable to make a carrier-arrested landing.
Bingo The amount of fuel needed to divert to a shore base.
Blue Water Operations Carrier flight operations beyond the range of land bases.
Bogie Unidentified or enemy aircraft.
Bolter Carrier landing attempt in which the tail hook misses the arresting wire, necessitating a go-around.
Bow Front of the ship.
Break A hard turn to avoid a missile. Also known as pitchout-break over an airfield or carrier (ninety-degree knife-edge turn to position the aircraft for landing).
Bridge Command post in the superstructure of a ship. Bulkhead Naval terminology for a wall.
CAG Commander of the air group; oversees all aircraft squadrons embarked on a carrier.
CAP Combat air patrol.
CATCC Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (Cat-see). Check Six Refers to visual observation behind an aircraft.
Fighter pilots must check behind them constantly to ensure that enemy aircraft are not in an attack position.
CIC Combat Information Center. Central battle-management post in naval surface ships.
C1NCPAC Commander in chief of Pacific Fleet.
COD Carrier on-board delivery aircraft. Used to transfer cargo and personnel to and from shore installations and the carrier. Combat Spread Tactical fighter formation, providing mutual support for the flight leader and the wingman.
Dash Two Second plane in a two-aircraft section; the wingman. Departure Refers to an aircraft departing from controlled flight.
Dixie Station Position in the Gulf of Tonkin, off South Vietnam, used for carrier air strikes into North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
EOD Explosive ordnance detachment.
Feet Dry/Wet Pilot radio call indicating a position over land/ water.
FOD Foreign-object damage to a jet engine.
Fox One/Two/Three Pilot radio calls indicating the firing of a Sparrow (One), Sidewinder (Two), or Phoenix (Three) missile. Furball Multiaircraft fighter engagement.
GCA Ground-controlled approach. Radar guidance provided to a pilot in the process of landing his aircraft.
g Force Force pressed on a body by changes in velocity, measured in increments of earth gravity.
g-LOC g-Induced loss of consciousness.
Gomers Combat adversaries.
High Yo-Yo Air combat maneuver.
Hot Pump Refueling an aircraft while the engine is running. ICS Intercom system in cockpits of multiseat aircraft.
Idle and Boards Throttles to idle and speed brakes extended. IFF I
dentification or Identification Friend or Foe. Military transponder used to identify aircraft. The transponder sends a coded signal to the radar installation.
IFR Instrument flight rules.
JBD Jet blast deflector.
Jink Abrupt and irregular flight path designed to make it difficult for gunners to track the aircraft.
Knot One nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile equals approximately 1.15 statute miles.
Loose Deuce Navy and marine tactical fighter formation. Loud Handle Slang for the ejection-seat handle.
LSO Landing-signal officer. Squadron pilot responsible for assisting other aviators onto the flight deck of an aircraft carrier; also called Paddles.
Mach Named for physicist Ernst Mach; term used to describe speed of an object in relation to the speed of sound.
Main mount Aircraft main landing gear.
Marshal Aircraft holding pattern behind the carrier. NATOPS Naval aviation training-and-operations procedures.
Provides rules and regulations for safe and proper operation of all navy and Marine Corps aircraft and helicopters. Nugget Rookie naval aviator.
Overrotate Pull back too aggressively on the aircraft's control stick.
Plane Guard Helicopter assigned to search and rescue during carrier flight operations.
PLAT Pilot's landing-aid television. Closed-circuit television that monitors the flight deck.
Port Naval terminology for the left side.
Posit Position.
Pri-Fly Primary Fly. Control tower on aircraft carrier.
Push Time Designated time for a pilot to commence an approach to the carrier.
Radar Vector Heading given to pilot by radar operator. Ramp Aft end of the flight deck; round-down.
Ready Room Squadron headquarters on board an aircraft carrier.
RESCAP Rescue combat air patrol.
RIO Radar-intercept officer. Naval flight officer in the backseat of F-14 Tomcat or F-4 Phantom aircraft.
ROE Rules of engagement.
SA-2 Guided Missile (SAM) Soviet-manufactured surface-to-air missile.
SAR Search and rescue.
Section Takeoff Two aircraft taking off in formation. Sidewinder AIM-9 heat-seeking air-to-air missile. Sparrow AIM-7 radar-guided air-to-air missile.
Split-S Aircraft is rolled inverted, then the nose is pulled toward the ground to rapidly reduce altitude.
Squawk Transponder code to ground-or air-based radar installations.
Starboard Naval terminology for right side.
Stern Naval terminology for the back (aft) end of ship. TACAN Navigation aid that provides the pilot with bearing and distance to an aircraft carrier or air base.
Tally Derivative of tallyho; target in sight.
TARCAP Target combat air patrol.
Tone Sound that indicates a pilot's air-to-air missile has locked onto his adversary.
Torso Harness Snug-fitting flight clothing that attaches to the ejection seat.
Trap Arrested landing on an aircraft carrier.
Unload Release pressure on aircraft control stick to ease g load. Vertical Reverse Air combat tactic.
VFR Visual flight rules.
Vulture's Row Observation deck on the superstructure (island) of an aircraft carrier.
Wardroom Officers' dining room.
Wave Off Landing-signal officer's order to abort the approach and go around for another try.
Winchester Out of ammunition and ordnance.
XO Executive officer.
Yankee Station Position in the Gulf of Tonkin south of Hainan Island. The point for carrier-launched strikes into North Vietnam. Zuni Air-to-ground rocket.
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