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Canvasback,

Your post brought to my mind an event from my teenage years that still causes me to chuckle every time I remember it. We have had a lively discourse on the topic of weight, perhaps a little humor is in order. In the mid 80's trivial pursuit was all the rage, and I was pretty good at remembering useless facts. My mom loved to entertain so it was common for cards, music, monopoly or trivial pursuit marathons at our place on weekends. This particular evening was trivial pursuit and it was the kids vs the parents. When the question of "what sportsman's balls by regulation must weigh no more than 1.62 ounces?" was read we quickly concluded that a golfer was the correct response, but my buddy's younger brother brought down the house when he shouted out "a jockey's"! Hard to argue with logic like that...

Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 685 Location: Ontario

Waggo71, hilarious!

I play pub trivia regularly. If that question comes up, I now know what my answer will be!

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1114

waggo71, I must take exception to your John Wayne quote about laying hands on another. Back in 1967 John Wayne came aboard the USS Bonne Homme Richard on Yankee Station off North Vietnam and just lived and visited with the crew for a couple of weeks. No dancing girls or things like that, just "The Duke" being a regular guy. I was in the back of the VA-212 ready room getting on my G-suit and torso harness in readiness for an alpha strike over the north and felt a healthy slap on the back and tuned around and there was John Wayne grinning as he said " Give em hell, boy". All I could get out was a witty "Yes Sir", and proceeded to man up and give them hell. I do claim that John Wayne did lay hands on me however.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

waggo71 and Riflemeister,

The best and most entertaining information on this entire thread.

......and Riflemeister, Thank you Sir for serving during a time when being in the military wasn't well received by all, as it should have been.

Riflemeister,

I imagine under the circumstances bending the rules a bit for a good cause made perfect sense to the Duke. Pleased that you made it home safely and with a great memory to boot!

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1381 Location: Denver, Colorado

Riflemeister: Your post prompted me to look up the history of "Yankee Station" and the Bonhomme Richard (I guess I didn't realize she was an Essex-Class ship). In 1973 I was but a 15-year old boy but I do remember the nightly news as well as the conversations around the dinner table in those days. It's so hard for me to process how our country was at that time and how it seems to be today, but your piece of it's history is still very-impressive to me. My own father flew in B-17s (in his part of the Second World War) and I hold combat-experienced pilots very high in my pantheon of admirable people. It is my humble opinion that John Wayne was in very good company when he was aboard your ship.

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2012 Posts: 1114

Thanks for all the nice comments on my experience with the John Wayne post, but didn't intend to hijack the original thread. Flying jet aircraft off carriers for the Navy was my dream job from the first time I learned of it. I feel I should be thanking y'all for the opportunities I had to pursue that dream. In many countries in this world, a high school dropout Ozark farm boy would never have been able to do what I did in my 33 year Navy career. I've been blessed to be born in the greatest country on earth.

AMEN !!

Amen#2

Riflemeister my best friend had a 30 year Navy career also, men like you 2 are the reason we live free and have a great country.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3178 Location: NCWa

My cousin went into Navy Aviation and flew a Skyhawk off and back onto a carrier during the Vietnam Conflict. He went to school to be a CPA but his love of flying kept him in the navy. He went on to instruct at the Top Gun school. Meanwhile I went into the USMC and after 3 years with 385 days in VN, I decided I'd like a change.