Perspective... tough duty

Perspective… Is being an elected member of the Great Falls City Commission tough duty?

I get asked that question frequently. The answer is it depends. And it depends on an individual’s life experiences. I served in the Navy as a flight deck troubleshooter. My job consisted of launching, recovering, and making quick electronic repairs of the A-6 Intruder. 

 While preparing for a deployment, we conducted training exercises aboard the USS Enterprise in the Pacific Ocean.

An important part of the training involved safety, firefighting, and first aid. Why?

Read the following account of a tragic accident that previously happened.

On an early morning, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) was operating about 70 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was preparing for an 0830 launch of six F-4 Phantom II fighters, seven A-7 Corsair II light attack jets, one RA-5C Vigilante photo-reconnaissance aircraft, one EKA-3B tanker, and one E-2A Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft of Air Wing NINE (CVW-9). This would be for the final battle drill on the last day of an operational readiness inspection (ORI) in preparation for Enterprise’s deployment.  Flight operations begun at 0630 that morning.

At 0818, as the Enterprise was commencing a turn to port into the wind, an explosion occurred on the port quarter of the flight deck outside the landing area. An MD-3A aircraft starter unit (“huffer”) had been positioned so that hot exhaust was blowing on the warhead of a MK-32 5-inch Zuni rocket. This warhead was mounted in a pod of four rockets on the starboard wing (No. 8 station) of Fighter Squadron NINETY-SIX (VF-96) F-4J Phantom II No. 105. The huffer’s exhaust temperature could reach 590 degrees (F) at a two-foot distance, while only 358 degrees was sufficient to cook off the warhead in about one minute and 18 seconds (per the subsequent investigation). The aircraft was also carrying two wing fuel tanks (one on the starboard wing outboard of the Zuni rockets) and six MK 82 500-pound bombs.

A junior airman apprentice had attempted to call attention to the dangerous situation, but his warning was either not understood, or not heard in the din of jet noise. The subsequent investigation determined that the warning was probably already too late. When the Zuni warhead exploded, shrapnel perforated the external fuel tanks and ignited a JP-5 fuel fire. About one minute later, the other three Zuni rockets on F-4J No. 105 exploded, blowing holes in the flight deck down which burning JP-5 flowed into the O-3 level.

The skipper of Enterprise, Captain Kent Lee (future vice admiral and commander of Naval Air Systems Command) promptly steered so the wind blew smoke and flames off the flight deck. However, after three minutes, a bomb on a Phantom exploded, blowing an even bigger hole in the flight deck (about 8 by 7 feet), and spreading burning fuel into the ship down to the O-2, O-1, and 1st Deck levels. This explosion severed fire hoses and rendered the closest fire-fighting foam units inoperative. This was followed by two more 500-pound bomb explosions, and then three more on a rack that created an 18- by 22-foot hole and ruptured a 6,000-gallon fuel tank, resulting in a huge fireball. In all, there were 18 explosions that blew five large holes in the flight deck (although not in the landing area) and destroyed eight F-4’s, six A-7’s, and the EKA-3B tanker.

The huffer driver, Airman John R. Webster, was killed instantly by the first blast; the radar intercept officer of F-4J No. 105, LTJG Buddy Pyeatt, was killed in the fire; and the pilot of the aircraft, LTJG Jim Berry died as a result of his burns months later (resulting in different casualty numbers in different accounts). Many of those who died were killed by the second explosion as they rushed to fight the fire. A preponderance of those killed were flight deck maintenance personnel of VF-96 and VF-92, and from the ship’s V1 Division. Other crewmen were killed as they ran bravely toward the fire, while others were trapped in compartments below decks. (Of note, USS Rogers—DD-876—was commended for aggressively coming alongside Enterprise to help fight the fires, while USS Bainbridge—CGN-25—rescued a number of Sailors blown over the side.)

This was a tragic accident. Life on the flight deck was a challenge. After our training aboard the USS Enterprise we deployed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS America. In short, let’s just say being a flight deck troubleshooter was a dangerous job. We had daily injuries. Sometimes, nothing more than bumps and bruises. Other times, broken bones and even fatalities.

Let’s get back to the original question. Is serving on the Great Falls City Commission tough duty?  Community service can be challenging. We wear many hats including the health, safety, and welfare of our city. But to be brutely honest, it is not a life-threatening position. The biggest threat commission members face are personal attacks by social media clowns looking for their five minutes of fame. 

My answer to the question... Serving on the City Commission is thought-provoking. Meeting the needs of our diverse constituency is rarely without some controversy and public outcry. However, the position is rewarding. And I usually start and end the commission meetings with a smile on my face. 

I didn’t always have a smile on my face, at the end of the day, as a flight deck troubleshooter.