I started my military career after my junior year at Carolina by signing up for the Navy’s AVROC (Aviation Reserve Office Candidate) program. This involved two summer indoctrination periods of 8 weeks each at Pensacola, FL. After the completion of the first session, I returned to Carolina for my senior year. Upon graduation I returned for the final session after which I received my commission and started flight training.

Flight training started in August of 1966 in Pensacola where I completed Basic Aviation ground training and Basic flight training in the T-34. In September 1966 I went to Basic jet training at Meridian, MS, flying the single engine T-2A which lasted until June of 1967, then I went back to Pensacola for my first carrier qualifications, air to air gunnery, flying the twin engine T-2B jet. At the completion of these quals in July 1967, I was sent to Advanced jet training in Beeville, TX, flying the TF-9/AF-9 single engine jet. My training there lasted until I received my wings in January 1968. During this time, I met my wife to be, Sandy. We were married in February 1968 and I was assigned to remain as an Advanced Jet Instructor there in VT-26 at Beeville, TX.

After instructing for a year and a half, we left Beeville, TX for Jacksonville, FL in June of 1969 and the A-4 Skyhawk transition squadron, VA-44. After checking out in the A-4 (single seat jet attack aircraft), I was assigned to VA-216 deploying to the Mediterranean aboard the USS Forrestal in December 1969. The cruise was a typical 8 month deployment, out at sea two to three weeks, then into various ports for a week to 10 days. Fortunately, Sandy was able to spend six months in Europe following the ship with other wives. On the way home in July 1970, our squadron was notified that it would be decommissioned on our return and everyone would be receiving orders to different aircraft squadrons. In my case, I received orders to a different aircraft as well, and was sent to the RA-5C Vigilante transition squadron in Albany, GA. This was a significant change to the type of flying I had been accustomed to since joining the Navy. The RA-5C was a large, supersonic, carrier based reconnaissance aircraft, which also had an attack navigator as a crewman with me. After completion of transition training in RVAH-3, I was assigned to RVAH-5 heading to Viet Nam aboard the USS Enterprise. We left in June of 1971 and commenced combat operations in July on Yankee Station, off the coast of North Viet Nam. The combat scenario for our cruise was 30 day line periods, the first two weeks operations on our ship were from noon to midnight, while the other carrier went from midnight to noon. Then the last two weeks, it was midnight to noon. Sorties involved strikes against enemy targets in Laos, South Viet Nam, North Viet Nam and some reconnaissance into Cambodia as well. After a line period, the carrier would head to port, usually Subic Bay in the Philippines, for about 10 days and then back to the line. Our deployment ended in February 1972 and I returned to Albany, GA to greet Sandy and now our first child, Daniel II who was born two weeks after I left for cruise.

That summer of 1972, my initial commitment in the Navy was up and I thought I would try civilian life. I was hired that fall by Delta Airlines and flew with them for a year until I realized I was better suited for the Navy than flying a bus. I reentered the Navy in October 1973, our daughter Emily was born in December and we all went to Key West, FL. There I instructed in the RA-5C, teaching carrier qualifications as the landing signal officer. In 1975, I was assigned to RVAH-5 again for another fleet tour, this time aboard the USS Ranger, and again heading to the western Pacific. At the completion of this cruise, the squadron was being decommissioned and I was assigned back to the attack community, this time in the A-7E Corsair with VA-174, the A-7 transition squadron, based at Jacksonville, FL. After spending a year and a half checking out and instructing in the A-7, I was assigned to VA-86 based aboard the USS Nimitz. I deployed to the Mediterranean in 1979, but the ship was sent to the Persian Gulf in response the hostage crisis in Iran. Being part of the failed hostage rescue attempt was deflating but very interesting. We returned home in summer of 1980 only to turn around and deploy to the North Atlantic that summer and fall. My assignment was ending with the squadron and I received orders to the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC. We arrived in February 1981 and spent the next three years on shore duty living in Virginia. While on the JCS Staff I spent time in various capacities, National Military Command Center Operations Team, Secretary of Defense Briefing Officer, NMCC Training Officer.

At the completion of the Washington tour I was assigned a ship’s company department head tour on board the USS Saratoga based out of Mayport, FL. Arriving in April 1984 I deployed to the Mediterranean that month and returned  the next spring. Due to personnel challenges aboard during the cruise, I was asked to act as the aircraft handling officer in addition to my duties as the ship’s safety officer. Upon return to Florida, it was back to sea very shortly and we deployed again in the fall of 1985 to the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. At the end of this cruise I decided that I would retire after 20 years of service and received orders for my final duty station as Head of Recruit and Apprentice Training for the Navy, based at Millington, TN. I spent one year there and retired from active duty in August 1987.

My career was very full. I have flown 14 different varieties of Navy aircraft, made 7 major deployments, many shorter at sea periods and deployments for training and qualifications, flown over 50 combat missions, attained over 600 carrier landings of which over 200 were at night, worked for and with the highest ranking officials in the U.S. government, been around the world three times. My awards include 4 Air Medals, various Service and Achievement Medals and commendations, theatre commendations, unit commendations.