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Legs coming out of the TopHat!


Alright Airdale,

Greetings, I am Lenny "Sudzy" Cudnik AE3 Fitron Fourteen '66-'69 and I have a true story from the time when we flew the F4-B's in Vietnam aboard the F.D.R..

I hope I can remember all the details in correct chronological order and I will do my best as I remember it. I used to work in the ready room and my direct boss was a Chief Brown and Chief Chilson was incharge of all the goings on. I was an AE and so was Chief Brown, so I was sort of TAD to the ready room and distributed all of the pilot write ups (gripes) to the different shops in the squadron, well I did that for about a year and a half then I became a regular
AE in the AE shop.

When we were in VietNam one of our F-4's messed up one of its wings and it emergency landed in DaNang. The tech-reps from McDonnell Aircraft decided that they could change the wing from one that was scraped there in DaNang. We dispatched a crew, 2 from each shop, with the exception of the AQ's. Aviation Electricians (2), AO's (2) and airframes (2).

After a couple of weeks (3 I think) we were all waiting for the plane to come back to the ship. I think the aircraft was 102, not sure though! Anyway, if you think you now have a new insignia, you should have seen the insignia the Marines in DaNang gave us. It was an upside down TopHat with a set of the prettiest legs you have ever seen just sort of lazily sticking out of it. It didn't last very long because the skipper of the squadron had it changed, but he was cool about it as a matter of fact for a while he had considered it to become our new insignia. He thought it best that we get our bird back in uniform though and about two weeks after it got back it was repainted.

Sorry I don't have any pictures left, we had a flood in our basement years ago back in Ohio and I lost just about all my military pictures!

One last thing before I sign off. Did you know that VF-14 was the first squadron "EVER" to fly an F4B with its wings folded, talk about a pilot shittin' and gettin' back to Oceana, Va.. Flaps full down and full after-burner and one straight in landing and he actually grabbed a cable on the end of the flight line. No net needed!

Keep Them flying boys, there are many of us who still believe that carriers are our BEST first line of defense!

Sincerely,
Lenny Cudnik
151 Deer Point Road
Unionville, TN. 37180-8691 931-294-2518

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
If anyone still has a photo of that ... ahem ... un-official tophatter insignia, please know it is BADLY wanted for this web site !!!

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The Alumni Pages


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