** Many ships during the battle took hits, even the Cider FACS. **

I was about a year later than that, George.

But I think there is one thing that we have all started to realize in the last few years; aircraft crews in Vietnam, ALL of them, left to their own devices, when called, were going to just keep coming until somebody ordered them to stop. And sometimes that didn't stop them.

In addition to yanking grunts around every once in a while about who did what to whom, we fool around and try to get a rise out of other aviation guys, sometimes only half kidding. You know... who showed up, who didn't, that kind of thing. But the fact is they (we) ALL showed up when the time came. Sure, some were better at it than others, that's life. Some were A LOT better. But they (we) all came when called.

Great stuff. I'm proud to have been a part of it and I feel lucky to have been able to hang around with a pack of gnarly muggs like these guys for a while.

Thanks,
Bob