Another Recap from the Tailhook National '07

From LCDR Kevin "Proton" McLaughlin (Colorado Strike Force)

Back from all the hard work and lack of fun in Reno this past weekend.  For those concerned, my liver transplant yesterday was successful, but I am rapidly running out of tee-totaling benefactors in the greater Colorado Springs area.  If you know of any organ donors, please pass along their info.

The event was a HUGE success.  Over 2500 registered attendees (and many,
many more "unregistered") and the largest airlift support contingent
since 1991--over 350 active duty personnel from both the East and West
coasts. 

The highlights, as always, were the Bug Roach mixer on Friday night and the Flag Panel on Saturday.  The mixer had over 1,400 folks in the large banquet room and easily another 1,000 in the admin suites surrounding the space.  For the number of people and amount of "conviviality" there were surprisingly ZERO incidents.  VFA-122 and VFA-125 shared an admin suite and it was going STRONG when I went up to bed just prior to 0600 on Saturday morning (which, incidentally, made Saturday one of the longest hangover days on record--somebody call Guinness for me).

The Flag panel was chaired by VADM Kilcline (AIRPAC/Air Boss), and consisted of (left to right on your radio dial) RDML "Guads" Gaudagnini(CNATRA), BGEN "Whaler" Walsh (DC Aviation), RADM "Waldo" Emerson (NSAWC), VADM "DJ" Venlett (NAVSYSCOM), RADM "Goody" Goodwin (AIRLANT), RADM "Santee" Clingan (N88), and RADM Jeff Lemmons (CNAFR).  Some solid,pointed questions were tossed at them with the primary recurring theme of letting "Jointness" take over Naval Aviation (my fellow Joint-serving O-4's feel that particular pain) at the seeming expense of Tactical development and leadership.  All-in-all, a good solid exchange between the crowd and the Flags.

Colorado attendees included Hans and Kathy Schmoldt from GJT, Spook
McFillen, Black Bart Flaherty (who got the crowd in a frenzy with a
pointed question to the Flag panel--NICE WORK!), Lipper Lee, Rusty
Barber, Dick Trickle, and yours truly.  If I forgot anyone, I apologize--if we chatted, you were probably looking at/talking to my evil twin Neutron.

Finally, the speaker at the Banquet was Gene Cernan, retired CAPT and the LAST man to set foot on the moon.  An UNBELIEVABLE speaker, aviator,astronaut, and gentlemen.  He brought a PowerPoint brief with him that
had his own personal pictures from Apollo XVII and they were astounding.

He got very choked up a few times, but none
more so than in his final remarks when he said that of all the groups / societies/ associations he is associated with, the one he is most proud of is the fraternity of Naval Aviation.

Hear, hear.

 

Thanks Proton [Ed.]

Comments

[Swamp Drainer]

Great example of getting information out to us Colorado Hookers ASAP!--Big Gun