TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Second Platoon
visit family in Tampa enroute to NAS Pensacola. While
there my cousin, newly trained Green Beret 2nd Lt,
stopped in en route to ‘Nam and we congratulated each
other for our present successes. He was killed by a VC
sniper the next year leading Montagnards in an assault
on VC position in the Central Highlands. Arrived at
Pensacola 2nd week of March ’67 to start flight training
and greeted at the BOQ by old friend now in USMC Helo
flight training. Tragic news – my good friend from
Lenox and Colgate, Pete McCabe, died in a T-28 doing
night touch&go’s. Sucking it up, I buckled down and
tore through ground school, primary training in T-34’s
at Saufley Field, and was selected for Jets. At NAS
Meridian, MS, tore through the T-2A primary jet
syllabus. The next phase (Sherman Field, Pensacola)
was over-booked got put on hold for 2 months,
assigned to the Legal Officer to do help with accident
investigations. Made acquaintance with the SAR pilots
and got to fly left seat with them several times in their
H-34.
Met my (first) wife, Ginger. We married in the base
chapel March 8th, 1968. Departed Meridian to report to
Sherman Field, Pensacola, January, 1968 and completed
the air-to-air gunnery training in the T-2B, a 2-engine
version of the T-2A, in February. Then it was carrier
landing practice. Got my first traps (arrested landings)
aboard USS Randolph in the Gulf south of Pensacola
end of that month. Next stop: NAS Kingsville (TX) and
advanced jets flying the F9 Cougar, a post-Korea jet
nicknamed the “lead sled” for it's not-too-much-power
and slow to accelerate down the runway
characteristics. Here we trained in advanced
aerobatics, instrument flight qualification, Air-toground
gunnery, strafing, rockets, bomblets, and first
look at air-combat-maneuvering. FUN! Lastly it was
carrier-quals in the “Sled”, and graduation July 5, 1968.
Ginger and BGen Homer Hutchinson pinned on my
wings of gold.
Assigned to 2dMAW Cherry Point we detoured to
Pensacola where I stood in as Best Man at 2nd Lt Gray
Hutchinson (now deceased) wedding to Trisha. Then
on to MCAS Cherry Point where I was asked by the G-1
“What would you like to fly, Lt. Griggs?” “A4’s Sir!” I
said. “You got em” he said. And I checked in at VMAT-
203. Completing basic syllabus in the TA-4J in August
then reported to MCAS Beaufort, SC, and checked in to
VMA-324 where I became familiar with the A-4C, had
weapons qualification deployment to MCAS Yuma, AZ
during January, 1969, qualified in air-to-ground and
Close Air Support. Received my orders to WestPac in
February
Vietnam Era Service: Taking enough leave to park
Ginger, now in her 8th month with our daughter
Jessica (JJ for short), went to her parents’ home in
Meridian (MS) and got her comfortably settled. I said
my good-byes and caught a flight to LA, then to March
AFB and departed for WestPac. Arriving on Okinawa I
spent 5 or 4 days orienting and getting immunized. On
charter flight from LA met up with 3 aviation WO’s
bound for Marble Mountain and they took it upon
themselves to “assist” the Lieutenant in USMC
orientation to his first overseas tour. Which, of course,
meant showing this “newbie” around the sights and
color of “the rock”. Surviving that we landed in Da
Nang 8 Mar69. Trucked over the 1stMAW-G1 with
orders in hand was quickly assigned to MAG-12, VMA-
2‐27