Memoir Summary
The Coast Guard’s motto is Semper Paratus – Latin for Always Ready. It’s also been described as ‘the shallow water Navy’ and ‘the hard nucleus that the Navy forms around in time of war.’ I always tell people that I’ve been in the Coast Guard for 68 years, but only 31 counted. Ninety-nine percent of my time in the Coast Guard was more fun than you can imagine; the other one percent I don’t want to talk about. I never had an accident in my 20 years of flying and 5,775 flight hours. I’m amazed that I can still hear and my back doesn’t hurt!
Another reason for this missive is to reprise and share my life experiences with my family and friends. As of this writing, my wife, Marilyn, and I have been married for 44 years. A third is to help preserve a little of Coast Guard Aviation history. I’ve been involved in doing that for about the past 45 years and maybe some of you will enjoy and appreciate some of the nostalgia and tidbits of Coast Guard Aviation lore contained herein.
