National J.O. President's Message

The Navy Gouge

LT Alden "CaSPR" Marton, USN

Every day we use our neighbor’s experiences to sidestep landmines. Whether that’s after a particularly rough TACSTAN eval or after your H2P board, most of us are keen to turn right around and tell our peers about the trials and tribulations. What did you get right? What was unexpected? But most importantly, what would you have done differently? The aircrew coming after you are hugely invested in avoiding mistakes and what better way than to talk to someone who just went through it?

Modern tactics have been largely shaped by the sorties of our brothers and sisters before us. Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm. In each of these, our fellow aviators had to adapt to a new adversary – an adversary with more modern weapon technology, unique topography changes, cultural obstacles, etc. Unfortunately, we lost aircraft and some of the best Naval Pilots our country has ever seen. But every scar has imprinted on our community. Every engagement analyzed, every video feed dissected. We don’t tolerate losses. Our tactics manuals are written through the lens of the aviators before us. Where were we bested? Where did we make mistakes? We spend years and thousands of flight hours each practicing the lessons of prior engagements. We will not fall victim to the same circumstances, both as a promise to those who are no longer with us and contractually to our brothers and sisters in arms every time we walk to the aircraft.

A few of us had an opportunity to grab a beer at the I-Bar with CAPT Mike O’Connor, CAPT Gene Pellerin, and Chief Gary Ely from HAL-3–the most decorated Squadron in the Vietnam War and arguably in all of Naval Aviation history with five NAVY Crosses awarded, 31 Silver Stars, 219 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 15,964 Air Medals, and multiple Presidential Unit Citations. As they shared their colorful sea stories, we couldn’t help but notice that everything from NATOPS to Personnel Recovery linked to something that had happened to them personally. We discussed max gross weight takeoffs where their crewchief had to run alongside until passing through translational lift and then jump on board. While our Maneuver Description Guide doesn’t condone “trainhopping” as a technique at the FRS, this is precisely the reason we practice our max gross weight takeoffs the way that we do. Every wardroom “There-I-Was” conversation exposes our pilots and aircrew to problem-solving beyond the book. Every sea story is a vignette to why we fly the way we fly. The past informs the present whether deep in the pages of NTTPs or over a beer at the I-Bar.

Learning from our past is crucial, but our goal is to be proactive. So how do we take these lessons and shape the future fight? We write the HAZREP, we analyze the causal factors, and we train the fleet through briefs and publication rewrites. We sit down with our industry partners, admitting our community weak points, and organize a technological way forward.

2023 marks a number of historic benchmarks for Naval Rotary Wing Aviation. Sikorsky celebrates it’s 100 year benchmark of helicopter development. HSM-41 celebrates 40 years of training some of the best aviators in the fleet. Helicopter aviation has come a long way and it’s time we pause to reflect on the impact of that storied history. Join us for the 2023 NHA Symposium this Spring “Forging Legacy: Legends Past and Present!”

Fly Navy! LT Alden “CaSPR” Marton