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Our detachment operated two Sea Knight helicopters aboard the USS Boxer. Our call sign was Knight Rider. Our primary mission was Search and Rescue. One of our collateral duties was mail delivery. We would fly to Bahrain to pick up the mail and bring it back to the aircraft carrier to be sorted. The flight schedule would be written and transmitted to the other ships.
The next day we would load the bright yellow mail duffel bags into our cargo helicopters fly them to the other ships. Mail from home is a valuable commodity at sea. Most ships were ready and eagerly awaiting our arrival. We would radio the ship and request landing clearance. The response was usually immediate, "Green deck. Clear to land."
There was one ship in the battle group that was consistently not ready for our scheduled arrival. We approached the ship and requested permission to land. After moments of silence the voice on the radio replied, "Knight Rider, red deck. Standby." They were not even at flight operation status. We flew a holding pattern off the starboard side for thirty minutes while they summoned their flight deck crew.
We were finally allowed to land. As we offloaded the mail duffels the pilot recalculated the fuel load to account for the delay. "We need more fuel." He concluded. The flight deck crew dragged out the hose and began pumping fuel. The process set us back another ten minutes. As we continued to the other ships, the pilots discussed the pattern of disrespect and incompetence. The Crew Chief said, "Don't worry, Sir. We will fix this."184Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqVkbrdqNy
That night, back on the carrier, the mail was passed out among our squadron. The Crew Chief walked around with one of the mail duffels collecting the empty envelopes that were being discarded.
A week later we were approaching the offending ship. Again the transmission came, "Knight Rider, Red deck. Stand by." The pilot instructed the the crew chief, "Prepare for air drop." The helicopter descended into a low slow pass along side the ship. The Crew Chief held the specially prepared mail duffel out of the door and proceeded to dump the empty envelopes into the air. The ships crew watched in horror. What they supposed was their precious mail fluttered and spiraled down to the waves where it was promptly swallowed by the ship's wake. "Delivery complete." the crew chief reported. The pilot climbed and turned on course to the next ship.
The next weeks our reception was different. As we approached, the air boss did not wait for the landing request. The preemptive transmission came loud and clear, "Knight Rider, Green deck. Clear to land."184Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXDygytjpd
The Crew Chief smiled and said simply, "Fixed."
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