| Fittingly, USS Ranger, CV-61, was retired the same day. After
spending the night on the old girl, I walked out onto the flight deck to find a gorgeous
blue sky, calm seas, and my jet already positioned on the number one catapult. The
lizard camouflage and red star on the tail denoted our squadron's mission as fleet
adversary pilots. The skipper invited the crew to come
topside and watch. Parked behind the jet blast deflector is a Tomcat. We were the only
jets aboard. Standing with the photographer were about fifteen hundred sailors gathered to
watch the last go.
What I particularly like about this photo is that it captured the
split-second between the catapult officer's signal to launch and the catapult stroke. That
moment always fascinated me. It remains the most exquisite of memories:
One heartbeat of stillness in a world of chaos.
There's nothing like it. |
