COMTHIRDFLEET

Assistant Air Training Officer  
Ford Island, Oahu, Hawaii

May 1979- December, 1980

Last Updated:  March 20th, 2024




Map of the Hawaiian Islands
Map of Oahu

Ford Island in 1941



Ford Island- Present



When I checked in to Third Fleet Headquarters on Ford Island, I learned that I would be required to live in officer's housing on Ford Island but that there would be wait of about 60 days before we could move in to our government quarters on the island. We would have to spend that time at a hotel at Waikiki. While in Waikiki, I took some leave for a about a week or so then started started taking the ferry to work to start training with my boss, CDR Barry Kunkel. Cathy and I had a great Hawaii vacation for awhile until we finally moved in the our quarters on Ford Island.


 
During the day, we could go to Waikiki Beach, snorkel at Hanauma Bay, or drive to the North Shore and enjoy the waves or check out a rainbow!


Hanauma Bay
North Shore

At night, we had dinner in a different restaurant every night and would check out places like the International Village.




Ford Island- 1979/1980 

When we moved to Ford Island 1979, it looked more like the Ford Island of 1941 than the Ford Island of today.  There was no bridge from Oahu to Ford Island. The only way to travel to and from Ford Island before the bridge was built in the 1980s (other than by air), was by a ferry.



Ford Island was restricted to military personnel, their families. and invited guests 1979 before the bridge was built from Oahu to the island in the 1980s.
 


So basically Ford Island was our private island for those who worked and lived there. We walked, ran, or rode a bike to and from work. We had tennis courts and a swimming pool and we had a bar and food service at the small BOQ on the island.

We had cars but normally didn't use them while on the island. When we wanted to go off-island, we put our cars on the ferry for trips to the commissary, naval exchange, hospital, or to go out to dinner or travel on Oahu.
 




This was not our quarters. But, it looks a lot like ours.
We had three bedrooms and two baths and a very nice lanai that faced Pear Harbor. We had a rim of coconut palm trees that lined our backyard toward the trade winds which came across the harbor.

So far, all the pictures are from Google.

Unfortunately, all my personal pictures from Hawaii were destroyed in a flood.
  I have located some new pictures which I will include in the rest of this memoir.

The Mission of COMTHIRDFLEET (C3F) in 1979/1980

The mission of Third Fleet in 1980 was a complex issue. From my perspective and according to Wikopedia, the C3F mission 1979/1980 was to provide air services to naval forces located in Hawaii and for Carrier Battle Groups transiting through the Hawaiian operating area from the West Coast on deployments to the Western Pacific. My job as Assistant Air Training Officer was to work with my boss, the Air Training Officer (CDR Barry Kunkel) to provide air services for fleet units to accomplish this mission.  In addition, we were also involved in the planning Fleet Exercises for west coast carrier battle group and amphibious group training.


But recently, I have become aware that in 1979/1980, there was also a second group within the C3F staff that were involved in an entirely different mission. This group was attached to the CINCPACFLT and COMSUBPAC staffs and operated out of the CINCPACFLT compound on Oahu. This group was involved with the tracking of Soviet nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the Pacific theater of operations. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviets were deploying their Yankee Class nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The specifics of US Navy counter Soviet ballistic missile submarines was and continues to be highly classified. As a result, I was never involved in any aspects of these operations. I suppose that it was important for C3F to be aware of the presence of any Soviet ballistic missile submarines that might be located with our Hawaian Operating Area during our battle group transit exercises.

In the 1979s and 1980s, the Soviets were also deploying nuclear attack submarines in the central and eastern Pacific. The mission of these submarines was to locate and track US Navy carrier battle groups and presumably conduct offensive anti carrier battle group missions if directed to do so. So as a result, part of the C3F mission was to work with the CINCPACFLT and COMSUBPAC staffs to keep track of these Soviet nuclear attack submarines. I was not involved in these operations either except in one instance when one of these Soviet nuclear attack submarines decided to get involved in one of our carrier Battle Group transit exercises.

During the transit of one of our battle group transits, a Soviet nuclear attack submarine was attempting trail the aircraft carrier. I was able to figure out how that submarine was detected and it's location passed from Barber's Point P3B aircraft to carrier ASW (anti-submarine warfare) aircraft. Eventually the sub's exact location was passed to one of the carrier's ASW helicopters which achieved a attack position on the sub.



A significant part of the job was to organize a Schedule of Events (SOE) for transit exercises, fleet exercises, and a Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and to provide air services and Orange Force opposition for these exercises.

Learning how to produce an SOE was exceptionally valuable for me in subsequent tours of duty.


Flight Time

I didn't start flying right away after reporting for duty. I had to learn about my job first and then had to requalify in the A4 before I could fly with VC1 at Barber's Point. The opportunity came when I was part of the planning for air services from NAS Whidby Island near Seattle, Washington for a Fleet Exercise which took place at the end of September/early October 1979.

I left Ford Island and flew to San Diego to get my requalification in the TA4J with the VF-126 Fighting Seahawks at NAS Miramar
 


TA4J

I flew five flights with VF-126; one flight was a spin training flight in the T2A on September13th and four flights in the TA4F (6.6 hours) from  September 14th through September 26th.

Orange Forces Intelligence Support

After completing my check ride with VF-126 on September 26th, I checked in with VC-7 to start flying in support of Exercise Kernal Potlach which was part of the larger Fleet Exercise. My first flight was on September 28th and was an exceptionally interesting flight.

I took off early in the morning.  The first part of the flight was to Beale AFB in northern California were I picked up some surveillance film which had been flown by a U2 surveillance aircraft.


After I landed my TA4 at Beale AFB, I was driven to the airfield in a USAF blue staff sedan. We watched the U2 land and then took the runway and drove along side the U2. Toward the end of the U2 landing roll out, ground crew members took station on each wing tip to make sure neither wing tip touched the concrete. After a few hours, I was handed a package that contained surveillance photos taken by the U2.  I got back in my trusty TA4 and flew to Esquimalt British Columbia.


Esquimalt British Columbia

Esquimalt was a Royal Canadian Navy Base

I handed the U2 surveillance photos showing the composition of Blue Naval Forces (good guys) to a staff officer of the Royal Canadian Navy Orange Forces (bad guys). I was in charge of providing air services (opposition Orange Force air services) for the Fleet Exercise. After delivering the intelligence photography, I got back in to my trusty TA4 and flew south to NAS Whidby Island, the home base of the Orange air services. I landed just after sunset (.3 hours night flight time). Only 4.1 of flight time (all first pilot time) (3 flights) spread over a long but very interesting day.


VC-7 Orange Forces Flights from NAS Whidby Island




VC-7 TA4J

VC-7 A4F


I flew five Orange Forces air service flights with VC-7 from Whidby Island from September 29th through October 3rd (14.2 flight hours). Four of the flights were in TA4J (9.3 first pilot time; 2.5 co-pilot time. I flew one flight in the single seat A4F ( 2.4 pilot time). These orange air services flights were interesting and showed me first hand what flying exercise air services in support of a Schedule of Events is like from the VC squadron stand point.


There was another aspect of this period at Whidbey Island which is worth mentioning:

This was my first exposure to flying with a female jet aviator. (I never actually flew with Rosemary Canatser in VA-174). Lt Jorgensen was a pilot in VC-7 and was part of the Whidby Island detachment. I flew with her and spent several hours in the Whidby O'Club learning about her story as one of the first group of female jet pilots. Women were not permitted to fly in a fleet squadron and deploy on an aircraft carrier at that time so a VC squadron was the best assignment a female jet pilot could get!
                                                                                                            
I began flying the TA4J with VC-7 at NAS Barbers Point in Hawaii in November, 1979.

VC-1 Patch
VC-1 TA4J
NAS Barbers Point, Oahu, Hawaii


Most of my flights with VC-1 were air services flights such as target towing or flying incoming missile profiles for local ships. I also was able to fly some air services missions for Carrier Battle Groups during Transit Exercises in the Hawaiian Operating Area (HOA). I was also able to fly some navigation training flights which enabled me to get a good look at the topography of all of the main islands: Kauai. Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii especially the spectacular "Rainbow Canyon" of Kauai, and the volcanoes of Kauai and The Big Island of Hawaii. I also got a good look at Niihau, the western most island which was privately owned by the Robinson family. Niihau was of interest to us at COMTHIRDFLT because we had a tracking station on the eastern side of the island. I actually flew a few flights (including a couple of MK 76 practice bombing flights) to the Island of Kaho'olawe which is located off the southwest coast of Maui. The US Navy used Kahoolawe from WW2 through the 1980s for Marine amphibious training and air to ground bombing practice. I talk more about Kaho'olawe later.

I enjoyed flying with VC-1 especially flying with and getting to know the two female pilots who were in VC-1 at the time. They were both exceptional pilots and were well liked in the squadron. They fit right in the best I could tell. I spent more than one evening at the Barber's Point O'Club playing pool with the pilots of VC-1.
Stark Wolkoff

One of the high points of flying with VC-1 was getting to know and flying with LCDR Stark Wolkoff.  One night, I was scheduled to fly a night Air Intercept Training Flight with two F4 Phantoms from the Hawaiian Air National Guard. The mission involved my TA4 as the target for the Hawaiian Air National Guard pilots and intercept controllers. On one of these flights, LCDR Stark Wolkoff flew in aback seat of my aircraft. After the flight Stark and I debriefed at the O'Club bar. That night was the beginning of a great friendship. Start Wolkoff was one of the most interesting  people I had the pleasure to know during my Navy career. Here is his story. According to The United States Navy Memorial website, Stark was born on September 2, 1921 in Uniontown. Pennsylvania. He died at home in Spring Hill, Kansas on Sunday, March 22,2009. He retired as a Captain MC USNR. Stark told me that he left about halfway through college at the University of Pennsylvania to join the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  He would have been 20 years old when he enlisted. He was selected for officer training and was a tank commander during the Normandy landing and for most of the war after that in the fields of France. He was on an airplane bound for the western Pacific to participate in the attack of Japan when the Japanese surrendered. After the war, let the Army, completed college went to medical school. Toward the end of his very successful professional career in Gynecology and as a professor at the University of Kansas, Stark was looking for a change. Stark told me that he thought back about his days in the Army and missed the relationships he had established in the military.  At age 55, he decided to contact the Air Force and try to get accepted as a flight surgeon. He wanted to fly in the Air Force!


Stark was an excellent pilot and had is own fully aerobatic Pitts Special airplane.
 Stark apparently had contacts at the highest level in the Air Force and somehow got a commission as a LtCol flight surgeon. But when he learned that Air Force flight surgeons didn't fly, he wanted out. He was referred to Admiral Stansfield Turner at the Chief of Naval Operations. As navy flight surgeons did fly at that time, Stark accepted a commission as a LCDR USNR Medical Corps with the requirement that he be initially assigned in Hawaii as he and his wife (also an MD) had a horse ranch on the eastern slope of the Haleakala volcano on Maui. Stark received orders to one of the P3B squadrons at NAS Barber's Point.
Stark's horse ranch was located on a gentler slope of eastern Haleakala

Stark was assigned to a P3B squadron and I suppose he flew occasionally with his squadron. But Stark wanted to fly in the jets at VC-1. That's where I started this tale, at the O'Club bar after a night flight flying night intercept missions with Hawaii Air National Guard. I flew as many flights as I could with Stark; mostly regular air services flights. But we were able to fly a few "navigation missions" where we flew visual flights around the islands. On one of these flights, we were able to take a low level look at his horse ranch on Muai. There was a short runway with a hangar on his ranch. I wondered if Stark's Pitts Special was there. My plan was when I left COMTHIRFLT stafff to be the Commanding Officer of VA-174, I would try to get Stark orders to the Hellrazors.  But when I got to Cecil Field, I found out that the flight surgeon at VA-174, was not only dual qualified as a naval aviator and a medical doctor , but also as a flight instructor. I loss track of Stark Wolkoff after that. In researching Google, I discovered that there is (or at least was) a Stark Wolkoff Foundation based in Kansas City, , MO. I plan to attempt to locate and contact any of Stark's relatives to fill in the rest of Stark's story.
I flew a total of 40 flights (73.9 flight hours) with VC-1 from November, 1979 through November, 1980.
I flew a total of 50 flights (102.1 flight hours) with VC-1/VC-7 during my tour at COMTHIRDFLEET.

The Commanders of COMTHIRDFLT 1979 through 1980

VADM Kinnaird K. McKee
 VADM Kinnaird K. McKee was the admiral when I arrived in Hawaii. He was a submariner and was very involved with the counter Soviet nuclear submarine aspects of the COMTHIRDFLT mission. I think that he might have been responsible for the split COMTHIRDFLT staff organization that existed when I was there. But, I was new to the staff and wasn't aware of any of this at the time operations. VADM KcKee also found the time to be involved with overseeing the air services and exercise scheduling aspects of the staff mission. One of my first tasks at Third Fleet was to accompany VADM McKee on a visit to an  aircraft carrier which was part of a transiting battle group. My job was to answer any questions that came up about aircraft carrier flight operations and any air services aspects of the battle group training Schedule of Events (SOE). VADM McKee got his fourth star when he relieved Admiral Rickover as the Director of Nuclear Propulsion for the Navy.










VADM Edward C Waller III
 VADM Edward C Waller III took over the staff shortly after I arrived. He had a extensive background in the P3 design, engineering, logistics and operations of the aircraft. He was referred to as "Mr. P3" in discussions about any aspect of P3 Orion issues. I don't know how much time he devoted to the anti submarine aspects of the Third Fleet mission. But, I had much more exposure to him that I had with Admiral McKee. Perhaps that was because I had more time to get to know him because he and his wife lived on Ford Island. More on that soon. I made several trips to aircraft carriers with him during battle group transits. I was very impressed with his steep learning curve from one visit to the next. VADM Waller left Third Fleet to become the Superintendent of the Naval Academy in 1981. He retired from the Navy in August, 1981.








VADM Waller At home in his P3
VADM Waller lived with his wife in the Ford Island Officer Quarters. Most of the Admiral's staff and the staff officers involved with Battle Group training also lived on the island. The result was that we became a family. We worked on the island; had cookouts together, played flag football together; we ran, walked, or rode our bikes on the island; and played tennis together at the Ford Island Tennis Club (more on that later). I guess the anti Soviet Submarine portion of the staff lived on Oahu closer to the CINCPACFLT/COMSUBPAC compound). I never came across any aspects of that COMTHIRDFLT.








Ford Island in 1979 looked more like this image taken in 1941 than what it looks like today.


There was no bridge from Oahu to Ford Island (That was built in the 1980s). The USS Missouri museum and dock behind the Arizona memorial was not there in 1979. The BOQ in 1941 was located near the Arizona and Officer Housing. The additional housing on the Utah/Saratoga/Lexington moorings side of the island was used in 1979 for mostly Army personnel which were responsible for US Arms ships which were moored there in 1979.

Note: The aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Saratoga were not at their moorings on December 7th. The USS Enterprise was also on training maneuvers at sea on December 7th during the attack. Unfortunately the USS Utah was present during the attack and was sunk at her mooring. The partially submerged portion of USS Utah was present in 1979 when we were there.
Barry and Cindy Kunkel

Cdr Barry Kunkel was my boss at C3F. Everything I did which was associated with the air training services and exercise planning was with his help and leadership. Once, he gave me the training to do my job, he gave me a lot of freedom to build on that training through experience. Barry was an A7 pilot with an F8 Crusader background. He encouraged me to fly as much as I could both with VC-1 in Hawaii and with VC-7 on the west coast.


Cindy's Facebook Profile Picture
In addition to being my boss, Barry along with his wife Cindy were also neighbors and best friends on Ford Island. Barry and Cindy were devoted Christians who loved everyone and enjoyed living. They each had a lot of energy and along with VADM Waller and his wife, were the leaders of the C3F family on Ford Island. Barry and Cindy were amazing people. They had several young folks who were not part of their biological family living with them on the island. Barry and Cindy took them in and supported them through college or deciding on a job of some kind. Cindy was one of the most generous and least materialistic people  I have ever known. On one occasion I mentioned that I admired an ash tray in her home; on the next day it was on our door step.

Also living with the Kunkel's was Cindy's mother Maude. Maude was quite a character who provided numerous enjoyable events for us.


Jeff and Bonnie Tall

Jeff Tall LCDR Royal Navy (Submariner) and Bonnie lived on the southwest side of Ford Island.
 
Jeff and Bonnie were part of the C3F family.  Jeff was an important player in our exercise planning group. His experience as a Royal Navy submariner was invaluable. He and Bonnie Participated in all the social activities from  cook outs to coed flag football. Jeff was an avid tennis player. Jeff and I put together a tennis group which we termed the Ford Island Tennis Club.

The Ford Island Tennis Club
Tennis courts and the area we used for picnics and flag football.
Running or jogging was by far the most common form of exercise. Most of us did a 5K or a 10K at least three times a week. Cindy Kunkel was an avid marathoner and did most of her routine distance training on the island for the Honolulu Marathon.

The Ford Island Tennis Club. Tennis was very popular also. There was a small building to the left of the tennis courts which we used to store the supplies and to provide refreshments when we hosted other tennis team or for local tennis outings. We actually had "official" Ford Island Tennis Team shirts. I don't recall any details about any of the specifics about hosting other teams but I have great memories of playing spirited matches with Jeff, Barry, Brenda Kunkel (one of the Kunkel daughters), and especially with my mixed doubles partner, Cindy Kunkel. 
   
Picnics, Flag Football, and the Banyan Tree
In the image above, you can see a lawn area (below the text for Kunkel's Quarters that we used for all our outdoor events. It was a great area for all kinds of picnic events and for flag football. We (including the Admiral) played coed flag football on several occasions. Sometimes, the action was very competitive. Unfortunately, the Admiral was hurt on one occasion when he fell while trying to avid a tag, injuring his back.  I think, his back continued to give him problems after leaving Hawaii.
The Banyan Tree

In the image above, just to the upper right of the picnic area/flag football field is a very large Banyan tree.

Banyan trees are common in Hawaii and are quite spectacular. This one, located on our part of Ford Island, was especially important om several ways that I will describe below.

There was a small cottage located between our quarters and the Arizona Memorial. It was not there during the Japanese attack in 1941. It was moved from the Army side of the island to a spot near the Arizona to be part of the making of the movie "In Harm's Way". We called it the John Wayne cottage because it was featured in several scenes of the movie with John Wayne. A young couple lived in the John Wayne cottage in 1979/1980. Unfortunately, I don't remember their names. I think he was a Lieutenant. He was one of the CINCPACFLT Public Affairs Officers. They were active members of our little Ford Island family. He had lots of interesting information about the history of the attack and about current events about Ford Island which resulted in the following stories:

1. Our quarters were the closest house to the Arizona during the attack. Our neighbor who had access to some of the original after action reports, showed me the report the LCDR living in our quarters submitted about the attack. The attack took place on a Sunday morning. the LCDR was in the bathroom shaving when the first Japanese attackers were making their torpedo runs. As soon as the first explosions occurred on the Arizona, he got in his car and went to his office and maintenance spaces which were on the Army side of the island leaving his wife behind. All the other men living in the officers quarters and the officers in the BOQ which located near the shoreline next to the Arizona also went to their duty stations.

2. The wives who were left behind went to the BOQ and began treating the burned and injured Arizona officers and sailors who were able to get ashore. The wives turned the BOQ in to a make shift hospital. Separating the dead from the treatable injured at the shoreline must have been a horrible experience for the wives. This incredible part of attack on Pearl Harbor has never been told in any of the movies. The heroic acts of the nurses on the Oahu side of Pearl Harbor was documented in the movie "War and Remembrance".

The TV series, Magnum PI staring Tom Selleck was shooting in Hawaii while we were living on Ford Island. As the only people who had access to the island were stationed there or able to ride the the ferry, the producers of the series wanted to use Ford Island as a location to shoot many of the show's sequences. They shot most of the helo scenes there. They set up trailers for the main characters. Our neighbor in the John Wayne house was involved in coordinating the Magnum PI shooting schedule with the Navy. As a result, he knew when Tom Selleck was going to be on the island.






One day, our PAO neighbor leaked that Tom Selleck would be coming on island to shoot a sequence after lunch. The result was amazing; C3F personnel left the headquarters building and wives and children made their way to the lot where the producers had set up a movie set. Barry and I met up with Cindy with her kids, Maude and Cathy at a barricade close to the action. At one point, Tom Selleck left the set and was heading toward his trailer when Maude shouted out something like "Tom, come over and say hello". To everyone's amazement, he came over and talked to us. Cathy had a picture taken of she and Tom which might be on her refrigerator today; 45 year later!
 
Being on the southwest side of Oahu, the weather was almost always perfect. The prevailing northeast trade winds which existed about 90% of the time confined most of the yearly rainfall to the northeast side (windward side) and up on the volcanic mountains in the center of the island. Our weather at Ford Island and the beach weather at Waikiki and along the southwest coast as well as the flying weather at nearby Barbers Point was usually without clouds and a nominal 80 degree temperature. We would also enjoy the almost daily famous Hawaiian rainbow in the late afternoon.

  

Visitors
Cathy and I enjoyed having numerous visitors during our stay in Hawaii. I have attempted to relate each of these visits in chronological order.
 

Cliff Dunlop's Visit/ Kuai Adventure
Cathy's cousin, Clifford "Cliff" Dunlop, came for a visit sometime during our tour when Laura, Heather, and Jeff and Lura Turner Lapic were not there. Cliff s the daughter of Cathy's mother (Gail Dunlop Hull-Ryde) and her brother, Gus Dunlop. Gus's wife is Aunt Cliff, who remained friendly to me after my divorce from Cathy in 2000. Gus and Aunt Cliff had a son Tom Dunlop,who was killed while flying a mission over North Vietnam as an air wing commander (CAG).
Cliff was a dancer and had a great fun loving personality. I remember she stayed with us for awhile. I don't remember any of the details except for our trip to Kuai.


The normal procedure when visiting islands in Hawaii was to fly on Aloha Airlines (cheap fares about $100 one way) and rent a car at the airport.

I think this is what we did on this trip. Our hotel wasn't necessarily like the one pictured below but it was pretty close. We rented a car at Lihue and drove north to our hotel which I think was located near Kapao Kealia.






I don't remember swimming on the beach at the hotel. But, I remember three activities we did during our visit to Kauai.
Hotel Luau



Cathy, Cliff and I went to the hotel luau one night. There was a large crowd there ready to have a good time. There were plenty of adult beverages available including a table of constantly flowing Mai Tais. Cathy and Cliff made numerous tripos to the Mai Tais table. We were seated at along table opposite some male tourists I think from Ohio. Cathy and Cliff were pretty "juiced" and told the men across the table that they were show girls visiting Kauai from Ls Vegas.

Not long after that, Cathy and Cliff were on stage as part of the show. Quite a night!

Kauai North Shore Pali Coast/King Kong Beach



The north shore Pali coast of Kauai is spectacular. 


We were able to take a very challenging hike along the coast down to the beach that was used in the movie "King Kong"

Rainbow Canyon Hike


Rainbow Canyon is located in the northwest part of Kauai. We were able to get access to it by driving on a road on the southwest side of the canyon where there was a car park and trail head to the bottom of the canyon.

We took some water and started down the trail just after noon. We part hiked part slid down the steep trail arriving at the bottom about two hours later. The views of the water fall and canyon walls were spectacular. We were tired and sweaty when we reached the bottom.

It was cool by the stream. We refilled our canteens and were ready to start back up when we encountered a couple of very strange guys. We quickly got on our way to the top.

The trip back up and proved to be difficult for Cathy. She ran out of water and wanted to stop. I was able to bribe her with a water bottle to get her to keep going!


Maui Trip

Sometime during out tour in Hawaii, Cathy and I visited Maui for a few days. We flew from Oahu to Maui on Aloha Airlines again for about $100 each way. 




1. We began our Maui trip landing at Kahului Airport (#1) and rented a car.  We then drove southwest to the coast and drove north along the beautiful coast road (30) to a hotel at Ka'anapali (2).

2. We spent a few days relaxing at the beach and enjoying the great food and entertainment. While at Ka'anapali, we drove north to Kapalua Beach.

3. Kapalua Beach is known for its' fantastic snorkeling. Similar to Hanauma Bay on Oahu, Kapalua Beach is sandy and has relatively shallow water over the coral reeks which are a short distance off shore.

4. On pour last day, we left the hotel early and drove to the center of the island to view the Haleakala Volcano from the overlook (just to the left of the "H")

Note: Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make the magnificent, but scary, drive to Hana in the east coast.


Kahului Airport
Maui coast road (30)
Ka'anapali Resort Hotel

Ka'anapali White Sand Beach
Kapalua Snorkeling Beach
Kapalua Beach with Big Island on the Horizon


If you visit Maui, don't miss snorkeling at Kapalua Beach


The view from the outlook at Haleakala
There is hiking in the Haleakala National Park
Dormant cinder cone volcanos in the park

After our visit to the Haleakala Volcano overlook, we went to the airport for our flight back to Oahu. We didn't have a chance to make the scary road trip to the Hana village. I've added a few pictures here from Google to give you an idea of what you can experience by taking the Hana road adventure.
Hana Road Adventure



The windy road is exciting (dangerous)
But there are lots of beautiful waterfalls
And black sand beaches


First Visit by Jeff Lapic and Laura Turner-Lapic (Their Honeymoon)
My best friend during growing up, Jeff Lapic and his recent bride, Laura Turner Lapic visited us in October 1979. I had just returned from my TA4 check out with VF-26 and subsequent flights from NAS Whidby Island in connection with the Fleet Exercise. So, I was able to take a break in October. They spent most of their time enjoying the Hawaiian honeymoon traveling around the islands. But, they stayed with us in our quarters on Ford Island trip and and we enjoyed numerous activities with them.

My daughter Laura's Visit (1979/1980 School Year)
My daughter Laura spent the 1979/1980 school year living with us on Ford Island while attending 9th grade at Radford High School on Oahu.  She used the ferry on a daily basis as Radford High School was located on Oahu near the CINCPAC/CINCPACFLT headquarters..  She was a member of a Radford "Regalaire" chorus and traveled with them on several occasions. Laura fit in well with the other kids on Ford Island. They congregated on the nine hole golf course near officer's quarters; not playing golf. She spent the 1979 school year living with us on Ford Island she left Ford Island during the summer of 1979 to go back to Jacksonville for 10th grade at Orange Park High School.

 Unfortunately, I lost all my Hawaii pictures in a flood of my garage so have none to show you. I'll use Google images instead. A photographer on Ford Island did a photo shoot of Laura which produced some spectacular pictures. I've just returned from a visit with Laura in Columbia, SC. We went through some of her scrapbooks and I was able to use my IPhone to take some images of her visit.
Significant Memories of Laura's Visit- Summer of 1979 to the end of school year1980
Hanauma Bay:  My first memory of Laura's visit was in the summer of 1979 just after her arrival on Ford Island was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Unfortunately we have no pictures from Hanauma Bay. The images below are from Google.


To get to Hanauma Bay from Ford Island you drive past Honolulu, Waikiki and Diamond Head to the southeast tip of Oahu.
Hanauma Bay is located in an ancient volcanic crater that has a nice white sand beach and a shallow water reef about 50 yards from the beach


To our surprise, most of the snorkelers were tourists (mostly Japanese) who were standing in thigh deep water just off the beach. They were bending over looking at the fish who were swimming near their feet.
Laura, Cathy, and I swam, past the tourists in the shallow water out to the reef. There were a lot of varieties of fish at the reef and very few other snorkelers out there to enjoy the show.

Our first outing with Laura to Hanauma Bay was a big success!

Laura's Experience with the Radford High School Chorus:



Laura had a wonderful experience singing and traveling as a member of the "Regalaires"chorus at Radford High School.

The certificate to the left documents her participation in the Kamehameha Schools Invitational Choral Festival held in January, 1980; one of the the festivals and competition she enjoyed with the "Regalaires".

I'll ask Laura to go through her Hawaii scrapbook and generate a list of the other "Regalaire" events in chronological order documented by certificates similar  the one to the left. One or two involved trips to other islands.



Banyan Tree Story:  I don't remember the timing but Laura and I sang the Hawaiian wedding song when Barry and Cindy renewed their wedding vows at the chapel near the banyan tree on the island.






Halloween Horror House: (Not my finest hour!)- Laura and her Ford Island friends spent a lot of time on the 9 hole Ford Island golf course; not playing golf.
Near the golf course, was an old World War II era bunker. The group decided to fix up the bunker as a horror house for Halloween.  They spent a lot of time and effort fixing up the place and held a grand opening. I received an invitation and Laura expected that I would attend. Actually, I was nearby at the BOQ having a drink with Bruce Nofke, our New Zealand Navy bachelor on the staff. I lost track of time and missed the show. As I said, not my finest hour. Laura is still mad at me!





Sea Life Park

I remember a great visit with Laura to Sea Life Park on the southeast side of Oahu.
(A nice ride past Diamond Head to Hanauma Bay and then around the coast to Sea Life Park)



Sea Life Park is located in a spectacular location and features all sorts of marine animal attractions.




Exceptional Images of Laura were taken by a Navy Photographer's Mate on Ford Island: 
Laura was fourteen (14) years old when these pictures were taken!

Once, the Photographer's Mate realized how photogenic she was, he took numerous images of her around the island.
This is a sample o these pictures.

This is my favorite of the pictures.
This is Laura's and my granddaughter Eliza's favorite.
Laura on Ford Island
Laura in a Plumeria tree
 
Laura left Ford Island in May of 1980 to go back to Jacksonville for 10th grade at Orange Park High School.

My Daughter Heather's Visit (Summer of 1980)

My daughter Heather came to visit us the summer of 1980.
I don't remember the exact dates; probably late June through early August. I don't think that Laura and Heather's visits overlapped.



Heather and I played a lot of tennis at the Ford Island tennis  courts usually with with Cindy and Brenda Kunkel.

We also played a competition father/daughter match on the southeast shore of Oahu. I don't recall the details about this match. But I do remember that the daughter of the Hawaiian team was very good.


Heather and I enjoyed watching the famous John McEnroe/Bjorn Wimbledon final match on July 5th, 1980 on our lanai.  

Bjorn Borg         1 7 6 6 (16) 8
John McEnroe    6 5 3 7(18) 6                                     

Going to the Beach at Dillingham Airfield on the Nortth Shore

Besides playing as much tennis we could handle and visiting Waikiki, we spent a lot of time on the beach on the north shore.




On one of these beach trips, we went out to the farthest part of the north shore at Dillingham Airfield.


Dillingham Airfield was not changed much since it was a military airfield during WW2. In 1980, it was used primarily for civilian glider operations.
Entrance to the Dillingham Airfield was restricted, so the beach was mostly used by military families.

Dillingham Airfield World War 2
Dillingham Airfield today

Currently, Dillingham Airfield is primarily used for civilian glider enthusiasts. However the new runway also supports civilian aircraft.
In the lower right of the image you can see coral reefs close to shore at the beautiful white sand beach.


We were able to park on the airfield's service road and then take the short walk to the beach. If we wanted to do some body surfing, we would set up at Point A. If we wanted to do some snorkeling, we would set up at Point B.
The snorkeling here was great because you could stay on the surface and view the coral and small fish just 2 or 3 feet away. It was very relaxing and beautiful. You just had to make sure you didn't get your back sunburned in the process.

Rip Tide Incident

On one day we were snorkeling at about Point A.  The snorkeling was peaceful in the shallow water when all of a sudden we were in a strong rip current. Thankfully both Heater and I had two flippers and could move parallel to the beach and get to the wave break and get back to shore.
If we hadn't made it to the wave break area, we could have been swept tin to the long shore southwest current and into the Oahu Kauai channel.
CuCu

Once safely ashore, we continued to enjoy our beach visits. Unfortunately, Heather had to leave in early August
to get back to Jacksonville in time for the start of school.

Visit by Jeff Lapic and Laura Turner-Lapic and Jeff's son Jeff
Jeff and Laura-Turner Lapic visited us again in August, 1980. This time, they brought along young Jeff (10 years old). Young Jeff's mother was Brooks, Jeff's first wife who you have seen photos of in a previous chapter.  This visit took place just before Heather had to return to Jacksonville for the start of school. We spent as much time as possible at north Shore beaches.
At the beach on the North Shore

Cathy, Jeff, and me at the north shore beaches


The Polynesian Cultural Center

 I'm not sure when or with whom we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. But, I'm sure it was toward the end of our tour in Hawaii.
I feel that we probably didn't visit it sooner because we thought it was too much of a tourist attraction. It turned out that we were very wrong.
We had a great time and wish that we had we had visited more often with our guests.

I have provided a few pictures from Google to give you an idea of what it is like.

Layout of the Polynesian Cultural Center
Male dancers in classic Hawaiian dress


Lots of dancing demonstrations
Rides are available on the river

There is an outstanding dinner and show at the end of the end f the day!


One of the more spectacular acts is the fire batons
The buffet features traditional Hawaiian food


I you get a chance to visit Oahu, don't miss visiting the
 Polynesian Cultural Center

One of the high points of our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center was the outstanding attitude of all the tour guides and service personnel. Most of the tour guides were local college students from the University of Hawaii and other local colleges. Almost all of these students were Mormons. All of these students were exceptionally polite and well informed.  As a side bar, I note that most if not all of the Hawaiian football players at the University of Utah are Mormons. I guess I need to research the history of the Mormon Hawaiian mission program.

Big Island Hawaii Dependent's Cruise
Cathy and I were given the opportunity to travel from Ford Island to Hilo, Hawaii (The Big Island) aboard a USS Navy destroyer in connection with a "dependent's cruise". I don't remember the name of the destroyer but it was similar to the USS Cochrane DDG-21 pictured below. Our route included traversing between Maui and The Big Island. I enjoyed the passage but many of the passengers got sea sick when we encountered rough seas in the Maui/Hawaii channel. This is an area routinely used by whales but I don't recall f we saw any. WE spent the night in Hilo. We rented a car and spent the next few days visiting the Kiluea Military Camp (KMC) and the Kiluea volcano. and Cook's Cove on the west (Kona) coast before returning to Hilo to fly back to Oahu.

USS Cochrane DDG-21
Our route included traversing between Maui and Hawaii.

KMC and the Kiluea Volcano
To get to the Kiluea Military Camp (KMC), we traveled southwest from Hilo on the windward coast along the southeast flank of Mauna Loa (one of the two major shield volcanoes on Hawaii) to the area in the red circle in the image below left. KMC was originally constructed as a detainment camp for Japanese residents of thr Hawaian Islands after the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7th,1941. Sometime after the war it was repurposed as a place where facilities for the research of the Kiluea volcano could be located and as a tourist destination.

Map of the location of KMC
Image of KMC today from Google

Unfortunately Kiluea was not active while we were in Hawaii so we weren't able see the spectacular eruptions that were present after we left. However, one advantage that we experienced was that we were able to walk around the lava fields that were still warm from previous eruptions.


Kiluea in cool down mode
Walking on lava field

Images of Kiluea as an active volcano

Kiluea lava is a thick and slow moving
Kiluea lava flows to the southeast toward the shoreline


The Kiluea lava although slow moving is very destructive
The Kiluea lava destroys everything in its path to the sea


When the lava spills into the sea, it forms additional coastline.
Occasionally trapped gases cause the lava to explode upwards. That is why it's dangerous to walk near an active lava flow.


Cook's Cove
Cook's Cove is located on the west side if the island (AKA leaward or kona side). We visited Cook's Cove to go snorkeling in the clear shallow waters in the cove.Imag




When we got there, we found that it was almost impossible to get to the water as the edge of the cove consisted of large lava boulders.


This is an example of a flat platform made up of lava boulders but flat on the top. These are significant in the heritage of the Hawaiian people.
There was one of these platforms at the center of Cook's Cove. While Cathy and I were standing on the platform looking for a way to get to the water, local joined us on the platform. He was very helpful in telling about a small stream located nearby the we could use to get into the cove to go snorkeling. As we left him to find the stream, I noticed that he was wearing a"T" shirt inscribed with "Ohana for the Preservation of Kaho'olawe". I was wearing one of my Navy "T" shirts.  I will tell you about the significance of this in my next section on Kaho'olawe. I wish Cathy had taken a picture of the two of us standing on the platform!







Kaho'olawe 




During World War Two and subsequent years until 1990, Kaho'olawe was used for air to ground practice and live ordnance training by the Navy and Marine Corps,  It was also used for practice amphibious landings. The island and surrounding waters were a restricted area. It was mostly populated by goats.There were no human residents on the island. Air to ground targets were not located near any Hawaiian cultural locations. Because the waters around the island were restricted, some of the best fishing in Hawaii was around Kaho'olawe.
 



While I was in Hawaii, negotiations were in progress between the Navy and Ohana For the Preservation of Kaho'olawe.


The senior negotiator for the Navy was a Navy Captain who had been o POW in Vietnam. Hew was an outstanding individual who was always polite during the negotiations. The head negotiator for the Ohana was also an outstanding person who treated the Captain with respect.  They actually became friend during the negotiations. She attended the Captains retirement ceremony and presented him with a traditional flower leigh. The protests by many of the local Hawaiians were less respectful.





Live fire training by Navy and Marines ceased in 1990. The jurisdiction of Kaho'olawe was transferred to the State of Hawaii in 1994. Today Kaho'olawe is used for native Hawaiian cultural, spiritual, and subsistence purposes and the island has no permanent residents.





During my tour in Hawaii, I flew many intercept type missions with F4 Phantom pilots of the Hawaiian National Guard. Several of these missions ended up with the debrief at a local bar. These debriefs were always friendly and professional. Kaho'olawe as never a subject.




I received my second
Meritorious Service Medal
for my tour at COMTHIRDFLEET


Next Chapter CO VA-174 (1981-1982)
   

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