Bill Engelhardt

Al Peffley

Hey Steve,

I looked up your rating (CT) when you were in the Navy and realized that you must have worked in or with a Joint Forces "spook" intel [aka a Region Fusion Center] cell scif on Guam, eh? Pretty cool! I worked with intel teams at NAS Whidbey, McChord AFB, and RECCE Squadron inner sanctum VQ-2 ops center at Rota Spain. we did more than VP ASW RECON. Imagine what that's like in today's insane world, information warfare ops environment! Who would ever fathom that we would be supplying intel and tactical nuke-capable weapons delivery systems and RECCE UAV'S to WWIII AZOV Nazis? P-8's are doing more mission assignments than their P-2/P-3 aircraft derivative predicessors did in our days. [I tried to load a small graphic photo (only 25K in file size) of a specially-outfitted VQ-1 EP-3C or D Aries bird with two radar belly domes in my post, but it will not upload on this web site for some reason.]

THIS GUY TRACKS MILITARY flights worldwide if you are interested in viewing the daily flights and call sign intel comms going on today.:  https://rumble.com/user/Bestfreemoviefinderdotcom

Don't let the title of Rick's website fool you -- there is a long story behind the website's title. I think he is a retired USAF Intelligence Officer, but he could also have worked for one of the "ABC" Federal Gov. intel agencies like the NRO, NSA, or CIA. Rick sounds like he lives not far from Foggy Bottom on the East Coast. He has been kicked off of or censored on many social media platforms for his blog content. However, the call sign observations and military plane air traffic activity is facinating to listen to and observe on occasion. I think that you may find his military airplane tracking information more insightful than the average military veteran.  Having flown in the Med and the Carribean operations areas, I can envision many of the aircraft missions that he describes and points out. Enjoy.

I worked on the E-3 AWACS Program and briefly on the P-3 Update IV, RAAF Wedgetail, the P-8 Posiedon, and several international theater defense architecture study programs with UK/EU companies and JOINT FORCE military agencies of the Five Eyes at LTV Aerospece and Boeing after I left the Navy. Some of our ally relationships have greatly deteriorated in the last two decades of incompetance and corruption at the highest levels of US Military command.

Cheers,

Al

Steve Morris

Yes, I was a Communications Technican and Morse intercept operator. We installed an IBM 1401 for faster processing and we always had a Russian "trawler" sitting off of our site on Guam monitoring our ELINT - electronics intelligence - hash from the computer. . We finally had to enclose the computer in a Faraday room so that they couldn't copy it.

BTW one of my buddies from the group was on the Pueblo so we'd catch him on tv once in awhile. And one of the guys in the crew blinked Morse code with his eyelids - TORTURE - during a tv interview and that caused a sensation. 

Steve Morris

Al - No, I got out in 1967 and was very happy to be a civilian again!

David Scott

Steve, We joined the Navy about the same time and took turns driving to meetings while still at Highline?  I  was 17, parents had to sign for me.  I served on the Midway for a year, then the Enterprise.

Al Peffley

We have a lot of sailors in our class. We were fortunate to not end up in the Marines because some of them did not survive Vietnam. Dave, did you serve on a flat top with Tom Bourdage? When did you get out, and what was your rating or did you get commissioned before being discharged? I signed up in 1965 after I took an AT rating entry test at NAS Sandpoint. I went to NAS Memphis for boot camp and Electronics Air Crew "A School" before being transferred to ASWTECH WEST air crew operator schools at NAS Los Alamitos, CA. I qualified for SP-2V Neptune and S-2 Tracker aircraft seat positions, but was never assigned to a "tail hook" squadron so they made me a VP Squadron AX and later an AW "tweety bird" [ AKA a "brown shoe"]. My stepson did 21 years as a nuclear powerplant operator on Attack and BM "Boomer" subs. My brother was a radio operator in an Army half track Mechanized Armor Platoon during the Korean War. Our father was a Merchant Marine in the 1930's and a boatwright for a wooden boat company who built surf rescue lapstrate boats in Olympia during WWII. Most of my family have salt water in our veins. (LOL)

Marty Ellison

I joined the Navy a bit after Steve, David and Al.  Like many our age, I hid out in college at WSU as long as I could, but nearing graduation signed on to the Navy's AOCS program.  In fact Bruce Menella, Mike McCarthy, and John Leonard were in the same entry class.  I made two deployments on the USS Ranger from 1971 to 1973.  I was the AT branch officer among other duties.  Some of my experience was written up as a chapter in FROM VIETNAM TO WESTERN AIRLINES VOL 2 by Bruce Cowee.  We took part in the last major air battle of the war, Linebacker II, over Christmas, 1972.  Three weeks later the peace treaty was signed and the POWs were returned.  With not much to do after this, I took leave to Hawaii to join up with my girlfriend.  As it turned out, one POW airlift came thru Hickham AFB while there and I had a chance to welcome them home, including a fellow A6 pilot who'd spent 6 years in China.  A very emotional and memorable moment.

Bill Engelhardt

Sonnet
-- Scott McDade

Ahead, I see a mountain dark as night
Can it be conquered by a man so weak?
There's a meadow to the left, and valley right,
But I must keep my course, and cross the peak.

The mountainside is rugged. I'm forsaken.
The mask of righteous selfhood falls away. 
Now I know my oneness. I've awakened.
The struggle makes my life a brighter day.

At last I reach the summit, but I'm humble
When I see higher mountains all around.
I must fight on to that toward which I stumble
Now that I've breathed the air of higher ground.

           The men who walk the meadows die away,
            But those who take the high roads, free are they.

Baccalaureate, May 31, 1964
Commencement, June 4, 1964

Class Theme: We will not follow where the path may lead, but we will go where there is no path, and we will leave a trail. 

(Reprinted without permission)

Sue Storey (Manola)

Bill

Tom & I are so sorry.  Jan is irreplaceable. Hoping in the months to come the memories of your

life together will help you with your grief.  You are in our prayers..

Tom & Sue 

Steve Morris

Thanks to Gary and his daughter for hosting the HHS soiree - it was terrific! Loved seeing everyone and hope there will be some more!!

Linda Pompeo (Worden)

Many thanks to Gary, his wonderful daughter, and Bill for putting together and making the 60th reunion a success.  It was a good time to reconnect with those that were able to attend.  There was a lot of sharing of what had transpired in our lives, along with inquiring about classmates that were not present.  For those of you that weren't able to be there.....you were missed.

Jan Leedy (Politeo)

Savoring a fun good time!  Thank you Gary, Bill, and all who helped with the reunion event.  I hope we get to do it again.

Linda Pompeo (Worden)

I do not believe that this is the forum for political beliefs.  We all have different opinions on various matters.  This site is for connecting and sharing what has transpired in our lives since school.  I would much prefer to know if someone is in need of help, prayers, or just a good story.  

Carol Tucker (Schnorr)

Agree with Linda and others that this Forum should used for positive interactions and keeping up with others that were apart of our world in highschool.  Friends Teachers and Families, their health and lives, not for political conversations or humor that is in bad taste.

Al Peffley

Gone are the days when you can make fun of politicians and their comments on a social discussions site. I thought we are 'pro free speech adults" here who can polk a little fun at our failing leadership in WDC on both sides of the political aisle. The website has ample sections to post deaths and other notifications of interest to many. Enter a topic that involves politics in an election year and people seem to get easily offended by a meme or simple personal observation comment. It's easier to gossip about people and to interfere with their personal life by inserting yourself into their religion, morals, life challenges, and misfortunes with old age and losses of loved ones than to address things that they might value or find humorous. No one likes to be accused of "having bad taste" or having unacceptable political positions after a televised poliical "debate' viewed by millions of voters in an important election year. I get it. We all must cooperate to be civil and not bring up any comments against the chosen narrative of the website's triggered membership dissenters.

If you can't see the humor in some of the events and quotes of the political circus that is developing, then you are avoiding the reality of our situation that must be corrected or the Republic we were born into will soon disappear entirely. Much of our freedoms and culture are already gone. Everyone has a right to have their own point of view (aka belief), but not to set rules "on the fly" for membership posting on these forum pages. Your intentional censoring comments are not appreciated by me nor many causual observers of this open membership forum. If there are specific rules of content taboos then they should be clearly posted on this website, not by your social rejection comments on my meme posting. Let the person who is sinless throw the first stone. I erased the meme posting. I hope that you are pleased with your consistent censorship posts (looking back at your comments and complaints on prior forum pages here.) There were no cursing remarks, inapproprite subject photos, name calling, religious promotions or untruths in my posting, only political humor meant for mature adults who are not over-sensitised by "political correctness" -- look up the source of the term and who invented the phrase for what purposes. You only care about me if you can "mother me" through this website venue. My male sense of humor obviously offends, but there was no intention of offending you. My appologies for violating your self-proclaimed rules by mob rule comments. This isn't Facebook, and I hope it never comes to that type of social controls operation. More than one classmate member has privately voiced that cocern to me when the forum posts censoring demands first started.

Dick Surman

Way to go Al...I think you've eloquently voiced the concerns that many of us have but don't take the time or have the courage to say out loud.  Appreciate your standing up for us the voiceless 👊.

Dick Surman  

Col USAF (Ret)

Robert Bramel

Is this a possible feature for this forum? Another, extremely well run forum I frequent has this feature. It has the effect of encouraging more messaging from more people, which is something this forum needs.

Ignored Users

Gary Korsgaard

Happy 4th

Al,    This is not a public social media platform. This is a private website where the majority rules. One classmate has been removed in the past for refusing to stop writing about politics.

This one time only I will make a political statement. Four more years of Biden/Obama with wars, wide open borders, and super inflation we will not have a country to celebrate.

Remember freedom was not just won in 1776 but must be won every single day.

This will be the last of political content.

Linda Johnson (Martin)

Al, you need to reread the previous messages from Carol, Linda, and Gary. "Most" people know that talking about religion and politics is not a good idea, but you keep right on.  What struck me the other day was that death notices were posted on here and the very next day, you are writing your usual blah, blah, blah., while many of us were mourning the loss of these friends and classmates. No mention of that from you.  Self absorbed comes to mind.

If you have so much to say, private message your friends directly and talk about whatever you want.  This isn't the place for so knowledgeable you.

Virginia Wolfe (Scheffer)

Appreciate all the comments.  My two cents.......once a voice is silent, they all go silent.  As Americans, we need to stand up for this beautiful country.  It is being silenced away.  God Bless the USA!

Bonnie West (Armstrong)

THANK YOU - THANK YOU Linda Johnson Martin!  

Gary - you should have said nothing about politics.

Gary Korsgaard

Bonnie,

The reason I spoke up is because I love this country.

All major civilizations in world history have had an average age of 250 years. They all failed for the same reasons. The people became too complacent, too comfortable, and were under the illusion that they were too big and too powerful to fail.

But it does not look like we have learned very much from history. But I do remain hopeful that we can.

Robert Bramel

Virginia, I’d respectfully disagree that an individual decision to block another silences anybody.

On the contrary, when there is too much unwanted chatter the natural inclination is for all conversation to stop. It is remarkable that so few people, out of all our class of 1964, bother to take part at all; I suspect much of that reluctance comes from being unable to suppress unwanted input. From my limited sample I suspect the large majority subscribe for no reason other than to see who has died. That’s a shame.

Bonnie, thank you!

Gary, I wonder if you realize how offensive it is for you to define yourself as someone who loves this country, and by inference claim that those who see our country's problems quite differently somehow love this country less. You may claim that you did not intend this, but you use "love of country" as the key differentiator entitling you to express a last political position. Let's be clear: you do not love your country any more than those who see things quite differently and it is quite possible that unfounded beliefs like yours harm this country.

Virginia Wolfe (Scheffer)

I appreciate everyone's comments.  I think we are all in agreement, we love this country and all the freedoms many have fought and died for. Gary, you are so right, we can't let history repeat itself.

Bill Engelhardt

In 1968-69, I had a periodic gig as a cocktail lounge DJ (Lanai Room, Roosevelt Hotel), spinning the hits by Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Jack Jones, Mel Torme....you get the idea. (Not a disco.)

One of the regulars was an insurance salesman, whose name I've long forgotten, and one night requesting a record, he handed me his business card, on the back of which was a poem that's been very much on my mind of late. 

The clock of life is wound but once
And no man hath the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

Now is the only time you own
Live, love, toil at will
Place no faith in tomorrow
For the clock may then be still. 

With affection to you all, and wishes for good health and happy hearts, 
Bill