Far East Cynic

A bad news morning…….

I got up early yesterday-one of the disadvantages of being out west is that the “home office” is already at work and the items of interest that need to address have already begun to fill your in box by the time that you are just working to struggle out of bed.

Stumbling forward into the room of rest, trying not to awaken the sleeping S.O. who has no reason to have to be up at 6 AM. Back to the desk and spin up the old laptop. Rub eyes and stretch a bit-why the hell do they have to start business so early? Whatever happened to 9-5, with time for breakfast up front?

Logged in,  I have two choices-check my personal e-mail first, or go straight into the work que…….

Screw work-I’ll see what’s happening with people I like.  Open up the Inbox. Amid the usual spam, one little subject line jumped out at me:

About Walt Joller.

That was it.  Nothing more in the subject line.  Addressed to a large number of former denizens of the Hawkeye community, pretty much all of whom have moved on to other pursuits in life-not by choice,  but because of the ravages of time.

Now as you age and come past a certain age, that kind of title to  an e-mail about a man you had not seen in five years, it is not without  a certain sense of foreboding as you hit the double click of the mouse. In younger days-would not have given it a second thought. However on the bad side of 50-you say to yourself, ” I hope it is not bad news.”

Sure enough it was:

Coroner ID’s cyclist killed by car as 55-year-old man

SAN DIEGO: A bicyclist who was killed in Sabre Springs has been identified as Walter Carl Joller Jr, the Medical Examiner’s Office said yesterday.

Joller was riding home from work on Sabre Springs Parkway south of Morning Creek Drive about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday when a car crossed into the bike lane and struck him from behind, authorities said. He died on the scene.

San Diego police said Joller had several lights on his bike, was wearing a reflective vest and had reflective tape on his helmet, shoes and seat.

Investigators plan to request misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against the driver, said Sgt. Jeff Fellows. He said there are no indications that alcohol played a role in the crash. –K.D.

Damn.

The thing about a career in the profession of arms, is that the number of people who go on to great and lofty flag rank is  limited. And in many cases-the personality compromises you have to make to attain that lofty position makes it not worth the effort. The real legacy that a great many people leave behind during  service within the military,  is the legacy of the people they have trained and the the things that they have gone on to accomplish.

Walt  had that kind of legacy and then some.

He was an accomplished Naval Officer and Naval Flight Officer  in his own right. With a great record of achievement and had several prestigious commands of his own.  I did not know him that well-we had met on various occasions over my time in the Navy-and we moved in different circles within the E-2 community.   He was one of the movers and shakers within the community-I was one of the guys who got sidetracked on a different path.  But every one knew him or knew of him, and every one knew he was a good guy. His reputation spoke for itself. Furthermore, he was one of those guys that everyone had a kind word to say about. Spoken with respect-respect for his professionalism,  respect for his care for his subordinates, respect for his love of  life, and respect for his great sense of fun.

There is also a personal aspect to this-for both the S.O. and myself. When I had first met her-we went to Hash Runs together. She had been doing it for a while, well before I was a factor in her life. She got me interested in it.  Walt  was a big runner.  So,  when he came to Japan to visit the E-2 squadron there ( He was the West Coast Commodore at the time), he came to the Hash Run. It was my sixth hash run and thus the one where I was to be given my assigned nickname.

He helped the S.O. feed them dirt info about me and thus come up with an appropriate nickname.  Afterwards, he in turn was exceedingly kind to the S.O. and took time to talk with both of us-even though there were plenty of other people with whom he needed to see.

He was that type of guy- a people person. A man who could stay focused on the big picture, but still took time to pay attention to the small details.   Who believed that the Navy was better off taking care of its people, not treating them as just another expendable commodity.  The kind of person the Navy did not have enough of-in any aviation community.

Its a great loss. For his family and for his extended family those of us who had the privledge of learning from a man like him.

 “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.  “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

  1. I heard of the accident on the radio the other night and thought nothing of it. I went to the link you provided. Every death diminishes but this appears to be a great loss. I used to take Saber Springs enroute to Poway from Encinitas on the rare occasion that was necessary and it was a 55-70 mph adventure. I would put riding a bike on that road right up there with riding a bike on highway 56…suicide.

    I used to ride my bike to work from Del Mar. I rode 2 miles to the train station in Carmel Valley and put the bike on the train and then got off in Old Town. I know a lot of people that do that today. I stopped when I was mobilized for 3 years and commuted to IB since there were no train stations south of San Diego.

    I never had to suffer through critical mass crap in San Fran since I rode/drove over in Emeryville and mostly stayed in the east bay unless I BARTED over to San Fran with my bike for a ride over/through Golden Gate but I most debbinitely stayed off the main roads/routes. OTOH, living in Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas I got sick to death of the bikers that decided to “ride wide” and pretended to be cars and take up a whole lane of a highway. They claim it gives them visibility to be out in the street and I claim that it means that they are dead if any 55-65 mph driver lights a cigarette at the wrong time. Since they tend to pay with their lives, I tell them it really isn’t worth the pride of the ride. You know, proving a point with your life isn’t really worth the payoff now is it?

    It isn’t in any sense funny but I’m that way. My mother asked/demanded for years that I provide her one of those official flag pictures of me with the flag in the background, full uniform, cap, etc and I demurred because it was my experience that the only navy/army/marine guys that ever died always appeared in the press with one of those “official” type photos. Like the good Captain, I too was finally nailed by officialdom when I took command and had to sit through the command photo nonsense.

    I didn’t know CAPT Joller in spite of working at SPAWARSYSCOM since 1998 but I hardly ever made it up to Electron Drive. He sounded like really good people. I don’t know anything about how he rode and I’m sure he wasn’t one of those that ignored the fundamentals such as the law of gross tonnage. Maybe it was the 55 mile commute on a bike….I used to drive from Carlsbad to IB (49 miles) and can’t imagine doing that on a bike on the roads available because that is just asking for early payment of one’s own death benefits. For what it’s worth, I’ve never passed a biker on the roads leading to SSC Topside/Oceanside.

  2. I served with Walt in VAW-112 back in the old days. He was a fun, compassionate and caring person and a joy to fly with. He will be sorely missed. Our prayers to his family and friends for comfort in his passing.
    Greg “Griz” Kainz

  3. Misty,

    As an E-2 guy, we all knew that Walt was in a category by himself. He was part of a generation of guys who accomplished some really great things. They put the community on the map-won it respect within a tough audience of Naval Aviation. I can’t begin to say enough good things about him. He has my utmost respect.

  4. He and my father met right after college and in the beginning of their Navy careers. My father was an E2 pilot (Capt. William “Bill” Sisley) and flew with him for years. His wife Sue and my mom became best friends when Sue was only 19. There are not many childhood memories that I have that do not include he and Sue. We have lived on separate coasts for quite some time now, but still saw them a couple times a year. Uncle John could never tell us when he was coming into town, he would just call and say “I’ll be there in 20 minutes – hope you have beer and lasagna!” We loved him dearly and are just so shocked. It is amazing reading people’s comments about him, and how loved he was.

  5. Its a small world-Bill Sisley was on his way to his command tour when I took my first flight in the RAG as a baby NFO. (Brand new wet behind the ears Ensign with all of 4 E-2 hours under my belt.) As I recall he went on to command VAW-125……… Bill flew with an IP as they drove us around the Hummer track for a couple of hours.

  6. Skippy,

    I’ve got to say that you’ve very eloquently captured both the essence of Walt Joller as well as the sickening feeling so many of us had when we read that subject line early Wednesday morning.

    Domo arigato,
    Rob

  7. Skippy,
    Thanks for the info, I didn’t get the mass e-mail. Walt was a great guy, I met him several times when I was at CNAL and Wing-12, I think I might have even went for a run with him a long time ago.
    As you said “A great loss”.
    stein