Back on the good side of the international date line. Trip back was not too bad, the flight from LAX on Singapore Air was not so full and the food was pretty good and drink service plentiful. Next time US airlines want to know why they are having problems-they should look at SINGAIR. Sevice still seems to matter there.
The US Navy released a long list of flag officer assignments last week. In the flurry of activity in shopping mall USA, I seemed to have missed it. Two of them jumped out at me:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin M. Donegan is being assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan. Donegan is currently serving as director, Strategy and Policy Division, N51, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
That is interesting because of the “I wonder where (fill in the blank) will go now” types of questions it will generate. Kid Donegan is a former CO of USS Coronado and USS Carl Vinson if memory serves-where I think he relieved the same guy he will relieve here.
That is the understandable news. Then comes the assignment that just is really hard to comprehend:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Earl L. Gay is being assigned as deputy chairman, Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, Washington, D.C. Gay is currently serving as commandant, Naval District Washington, Washington, D.C.
Call me silly-but this requires a flag officer exactly why? Seems to me that is overkill unless this is a collateral assignment-and if it is, why announce it as something its not?
Try telling me again the Navy does not have too many flag officers. Things like this make it hard to believe.
Skippy,
Kid Donegan was Skipper of 131 on the STENNIS when we cruised in 98. Good guy, others didn’t seem to think so. His guys, especially the nuggets always wondered why he was so good and always had “greens” and brought back great tape. I told them to hang around after strike planning, Kid was always the one that stuck around for hours studying the material and getting ready. I’d work for him anytime.
Good to see that he’s still upwardly mobile.
Also see that RADM Deutsch still around, going to FFC. thought he’d retire by now.
Claudio
PS Good luck on your search for “utopia”
I am a big fan of Admiral Deutsch. I worked for him several years ago and he was a great boss and I learned a lot from him. As for Kid Donegan I always missed working with him. He was in 131 on Coral Sea a long time ago I think. I did cross paths with him when he was CO of the Coronado. Right before he went to Vinson.
He was on the CORAL SEA back in 88. I was too, although at the time I was I think a Fireman Apprentice. Didn’t get too much sun or chances to hang around Aviators, although a couple of them in CDC helped me and set me on the right path. Got my head in the 01 level while working on ESWS/EAWS. CORAL MARU bred some good guys, Shuttle pilot, and quite a few CARGRU CDRs.
I always liked Admiral Dutsch too. met him first while I was in the WTU at 30. whenever we’d do a teach in Brunswick, hed have us at the house for lobster. Then later as 57/72, flew with him to Kuwait and then souther Iraq. Good guy. Always reminded me of former DNI Rich Porterfield if you know him, same big stature, no bullshit, straight shooter.
claudio
We were on Coral Sea at the same time. I was there in 1987 and 88. I think he left 131 or perhaps he was still with them but we changed squadrons to VMFA-451 for the 88-89 workup cycle. I was in VAW-127.
Ahhh, the SEABATS. still have a couple of their patches on my cruise jacket. Good times, on both cruises, at least in retrospective, cause I remember the good times not the work, the watches, or being up 72 hours when we went DIW. So you were on then for our famous visit to Izmir when our intrepid OS decided to defile Ataturk, and also for the Ultimate Fighting Championship between one of the VA Skippers and WO “Fighting Bob” Mrazik? The CO grew up to be the CARGRU on the Stennis cruise, last I heard he’s working for Harley Davidson.
If your travels ever bring you close to Jax FL, let me know, have cold beer and I think enough stories to last a while. We’ve prob worked with/for a lot of the same people along the years.
claudio
Yes I remember that incident as well as when our intrepid DCAG got one of the U-boats run aground in Izmir when he insisted the boat go directly back to the ship-running around on the rocks enroute. There is probably a reason they use charts and such……………..