So There I Was

Latest Episodes:

Doober and Whiskey-6 Take Over the Watch on YL-37 Episode 236 Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Doober and Whiskey-6 take over the watch on YL-37, a combat-veteran Marine UH-34D. Fifty-four bullet holes, one crossbow story, and zero chance of saying no.

**Clara Ship! Episode 234** Oct 15, 2026
Show notes

“Clara Ship” is what A-6 Intruder pilot Duker radioed when he couldn’t even see the carrier. Forget the ball. He couldn’t find the boat.

Duker went from zero stick time to Navy jets through ROTC at USC. In flight school, food poisoning hit so hard his instructors debated flying him home in a baggage pod. Actually, he survived, then tail-slid an A-4 he was never supposed to tail-slide.

In the A-6, Duker and his bombardier-navigator got in a fist fight over a paper chart. However, they still hit the target on time. He also explains how six Intruders’ bombs registered on seismic instruments in Colorado.

How Clara Ship Became Duker’s Favorite Sea Story

As a landing signal officer, Duker graded every landing he waved. He breaks down hook slaps, the barricade, and why LSOs are called paddles. Furthermore, VA-176 was told the war would start when they arrived. Later, General Zinni sent them over northern Iraq with an unforgettable ROE brief.

Then comes a Case III night recovery to the JFK, southeast of Puerto Rico, in a downpour. The wind was so far out of limits the Intruder weathervaned left. He kicked in rudder, the bottom fell out, and he still caught an OK one wire. Consequently, it took him 20 minutes to climb out of the cockpit.

Stay Connected

Duker’s company, Flight Training International, does ATPs and type ratings at FTIRatings.com, and you can use the GI Bill. Our sponsor, veteran-owned DC Artworks, makes laser-cut steel art at dcartworks.net. Use code STIW for 20% off. Grab merch at sothereiwas.us/merch and leave five stars at sothereiwas.us/rate.

View from cockpit at 3/4 mi

Jeff Horneff at 40’

Section approach (me) in the goo

El Centro Weps Det

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Unbreakable Wings Episode 233 Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Navy P-3 pilot Derek "DA" Adametz beat a collapsed lung and Hodgkin's lymphoma, then fought the waiver board all the way to squadron command.

If You're Gonna Blow Up Episode 232 Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

F-100 pilot Ike flew 195 combat missions with an iron sight and nerves of steel. He takes us from night close air support to a 50-pound-fuel landing to the 1986 Libya raid.

Guns Are Where It's At Episode 231 Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Retired Marine Lt. Col. Tim "Monk" Miller nearly punched out mid-nap over Ramadi, then built the Strike Fighter League, where guns are where it's at.

Rope Trick Episode 230 Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Vietnam-era Huey pilot RoadRunner joins RePete and Kemo for combat missions, near-disasters, and the Rope Trick — a Thailand R&R story he never fully explains.

A Thousandth of an Inch of Trouble Episode 229 Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode is a lighter one. It's just Fig and RePete, no guest, trading stories while juggling schedules and a certain eye surgery on the calendar. Before the flying talk starts, Fig recaps a fundraiser for YL-37, the effort to keep a UH-34 Marine helicopter flying as a living memorial. Vietnam-era crew chiefs, dubbed "Ugly Angels," turned up to honor thirty-three squadron mates lost in the war. It was, by Fig's account, truly spectacular.

Semper Gumby: Remembering Sticks Episode 228 Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode honors Coast Guard rescue pilot John "Sticks" Hall with his brother-in-law's eulogy and son Tyler's letter, plus a night-divert tale from Stretch off the USS Midway.