A Remembrance for July 4

Most veterans do not dwell on the time they spent on active duty, but I’m certain that every veteran holds onto a day they will never forget. For some, this might go as far back as the Pearl Harbor attack or the D-Day Invasion. Others might think about improvised explosive devices during the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, or anything from the preceding decades. Sometimes memories are so severe that they result in post-traumatic stress disorder.

I spent my entire 20-year military career in the Air Force Audit Agency (1963-1983). One morning in 1967, when I was stationed at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, my colleagues and I were looking out our office window over the airstrip and the South China Sea during a coffee break.

A Navy jet began its takeoff down the runway, crossing our view from left to right. As it began to increase its speed, the engine erupted into flames. It was suddenly so fierce you could hardly tell a plane was even there. The runway was lined with Air Force cargo planes, Navy anti-submarine aircraft, and commercial jets at the civil air terminal. We were glued to the horrific event but powerless to act.

To our amazement, the pilot stayed with his deteriorating plane down the length of the runway. He only ejected when he reached the end, causing the aircraft to veer left — away from danger — onto a grassy field along the shoreline.

We cheered as the pilot’s parachute began to open against the bright blue sky, but our elation quickly turned to horror when it failed to fully deploy before he hit the ground. Fire and rescue crews raced down the runway to extinguish the flames and reach him, but it was too late.

This Navy aviator gave his life so that others might live. I had never met this individual, but I count it an honor to have served with him on the very last day of his life. 

Serving in the military is a dangerous business even when we’re not at war. So, when you see someone in uniform, or when you see a civilian wearing a veteran baseball cap, be sure to stop and tell them, “Thank you for your service to our nation.” Most veterans will respond with a polite, “Thank you.” But many will go further and tell you that their years in uniform were the best of their life.

As it says on the Veterans Monument at Vaughn Bay Cemetery: “All gave some, but some gave all.”

Joe Dervaes, Lt. Col. USAF, retired, Vaughn