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The holiday season brings joy and happiness to most of us. For some,
especially those members of military units deployed around the world,
it is a time when service to the nation and community requires sacrifice
of time with family and loved ones. For those lucky enough to have served in
VR-24, Christmas is also a time for reflection. The photos and messages
posted on these two "Holiday Edition" pages, recall a less perilous time.
When the missions depicted were flown, in 1962 and 1963, there was time
and opportunity to add "Holiday Spirit" to what could otherwise be
hum-drum missions. The photos below and the naval messages on the next
page reflect that spirit.
|
 (balderston)
The old VR-24 Christmas Cod was always a
welcome sight for the shipboard sailors and a joy for those of
us who flew it. We would fill it to the brim with mail and
packages and have to board through the overhead hatches. Crews
would often wear Santa Suits with beard and all. One time, just
before touchdown, the beard blew up and obscured the view of
the pilot. No more beards- but some crewmembers continued to
wear the suit. We would occasionally deliver toys to orphans in
the operating area with the Christmas Cod. I remember the heater
went out returning from one of those missions. I cannot
remember ever being colder. Those wonderful days are now just
good memories that make Christmas more meaningful.
Ken Balderston |
(capel) Christmas COD at Capo.
Photo taken by Al Capel on 19 December 1963 just before departure for delivery of
load of mail and goodies to carriers in the Med. Al's comments.
I was lucky enough (or round enough) to be the aircrewman on
several of these Christmas flights. The plane commander was
LCdr. 'Pappy' Sweet, another chubby soul, and the co-pilot was
a Lt. (or maybe LTjg Frye) chosen because of his 'elfish' size.
We crammed so much mail into that plane that the pilots had get
in their seats before loading and I had to enter through the
crew escape hatch. To get the plane filled to absolute max,
the final mail bags were loaded through the top aft escape
hatch. When the main door was opened on the ship, mail bags
just poured out! |
|
(attard) The Christmas COD on
a mission to Malta. Maltese national, Carmel J. Attard, snapped this photo at
Luqa in 1962 or 1963. |
(attard) A close up of the
Christmas COD at Luqa, also by Mr. Attard |
|
(USN photo capel collection) |
This photo shows some of the
people involved in the 1963 Christmas COD flight. Left to right are:
The young man who did the plane's art work (his name is unavailable),
LCDR 'Pappy' Sweet (Plane Commander), Allen Capel (aircrew) in the
background, Ltjg. Frye (co-pilot), and two guys from the Naples
Air Cargo crew. |
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Copyright © 2002 VR-24
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