Well Brothers in Arms, what do you think of this?



WOW! Some heads should roll over this--but they probably won't.

(Note: Critique from AA Captain Dennis Petretti follows story below.)

Ex-pilots shoot down “official” history of Naval Aviation

A foundation set up to celebrate Navy aviation’s 100th birthday has disavowed an official history on its website, after former combat pilots complained of inaccuracies and political correctness.


As the first celebration commenced last month at a naval air base in California, a number of enraged former pilots began bombarding the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation Foundation with complaints. The Navy views the commemoration with high regard, with celebrations planned at Navy and Marine Corps air stations from California to Florida.


The foundation’s official history slide show featured four firsts for women, such as the first female operations officer in 1992. It also accentuated humanitarian missions. But it devoted only two slides to World War II and barely mentioned Vietnam, during which the Navy orchestrated a decade of multiple aircraft carrier operations.


There is history and then there is revisionist history written to support a political agenda, said Roy Stafford, a former Marine attack aircraft pilot. This timeline offered up the first female naval aviator and first female navy astronaut and first black Blue Angel pilot as major milestones and high-water marks for naval aviation to the exclusion of the real history makers. That just didn’t sit well with my simple Marine Corps mind.Mr. Stafford is among a group of retirees who wrote e-mails of protest that ended up in the foundation’s lap.


The true facts are that women’s contribution to naval aviation has been minimal to nonexistent for 80 of the first 100 years, said Mr. Stafford. The simple truth is they were not there, not World War I, not World War II, not Korea nor Vietnam. Men who pushed the limits of mankind to levels never before reached, to relegate them to footnote status while elevating the social agenda is a disservice to all who went before them.”
The retired aviators irate criticisms directed at the 100th anniversary foundation were tinged with surprise, since it is run by men like themselves.One of them, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Bob Butcher, told The Washington Times that after reading the e-mailed complaints, he agreed with them and the timeline was taken off the website. A reporter found the timeline still posted at a foundation address: NavalAviation100.org/the-history-of-naval-aviation.


Gen. Butcher, who is the 100th foundation’s co-chairman, said the contested history was written by public affairs specialists. “It should not have actually been on the website, he said. But it did frankly get up on the website. And, of course, people objected to it because it was certainly not an accurate depiction of the significant events of naval aviation.”Gen. Butcher, who is also chairman of the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation and Aviation Museum, said a new history is being written by the U.S. Navy’s National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla.

There are some significant events that occurred in World War II that should be there, Gen. Butcher said.The foundation’s website features the slide show under the headline “The History of Naval Aviation” and a caption that invites visitors to discover key events that helped shape the history of U.S. Naval Aviation.It begins with the first shipboard landing on Jan. 18, 1911, in San Francisco Bay. The slides proceed through the early developmental phase to World War II, when Navy aviation played a pivotal role in the Pacific. The timeline mentions only two sea battles Coral Sea and Midway, both in 1942. The only slide for the Korean War focuses on helicopters, not the first use of Navy jets. Air operations in Vietnam are not mentioned.The slide show features, with photo portraits, the first female naval aviator, the first female line officer, the first Marine Corps female aviators and the first woman to command a squadron. The slides do not honor any particular male aviation pioneers.


A second, more-detailed history, called a flipbook slide show on the same Web page, does show several naval flying aces. But it provides few details on World War II and Korea and provides nothing on air combat in Vietnam. It mentions the Afghanistan War but not the Iraq War in 2003 when naval aviators flew hundreds of sorties.The flipbook highlights four female firsts.“My complaint about this 100th anniversary is not necessarily we celebrate the accomplishments or the firsts,” said Jon Ault, a retired F-14 pilot who carried out more than 1,000 carrier landings.But the fact they re excluding other very, very important events in naval aviation to be more politically correct in honoring blacks, females and what have you... come on. If you’re going to do this thing, do it equally across the board.Missing from the history is the story of Mr. Ault’s father, the late Navy Capt. Frank W. Ault. After Navy and Air Force pilots performed poorly over North Vietnam, the elder Ault was tasked to find out why. His study led to the creation of the Top Gun fighter school later immortalized by Hollywood.

All I’m saying is don’t let the PC maniacs take charge of this evolution and stand there and do a year of celebration of just stuff that is PC and the media will suck up, Mr. Ault said.


A letter to the foundation from another retired flier said, As a former Navy A-4 attack pilot with two Vietnam cruises, this whole current PC Cheerleading Time Line on your website is nothing more than a Disney World silly symbolism and girlie-man PR stunt nothing more. Worse, it’s a basic slap in the face to the tens of thousands of Navy and Marine aviators who took enormous risks, gave their lives, and demonstrated enormous courage under daunting conditions to build what Naval Air has become today.”


The foundation plans 34 celebrations nationwide throughout 2011, culminating in a centennial closing gala at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.



Honorary board members include Neil Armstrong, a retired Navy captain and the first man to step onto the moon; former Sen. John Glenn, also a former astronaut; and actors Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall and Tom Hanks.
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Subject: Naval Air 100th



Gents



I got the following from Dennis Petretti who, as his Navy and AAL pals know very well, has never shied from expressing his opinions vigorously and persistently. It's a letter he composed and sent to the 100th staff. His attention was called to the Naval Air 100th website after reading a letter from a Marine pilot call sign Shadow who expressed his views on what is published under the "Historical Timeline" button of the website. Dennis spent a little time nosing around the website and is not happy at all with what he sees under the "Historical Timeline" button either. Nor am I ... if the Naval Air 100th is going to turn into a PC Diversity Festival, count me out. I'll spend the year hoisting occasional root beers to the warriors who really counted and made Naval Aviation what it is today.



Have a look for yourself: http://navalaviation100.org/



Fast Ed

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14 December, 2010



TO: Board Members, President 100thAnniversary of Naval Aviation Foundation.


FROM: Dennis Petretti, former Navy Attack Pilot.

SUBJECT: Nonsense on your Time Line Website



Here’s what’s predominately on your Current Time Line to name a few:



·First Marine & Navy female pilots? Wow!

·Female astronaut? Who?

·Female CO of a VAQ 34 EA-6 squadron…seriously?

·Assault on Grenada. A Great Naval combat ops?

·First Black Blue Angel? NO mention of the first Black Blue Angel Team Leader?

·Blue Angel transition to F-18’s? Really Significant?

·Humanitarian effort to Indonesia? Sierra Hotel. Perhaps the Salvation Army and Navy should merge?

·Recovery of Apollo 11? Yawn?

·Mine laying mission Haiphong? So that was Vietnam?

From 1950-1972 basically nothing about Naval Air? Guess it didn’t exist. Naval Air must have secured for twenty years? The boys must have been on “leave” partying down in Rosa Rita Beach and Olongapo?

·I guess you never heard about the Korean War and the Navy’s first jet combat operations, as in The Bridges of Toko Ri?

·Development of the Sidewinder Missile at China Lake, one of the world’s premier air to air weapon still being used today?

·Ever read an article by Capt Robert Rubel’s“The US Navy’s Transition to Jets” detailing the courage and human sacrifice Navy pilots endured transiting from piston aircraft to jets, from straight decks to angle decks. Read it and put it out…if you dare!

·1954 the Navy and Marines lost 776 aircraft and 535 men and never quit. No hi five’s!

·Vietnam War, basically almost a decade of nonstop naval combat air warfare. First time the Navy operated three or more carriers engaged in continual day/night all weather cyclic combat operations against NVN, SVN and Laos 24/7! Operated Red, White and Blue carrier’s schedules 0600-1800, noon to Midnight, Midnight to noon. Take a look at the Navy & Marine aircraft loss rates, pilots killed or captured and yet these men quit, never walked away or cried. No hi five’s here, much less recognition?

·ThThe Marines flying from Chu Lai, Da Nang and other fields in all kinds of weather, mountainous terrain with no fancy gear?

·Ault Report responsible for Top Gun” (Navy Fighter Weapons School) changing Naval air air warfare tactics forever and to this day, which by the way saved countless lives in naval air combat and turned around a horrible kill ratio among F-4’s. Too macho not enough Pink Bows and Teddy Bears for today’s navy?

·Creation of the Naval Air and Strike Warfare Center at Fallon?



As a former Navy A-4 attack pilot with two Vietnam Cruises, this whole current PC Cheerleading Time Line on your website is nothing more than a Disney World silly symbolism and girlie-man PR stunt, nothing more. Worse, it’s a basic slap in the face to the tens of thousands of Navy and Marine aviators whom took enormous risks, gave their lives, and demonstrated enormous courage under daunting conditions to build what Naval Air has become today. Not this crap! You should be ashamed of yourselves, if that’s possible It might be hard to admit in today’s highly charged political climate, but the current state of Naval Air was not built by a few females or black pilots or some future gay or transgender pilot. You and Admiral Mike Mullen probably can’t wait to fill those important squares? 100 years of Naval Air was built on the blood, sweat and toil of dedicated men. Looking at the numbers, nothing much has changed?



Snap Out of it Ladies!



Dennis