Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Facts about the Flight Deck

It was an honor to have Captain Paul Marshall, aviator and flight deck officer, show us a Discovery Channel video of an aircraft carrier in action and present in detail its operations. Who would have known that this is the most dangerous place to work in the world and also the most exciting. To see the aircraft catapulted off the deck at about 150 miles per hour was amazing. Nuclear powered, the aircraft carrier doesn't have to refuel for 22 years. Captain Marshall was on the Coral Sea carrier during the Vietnam war. He told a story about how he was initiated onto the flight deck. He failed to shelter himself when one of the planes was catapulted off the deck and he had to hang on for dear life or be tossed overboard. The intercom then said, "Welcome to the Coral Sea, Marshall!" Captain Marshall was asked lots of questions about his presentation. One person asked why he chose the Navy. It was because his older brother was in the Air Force and he didn't want to be a copy cat (they were very competitive). And longtime LIFEr Karen Gaide brought her nephew, Austin, who will join the Navy in July. Karen said she brings multi generations to LIFE as she usually brings her mom. We all thanked Captain Marshall for his service to our country.

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