Author's Note: Gene and I served in a fighter squadron, VMF (AW) 531, from 1958 to 1960 and also instructed in the Naval Air Training Command in Kingsville, Texas and Meridian, Mississippi from 1960 to 1963. I lost track of him after that, but we may have been in Vietnam at the same time. I was there in 1966 and 1967. Here's a story about an incident that Gene and I shared in the spring of 1960. I wrote it in answer to a question about callsigns for US aircraft carriers. Bruce Martin Colonel, USMC Ret. York, Maine bmartin6@maine.rr.com Click to enlarge Photo of Gene Wheeler when he was in VMF (AW)-531 in 1958-1960 as a Marine First Lieutenant. I'm pretty sure this photo was taken in the Philippines in 1960 around the time of this incident. With respect to aircraft carrier callsigns, I have a story that doesn't involve A4s, but I'll pass it on for what it's worth. In the spring of 1960, the squadron I was assigned to, VMF (AW)-531, was participating in Operation Blue Star, a SEATO exercise that took place on and around the island of Taiwan. 531 was part of a composite aviation element that included F4Ds, (later designated F6As), and F8s from MAG-11 as well as A4s from MAG-12. George Axtell was the Marine aviation commander. Our aircraft were shore based at a Nationalist Chinese airfield, Ping Tung North. One night during the exercise, Gene Wheeler and I, both lieutenants on our first tour, launched as a section of F4Ds to do radar intercepts over the Formosa Straits. For some reason, GCI (Ground Controlled Intercept) was not available, so we worked on a squadron frequency and just 'bumped heads' (conducted intercepts using our own radar). We had no radio contact with anyone until I called for Ping Tung weather and was told the field was below minimums in fog. I checked with Taipei and Tainan where there were military fields that could handle us, but they were in the same shape, W0X0F (meteorological terminology for Ceiling Indefinite Obscured, Visibility Zero in Fog). Calls to the squadron and anyone else who might have some good ideas produced nothing helpful other than to climb and conserve. The "Ford" had pretty good endurance in basic engine but we clearly didn't have enough fuel to get to the Philippines or Okinawa, and in flight refueling wasn't an option. (Other than the aircraft assigned to North Island based VF(AW)-3, no F4Ds had refueling probes). Evidently someone on the ground decided that the fog was unlikely to lift before we ran out of gas because the next transmission we received was, "Chieftain, your alternate is 'Rocket'." 'Rocket', as it turned out, was the Bon Homme Richard. I checked with Gene, asking him if he felt okay about coming aboard ship at night. He said sure; besides, what choice did we have? We located the carrier and made initial contact. I announced that we were a section of F4Ds diverted to them as an alternate due to weather ashore; I requested landing instructions. After a lengthy pause, an authoritative voice came up demanding to know who we were and why we were proposing to land on the carrier. I explained our situation. The voice of authority, I assume it was the Air Boss, said, "You people are Marines? Have you ever been aboard ship in the F4D?" I told him we had, (not adding that it had been the previous September). Another lengthy pause. "At night?" he asked hopefully. I said no. Dismay was palpable. Two nuggets were asking to land on his deck in the middle of the night. It must have crossed his mind to send us to mainland China where we'd be shot down, solving his problem and sparing the boat. We discussed the options available to us and, seeing none, he seemed to resign himself to letting us attempt to land but insisted that we continue to hold until our fuel state would leave the carrier as our only choice. He probably figured the less fuel we had, the smaller the explosion. We orbited for what seemed like an hour, but was probably much less, with the ship asking our fuel state about every five minutes. Then, just as it happens in the movies, at the precise moment when I was keying the mike to say we had to land right now, a jubilant Navy voice announced that Ping Tung was, thank God, reporting minimums. He told us to switch to approach control and wished us a good night. Subtext, "Go away! Don't come back!" We landed uneventfully. With the hubris that is characteristic of all Marine lieutenants, Gene and I figured we could have made it aboard without any trouble. The Air Boss, whoever he was, doubtless broke out the medicinal brandy when we didn't have to prove it. The Bonnie Dick, aka 'Rocket', continued to operate successfully for some years thereafter. Major Eugene Wheeler was shot down in April 1970 on the border between South Vietnam and Laos. He is listed as missing, presumed dead. He was on his third combat tour when he was lost. Photo of a 531 F4D aircraft, the one we flew. Artist's rendering of the F4D aircraft.

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