I saw a news piece on TV about a locally based Navy ship being deployed to the Western Pacific. It made me think of my own deployment in 1959. My first thought was that it was 65 years ago. That’s a long time ago. I would be away from home for six months, and I felt pretty guilty about it. I would be leaving my wife, Pat, by herself to care for our 6-month-old twin boys. It was tough enough for both of us to keep up with the feedings, changing diapers, washing diapers, and all the other stuff. I was still a lowly Airman (E-8), so money was tight, too.

Personal issues aside, I have to admit that I was looking forward to seeing places that we heard about daily as we grew up during WWII. I’m referring to Pearl Harbor, Kwajalein, Midway, Guam, and Japan. It turned out that I also laid eyes on Iwo Jima, Hiroshima, Okinawa, South Korea, and China. I’ll try to tell you of what little I know about each.

After boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, and Aviation Prep School at Norman, Oklahoma, I attended Aviation Electronics “A” School of Millington, Tennessee, just outside of Memphis. I was one of the top 5 in my class, so I was allowed to pick my next duty station. Pat and I both wanted to live in California, so I picked San Diego (and we have been here since).

I was attached to Patrol Squadron Forty-Eight, VP 48, at Naval Air Station, North Island in Coronado, California. It’s located just across the bay from San Diego. VP48 was a sea plane squadron, flying the P5M-1 Martin Mariner. It was a twin-engine aircraft normally carrying a crew of eleven. The P5M didn’t have landing gear. Large wheels with floats attached were in place so the planes could be towed on land. These wheels were detached after entering the water and re-attached to come ashore.

We left San Diego one day in April, 1959, and flew to San Francisco. I think it was the next day that we flew on to Hawaii. Coming into Oahu, we got to see Pearl Harbor Battleship Row and the final resting place of the Arizona. The memorial for the Arizona hadn’t been built yet, but there was a temporary structure in place. We bunked at a barracks on the Pearl Harbor base and ate at their chow hall while there.

From Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, we headed for Kwajalein Atoll. The atoll is a 6.9 square mile speck in a very large Pacific Ocean. As I recall, there is a coral reef several hundred yards out that partially encircles the atoll. After several hours of flying time, we landed and went ashore for the night. After breakfast the next morning, we went outside to be greeted by a cloudy sky and a wind. Due to our heavy gas load and the local conditions, we were scheduled for a JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) take off. The JATO bottles were no larger than an ice chest and were hung on the rear hatches of the seaplane.

Let’s digress for a moment, and I’ll tell you what I remember about JATO. It stands for Jet Assisted Take Off. Our P5M sea planes had hatches (personnel doors) on each side at the rear of the planes. Two metal JATO containers (we called them bottles) were hung on each side at the rear of the plane. (You can look up “JATO bottles” on the internet to see pictures and the specs for them.) The JATO bottles were fired (ignited) two at a time. A bottle on the port side and a bottle on the starboard side were fired at the same time. Two firings would get you airborne. To make the take off run, the pilot would advance the engine RPM’s to the proper setting to get the plane under way. When the plane got to the proper speed, the first pair of the JATO bottles were fired. If the sea and the wind were right, the plane would lift and be running “on the step” or planning at the top of the waves. When the proper speed was reached, the second pair of JATO bottles would be fired and lift off would occur, and you became airborne. The JATO bottles just burned for a few seconds, and after that second pair shut off and you were airborne, a crewman jettisoned all four bottles. This was done by simply moving a leer on the inside of the hatches.

Now, back to the story. As I mentioned, it was a dark and cloudy day, and the sea looked pretty choppy. We loaded up, and the pilot started the engines and warmed them up as we taxied out into the harbor. We got into position, and the pilot pushed the throttles forward and started the take off run. We got up some speed, and he fired the first pair of JATO bottles. Nothing much happened. He couldn’t get enough lift to get on the step. We are scooting through the waves, and that coral reef is coming up quickly. The pilot tried to get up, but finally had to abort. We taxied back to the dock and replaced the JATO bottles. The pilot had a better feel for the conditions, so a second try was successful, and we got into the air.

We were headed for Midway.

Dave Thomas

5/9/2024

It’s almost May and Pat reminded me that we have a Cinco de Mayo story. This took place in the mid-1990’s. I’m a diabetic and sometime in 1993, I got a diabetic ulcer on the bottom of my right foot. My doctors fought it for a year and a half and couldn’t get it to heal. Finally, it was decided to amputate the right leg below the knee. This was done and I got a prosthesis and life got back to normal. The following spring, I wasn’t paying attention and the prosthesis rubbed against the side of my knee and caused a sore that immediately became infected. This had happened before and it meant anti-biotics, at least 2 doctor visits, and 6 weeks in the wheel chair without my leg.

So anyhow, I’m riding my wheel chair and here it is…Cinco de Mayo. Pat and I decided we should join in the festivities by having lunch at Casa de Pico, our favorite Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego. We got there and the place was as colorful and beautiful as always. We sat on the patio to take advantage of the warm, sunny day and to hear the music and listen to the chatter and the laughter of the other patrons. Pat ordered a blended margarita in the big glass with the salt on the rim and, being diabetic, I ordered coffee.

As we waited to be served, we talked and admired the holiday decorations. There were some miniature Mexican flags on the tables so Pat took a couple and attached them to the handlebars of my wheel chair. We enjoyed our meal and left the restaurant and then headed for the side gate to leave the area. Getting through the wrought iron gate we needed to go about 50 yards down the side street to the parking lot. Pat was pushing me in the wheel chair and I was teasing and smart-mouthing her about drinking the margarita and maybe being too tipsy to push me. She countered by pushing faster to show that she could handle the job. I was having a heck of a good time and started yelling “faster, faster”. Pat was up to the challenge and in a few seconds was up to full speed. We were flying down the street with Mexican flags flying and Pat sprinting for dear life. We were looking good until we hit the pot-hole. Wham! Pat ran into the back of the wheel chair and I was dumped into the street. Yow, this is gonna’ hurt! Maybe next time I’ll keep my mouth shut.

Dave Thomas
April17, 2016

Spring is here. The canyons are greening up. The wildflowers are blooming. The birds, bugs, and small animals have plenty of food again. The sad part of it is that the crows have found a new food source and aren’t coming around every day. Some of the crows have found  a new friend in Pat and will still be coming to visit her. She speaks in a soft and caring voice, and they listen carefully until it is their turn. Also, when Terri comes over or Pat is returning from the store, the crows spot them and follow them to our house. When they get out of the car, the crows do a fly-by and then circle them in a greeting. Sometimes, we don’t see the crows for a few days, and they don’t always eat. The two crows that still show up the most are the guy with the mangled foot and The Talker. I’ll give you an account of how a recent visit went.

This morning Pat went outside and gave the food call and scattered the food in the driveway. No crows showed up. Pat went back in the house and then decided on the laundry she had going in the garage. We keep a remote garage door clicker in the living room as it is faster to go out the front door and into the garage then it is to go to the back of the house and into the garage. The crows know the sound of our garage door opening, and always respond by flying past and looking in. The crows saw Pat and immediately peeled off and flew to the top of the liquid amber tree next door. Pat realized that this was The Talker as it always likes to do its talking from the top of the tree.  Pat walked out onto the drive, and, immediately, the crow with the mangled foot came swooping in and landed in front of Pat. It walked up to about four feet in front of her, bobbing its head in greeting. Pat starts talking. “How are you? I was so worried because I hadn’t seen you for four days. I guess you found a new source of food, and that’s fine. I miss you guys a lot and am thankful you are visiting this morning.” The crow cocks his head and listens as it walks back and forth in front of her. Meanwhile, The Talker sees that Pat is talking to the mangled foot guy and gets all excited. It starts hopping around on the branch it is standing on and talking up a blue streak. The conversation goes on for a while. Neither bird shows any interest in the food. After a few minutes, Pat goes into the house, and the birds fly away. It was just a visit to let Pat know that they were okay and to find out if she was the same.

Dave Thomas

5/2/2024

Pat went outside early this morning. There were no crows in sight. She was still trying to keep the neighbors from thinking of her as the nutty crow lady. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Not seeing anyone, she gave the food call, caw, caw, caw, caw. Just then, a man and his dog came into view on the sidewalk. The guy looked at Pat like she was nuts and shook his head. At the same time, a crow is answering Pat with caw, caw, caw, caw. The guy on the sidewalk started laughing and didn’t let up as he went on past the house. The crazy crow lady has been busted again.

Dave Thomas

4/25/2024

We are always surprised by what we learn from the crow world.

Pat thought it would be nice for the crows to have drinking water available. She filled a bowl with water and placed it on the driveway for them. The next morning, she went out and gave the food call, caw, caw, caw, caw. It was only a few minutes before five crows landed and headed for the food.  Pat went back into the house and left them to their breakfast.  After a few minutes, she looked out the window to check on them. To her amazement, the crows were all picking up a piece of bread and dunking it in the water bowl before swallowing it. Pat always gave them fresh bread, but apparently it didn’t go down well.  It’s no big deal for crows, they just start dunking.

Dave Thomas

4/25/2024

Pat had put the food out and all five crows were eating. The original five crows, including the guy with the mangled foot, were busy scoffing it up. We were to have a new dishwasher installed that morning, and while the crows were eating, the installer showed up in his truck. The installer backed his truck into the driveway and scared the crows into flight. One crow went to the neighbor’s liquid amber tree, and the rest just disappeared. We determined that the one in the tree was the one who liked to make conversation with Pat. It is a little smaller than the boss crow, and we figure it to be a female or an offspring. For identification purposes, I’ll call it “The Talker.”

The Talker didn’t know why that guy and that truck were in our driveway, and he was sounding the alarm. The installer was here about an hour, and The Talker raised hell the entire time. It was giving us the “Trill, trill, trill” and “Caw, caw, caw” over and over. What a mouth!

The installer loaded the old dishwasher into his truck and picked up the packing materials he had stacked on the driveway, and he placed all the trash in the truck also. He came back into the house and took a look to see that everything was clean. When finished, Pat walked him to the door. As the guy walked to his truck, The Talker came out of his tree, and the other four crows appeared. They were flying in circles, doing fly-by’s on the guy, and screaming caws at the top of their lungs at him. The guy turns around to Pat and says, “I don’t think these crows like me.” How perceptive.

As usual, we will be left with a question. Were the crows sounding the alarm against a trespasser? Or were they just mad because the guy interrupted their breakfast?

Dave Thomas

4/18/2024

Some Prose and Crows

We are still trying to learn more about how the crow-world operates. It would be great if we could crack the language code. Is there a Rosetta Stone that includes the crows?

We’ve heard the crows voice some different stuff this week. One morning, Pat took some food out. None of the crows had arrived yet, so she gave the food call, “Caw caw caw caw.” She immediately got an answer in kind, and, in a minute or so, the crow with the mangled foot landed on the driveway. He saw that he was alone, so he gave the 4-caw summons. Then, he must have been angry about the tardiness because in a louder voice, he gave out a trill and then 3 caws and then 2 caws and then 2 caws again. The other four birds showed up in less than a minute.

Punctuality must be important in the crow world. They seem to get upset if everyone doesn’t show up on time. On another morning, Pat went outside with the food, and again, no crows had arrived. She gave the 4-Caw summons and got 4 caws in reply. In less than a minute, the crow with the mangled foot landed on the driveway. Seeing that he was alone, he gave the four-caw call and got a reply from the distance. After a minute or so no one had showed up, so the mangled foot guy starts yelling at the top of his lungs. “Caw caw caw caw,” and then three crows came followed by two crows. Then another two caws. It was so loud that I could hear it in the house. Having been chewed out in good fashion, the other four crows showed up in less than a minute.

There is one crow that loves to talk with Pat. We don’t know if it is the Boss Crow or one of the other guys. He’ll sit in the neighbor’s liquid amber tree just hanging out. When he sees Pat come out of the house, he gets terribly excited. He will start prancing back and forth on the limb he is standing on and bobbing his head and wiggling his butt and making little trill sounds. There is no question that he is overjoyed to see her. When Pat starts making conversation, the crow listens patiently. Then, when it is his turn, he will say his piece, and then give her a chance to speak again. The crow seems to enjoy it so much, Pat thinks he would continue the conversation all day if she consented to do so.

Dave Thomas

4/11/2024

We may be learning some new crow-speak.  They seem to use a trill in different ways. A trill is a sharp repetitive sound and comes across much like the pecking of a woodpecker, though the crows make the noise in their throat rather than hammering it out with their beaks. In the English language, we sometimes use a word in more than one way. For instance, if you were meeting a friend, you might say, “Hey!” But, if someone was breaking into your car, you would say “HEY!!!” with more volume.

Pat’s crow friend that likes to make conversation sees her and gets all excited. He goes “trill, trill, trill.” When the crow with the mangled foot chewed out his cohorts he went “TRILL, TRILL, TRILL!” I couldn’t hear any difference in the delivery other than the volume.   I’ll keep listening and hopefully will hear other variations of the trill sound.

Dave Thomas

4/2/2024

Pat has been feeding the crows for several months now. She knows she is not providing sustenance for them. This is more like snacks. When the crows gather on the driveway, it could be considered like a nutrition break. The crows show up for refreshments and an opportunity to talk with friends, both old and new. They enjoy talking with each other and certainly enjoy talking with their new friend, Pat. It’s really amusing to listen to the conversations. Pat will say something, and the crows will listen and then respond. Pat will let them say their piece before she speaks again. It’s a lot of back and forth.

We are learning what the crows like at snack time. Pat started out with pieces of bread. Our favorite is a brown bread that has walnuts baked in it. The crows seem to prefer the bread over the walnuts though the nuts are much better for them.

This has been a great season for blueberries. They have been much larger and sweeter than usual. Pat thought it would provide some variety to give some to the crows. She scattered a few on the driveway, and the crows wouldn’t go touch them. Go figure.

On two occasions, we had avocados that were about to go bad. Pat cut them in half lengthwise, removed the pit, and put them out for the crows. Man, they were all over them! After a few minutes of feeding, two of the crows grabbed the skins and flew off with them. So much for sharing.

Pat usually keeps some hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator for me to snack on. One day, there was one egg left that I hadn’t gotten to yet. Pat peeled it, cut it in half, and put it out for the crows. They went nuts! This has been their favorite so far.

I don’t know what will be on the menu next, but I’m sure the reaction will be interesting.

Dave Thomas

3/28/2024

There is a new behavior to report. The crows started their flyby routine by checking out Pat and Terri as individuals. Next, they did flyby’s on our living room window. I don’t know if they can see inside or not. They always make two or three passes, and it may be done so well we don’t notice them. All of this has taken place in the front side of the house.

The new trick takes place in the backyard. They fly under the patio roof and across the patio. They will make two or three trips past the kitchen windows, probably hoping to be seen.

Passing under our patio roof can be tricky. Coming in, they have to clear a 6 foot fence and then there is only about 5 feet before they must dip down and adjust the clearance before entering the patio.  The roof of this patio is a pergola-style with stringers a few inches apart and alternating open spaces. The roof is probably 8 foot high, and, of course, there are tables and chairs on the floor. This only leaves four or five feet of vertical air space to navigate through and is probably like flying through a tunnel. I wouldn’t have expected a crow to accept such flying conditions. I guess they know what they are doing.

Dave Thomas

3/21/2024