"Man Overboard"

WE WERE CONDUCTING flight operations aboard the USS Independence off Jacksonville, Fla. The topside safety petty officer on the No. 3 catapult was accidentally blown over the side by the exhaust of a turning F-4 Phantom jet. All those who witnessed the incident thought for sure the man was lost, because the flight deck was 65 feet above the ocean. Fortunately, he was rescued by the ship's helicopter. Later that day, I visited him in sick bay…

"Were you scared?"

… I asked …

"Scared?"

… He asked ...

"Hell, I yelled 'Man overboard' three times before I hit the water!"