Remembering Blue Angel Kevin Davis

On Saturday, during an air show in South Carolina, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis (pictured at right) died when his Blue Angels F-18 hit some trees and crashed into a Beaufort neighborhood.

It's tragic news to the Blue Angels, no doubt, but First Coast residents should also take a minute to reflect, because tens of thousands of us heard his voice during the 2006 NAS Jacksonville air show.

If you went to that show, and if you stayed to see the Blue Angels' performance, then you heard Davis' voice describing their awesome maneuvers over the PA system. As the then-pilot of Blue Angels 7 and the newest member of the team, he narrated rather than flew the air shows.

His other job, as the pilot of the squadron's two-seat F-18 Hornet, was to give media and VIP rides in the days leading up to the team's air shows.

That's how I met Davis. On a sunny day in October, I strapped into the rear seat of No. 7 for the most unforgettable experience of my life: an hour-long ride in a Blue Angels fighter. Davis flew the jet to about 60 miles off the coast of St. Augustine and proceeded to put the aircraft through a series of rolls, loops and turns that had my head spinning. If you saw the video on Jacksonville.com, he also had my head rolling at one point as I passed out during a high-speed turn. (To see the video, click HERE).

What I remember about Davis, mostly, was his voice coming over the helmet speakers. Telling me to flex before high-G maneuvers and answering question after question I had about the aircraft, about flying combat missions, about getting into the Blue Angels. He responded with humor and grace to all of them — even as he flung us about the sky.

On Saturday he was flying plane No. 6. He had graduated from narrator to pilot of one of the six F-18s that perform in each show. Sadly, it was his last flight.

I know Davis' family, the Blue Angels and the Navy are mourning today. The rest of us should take a few minutes and do the same. I know I will.

Jeff

VAW-125

Waaaay back in March when TU photographer Jon Fletcher and I rode the USS John F. Kennedy from Boston to Jacksonville, we spent a lot of time in Ready Room 4. On the door the ready room was the squadron symbol (posted above) for VAW-125.

The entire week we were aboard I kept meaning to research the squadron whose former ready room was serving as a media center for that final Kennedy voyage. (Fixed-wing aircraft haven't operated from the Kennedy since late 2005 or early 2006).

So just today when I had a minute I Googled the squadron. Here's what GlobalSecurity.Org had to say about them:

VAW-125, known as the "Torchbearers" or "Tigertails," was commissioned on October 1, 1968, at Naval Air Station, Norfolk. The squadron’s first sea duty was in the Caribbean with Carrier Air Wing Three aboard the USS Saratoga (CV 60). Following the Caribbean work-up cycle, the squadron left on its first major deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, in July 1969. Upon their return form cruise, VAW-125 became the first East Coast squadron to take delivery of the new E2-B "Hawkeye".

VAW-125 made several Mediterranean Sea deployments as part of Carrier Air Wing One aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) in the early 1970’s. In 1975, VAW-125 deployed with the newest version of the Hawkeye, the E-2C.

In December of 1976, Vice Admiral Greed, COMNAVAIRLANT, presented VAW-125 with the COMNAVAIRLANT Battle "E" for readiness, the CINCLANTFLT "Golden Anchor" Award for career retention, and the CNO Safety "S" Award. VAW-125 is believed to be the first Navy unit to win all three awards in the same year.

In August of 1990, the Tigertails were ready for deployment and responded to the invasion of Kuwait by deploying for eight months to the Red Sea with Carrier Air Wing Seventeen aboard USS Saratoga. After transiting in record time, they took up station and started flying around the clock in the support of Operation DESERT SHIELD. During Operation DESERT STORM, VAW-125 flew over 890 combat hours controlling strikes on Iraqi targets while providing AEW coverage for the Red Sea Battle Group. The Tigertails controlled VFA-81 F/A-18’s in the 17 January 1991 shoot down of two Iraqi MiG-21’s – the only Navy air-to-air MiG kills of the Southwest Asia campaign.

for the complete story, visit this link: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/vaw-125.htm

also i've posted a US Navy file photo of the E2 Hawkeye the article talks about.

Jeff

hoping to see the Kennedy

I've been making calls this morning to Navy public affairs offices from Norfolk to Jacksonville in hopes of getting onto Mayport Naval Station and the John F. Kennedy. I am curious to see what the ship looks like now and to see the work going on to prepare her for long term storage up in PA. I'd love to hear from any Kennedy sailors or contractors who've been doing this work. Or if you've ever helped decomm another ship, drop me a line and tell me about it. Post a comment here or e-mail me at jeff.brumley@jacksonville.com.