ASN Ben Kohlmann
@NavyASNMRA • 8,456 subscribers
Official account of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (M&RA). Supporting Sailors, Marines, civilians, Reservists & families. Deter, Fight, Win.
Videos
A phone call 70 years in the making. Capt. Royce Williams fought alone against overwhelming odds, protected his shipmates, and came home. More than 70 years later, our nation recognized his courage with its highest honor. This is the fighting spirit we must never lose.
ASN Ben Kohlmann21,739 views • 2 months ago
“Rahhhh-ger CLARA Ship…the deck is moving.” Landing Signals Officers, aka “Paddles,” are the heartbeat of a Carrier Air Wing. Sometimes they give you an arguably undeserved bad grade (what do you mean that was a “full high” at the start…I had a rails pass all the way down!). And then they save your life. I met my first squadron off the coast of Japan in Feb 2008. I had a grand total of 22 Super Hornet traps under my belt and was thrust into the big leagues at the tender age of 26. Winter in the Sea of Japan is tough. The cold weather meant we needed to wear impermeable, full-body rubber suits under our flight gear, providing survival time if we had to eject into the frigid water. It also meant the seas were rough and the cloud cover was often low. A perfect mix for a young “nugget” pilot like myself to get himself into trouble when landing. To be blunt, I started as a below average ball flyer. My landing grades were bad. And then I got launched into a marginal weather day in pitching deck conditions. The flight itself was uneventful. But the 75 minutes of flight time was overshadowed by the inevitable need to land back on the ship in what we knew were going to be sporty conditions. The 5 minutes before landing was spent completely in the clouds. We only had one navigation aide available that day due to ships maintenance, so the air traffic controllers talked us down to a point where they handed us off to the LSOs. The controller ended with an abrupt “you’re at three quarters of a mile…on glide slope, on centerline, call the ball.” I couldn’t see the ship. Mustering as much confidence as I could in that terrifying moment, I abruptly pushed over the radio “CLARA ship.” CLARA means you can’t see something. “CLARA ship” means I couldn’t see the ship. And I was 15 seconds to landing, traveling 150 miles per hour, with a 700 foot per minute descent rate. Then the voice of CAG Paddles calmly slid into my ears: “Rahhhh-ger CLARA ship…the deck is moving. You’re a little high, easy with it.” This tested, 32 year old man, standing on the back of the ship, had my landing light in sight, and started smoothly talking me down. He also noted that the carrier deck was pitching up and down…implying he was gonna get me aboard safely. Those surreal moments passed with confident, directive, but calming words pouring into my headset that my hands and eyes instinctively responded to. The hundreds of practice passes learning that guidance made the real thing automatic. Suddenly, the ship appeared and a moment later we jerked to a stop. We had landed. “Nice work 107.” Thanks Paddles. For getting me aboard safely and saving my life. I never disputed a landing grade after that. Fly Navy.
ASN Ben Kohlmann18,890 views • 2 months ago
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