Old Tales By Cdr. Dana R. Gordon
s a squadron XO, and now CO, I periodically dig through my old files to find questions and stories to share with my ready room, or to ask during those all-important helicopter-aircraft-commander (HAC) board scenarios. I have promised every one of my prospective HACs that, during their board, they never will have the same questions asked in previous boards. So, the education process for them continues to challenge me and keeps me on my toes, even if it means digging up old tales from the crypt. After all, we know what happens to your memory as you begin to get older. “It only gets sharper,” should be your answer. The story below is an article I wrote about 14 years ago. I was a lieutenant on my first underway period as a junior HAC. Even though the event happened more than 20 years ago, the education and lessons learned are invaluable and still relevant. 24
Approach
