Past Legends Panel - Advice for the Future

By CAPT Sandy Clark, USN (Ret.)

When I hear someone say in their most conspiratorial voice, “This is no Sh—,” my ears perk up. I know that I’m about to hear a (mostly) true story about a hairy landing on a pitching deck out of limits, a black night rescue in heavy seas, or an unplanned, sphincter-tightening, close encounter with the water where the crew escaped with their lives, if not 100 percent of their self-respect.

During the 2023 Symposium, NHA attendees were treated to the rare opportunity to hear from nine storytellers on the “Past Legends” Panel - whose career exploits were nothing less than mythical. These community pioneers, who earned their wings in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, recounted their eye-watering experiences to an audience of mostly active-duty aviators whose parents were probably younger than the presenters.

Representing both pilots and aircrew, these were the brave men and women who broke ground for the rest of us, boldly leading, making the rules as they went, and informing today’s operating environment. Those were the “Wild West” days, well before many of today’s guardrails were established and rulebooks were written (sometimes in blood).

In order of appearance, these were the trailblazers who regaled us with their stories on the Past Legends Panel:

CAPT Gene Pellerin, USN (Ret.) received his wings in 1959, flew 10 different models of helicopters in his career from the H-19 to the SH-3A - from the decks of Ice Breakers in Antarctica to Carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin to Huey Gunships in Vietnam. He commanded HS-6 and flew recovery missions for the Apollo-Soyuz Astronauts.

CAPT Mike Reber, USN (Ret.) earned his wings in 1963 and began his career flying an array of aircraft, including the newly introduced H-46, in Lakehurst NJ. He literally wrote the book on VERTREP operations (beginning with the H-46 NATOPS), took that new aircraft to the Paris Air Show, conducted the first operational night VERTREPs in the Gulf of Tonkin, and commanded HC-11. Later, he was Assistant Air Boss on USS Okinawa for the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

CDR Dick Barr, USN (Ret.) pinned on his wings in 1968 and immediately went to Vietnam, where he flew H-1 gunships with HAL-3. He was shot down, wounded, hospitalized for months, and valiantly returned to the war for an unprecedented second tour. CDR Barr commanded HC-1 and retired after serving as Air Boss on USS Tarawa.

MAJ Barry Waluda, USAR (Ret.) served as CDR Barr’s Aircrew Chief, door gunner and Jet Mechanic in HAL3. After an historic and heroic rescue during which Barry earned the Navy Cross, Barry returned to the States and left the Navy, only to re-join the US Army Reserves, where he earned his commission and served until he retired in 2003.

CAPT Jim Daniels, USN (Ret.) began his 37-year career as an Enlisted Aircrewman/Rescue Swimmer and AW serving with HS-4 and HC-1, during which he completed multiple rescues and recoveries before transitioning to the new SH60B in HSL-45. Rising quickly through the ranks, he became an AW Chief before selecting for the Aviation Ops LDO Program, where he mastered every challenge, promoted to Captain and retired in 2013 as Commanding Officer of NATTC Pensacola.

CAPT Joellen Drag-Oslund, USNR (Ret.) was the Navy’s first woman Helicopter Pilot. Breaking new ground from the moment she received her wings in 1974, she was the first woman assigned to flying duty aboard a Navy ship, the first woman Combat SAR HAC, and was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame after completing 25 years of Active and Reserve Duty. Today, there are 450 women pilots in the Navy, of whom 44 percent are in the Rotary Force. They are all beneficiaries of CAPT Oslund’s ground-breaking accomplishments in the early 1970s.

CAPT Larrie Cable, USN (Ret.), earned his wings in 1975 and served a tour flying the SH-2F before becoming a Navy Test Pilot, conducting early developmental testing of the newly minted SH-60B at NAS Patuxent River. Following a command tour in HSL-42, he returned to the NAVAIR Community where he spearheaded the upgrade work on the Seahawk, which morphed into procurement of the highly versatile MH-60R/S, so prevalent in the Fleet today.

CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.), is undoubtedly one of the Naval Helicopter Community’s most prolific and dynamic writers and well-known thinkers. He flew two versions of the SH-2 before transitioning to the SH-60B as part of the initial cadre of the fledgling HSL-41, developing new procedures and tactics, creating the environment that led to the success of the LAMPS MK III Aviation System. Following his command tour at HSL-43, CAPT Galdorisi stayed operational in the Pacific Fleet, enjoying four successful command tours including two aviation squadrons, USS Cleveland, and Amphibious Squadron 7.

CAPT Mike O’Connor, USN (Ret.) was a leader in every warfare specialty the Naval Helicopter Community offered during his 30 years of Naval Service. After receiving his wings in 1964, his career included flying at least 17 different model/series aircraft from the decks of ships of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet in addition to a challenging combat tour in Viet Nam with HAL-3. A highly decorated combat veteran, CAPT O’Connor had 6 commands including being the first CO of HSL-41.

Merely stipulating that each of the ‘Legends’ enjoyed successful careers and that they shared their interesting accounts does not do them or the NHA’s Past Legends Panel justice. Their stories were, and are, riveting.

But there’s much more. These were the men and women who, through their courage, leadership, and dedication in the early years created the very successful culture that today’s helicopter community enjoys. They pressed ahead during challenging times, when the community was always underfunded and largely underappreciated by other elements of Naval Aviation.

Whether out of necessity or deliberate action, "Legends" embodied winning characteristics in leadership and mentorship, creating warfare excellence from the margins, against all odds.

Here’s how they did it:

They were flexible and creative. In the early days of the 50s and 60s, pilots and aircrew of the fledgling helicopter community were literally on their own, frequently left to their own devices, ingenuity, and career choices. There were no set career paths to follow, especially since many early leaders were transplants from fixed wing communities. There were no predecessor superstars, no mentors, no flag officers to guide them or pull them along. Yet, they were as unafraid to try new career assignments as they were to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

They were open to change. They had to be! Early Rotary Wing machines were unpredictable, unreliable, underpowered, and downright scary. Yet, paradoxically, the allure of going where their fixed wing brethren couldn’t venture inspired new, unimagined, capabilities. New missions were born and evolved. Flight envelopes were expanded (and sometimes contracted). All were created from fertile imaginations and from within the ranks of the operators themselves.

Teamwork was (and is) everything. Borne of a necessity to operate independently in a tactical environment, helicopter pioneers achieved independence and expertise through the power of collective intentionality. Sharing in their successes as well as their failures, they created the unbreakable bonds of brotherhood (and later sisterhood) through the shared belief in who they were and what they would become.

The role that these Legends (and others) played in creating our community’s winning culture can’t be overstated. They created the environment and built the path on which we now tread. And for that we offer our admiration and gratitude!

Editor's Note

If you missed the Legends Panel or want to see it again, visit the NHA Facebook Page and click on Videos https://www.facebook.com/navalhelicopterassn/videos.