SAN DIEGO (NNS) – Friends, families, shipmates, and Sailors assigned to the Golden Swordsmen of Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 attended the 25th memorial service for the 27 fallen VP-50 Aircrewmen at Moffett Field, Calif., March 20.
In the early morning of March 21, 1991, two P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircrafts from the Blue Dragons of Patrol Squadron (VP) 50 collided into each other while conducting training operations 60 miles southwest of the coast of San Diego. Twenty-seven Sailors lost their lives.
The VP-50 Memorial attendees took a moment to remember and reflect the sacrifice those 27 Sailors made.
“It was a feeling of remembrance of remembering the sacrifice those two crews made,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Miller, a mission commander for a combat aircrew inVP-47. “It was a sense of lost knowing those guys gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
The memorial ceremony caused many of the attendees to have different feelings. For Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Emily Sthilaire, a maintenance personnel who frequently launches VP-47 aircrafts, it gave her a sense of being humble.
“The ceremony was pretty humbling. Looking around you can see everyone who used to be in the squadron and see their emotions,” said Sthilaire. “Makes you appreciate everything more. You never really think when you’re launching people out that it could be the last time you see them. It’s a reality check.”
VP-50 was decommissioned at Moffett Field in 1992. Located on the grounds is a plaque honoring the 27 Sailors who lost their lives on that tragic night.
VP-47 is currently involved in preparations for their inter-deployment readiness cycle, conducting exercises, and maintenance to maximize operational performance and efficiency.
For related news, visit the Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Navy News Stand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cnrh.
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2016 22:05 |
| Story ID: | 211294 |
| Location: | CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Golden Swordsmen Attend Memorial Service at Moffett Field, Calif., by PO2 Joshua Walters, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
