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INTRODUCTION
"LETTERS TO THE WORLD" is a compendium of the missives dispatched by a callow young Intelligence Officer during his first Fleet tour. It is by happy circumstance that the location which spawned such a startling volume of material was in fact the most operational aircraft carrier in the United States Navy of the time; the USS Midway.
The period described is from late 1978 to early 1980.
Operating from her home port at Yokosuka, Midway steamed somewhere near 200,000 miles. She visited the obligatory WESTPAC liberty ports, and participated in the major exercises of the yearly cycle. Due to the flexing of Soviet military muscle, and the rise of a new, militant Islam, the ship was called to deploy twice to critical crisis areas.
The first was the so-called Aden crisis of early 1979. That deployment is covered in "Welcome to Jambo-land," and although the writing style is unpolished, it accounts for the accelerated operating tempo of that Spring.
The second major event was the Hostage Crisis in Iran, which commenced in early November of that same year, and dragged on long after the Midway's involvement was completed. In fact, the Crisis may require an additional deployment later in 1980.
It comes as no surprise that both of these events, as well as the Afghanistan invasion, are symptoms of the same global problem which thus far demonstrates no sign of abatement. As a worm's eye view (although it must be said a privileged worm) this running account has some interest in reconstructing the Liberty style of the average Fighter Squadron and it's associated Air Wing of the day.
The letters themselves are often repetitive and naturally self-serving. They are written to a variety of people. Family and friends share a representation, as do the several long distance romantic interests which seem to preoccupy the author throughout the two year cruise.
Mostly, the reader will find that LETTERS is about trying to make the best out of a deal which could only be described as marginal. In sequence, the chronicle follows (and partially overlaps) the Green Journal of 1978.
Ultimately, a large folio is expected to be issued, which will include voluminous photos, charts, footnotes and minutiae. The complete "Letters to the World" will include New Adventures in Asia which originated from the Headquarters of the United States Forces Korea J-2 (Intel) Section. This selection is intended only for the serious student of the period, and for the assistance of the many academic researchers. In conclusion, all that can be said is that there were many loud noises and horrendous hang-overs. In retrospect, it seems a time of queer innocence. In defense of the residents of another time and place, one can only say that few were injured (permanently) and nearly all survived.
That cannot be said for what happened later. On this mission, no prisoners were left behind.
Vic Socotra,
VF-I5I 19 March 1980 |