STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of ADJ3 Ross Helco, U.S. Navy (1967-1970)

Well, it’s the summer of 1966, and I just graduated from high school — then I got accepted to college in September and couldn’t wrap my head back in the books again, so I quit halfway through that semester. During that time, I kept getting notices in the mail to report to draft headquarters and going to college deferred 10 notices in 2 months — So, the day I quit, I went back home to visit my parents and, while I was doing that, I ran into a high school friend of mine and asked him what you doing – he says to me, I’m heading down to the Navy recruiting office and I say wait I’m going with ya – so that’s what we did – join the Navy because I didn’t want to carry a gun and get shot at.

Bottom line: I didn’t want to be drafted, and I wanted to attend school.

I was in from March 1967 to December 1970.

From March to July boot camp at Great Lakes

From March to July 1967, was Plane Captain for F4J Phantom plane 212 with VF92

From July 1967 to March 1969, then off to A School for Jet Mechanic, graduated 3rd of 232 students, then from July 1969 to December 1970, Jet Mechanic in Beeville, Texas, for squadron VT25 —

Here’s what I have posted on my (Together We Served) plaque: I enlisted in the Navy in March 1967. Boot camp 3 months, next duty station Miramar, California Navy Air Base to Top Gun Navy Fighter Squadron VF92 for the next 2 1/2 years — two West Pac Cruises, Vietnam 1968, brief time 1969, then Jet Mechanic A School Memphis, Tennessee and last duty station work and repaired F9 Cougars at VT 125 Chase Field Beeville, Texas – honorable discharged December 1970

I was on a West Pac Tonkin Gulf in 1968, on the USS Enterprise, and was a plane Captain for an F4J Phantom with Fighting Squadron VF-92.

1969-1-14 Big E Fire on the Flight Deck – 8:20 am in the morning 72 miles off the coast of Hawaii —- During the morning of January 14, 1969, while being escorted by the destroyers Benjamin Stoddert and Rogers, an MK-32 Zuni rocket loaded on a parked F-4 Phantom exploded when ordnance cooked off after being overheated by an aircraft start unit.[36] The explosion set off fires and additional explosions across the flight deck.

The fires were brought under control relatively quickly (compared with previous carrier flight deck fires), but 27 sailors were killed, and an additional 314 sailors were injured. The fire destroyed 15 aircraft, and the resulting damage forced Enterprise to put in for repairs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, primarily to repair the flight deck’s armored plating.[37] On March 1, 1969, repairs to the ship were completed, and the ship proceeded on her scheduled Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment to Vietnam and the Tonkin Gulf. Events in the eastern Sea of Japan would delay these destinations.

My story — ya and yes I was right in the middle of it – ok picture this 8:20 in the morning = not a cloud in the sky – four F4’s on the fantail my plane all the starboard side and next plane out was Dale Hunt’s plane – we just strapped in our pilots and was standing in the middle of both planes right about in front of the planes – I turn to Dale, and we were talking, and then the largest explosion happened, and I was looking forward for a second and then went def for like almost 2 minutes couldn’t hear a thing – I turned back around to Dale what the hell that was, and he wasn’t there – then I turned all the way around and saw him laying down on the flight deck between the planes about a few feet from going over the fantail with his left leg missing up above his knee – I ran over without thinking and picked him up, ran in front of both planes to the starboard cat walk and as soon as I got into it another huge explosion went off, and I felt the it go right over our heads – then I look up on the fight deck and there’s this wall of fire from one side of the flight deck to the other side and just then my pilot hat I strapped in the back seat of my plane was walking straight thru it towards me – I could see he was in a state of shock, so I ran up on the fight deck yelled at him – he didn’t here me, so I pulled him down into the cat walk, and you guess it again another explosion right over our heads – so I got pilots who can’t talk and a friend laying down diving with his leg missing and me with nothing to tie it off but by now Dale has lost too much blood -he’s in and out – I look up forward in the cat walk and where we can get down in to the ship is blocked off by pouring jet fuel on fire cause the Captain of the ship turned the ship to port and that made all the burning fuel come to our side – so by now I realize that the only way we are going to stay alive is to jump ship – I knelt down and Dale see I’m going to jump ship and says to me take me with you (says he’s going to die in the water not by fire on this ship) so I picked him up and say god be with you then I let him go – I turn around and tell the pilot if he wants to live he better jump and right then I get up on the edge (just like in the movies) and just as I jump another explosion goes off and felt like i was getting hot but counted 4 seconds and then hit the water with nothing on but my jeans, steel toes boots and a tea shirt –

The fellow crewmen who took this picture is Stan Osterbauer.

My favorite was being attached to Fighting Squadron VF-92, and my least favorite was the Big ‘E’ Fire on January 14th, 1969. Twenty-eight guys lost their lives, and only I and an officer lived.

Henry, that was my plane #212 all on the aft starboard side, and in that area, you already know, 28 shipmates died, and only me and an officer lived to tell our story – by the way, after about 10 minutes into the explosion, we jumped from the catwalk cause we couldn’t get back down into the ship – there was a waterfall of jet fuel blocking the entrance –

Living through “The Big E Fire”.

After the Big E fire where only me and a officer lived where 28 of my shipmates died on the flightdeck that day – we were right in the middle of those explosions so we jumped ship – always believe that if we would of got down inside of the ship we would of died anyways cause the explosions went down two to three floors down inside of the ship – months later they wanted to give me a certificate for making it alive from the disaster – I turned them all down. – Then Captain Lee honored my wishes and sent me to A-school, Memphis, Tennessee, in March or April 1969

All of them. It was an Honor.

My Dad, I am because of him.

Boot camp – friends with Henry Baskerville

VF92 F4J Fighter Squadron – Chris Carradine, Patrick Fulharty, and Tom Gaydos

VT125 Chasefield Beeville, Texas 

Yes, the 1st time I stepped on foreign land was in Japan on a 3-day R&R.

After the service, which qualified me as a jet mechanic, I returned to playing music. I was a rock star from 1971 to 1975. I toured with “Three Dog Night‘ and Ike and Tina Turner. Then in 1977, I got hired at Ford Rouge Steel and drove a 450-ton overhead crane for 35 years. I retired last year, 2012. I still play the drums!

After I retired, a friend, Lowry Farino, talked me into getting my VA membership card, so that’s exactly what I did – I have been a member since 2013.

My friend passed away from Agent Orange on 10-21-2020.

I have also been asked to join the VFW or American Legion, but I can’t make up my mind.

Made me appreciate life and love for my country!

It will make a man out of you, and you will enjoy every minute because the time will go by like the blink of an eye.

I’ve been a free member for about 12 years, and it has allowed me to be proud of this site and this great nation! Thanks!