Thank you sir I appreciate it more than anyone will know!
Tyler, your last name reminds me of a long fallen fellow A-4 driver from our sister squadron...
LT James "JJ" Connell (USNA '61, fm Wilmington, DE). Often previously, we were liberty/golfing buddies prior to and on our first combat cruise in '66 on RANGER. On 15 July '66, JJ was downed by a SAM, ejected & immediately captured, becoming an acknowledged POW.
When our POWs were returned in early '73, JJ was not on the list or among them. When NVN officials were queried about his absence, they would only say he died in captivity. Upon debriefing of the returnees, it was determined that JJ had persistently tried to escape numerous times during the first few years of his imprisonment. Being banished to solitary confinement after the first few attempts. Information gleaned through the POW crude, but effective comm. system, found that after some 6+ escape attempts out of solitary, the guards killed him on his final attempt. Eye witnesses testified to his persistence & raw courage in trying to fulfill his duty to escape. LCDR (then LT) J. J. Connell was awarded the Navy Cross & Purple Heart posthumously, for his heroism exhibited and wounds inflicted from constant beatings, then murder by his captors.




I mention this to you in that (who knows), you & he may be distantly related through common ancestors in ol' Ireland??? The last name of
CONNELL, will always remind me of my courageous Bud' "JJ". It was an awesomehonor for me to serve alongside & lead such heroic men, during my 2 combat deployments in CVW-14. Go forth & add luster to the "Clan Connell" surname
*Google JJ's full name for more info, or to read his NC Citation. (Our CAG was also awarded an NC on our '66 'adventure', CVW-14, an awesome Airwing!)
BzB