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Attention on Deck!
A Robotech Warrior’s Life and Times
By
Captain Jeffrey Dale Framton, RDFN (ret.)
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With Jason W. Smith
Version 4.03 – Revised Timeline
Last Revision Date: 8 August 2001, 24 October 2001 – 15 January 2002
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Attention on Deck!
A Robotech Warrior’s Life and Times
By
Captain Jeffrey Dale Framton, RDFN (ret.)
With Jason W. Smith
Copyright 1995 by Jason W. Smith
Robotech-related names and characters
Copyright 1985 Harmony Gold Inc.
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(Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Jeffrey Dale Framton is a fictional character. This novel was written by Jason W. Smith. Any similarity to actual events, persons, etc. is coincidental, even if intentionally so! Enjoy!
Jason W. Smith -- -- July 1995.)
Available for Netscape Navigators at:
http://www.Robotech-AOD.com
http://www.RDFN.org/aod.html
http://jaddams.csw.uic.edu/aod/altaod.html
PRAISE FOR “ATTENTION ON DECK!”
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“The true story of one of the Robotech Defense Force's top aces in his own words. Through three Robotech Wars, Captain Framton takes the reader on a breathtaking journey of triumph, tragedy, and sacrifice. A must read for anyone wanting to know what flying a Veritech Fighter in combat is really like.”
--Donald Wilson, Information World Magazine
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“I just finished reading ‘Attention On Deck!’ and I was breath taken! The book is pure brilliance. I just couldn’t put it down.”
--Grant Power, RDF Times Magazine
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“Jeff Framton has done what no other has yet been able to: put the reader in the cockpit of a Veritech! Fasten your seatbelts! What a story!”
--COL A.P. Rutland, REFMC (ret.)
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“Easily the most compelling book about the Robotech Wars ever written. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. More importantly, it will make you appreciate the magnitude of Earth’s greatest struggle.”
--LTGEN Michael “Mad Mike” Choi, RDFMC, (ret.)
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“Hands down the best Naval Aviation autobiography since ‘Feet Wet.’ Framton is a master story teller. Five huge stars!”
--RADM Mike “Python” Connaly, REFN (ret.)
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“[‘Attention On Deck!’] is no run-of-the-mill war story. It is a brutally honest look at the life of a combat pilot, not just in the cockpit, but at home and in the heart. Captain Framton keeps no secrets in this sweepingly emotional, often amazing, tale. A modern classic. Highly recommended.”
--Delaina DeRoeck, Insights
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“Finally! A view inside the cockpit [of a Veritech]! The only things missing are the G’s!”
--William Osgood, Military Aviation Magazine
In the author’s own words!!!!
“We could run no longer. Our meager force was clearly no match for the alien invaders that had come calling, yet we had little option but to stand our ground and fight. A quick check of my status was followed by a call to my wingmen. With an exasperated sigh I turned us back toward the pursuing wolves--there was truly nothing left for me to do short of ejection, but if we were to die, it was better to die trying.
“The tiny specks ahead grew rapidly in size. My missiles--and those of my wingmen--were long gone. The fight was now down to basics--an old fashioned gunfight. The sky from horizon to horizon was filled with the hideous, crab-like alien fighters, and as the enemy ships entered into range they unleashed a hail of fire that filled every inch of the sky. I let loose with my gun pod and lasers, stomping on the rudder pedals to spread the fire over as wide an area as possible. It was like spraying a garden hose on a blazing forest.
“Suddenly, my Valkyrie heeled hard to starboard, shuddering wildly. As my fighter staggered and lurched through the air, shards of glass and steel ripped into me, puncturing my flight suit and slicing into my flesh. The sea and sky began tumbling uncontrollably, end over end, the G-forces building to an unbearable level. The cold wind rushing through the holes in my fighter threatened to tear my flight suit to shreds, and I fought the urge to vomit.
“Time seemed to slow down. A scan of my instruments showed an over-abundance of red lights as every system aboard complained at the harsh treatment they had received. The altimeter was unwinding rapidly, the sweep hand on my instrument panel clock moving at only a fraction of its normal speed. Full deflection of my controls in every direction had no noticeable effect. My Veritech was dead.
“As the altimeter swept downward through fifteen thousand feet, I decided it was time to jettison my airframe and take a ride on the silk elevator. I tried to grab the overhead ejector curtain, but my left arm was a useless, bloody mess. Reaching between my legs I grasped the yellow and black ejection lanyard, images of ‘Cliff’s Notes’ and high school literature tests flashing in my head, and yanked hard. Nothing happened. The altimeter was passing though ten thousand feet, and I found myself wondering what the hell was wrong, when I was suddenly--and forcefully--slammed backward into my seat. The slack reels retracted my arms and legs, and I was blasted out of my Veritech with a tremendous kick in the seat of my pants.
“As if in slow motion, my Alpha shrank slowly beneath me, heading for a place on the ocean floor where it would guard the shipping lanes of the Pacific for the next five thousand years. I searched frantically overhead as I fell, yearning for the sight of a fully blossoming chute. With a jerk and a pop the canopy inflated, and I began my slow, deliberate descent to the sea.
“Overhead the dogfight raged, but it was finished before it began--as evidenced by the smoke trails left by the fighters that had been on my wing only moments before. I despaired at the belief that many of them were probably dead. They were young and enthusiastic, those men, and they had followed me without hesitation straight into the jaws of death. It was a sobering thought.
“As I descended toward the water I realized, almost selfishly, that I was too damned old for this business. Indeed, the skies over the Pacific were no place to be in the spring of 2033, especially if one wanted to live long.”
--A Veritech Pilot,
Captain Jeffrey Dale Framton, RDFN (ret.)
This book is dedicated to…
All fighter pilots, past and present, friend and foe…
Acknowledgments
The writing of this novel has to be one of the strangest undertakings in all of ROBOTECH fandom. Never before has anyone attempted to tell a first person account of the saga that has aired on television stations and home video machines worldwide since 1985. There were more than a few raised eyebrows when the project was started, and people wondered if anything would ever come of it. As things began to move along and the story began to grow the eyebrows continued to be raised, but not in the way they had previously. People began to sit up and take notice. Comments and encouragement began to flow forth. The “Attention On Deck! Home Page” on the Internet began to compile hits at an ever-increasing rate. “AOD” was for real!
I have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this project, but I could not have done it alone. As many of you may already know, an undertaking as ambitious as this one has proven to be simply could not be completed without the GENEROUS contributions of others. From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank the following people, Robotech Warriors all, for their selfless assistance, advice, and constructive criticism:
Mathew Weed, Steven Pustay, Pieter Thomassen, Stephan Bennett, Michael W. White, Anthony Volk, Dr. Peter W. Walker, Robert “Morgue” Morgenstern, Aubry Thonon, N. de Groot, John “John Jesus Damn It” Hokansan, Jr., Corey E. DeDolph, Edwin “Admiral James T. Kirk” Chan, Michael “Mad Mike” Choi, Keith Palmer, Arek Wdowiak, Rafael “Raf” Pinero, Ann “Mouse” Fojtik, Dr. Prinz Ira Franz-Josef “Frank” von Neuhausenhoffenberg, Dr. Steven S. Shwiff, Neona “The Squid” Marble, Stephan “Pum” Bennett, Presley H. “The Reverend Prez” Cannaday II, USNR, Lewis Barr, Designated Pilot Examiner, Master Sergeant Kent Wilkinson, USAF, and the following current, retired, and former military aviators for their invaluable input (even though some may not realize they’ve contributed!):
· Captain David W. Skinner, Southwest Airlines -- Former Air Force Captain, T-43, T-38 “Talon,” C-141 “Starlifter”
· Captain Dave Keeling, Southwest Airlines -- Former U.S. Naval Aviator
· Captain Steve “Satan” Campbell, Southwest Airlines -- Former USAF Captain, A-7 “Corsair II,” T-37 “Tweet,” F-15 “Eagle”
· Rear Admiral Paul T. Gilcrist, USN (Ret.) -- F6F “Hellcat,” F9F “Cougar,” F-8 “Crusader,” F-14 “Tomcat,” F-5 “Tiger II,” F-20 “Tigershark,” A-7 “Corsair II”
· Colonel Gene I. Basel, USAF (Ret.) -- F-105 “Thunderchief,” A-7D “Corsair II”
· Colonel Len Houston, USAF (Ret.) -- B-52 “Stratofortress,” F-100 “Super Sabre,” F-4 “Phantom II”
· Colonel Steven “Peck” Rogers, USAF (Ret.), Southwest Airlines -- F-102 “Delta Dagger,” F-106 “Delta Dart,” F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” O-2 “Skymaster”
· Colonel Jack Skinner, USAF (Ret.) -- F-80/T-33 “Shooting Star,” F-86 “Sabre,” C-130 “Hercules”
· Colonel Jim “Whit” Whitmore, Director of Assignments, USAF -- F-16 “Fighting Falcon”
· Lieutenant Colonel Russ Carraway, USAF (Ret.), Southwest Airlines -- F-111 “Aardvark,” T-38 “Talon”
· Lieutenant Colonel Randy “Crooner” Eckley, USAF (Ret.), Great Plains Airlines -- F-4 “Phantom,”
F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” T-38 “Talon,” F-117A “Nighthawk”
· Lieutenant Colonel Lee Smith, USAF (Ret.), Southwest Airlines -- F-4 “Phantom II,” A-10 “Thunderbolt II”
· Lieutenant Colonel John Voss, USAF (Ret.), Southwest Airlines -- F-15 “Eagle,” F-5 “Tiger II”
· Lieutenant Commander Jim Rowlands, USN (Ret.) -- P-3 “Orion”
· Lieutenant Commander Charlie “Orville” Wright, USN (Ret.), Southwest Airlines -- Former Marine Aviator, F-4 “Phantom II”
· Major James “Chappy” Chapman, USAFR -- F-111 “Aardvark,” T-38 “Talon”
· Major Paul Webb Chapman, USMC (Ret.) -- F-4 “Phantom II”
· Major Scott “Krunch” Reddout, USAFR, Trans World Airlines -- F-16 “Fighting Falcon”
· Major John Rood, USMC -- F/A-18 “Hornet”
· Major Craig A. Trammel, USAFR -- C-141 “Starlifter,” C-130 “Hercules”
· Lieutenant Everette “Roach” Rochon, USNR -- S-3 “Viking”
· Captain Donato Borillo, Special Operations Flight Surgeon, USAF -- C-130 “Hercules”
· Lieutenant (j.g.) Carlos Ibarra III, USNR -- CH-53 “Sea Stallion,” F/A-18 “Hornet”
· Lieutenant Forrest F. Parham, Former USAAF -- P-40 “Warhawk,” P-51 “Mustang” (Six Kills, CBI-WWII)
· Warrant Officer Richard “Ranger” Freeman, USA (Ret.), Former Navy Lieutenant Commander, Southwest Airlines -- F-4 “Phantom II”
· Warrant Officer John Wuethrich, Texas Army National Guard -- UH-60 “Blackhawk”, CH-53D “Sea Stallion (USMC)
· Captain Warren Ross, Former U.S. Naval Aviator -- F4U “Corsair” (Three Kills, Pacific Theater-WWII)
Of course, I would not be able to forgive myself if I failed to thank the man who inspired me to write this book in the first place--the one and only James Luceno. For his kindness and friendship--and for proving to me how easy it is to allow things like personal opinion and ideology to cloud one’s judgment--I can never extend enough gratitude. As the guru of Robotech authors, he has provided a fine example for the rest of us to follow, and it is my hope that when the day comes he chooses to read this story, he will be proud to say I am his friend.
Additionally, no book about fighter pilots would ever be complete without thanking those men and women--past and present--who blast through the sky day after day in the defense of liberty. Indeed, without your efforts, the freedoms we enjoy, cherish, and take for granted might very well be a dim memory, and we thank you for your service.
Also, a special thank you to those who have taken the time to share their experiences with those of us who have only dreamt of stepping into the confines of a tactical aircraft cockpit. Without your words as a porthole, most of us would have no way of even remotely understanding what it is like to scream through the sky in a combat aircraft, be it in peacetime or in war. Thank you.
Finally, I would like to thank the two people who planted and nurtured the seeds that have grown into a lifelong obsession with aviation: my father, U.S. Border Patrol Pilot Weldon Smith, who died in the performance of his duty on 19 October, 1979; and my mother, a classy lady if ever there was one, Jo Ann Noser Smith. Without him, I would not have discovered how special airplanes truly are, and without her, my passion would have been devoid of both support and direction. My sincere, heartfelt thanks with love to you both.
This book is in many ways from my heart. Though some of the events depicted here are obviously fictional, a very large portion of what is written on these pages is true. As Gene I. Basel so eloquently wrote on the back cover of his marvelous novel The River Rat, “What parts are true I’ll leave up to the reader, or those that know. If anyone tries to sue, I’ll deny everything.”
Please remember that any and all errors/mistakes/omissions are mine and mine alone. Even the gracious assistance of the above named experts could not prevent every technical inaccuracy from finding its way to the printed page. We tried.