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Detachment Charlie 1981
By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025
We kicked off our first deployment on the USS Midway with the usual dog-and-pony show for the ORE. Dropped anchor in Hong Kong on the 4th of July, ready for some well-earned liberty. Command said we had five days to play tourist, but in classic Navy fashion, Typhoon Lynn had other plans. Liberty got yanked, anchor came up on the 5th, and we were steaming for Okinawa before anyone could finish their first San Miguel. We spent 9-10 July in the operating area, snapping BDA photos for the CVW-5 ORE. Meanwhile, one lucky RF-4B got sent to NAS Atsugi for a week—must be nice.

Back to the glamorous life at MCAS Iwakuni on 15 July, where we got two weeks of Basic Air Maneuvers and the always-thrilling aerial refueling refresher. By the end of July, it was back to FCLP—because nothing says fun like endless touch-and-goes. Shoutout to Capt Bill Daron from VMFA-451 for keeping us from completely embarrassing ourselves during training and flying with the Det. The man deserves a medal—or at least a cold beer.

On 1 August, OpCon got handed over to CVW-5 while we were sweating it out at NAS Cubi Point. All four birds got to play range safety babysitter and snap photos for a Navy Harpoon Missile Shoot. We started our photo runs just as the Harpoons launched from the USS Hull and Bainbridge—nothing like being in the splash zone. After the fireworks, we split up: two jets landed on the Midway for some at-sea training, while the other two headed to Misawa for DACT with the rest of CVW-5. Eventually, everyone limped back to Iwakuni.

We sent a 15-man maintenance crew forward to Cubi Point to tackle corrosion control on 153110 and 153092—because nothing says 'good times' like scraping salt and grime off jets in the tropics. The first jet showed up 17-22 August, the second one rolled in 29 August to 2 September. Sunburns and hydraulic fluid for everyone.

We knocked out more FCLP from 24-28 August, because apparently we hadn’t had enough. Det Charlie loaded two RF-4s onto the Midway as she headed for the Philippines, 3-6 September. Thanks to another typhoon, we couldn’t get back to Iwakuni before the ship sailed, so we got to play catch-up at sea—always a treat for the maintenance guys. The third RF joined up straight from corrosion control at Cubi, and the fourth tried to chase us through the storm but got sent back to Cubi. Mother Nature: 1, Marines: 0.

While parked at Subic Bay, we knocked out a TACRECEX with FISC, 7-8 September. Then it was more photo runs for the CVW-5 MINEX, 11-17 September. Right in the middle of the fun, the ship went back to sea on the 15th, so Det-C split up: two jets stayed on the boat headed for Pattaya Beach (tough duty), while the other two hung back at Cubi to fly 1st MAW photo missions and brush up on low-level tactics. No RF flight ops on the way back to the Philippines—guess even the Navy needs a break.

Miracle of miracles, all four jets finally made it back to Iwakuni on 7 October—the first time since June we’d managed to herd all the cats into one hangar. The maintenance crew dove into a week of elbow grease and busted knuckles. Flight ops were mostly RADNAV and photo runs while the jets got patched up.

From 12-16 October, we got to play SCAR with VMFA-232 at Kadena—more F-4s, more noise, more fun. We squeezed in four rounds of FCLP between 14-16, 19-23, 26, and 30 October. Even Col Joe Wuertz, the MAG-15 CO, jumped in for some pattern work. Rank has its privileges, but apparently, it doesn’t get you out of FCLP.

Midway headed out again on 29 October, and we kicked off CVW-5 refresher CARQUALs. Day CQs were smooth enough, but once the sun went down, the seas got rowdy—only one RF managed to trap aboard. The other two jets (and 13 other aircrews) bailed out to Atsugi. On 31 October, Det-C hit a new record: 122 sorties and 183 hours in a month. Not bad for a bunch of Marines and a handful of jets held together by safety wire and bad language.

Once the weather stopped trying to kill us, the rest of the Air Wing got back on board 1 November. The ship cruised around the Japan Operating Area while we played in MISSILEX, AAWEX, CASEX, and MINEX. If there was an acronym, we were probably doing it.

On 12 November, we tied up in Pusan for five days of R&R—finally, a chance to pretend we were tourists. On the 16th, the whole Det got airlifted out of Kim Hae back to Iwakuni. We jumped right into two days of surge ops, 18-19 November, chasing Soviet ships around the Sea of Japan. Knocked out 21 of 24 planned sorties—not too shabby for a bunch of jet jockeys running on instant coffee and bad chow.

The next three weeks were the usual grind: flight training, RADNAV, BAM, and more photo missions. Rinse and repeat until morale improves.

From 6-10 December, we played shore support for CVW-5 while Midway did laps in the Okinawa Operating Area. Aircrew flew SCAR and CAS missions, plus got in on MISSILEX 82-6. Refueled at Kadena, because apparently, jets don’t run on hope. This whole circus proved we could support CVW-5 at sea and still keep 1st MAW happy. Multitasking: Marine style.

On 16 December, we packed up for PI, where all four jets got their corrosion-control spa day. Two at a time, they got scrubbed, painted, and slapped with the new VMFP-3 'Spook' tail. We broke the 1,000 flying hour mark—a first for a P-3 WestPac det. At Cubi, we knocked out 13 BAM sorties, then jumped into 17 rounds of DEFTAC against VC-5’s A-4E Skyhawk aggressors. Nothing like getting your butt handed to you by a Skyhawk to keep you humble.

For the record, we racked up 109 traps and 212.5 hours at sea. At one point, maintenance pulled off 79 sorties in a row without a single abort—miracles do happen. Over six months, we logged 543 sorties and 897.6 hours. Not bad for a bunch of Marines, duct tape, and sheer willpower.

By the end of December, we started prepping for the mid-January handoff to Det Alpha. We rang in New Year’s at Subic Bay—liberty well spent. The last RF got its final corrosion-control once-over, and on 2 January, we flew back to Iwakuni to get ready for turnover. Officially relieved on 16 January, we headed home and, thanks to the International Date Line, arrived the same day we left. Time travel, Marine Corps style.

Alright, you glorious Rat Phixers and Phlyers, if we ever survived a TAD, a Det, or a BOHICA, who haven't, and you didn’t think I was the biggest gaff off in the squadron. Got a sea story, or some grainy photos your ex didn’t set on fire, and they’re only slightly illegal? Send ‘em by email, snail mail, or safety wire it to a carrier pigeon. I collect ‘em all, just nothing that would incriminate me.
80svmfp3@gmail.com

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