I served on the Midway 1970 to 1972. I'm a plank owner, I was there for the recommissioning January 1970. The ship was brand new with central air. Boy did I love that in Vietnam. The Midway was by far my best duty station.

Me and my wife live very close to the midway, It's amazing adventure each time we board You'll learn something new every time you visit, You can feel the energy from the past serviceman still on board It is truly an awesome experience and I highly recommend it.👍👍👍👍👍

I was there. Man does that bring back memories. I was AT3 at the time and the RIO was my shop LT. the thing I remember is how fast the RIO left the aircraft. The pilot was our XO of the Squadron and he was as cool as could be and took his time like it was a every day event. The reason it took the barricade is the main mount wheel fell off on on launch. I was a troubleshooter at the time and I launched that aircraft. I was on the USS Midway in 1975 and 1976. We were the beginning of Midway Magic.

My brother served on the Midway from 70-72. Radioman. Yes a hero when he goes on the tour in San Diego.

I was on the Midway 1980 to 1984 in V-1 Div. Flight deck and then struck for Hospital Corpsman near the end of my tour. I do remember VMFP-3 for sure! Reconnaissance, they were the FAST looking F-4's.

Thank you Gunny. The vintage footage was great and you have a nice narration voice. I served on the Midway on two VMFP-3 deployments between 1981 and 1983. FYI, my second deployment was 10 months long, but was enjoyable because of our mission, the sailors and Marines, and a great ship's captain (Capt C.R. McGrail, USN).

I was aboard 74-77, worked in OC Div, AirOps/CATCC. Thanks for the video, brought back good memories. I remember Maj. Barris as one of your RF4 jocks, cool guy, great pilot.

Thanks so much Gunny for your expert phtography and narration; you captured life aboard the Midway to a "t". I was a corpsman for the VMFP-3 Detachment in 79-80. It was the cruise where we collided with the frighter, Cactus. Eighty days straight in the Persian Gulf. I hope you are still doing well. I was 20 years old then and now getting medicare starting next month! Time flies. God's speed to you and all!

I was there from the end of 75 to the end of 77 . was in the V4 div. my div officer 24 years old Lt Julius Moon was killed on take off from Clark air base Philippines along with the pilot and some others .don't know their names but it was real sad. I can still see his face as if it was yesterday. Hi to all my division. hay Gator its been awhile. Mark Read.

Hey Gunny A'bear- I was in VMFP-3 Electric Shop from April 1976 to June 1979, and I remember working for you early on. You were one squared-away Marine, and you made quite an impression on a very young L/Cpl! I made two Dets - from Sept to March '77/'78 and '78/'79. I took my Dad on board the Midway a few years ago, and the smells and sounds brought memories flooding back. Semper Fi, Dave!

Thank You to you and all the other vets service in the Armed Forces!

Loved that lady 1977 BM3-E4 Great memories.I was a lifer til I went home on leave fell in love. Had to choose between 2 queens.Oh well I'll miss the great times. i still miss it all, but I'm proud to have been apart of that great ships crew. God bless you USS MIDWAY(CV-41)1st Division

Yes, I was stationed on the Midway attached to VA-93! Captain Chuck McGirill was the C/O then, he later went on to become an Admiral. He passed away in 2005 or around that time, I remember when he departed the ship at sea. We were shocked and had no idea why he had left, we didn't have a change of command ceremony when we returned to Japan. "Midway Departing" Guy's were seen crying on the mess decks when he left, he started his career as an enlisted man. I will never forget my time on the Miday my very first ship!

A very interesting video Dave. Thanks for posting. I enjoyed that.

I was on Midway, in 1977. Marine Detachment. Security guard, SEMPER FI

awesome footage Dave, must be great for you and bring back many memories.

Thanks Gunny, I was a member of VMCJ-2 from 73 to 77 and got to serve aboard the Midway, working the flight deck on the Lox crew.

Dave you truly are an extraordinary and interesting individual. Thank you for your service to our country!

I enjoy watching these videos. Thank you and all others who served for your service. Great respect to veterans who served on these ships. Still hard to believe Midway is still with us.

Thank you for your service! Great video and information.

Great memories! Thank you for your service!!!

CTF 77, space port side, forward, beneath port side cat. '59-60. Bunked directly beneath number 3 wire. Sleep was tough, till you got used to the racket. Thanks for the post, Gunny.

Great Video, thanks for sharing. I was in ground support equipment (GSE) Jan '76- April '79, where I worked with "P-3" Marines on TAD from your squadron. A fine group! Everyone That served on Midway seems to have fond memories, as do I. It sounds trite, but they don't make 'em like they used to. - Mark

Thanks Gunny! Brought back a lot of memories. Good times! 80-82

I love these videos Dave! It is nice to see personal videos that real members took rather than documentaries. I have always loved the F-4, and some of the best Crew Chiefs I have ever known started on either them or the F-111. Thanks for sharing your memories and experiences with us.

Very interesting video Thank you for your service my friend. Thanks for sharing.

wow very cool Dave to see a vid like this espcially as you know everything about the unique ship as you served from it...which makes this vid very special and unique.👍👍..Jim

Thank you for your time in the service gunny.

Super cool video, Thanks Gunny. USS Midway AIMD IM3 Com/Nav, Cal Lab 79-82 AT2. P3 guys were great to serve with, kept us in touch with what was going on in the states every 6 months.

I just toured the midway last week, what a ship!

Thank you for your service!! great video

Just got on the midway today, it was really exciting and can't wait to join the usmc. Great vid by the way :D

Thanks, Gunny. Seat Shop, Det 3 & Det A, Sep '79 - Dec '80. Semper Fi

Hi Dave, Thanks for the vid. I was part of the VMFP-3 detachment to CV-41 in 1982. I've since been back to visit her twice since she became a museum. Great memories.

Dave, I know I've told you previously, but Thank You so much for your service to our country. It is very much appreciated. I'm very glad that you were able to go back and visit the Midway. I'm sure it brought back loads of memories. She sure is a beautiful ship. Thank you for the guided tour and time warp tour as well, both were very special. Love those old Phantoms. So cool to see them in action. Thanks again!

Excellent choice of the music background. I was in the Navy from 96 to 2010. This was a interesting era of the Navy, especially on Midway. Thank you sir for your Navy pilot< >Marine Corps Wings

Gunny. I was an AT with VA 93 from 75 - 77 I do remember that crash and I also work the flight deck as well as a stint in 77 as in the flight deck launch room. I was that guy who showed what planes launched off and recovered on the deck. Eventually, the midway museum told me that my job became an officers job once it was computerized.

What a great video thank you for sharing. Big thumbs up from Scotland.

Awesome vid.. Thanks 👍🇳🇿

I was an airman in HS-12 84-89, can't say I loved every minute of it, but damn near every minute of it.

Great video Gunny

Great video, Thanks. G Division '73-'76

Thanks Dave, sadly I have not watched a KZfaq video on a TV or even a computer screen since the Smart Phone was invented. Again your videos are top shelf, so much so that I watch all the flying videos yet have never flown anything other than a paper airplane. Thanks again.

Thanks Gunny.. Very good Video.

Great video Gunny. I was on the Midway from 83-85, VF-161 ordinance shop. Your old squadron had 3 phantoms back then too. Ironically, one of them couldn't lock his nose gear, so we had to rig the barricade so he could crash. It wasn't as spectacular as the one on your video, but I'll never forget it. The pilot was the coolest cat I ever saw when he climbed out. The RIO,....not so much. :)~ He had the rubber legs so bad, he had to be helped out of the cockpit. They had to circle the ship for an hour to burn off fuel. He had a lot of time to think about it. The Midway was one helluva way to see the world. The best ship I ever served on.

I served on the Coral Sea, i want to visit the Midway one day

I was at the VA hospital in Madison Wisconsin today and was honored to meet a fella who was a chef on the Midway. real interesting hearing about how many people they had to feed on board that mega ship.. Yeah real coincidence i see this video in my lineup.

Dave, I was Stationed on the USS Dixie AD-14 a Destroyer Tender, At the time the Oldest Active Commissioned Ship in the Navy, we tied up there in 1974 and in 1976, I remember in 1976 The Midway Sitting cold Iron there in Yokosuka Japan, There was some serious wind coming over the mountain She was listed had good view of the Flight Deck from across the bay, Boy what a sight to see 8 aircraft coming up on the elevators, The guys cabled them down to the deck, lit them off and pushed her back to the pier and held her there till all the tugs finally got there to push her back and replace the mooring lines, heard that they were popping with all the wind hitting her on the starboard side. Got to visit her to do some cabinet work, I was a Hull Maintenance Tech 3rd Class, Yep a very exciting venture for a 18 yr old boy from California, Thank You and All who served. I first caught you while looking for a way to toss my foamies in the air, Bad shoulders now, When I saw Catapult, I new you had navy in You, Since Day one i've always said the Marines Do have a Few Good Men, Ahh Navy Corpmen, Blessings, Happy Easter, GOD's Speed, Your Brother in Arms, Apple Valley Ca.

Yes, I was stationed on the USS Midway from 1969 to 1971 (recommissioning to my resignation).

I was on Midway from 1970-1972. Love that Boat!!!

Used to take photos of the afterburners during night flight ops from the focsile. Dramatic! One time I followed a prop shaft all the way down to the bottom of the stern! No stairs, had to climb thru holes in bulkheads. Got progressively colder the lower I went, could hear the props thru the hull, and feel the chill of the dark, mysterious ocean right thru the steel. Finally came to the dry side of what looked like a rotating seal, where the prop shaft finally poked out thru the hull. Bottom of the ship's structure had quite a bit of cold sea water in pools between the bulkheads.

I was stationed aboard the USS Midway with VF-151 from 75-78 and VF-161 was our sister squadron, my brother was in VF-161 at the same time. Worked on F-4s for a few years and retired as an Aviation Ordnance Chief Petty Officer. Many hours on these airplanes and on the flight deck. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for the memories, I was Ships company airdale in AIMD from Jan 78 to Jan 81

I was aboard from the recommissioning in 1970 to 1973 I was a ph2 and a cinemaphotographer using mostly 16 mm when I took over for deck camera . The photo lab had about a 12 sailors.

I was on her Jan 1975 to March 1977. 3rd Division Bosun Mate

Thanks Dave, I was in V-1 Division my first 3 years, then V-5 Div. TAD helping the Air Boss - writing backwards calling the Ball, then worked my last 8 month striking as a Hospital Corpsman; ( 8/1980 to 8/1984 ). I live in N. San Diego County so I do get to see her any time I want which is great. Thanks for the memories.

Very good Mr dave

Well Done! Thank you for your service 🇱🇷 🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷

Hi Gunny, Great video.... I was a very young BM when I joined the Midway in 1976. I got onboard just before the tree chopping incident in Korea. I stayed with her until late 1979 and have very fond memories of my time onboard.

USS Midway-CV 411981/1985. Beautiful Ship, With lot;s of support. Indian Ocean 51 Hostage work. Great job on the video. May be navy, OOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAA. Thank you SR.

I was one of the guys that gave up their bunks for a refugee family during Operation FW. I shipped out to the Big E the middle of 75, so I missed crossing the equator and going to Aus. Visited the Midway in Nov of 2016, lots of memories from that time

I served on her in 76, Material Control with VMFP 3. Thanks Gunny

Awesome vid by the way

Fightertown USA VF-161 - April 1970- August 1971 Madien West-Pac out of Alameda CAG-5- Loved it

I was stationed on the Midway from 1973 to 1975/August for the fall of Saigon and also rode the ship over from Alameda to Yokosuka Japan in 1973 assigned to VF-161.I still remember my shipmates and friends I made while on board...Benjie Planecaptain and adj-an.

I must have been right next to you. I’ve got several photos I took after I helped to rig the barricade. Had a Kodak 110 but got several good shots of it. Couldn’t believe it broke through!

Johnny I did three tours on the Midway PA 56 pa-93 and chips company between 1977 and 1990 loved all the places we went

That was great to wach for me and I am sure others too

+NightFlyyer Amazing video!! Always nice to learn a bit of history from someone who was there.

hey Dave, I got to say that your amazing! Gary

I was on the Midway in 1980 when VAQ-136 relieved VMAQ-2.

VA-56 flight deck trouble-shooter.. 73 to 76 ( I came very close to making it into your documentary. Five minutes in.. when an A-7 from VA 56 was shot off, a wider angle would have caught me under the starboard wing with my thumb up. I was Almost Famous )

The magic goes on. Oh yeah

hey that was a great video

Nice post.

I was in VMFP-3/H&MS-11 from '86-'87. I-Level COM/NAV Radar, MOS 6415. Good times at El Toro...miss those days still...

We Had An A-7 Corsair Crash Aboard The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) During Our Mediterranean Cruise In 1981. I Was An ABH3 In Air Dept/V-1 Div As A Yellowshirt (Aircraft Director). Although An Aircraft Carrier & Flight Deck Are Very Large, Whenever There's A Crash, Or A Fire, It Gets Very Small Very Quickly!!! ⚓

Dave a Really Nice Video Thanks Dave B. Illinois

I served in the S-7 division, data processing, near the fantail. My living quarters were one deck below the hangar bay, near the right rear of the hangar bay. Average temperature in our quarters hovered around 110 deg. F and often over 120. Heat waves made watching tv nearly impossible and you HAD to wear inch thick shower shoes to prevent burns and there was no water in the water fountain - only steam. We worked 17 hours a day, played poker for 2 hours, took a cold shower and jumped into the rack wet, otherwise, you slept in your own sweat. After nine months served aboard her, the engineers got the temperature down to 90 F. Needless to say, I spent most of time in the computer office where they had massive A/C. I served another three months before my brother died while awaiting discharge from the Navy and I got a sole-surviving son discharge.

Great video. Thanks Gunny. The USS Midway was on active duty at the time of my commissioning, back in '89. I recall the modernization was necessary to accommodate the angled deck and a variety of other heavy mods (catapults, loss of armor belt, etc.). The result was a significant increase in displacement. This further resulted in the ship's hull requiring side blisters...to increase the hull volume. The downside of this re-design was a very short roll period (as low as 9 seconds...as opposed to over 20 on the Forestall), making landing in high seas states tricky. Pretty sure the Coral Sea had the same mods...though I think that ship became a Pensacola training asset long before retirement. I vaguely recall reading the case study back at the Academy, during a naval architecture course. Now-a-days we have Wikipedia to augment our brain cells! Of course, these big boys were favorites Christmas Card pics for our attack boat wardroom. They really looked impressive in our periscope cross-hairs. :-) Go Navy, Beat Army! PS: My uncle flew F-4'Es in Vietnam (Silver Star recipient) so I made many a model variant of the F-4 in my youth...probably why I didn't have 20/20 as an adult. Whenever I see that mean looking behemoth of an aircraft, one that had a lift coefficient of a brick, I still think it's one bad-ass looking jet. The J79's on those mean machines certainly knew how to generate thrust!

Great video Dave! Thank you for your service,,, take care....... :o) O,,,

Lots of laundry......that is until it would go down for weeks at a time ! Every man had a net bag of smelly laundry hung on their bunks...getting ripe in the hot Gulf air. Eventually all underwear went over the side into the blue Indian Ocean. Lucky enough to work on the flight deck...it seemed like a good idea to hook my fingerless glove over the gas hose hook on the front side of the island...riding the wash from the E-2s when they " feathered " their props. I once looked up to see an A-6 pilot on the elevator..watching and laughing as I waved like a rag. Yeah...one could still get bored. I watched a boys face as he came through an island door to the deck at night....the Hawkeye being turned up on the port side of the island had too few safety barriers....and he walked through the huge prop ! They called for everyone to come down and give blood IF they had not taken quinine recently ( headed to Kenya ) The XO of the ship went down and put them on report for not taking the prescribed doses...He didnt last much longer.When pulling out of Perth...the town donated crates and crates of huge lobster and shrimp...knowing someone...we boiled 6 of them on creamery butter.. and ate them with our hands till we were stuffed. When the A/C would go down in the berthing compartments we would all sleep in the buff....at over 100 degrees...but soon found that the cockroaches falling on us would wake us...light sheet always after that.We were once running silent and dark in the straights of Malacca---and were rammed by a Panamanian freighter late one evening. As the two ships listed against one another....it tore the aft ends from about 5 Phantoms ( my uncle helped design them way back when ) spreading fuel across the flight deck. Fire lit the night...but only for a few minutes..the AAAF sprinklers in the deck put it out quickly. I remember hearing that the #1 watch never showed. It was good times of course..and very exciting working with millions of dollars worth of equipment and jets..but this was the actual day to day life. Air shows given for our own morale..port side...including live 500 lb bombs , gattlin guns and mach 1 plus passes. I thought the ship would roll one day when just about every man heard the 1MC announce the dumping of an F-4...loaded with a blivit and a sidewinder...both stuck and with no landing gear ! I watched as the pilot and RIO punched out a mile off port side...You never saw so many guys dive when the unmanned Phantom veered back towards the show before sinking. Later on...in San Diego...I stopped to help a guy who crashed his motorcycle on the highway ahead of me....only to realize that it was a pilot that I used to strap in as a plane captain long ago. PI....8 times...Hong Kong.....Safari on Tsavo Plains..meeting the Masai warriors. The sadness of all people near Sasebo... as they exited the memorial for Hiroshima. Coming home to Japan after months at sea...and beautiful girls looking for your face in the crowd. Hostages in Iran...as we stood at the ready for a few days....playing guitar with 40 other guys for the 4th of July...the CAG cruising close to hear the bands music. Guys left paperbacks after reading them on the steel ledges lining every passageway...a virtual library everywhere you went. I have never read so much as I did those 2 years. I saw her screws while in drydock....hung my legs off her bow at a warm 5AM as Mombasa appeared on the horizon. The bellydancer flown onboard with the leader of OMAN for a night. She chose me from the front row....dancing around me...putting candy in my lips and a scarf around my neck....her makeup running dark in the IO heat. ( They got 2 seconds of her and the big guy on camera...but none of me ) Yeah... we kicked a$$ and launched planes in the night....faster than you would think possible...I invented a part for the F-14...we took pride in our efficiency ...and our NAVY....good times indeed....but not all what one would think it to be.

83 84 85 was alive . Gonzo station. North pac west pack. History be known . two back to back battle E award golden anchor and many covert ops. What a great TIME

I was on from 73-75 HM2 Corpsman VA-93 had the time of my life!

My dad was station on the Midway 71 to 72.

I was on board at that time and remember the crash. I was working in the AIMD area just below the flight deck. We were starting to pick up the fumes from the fuel fire (and getting nervous!).

Thanks for the Video, Gunny. Saw Gunny Lockwood at a VMFP-3 Avionics re-Union in Las Vegas in 2006. A few Avionics folks gather up about every one or two years. This year we are meeting up in Pensacola to tour the Museum and attend the local Marine Corps Ball . I was on Det 3 Sept 1976-March 1977.

I was a tail hook sailor, VAH8 aboard the Midway 1961.

Boiler Technician one Baker BR 1979 to 1981. Hard work those 2 years. Seen half the world. JohnMcVeagh

Hell yea. '82-'83. Electrician on A-7e's with the Champs, VA-56

I was an AO on the Midway 82-85

My dad Bruce Mason served on the USS Midway CV-41

USS Midway was my first ship 1976. Was in 1st division (Focsle). Did mess cooking in the Fist Class mess.

I was stationed on the Midway mid 73 to mid 75 VA-93 Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class. GRAND old ship!

Service from 1974 to November 1977 in VF 151

ICFN Gyro Technician 1978-1980 Yokosuka, Japan

I worked Air Operations/Air Transfer Office OC Division onboard the Midway 82-85... She was a grand ship.

You have had a very interesting past. I love this vid, way way kool man! Did you ever get to ride in a Phantom?

Mm3 Powell a div. .loved my midwaycv41, went to Enterprise cvn 65..

3:20 that looks like you the guy in green? probably just a coincidence. Very nice video and enjoyable to watch. Will share this out.