Alfred L. Tripp

I did not know him, however, I was a MARCAD and in my research for my site http://www.marcad.net I have found this tidbit of information: Class 35 1960 was his Pre-Flight Class and he had listed Warwick, Rhode Island as his 'home town' or home of record and he attended Northeastern University before entering the Marine Aviation Cadet Program. I am presently constructing the Class Year 1960 for other MARCADs to be able to find each other. I can post your original post on the NOTAM on the MARCAD site and see if anyone can tell you more about him.

Al Tripp - Flight Instructor

My name is Bill Miles, former Major, USMCR, and I flew with then, Capt. Tripp as a Marine Aviation Cadet (MARCAD) in 1965-66. He was a fine instructor, having already completed his first combat tour in Vietnam as a UH-34 pilot. He flew the T-28 at Pensacloa, as a flight instructor. On a personal note, he was a rugged guy, friendly, informal and helped me transition from a Corporal in the Artillery, to a Second Lieutenant, Designated Naval Aviator, and Huey driver!

God bless,and...

Semper Fi!

Bill (Bullethead) Miles
Norfolk, VA

Al Tripp

As best I remember, all pre-Vietnam:

Al Tripp's first sqadron after Marcad training in Pensacola was HMM-262 at MCAS New River in 1962. HMM-262 was the Mercury Project recovery sqadron at that time, with the "most modern" H-34s. The squadron also rotated a detachment of eight helicopters on six month cruises into the Mediterranean with the Battalion Landing Team. Al was assigned to HMM 262, Sub Unit 2, commanded by Major Harvey Larson, which served in the Mediterranean from mid-May until mid-October 1962 aboard the USS Shadwell, LSD-15. Returning from the Med Cruise in late October, after riding out Hurricane Agnes in the mid-Atlantic, the ships put into NAS Norfolk before the helos were assigned to south Florida for the Cuban Missile Crisis. The sub unit split up, some, including me, were transferred to the new HMM-265 and some, including Al Tripp, remained with HMM-262 for deployment to South Florida.

I was a mechanic and crew chief on the H-34 at the time and also worked for Al as the Landing Signal Enlisted (LSE) on the flight deck of the Shadwell. He was married to a lady he met in Pensacola. After talking with Al during our six months on the flight deck in the Med, I decided to apply for the Marcad program after we returned to New River. When I left for flight training, Al gave me the phone number of his wife's sister, whom I dated a few times in Pensacloa until she quickly tired of going out with a cadet who had no car, no money and no ideas of where to go on dates, except the beach and Trader John's. She quite rightfully had higher expectations, and was tired of driving me around.

I have very fond memories of Al Tripp and all the members of HMM-262 during my tour there from December '61 until I left for flight school in March '63.

After I was in Pensacola several months, Al flew a two plane cross country down from New River for the weekend, bringing with him several of the mechanics I had served with in 262 for a wonderful, but all too brief, visit.

Waynor Rogers

Al Tripp

I am a retired LtCol and flew with Al in VMO-5 at Camp Pendleton in 1967 and was later in VMO-2 at Marble Mountain, South Vietnam with him in 1968. While in VMO-5 several of us HU-1E drivers were selected to become the neucleus of the instructor group for the new 0V-10 that the Corps was in the process of evalusting at the time. In the fall of 1967 several of us, including Al were selected to go back to North American Aviation in Columbus, Ohio where the aircraft was built and go to ground school on the plane. We all learned to fly the a/c at the Tri-Service Evaluation Group at Patuxant River, Md. and then returner to Camp Pendleton. Later, Al was in the first cadre of OV-10's that went into Vietnam in 1968. I was the Second Marine Aircraft wings project officer for getting the arriving 0V-10 cadre into country and joined the 0v-10 group as they were integrated into VMO-2 at MCAF Marble Mountain. Al flew the 0V-10 until he was killed on a combat mission south of DaNang. It has been so long ago I can't remember wheather he died in 1968 or 1969. Al was a good guy and a good Marine. A bit on the wild side at times but weren't we all in those days. Had to be a bit crazy just to exist.

Early Spiars