My Grandfather: The Drinking Game

Javelin wrote: Is your Grandfather interested in having a book written about him? Shoot me an email/PM...

We've already got that covered. I have about 10 hours of interviews with him sitting on my desk. I just need to sit down and get to all the writing.

shadetree30 wrote: But was it total aircraft launches/landings (they should equal!) or different types of plane? (You'd be hard-pressed to find that many different types, even during WWII) Either way, pretty impressive. FWIW: Also alot of those early carriers were used to ferry aircraft between bases, not necessarily for combat missions...

That might have been during his entire life, and he might be exaggerating a bit, but not as much as you may think. That number includes all the planes he flew, not just ones he flew in combat. I'm not sure if it's 153 distinct models, or maybe total number of craft. His number of take offs and landings is not exactly equal.

He had 22 years in the navy and was active in two wars. He was a dive bomber, fighter pilot, test pilot, instructor, and on the armed services committee (or something like that) while in congress. So he's had access to numerous types of airplanes.

14 carriers is not an exaggeration. Things were different back then. Squadrons were not assigned to a specific carrier. They hopped from carrier to carrier as they were needed around the pacific.

Salanis wrote:

Appleseed wrote: You've named 4 aircraft. Name the other 149. I'm dieing to know.

a nuclear uploaded Israeli bomber (I think that might have been while he was in congress, not the Navy)...

What jet was this? I can't even think of an Israeli bomber, much less a "nuclear uploaded" model (the F-15I comes closest, but that sucker is brand new).

The Israelis are secretive bastards and I enjoy gleaning more info. They don't even admit to having nukes!

Osterkraut wrote:

Salanis wrote: a nuclear uploaded Israeli bomber (I think that might have been while he was in congress, not the Navy)...

What jet was this? I can't even think of an Israeli bomber, much less a "nuclear uploaded" model (the F-15I comes closest, but that sucker is brand new). The Israelis are secretive bastards and I enjoy gleaning more info. They don't even admit to having nukes!

Wait... I think I might be getting two airplanes confused. I think the nuclear uploaded plane may have been British, and there was another Israeli airplane. I'm pretty sure both were bombers though. The nuke plane may have even been American.

I just remember there being a freakout because he was flying a nuke plane while he was a congressman. I'm pretty sure that was because he was in some foreign country and was supposed to guest pilot something, and they stuck him in the first available bomber before informing the U.S. gov't what it was uploaded with.

Too many stories to keep strait.

Salanis wrote: My little brother graduated yesterday from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. We're all very proud. My grandfather, father, and I went out to be there and celebrate. My grandfather has a lot of stories and likes to share them... with everyone. He tends to tell the same stories over and over. So, after hearing several key phrases over and over, we turned my grandfather and his stories into a "drinking" game, completely unbeknown to him. Take a drink (or mime it if the situation prevents drinking) whenever he says one of the following phrases: * "153 Airplanes" - the number he flew * "14 Carriers" - how many he landed on during WWII * "3 generations of Lloyds" - our family in attendance * "The Altamaha" - the first carrier he flew off We got most of our friends and family in on the game. It was funny having six guys at a party all shout "Altamaha" together and take chugs of beer while my grandfather continued on with his stories. I do love my grandfather and he does have very good stories. The tenth time hearing them in a day becomes a bit much. There is an important piece of information to remember. If you ever find yourself in a large group of people and are wondering if there is a naval aviator present, how do you know? He'll tell you.

the next time you see him, be sure to thank him for me. Really, thanks to your grand father for defending our nation.

you, on the other hand, can go berkeley yourself.