Peter will never forget these outstanding naval officers and others who touched his life while following similar journeys, but with tragic endings. Every Memorial Day he honors them in some special, meaningful way.

LTJG David Scott Jennings: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/57025 for David’s mishap. Dave was Peter’s Naval Flight Officer (NFO) crewmate in S-3 Viking training at VS-41, NAS North Island.

CDR John “Bug” Roach: https://www.tailhook.net/post/the-stuff-of-legend for memoriam on CDR Roach. Bug was Peter’s CAG LSO (Landing Signal Officer) who “waved” more of Peter’s landings than probably anyone else.

LT William “Tom” Costen: https://www.pownetwork.org/gulf/cd010.htm for Tom’s mishap. Tom and Peter worked together one day in leading a charity mission with Project Handclasp to paint an entire school house in the Philippines, near Subic Bay.

LT Neal Jones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_Squadron_1_(United_States_Navy) See Wikipedia’s entry for VF-1 regarding the mishap on January 14, 1992. This occurred at night, and Peter witnessed it. Having occurred before the age of the internet, there is little written on Neal, his life or fatal accident in the Nevada mountains. He was the classmate of Peter Jalajas in Aviation Officer Candidate School (class 30-86), and a graduate of Purdue University.

William Franklin Black III: A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp, William served as an inspiring and courageous voice on the internet while battling cancer, who either coined the saying (or at least popularized) “Truth is hate to those who hate the truth.“