A HERO IS WATCHING OVER ME... GUARDIANS OF THE SEA

In Memory to Coast Guard Aircrew 6505
CDR Thomas Nelson LCDR Andrew Wischmeier AST1 David Skimin AMT2 Joshua Nichols
Guardians of the Sea

Today I attended a Memorial Service for the Crew of CG Helo 6505. The service was held at Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. It was a very emotional ceremony for myself and my fellow air crewmen. In attendance was the Fallen members families, Coast Guard's Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, Master Chief of the Coast Guard, Master Chief Skip Bowen, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle to name a few. I had ran into several of my long time air crew buddies and it was nice to see them again.

The ceremony lasted about an hour and medals were awarded to the family members.
The black boots on stage had a shine I'll never forget. Top off with their flight helmets and suits.

Here's Dave's flight suit and a t-shirt saying "A hero is watching over me" t-shirt. There were some items on the memorial table that I completely forgot about in the early years. 2 notable items were the beach cruiser Dave road around the airsta. He must have painted this thing 4 or 5 times with spray paint! On the mid shift we used to "high jack" hs cruiser and hoist it to the top of the hanger deck ceiling.

The second one is a picture of Dave in a wig and lipstick for a extra in the series Baywatch Hawaii. As mentioned in my previous post, I ran across the picture today... Too funny!

The Coast Guard Honor Guard from Washington D.C. rendered honors through the ceremony. The most touching part of the ceremony was the Helicopter fly by. Once over the airsta, the second helo fly the missing man formation then broke off to drop a wreath over the crash site.

"A HERO IS WATCHING OVER ME"

If you never been to military honors the most emotional part was the 21 gun salute followed by taps. There was not a dry eye in the audience. I sat next to my buddy Charlie and Josh and we gave each other a pat on the back on the fly by. Seating was for 1,000 guest, and it was standing room only.

You can never prepare for this type of mishap. We train everyday and operate in a dangerous environment. The crew died doing what they do best, practicing to save lives. This brings closure for the friends, families, and aircrew. The Coast Guard itself is a small service and everyone knows each other. The aviation community is even smaller so we were all affected by this tragic loss. To the crew of CG6505, rest in peace you are Guardians of the sea. Hey Dave, don't tear up heaven to much, leave some for us when we get there!

Oh yeah before I forget, shine them boots buddy!