Omaha, NE - Randy & Terry - Ann after 50 years

Arrived Omaha late morning anticipating my visit with Randy & Terry Ferlic. As you saw on the previous post, Randy sailed with us as Ship's Surgeon on the USS Forrestal CVA-59 for the 11 month cruise to the Mediterranean Sea, the fabled waters of Odysseus and others.

I'll setup this chapter by briefly returning 50 years to 1969 and the ending of our 11 month Med cruise. Here’s a photo of my fellow shipmates around late July, 1968 as we crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and entered the Med. I’m still in touch with many of these guys today.

VF-11 aboard USS Forrestal CVA-59

Allen's Fighter Pilot Costume

After 11 eventful months, we headed home. As the carrier approached Norfolk, VA we flew all the aircraft off the ship to Naval Air Station (NAS) VA Beach, Virginia  the home-base of VF-11. After a couple weeks, I was tasked to fly Randy to the San Francisco Bay Area so he could take his Surgery Boards at UCSF, and so we did. It was a 3 legged flight for the F-4J Phantom, eventually landing at NAS Alameda, Alameda California. Randy and I cabbed to the Hilton in San Francisco where I stayed for 4 days. Those 4 days made me wish to move my family to the Bay Area which we did after I left the Navy in 1971.  On our return trip to VA Beach we stopped at Duluth AFB to enable Randy to see his family. We drove to St. Paul where I met Terry and their eight year-old daughter Ann. It was a short over-night stay. We flew the short leg back to VA Beach NAS the next day where my wife and son were. I never gave it much thought, but Randy had been away from his family for months!

Back to the present day in Omaha:

Terry had setup a dinner for us at their golf club, and Ann met us there. She’s an attorney, a healthcare leader and a human relations professional and last summer she threw her hat into the ring to seek the US Congressional seat in Nebraska's 2nd District. She and her husband Brad Ashford, a former US Congressman, raised three children in Omaha and are devoted to that city. I so enjoyed chatting with Ann who had very clear recollection of the night 50 years ago, and in a very charming way thanked me for “bringing my father home”. Dinner of Walleye was delicious and several of Randy and Terry’s friends stopped by our table to say hello. Randy and I share an interest in poetry and literature and we chatted late into the evening, renewing an old friendship.


Terry is a confirmed artist.  Below is a small sample of  her work.

               Next Stop - Omaha crossing to Union IL