VF-24 History

After four cruises on board the USS MIDWAY (CVA-41), the squadron shifted to the USS HANCOCK (CVA-19) and Air Wing 21 in 1964 and began seeing extensive action in the Vietnam War.

Cruising to Yankee Station, they were one of the Navy's first "Ace" squadrons.

On 19 May 1967, LCDR Bobby C. Lee and LT Phillip R. Wood each shot down a MiG-17, each using an AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Two months later, on 21 July, XO CDR Marion H. "Red" Isaacks, LCDR Robert L. Kirkwood, and LTJG Phil Dempewolf all downed MiG- 17's on a Combat Air Patrol.

After nine combat cruises to Vietnam, the squadron returned in 1975 from Operation FREQUENT WIND, covering the American pullout from Vietnam.

Good Useful Stuff

Good Useful Stuff - especially the Alka Seltzer tricks

To open a sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...)

Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)

Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag,dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

Whenever you purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way!

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body?

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.

Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over wine? What's that?! :)

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets,wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer Tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Waita few minutes, then run the hot water.(Does it have to be "Heinz"???)

Sonora Dog best of Tucson

Here's how El Güero Canelo builds its dogs, from the bun up:

• The bun. Sonoran hot dogs call for a bigger bun than the standard American hot dog holder. In addition to being larger, the bread itself is more substantial - think of the texture and heft of a Parker House roll. They are sold whole, not sliced.
  El Güero Canelo gets its buns from Alejandro's; several other local Mexican bakeries also produce the special rolls.
  Another difference appears when the cook slices the Sonoran-style bun. Instead of slicing most of the way through, the cook cuts on one side, forming a pocket in a bun, rather than two bun halves held together by a flap. This helps keep all the ingredients safely ensconced in the bun, not dripping down your shirt.
  Then the buns go into a steamer until serving time.
  


• The dog. El Güero Canelo uses plain ol' John Morrell all-beef franks that come eight to a 1-pound package. Each of the dogs is wrapped - and "wrapped" means swaddled end-to-end - in slices of bacon. Contreras says he has one worker who spends most of his time just wrapping dogs. Hundreds of the encased franks rest in plastic tubs in the restaurant cooler.
  When a customer orders a dog, the cook places the wrapped wiener on a hot grill, turning it frequently, for about four minutes. The bacon largely melts away, but leaves a lot of flavor, particularly at El Güero Canelo, where the dogs cook in pans that hold them snuggled in sizzling bacon grease.
  


• Assembling. Using tongs, Contreras places a cooked wiener inside the pocket of a warm bun. The bun goes in a paper holder. Then come the goodies, in order: a tablespoon of plain whole (not refried) pinto beans, a tablespoon of grilled onions, then - and Contreras deftly scoops all these things with ordinary kitchen tongs - a grilled hot yellow pepper goes on the side. He adds a tablespoon of fresh chopped onions and about 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes. He puts down the tongs, and turns to squeeze bottles. From them, he lays down multiple lines of jalapeño sauce (a secret recipe made by puréeing three kinds of peppers in a blender), mayonnaise and mustard.
  Then he presents the completed dog with a flourish.
  It's astonishingly good - the frank inside serves as a sort of base for all the different flavors that mingle as you bite through the concoction. Despite the special bun, it is also a multiple napkin experience, best enjoyed with a Mexican soda on the side.
  


• "They've got us hooked on those dogs," . "You bite on the chile on the side, and then you bite on the dog. That makes them taste a lot better."
  Just make sure you have a cold drink handy when you try it.