OBIT: Original Blue Angel pilot dies at age 86

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 01:02:02 -0700, I wrote:

I was surprised to read that the Blue Angels disbanded to go fight in Korea. Makes
sense, of course, as they were hand-picked top pilots. But the policy changed with
Vietnam- at least I'm pretty certain I saw the Blue Angels perform several times
during the war. Was it decided their PR and recruiting role was more valuable than
what they could do in actual combat?

Since the answer to that question is probably fairly self-evident, and I'm getting
into a nasty habit of replying to my own posts lately anyway, I'll reformulate it a
bit. Were the 1946 Blue Angels pilots the absolute best in the Navy, and so they
were considered indispensable when war broke out in Korea? If so, does that
mean that later "wartime" Blue Angels pilot selection is different? I'm trying my
best not to suggest that Blue Angels pilots during times of war are in any way
less capable than the guys they diverted from airshows to Korea

Dale