Last Name:  Di Motta 
First Name:  Emil
Middle Name or Intl: 
Nickname:  
Address: 
City/ST/Zip: Lakeland, FL 
Phone:  863-648-0968
Email:  dimotta@gate.net
Receive VP-28 Email Messages?:  1  (Yes=1 / No=0)
Rate/Rank:  LT
Years in VP-28:  64-65
Deceased:  
Biography:  Grace and I are living in Lakeland,FL . We have 7 children , 10 grandchildren
and one on the way!

I couldn't find a place on the web site to register and get a password.
The update info as follows. Last name is 2 words Di Motta, Rank held in
VP28 was Ltjg. and LT.

Will check with my social secretary to see if we can make the re-union.

In 1965 we transitioned to the P3A and I was assigned to Crew 4
(Wildroot4). Our Plane commander was Cdr Val Sharp, 2P was Lt. Pete
Dean, I was 3P and Navigator. Tessier was one of the flight engineers ,
Ltjg Ralph Peck was TACO.
When Cdr. Sharp was transferred on our Sangley deployment, we became
Crew 10 with Pete Dean as PC, Lt. Ernie Killingsworth was 2P, me as 3P
and Navigator and we got a new TACO. Tessier and a Chief Ordanceman(E9)
were flight Engineers. The Chief was qualified as Flight Engineer,
Ordinance man, Radar operator and actually got 'seat' time.
As Crew 10, we had the distinction of being the FIRST P3A intercepted
off Hainan Island by 2 MIG 17's in 1965 !!!!! during that same flight we
broke the ADIZ and were intercepted by 2 F105's approaching the
Philippines (Sangley Point) !!

I didn't know a P3 could go so far so fast on 3 engines !!! ( #1 was
still feathered when we made our "run for the border!"

There was a deployment in January 1965 to Canton Island in the Gilbert
Islands. This was a super secret job. When we came home 3 weeks later,
the whole story was on the front pages of the Honolulu newspaper !!! it
was a 2 plane (P2V7's) detachment from Jan 7th through Feb. 1, 1965. We
had a very expensive communications 'semi' brought in and could never
get contact with anyone. So we would run down the road to a civilian
Pacific Missile Site employee's house who was a ham radio operator and
talk to our families. If we needed to communicate with Uncle Sam, we
would launch a plane to 10,000 ft and call airborne to the squadron !!
My wife and I were expecting our 2nd child at the end of Jan, beginning
of Feb. and that's how we communicated. I could talk to her as if she
was in the next room yet we had to climb to 10K feet to talk 'business;
!!! baby was born Feb. 6th !! A boy!

There was also detachments that went to New Zealand/Australia in 1965 as
we became a P3 squadron, as well as one to Midway Island. I was on
both. Another story !!

When I first joined the squadron in Hawaii in 1964 Cdr Sharpe was the
skipper and remained so into our deployment to Sangley in 1965. During
that deployment he got his fourth stripe and was sent to the Pentagon. I
wound up at NADC Johnsville as a project test pilot/ Air Traffic Control
Officer. One day in one of those 'secret meetings'. I looked out the
window and saw a man in civilian attire approaching the building. I
recognized him immediately as Capt Sharpe , my first CO. I went below
and met him outside of the Skippers office on the first deck. We talked
for awhile and the subject turned to 'what are you doing here?" me to
him and him to me. We both declined to say more but agreed to meet for a
drink after hours. I returned to my meeting and was surprised as in
walked Capt Sharpe! And he was introduced as the new CO of a new P2
squadron that I was involved with in developing the equipment and
tactics for operations in VietNam ! Ergo - VO67 !!

man! does the world get any smaller!!??