Slipped the Surly Bonds

A U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter slips the "surly bonds of Earth." (Illustration created by ChatGPT using prompts written by Darren Phillips on June 5, 2025. Image modified by Darren Phillips using Adobe Photoshop.)

This Memorial Day, I've been thinking about some of the naval aviators and aircrewmen I knew who died in service to their country during my years as an airborne mine countermeasures aircrewman. The ones who were closest to me are the men listed below. Their minesweeping helicopter crashed off the coast of Bahrain on a moonless night in '91. I flew with them frequently, and was especially fond of Lt. Larson and Scott Finneral. Tom Larson was a man after my own heart ... an English major in college who wrote poetry. Rest in peace, my brothers. ✈︎

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Richard Butch, Aurora, Colo.

Petty Officer 3rd Class George Scott Finneral, Lowell, Mass.

Airman Jorge Luis Guerrero, Chicago

Petty Officer 3rd Class William Aaron Holt, Sand Springs, Okla.

Lt. Thomas Stewart Larson, Jamestown, N.Y.

Lt. j.g. Craig Eugene Valentine, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Note: Image and web links updated in 2025.

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