A group of naval officers from the Navy Aviation Officer Candidate Class of 1976 will be among the VIPs to be honored during the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show slated for Sept. 25-27. The event is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and celebrates the United States’ 250th anniversary.
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More than a dozen remaining members of the original class of 24 officers, nicknamed the “Wittstruck’s Zoo Crew,” who were commissioned in the Navy during the nation’s bicentennial, will reunite from across the country 50 years later for the country’s sesquicentennial celebration at the Miramar Air Show.
The Zoo Crew, under the tutelage of Marine Corps drill instructor Gunnery Sgt. Charles Wittstruck, got its nickname at Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla.
“We had come from all over the country right out of college and very few of us had a clue as to what was in store,” said Dave Short, a member of the class who served in the Navy for 24 years. “We couldn’t march, couldn’t fold our underwear the ‘Navy way,’ didn’t know which end of a rifle to hold, but we all had a burning desire to fly. We were such a mess that even after a full month there we had trouble getting things right. One of our guys overheard one of the other drill instructors from the other battalion refer to us as Wittstruck’s Zoo Crew.”
Short was a radar intercept officer in F-14s on the East and West coasts and completed several tours of duty in the Pentagon. After the Navy, he worked in flight testing for McDonnell Douglas at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles, then for Northrop Grumman out in Baltimore.
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Members of the Zoo Crew went on to distinguish themselves in various roles in the Navy, ranging from test pilots, aggressor pilots, Top Gun and War College instructors to Pentagon planners.
“We all believe we wouldn’t have been able to do that if we hadn’t helped each other every day at Aviation Officer Candidate School back in 1976. Maybe that’s why we’ve stayed close all these years,” said Short.
The class has held reunions every five to 10 years since they were commissioned.
“We just enjoy each other’s company and realize that tomorrow is promised to nobody.”
“The Zoo Crew is honored to extend a Brave Zulu and hearty Ooo-rah to MCAS Miramar,” said Short.
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The group is slated to be in a VIP tent on Sept. 26.
