Michael Callahan and Emily Callahan Thompson

00:00 My name is Michael Mike Callahan. I'm 60 years old and today is September 3rd 2020. I'm in Neenah Wisconsin recording this conversation with my daughter Emily.

00:16 My name is Emily Callahan Thompson. I'm 30 years old. Today is September 3rd 2020. I'm also in Neenah, Wisconsin and I'm recording this conversation with my father Michael.

00:33 See, I was just this is all started by my mother wife said she talked about this cuz she's super into a storycorps and obviously being a part of the military was a really big part of our family growing up and I still Define myself is a military brat and I think it was a really good idea. So I guess just

01:05 Figure out kind of our history your history with 21 years of service. Okay. Yeah, I couldn't I couldn't remember the total when did you and less?

01:44 What are actually applied for a army or your ROTC scholarship, which I did not receive when we went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison a big fresh. Thyme in applied. Join ROTC just on my own and applied for a three-year scholarship, which I actually was awarded and then I thought I could spend a lot more taxpayer money on that ROTC scholarship. And this was right after the Miracle on Ice 1980 hockey upset the us over Russia play.

02:23 I went to the library and Madison and what to a big wall of University catalogs used to do everything on paper, and I started that New York and wanted to go where Lake Placid was amended up school st. Lawrence University in Canton, New York way back from Cape Cod. I'm sure main join the military. Wanted to be a pilot.

03:02 I know the Air Force requirements were very strict physically, and I didn't want to risk it. So I joined Army ROTC and the

03:12 When the assignments are given out right around graduation time from the University.

03:17 I was given military intelligence and no deviation. So I went to complain to the professor of military science cuz everybody thought while you're a shoo-in.

03:30 Annie said why you sign the lines of panda when you get to your first unit.

03:36 So I got to my first unit, Fort, Huachuca, Arizona.

03:42 And I had an errand of Aviation liaison officer, major on base. So I went to them explain that did very well on the physical test and did very well on the written test and he's very well on the aptitude test. Everybody said I should have been a shooter at shoe in for Army pilot training and he said I'll checked it sent here for a couple weeks went back knocked on his door. He said oh yeah, are you let me call him. So he literally call the Pentagon as I was sitting on the couch in his office instead of got this guy. He looks like he's a shoo-in for Aviation. Why did you get it?

04:20 Chinese lessons and lessons to what they're saying from the Pentagon and he looks at me and he says you're too valuable as a meteorologist to waste as a pilot.

04:30 I said well, that's fine and dandy. Unfortunately, my degree was in economics.

04:37 And it's on the phone or 7 for the months out. So it probably a administrators key on a typewriter at the time almost cost me a different career.

05:02 I guess that was

05:05 1980s 3A technically starred in 1982 and 83 and the baby was the first week.

05:23 Well, it's good that you went in and talked to him and her hardheaded your kids just good Heather Dawn forward as a meteorologist with no training. Maybe my forecast would have been equal to a train but they might have figured it out either they're and they're like like what's the weather in your like Sunny didn't even realize this is part of things, but then you got to travel places.

06:19 Went to West Germany my first assignment flying Attack Helicopters along with Ben the Iron Curtain.

06:29 You weren't when you were deployed to Germany. What year?

06:36 I arrived New Year's Eve 83 84 so started an 84 85 and most of 86 in German Western 84 years, right? You are already stationed in Germany swept her off her feet and took her to a year-and-a-half and obviously West West Germany is not in the US. There's no Iron Curtain anymore in our history video video.

07:26 When I leave the Coast Guard with other Coast Guard officer, and he just returned from Germany touring and he had a matter of Matt's not as marked on the map was the highlight of the route the band travel in Germany and let me see. I'm looking at it and looking at it when there is something wrong with me like 3 or 4 minutes to realize the East West German border wasn't there and I just looked at map so intently for three years while I was stationed there in the world.

08:11 Kind of how it affected me in total change.

08:18 Can you play helicopters there on time every Army pilot helicopter Zoe's first initially or just because

08:31 The Army in the Department of Defense eHarmony was not restricted to Rotary Wing, but the Air Force like to take care of most of the sixth place sucks the most pilots in the Army were helicopter pilot. Everybody was the same. It was in, Leavenworth, Kansas.

08:59 And I was a King Air fixed when corporate type transports turbo little red propeller is a corporate aircraft in all the military.

09:25 I went by the generals around to their meetings throughout the country and we'd also fly prisoners Leavenworth being home of the big house or us disciplinary Barracks with the official Title Loan Institution.

09:40 Funny thing is we prefer to fly the prisoners than the generals because they weren't as demanding at the end of which you were born. They transferred to the Coast Guard and 1990. And that's when we moved to Cape Cod good. I live in Leavenworth.

10:11 So that was it 7 years ago.

10:19 And then you switch to Coast Guard with it like me being born a part of that or just kind of like a good mood and Anna was the was

10:37 Damn, Cape Cod flying with French the saw 20 Falcon Jets, which is called the hu20 wants my carpet airplanes are corporate jet in the military on Kik Flying J. Corporate Jets on Cape Cod with rough duty. So very fun.

11:06 Very much. I don't I don't know where the storm we were stationed when the storm of the yeah, The Perfect Storm Storm of the Century in part names the Halloween evening 1991. I was not on duty.

11:32 But it was somebody that's when the perfect storm came through which was technically a hurricane but never got named because of the way it developed was developed eat another storm and then Nor'easter a hurricane season so late.

12:02 So are the phone well, it was a nasty nice. So there are many trick-or-treaters 91.

12:11 The phone rang and I said it wasn't on duty that night, but they called me in because I've gone through multiple Duty cruise already.

12:22 The Andrea Gail up in the Northeast. I think they flew flight on that and then this the Tory of sailboat to south of Long Island.

12:32 Multiple cruise on that

12:35 And then there was a Japanese solo sailor that got caught in this hurricane.

12:43 House of Takara south of Long Island quite a ways something towards you in the mile south of Long Island.

12:52 And that's where the Air National Guard flew a helicopter was in in-flight refueling capabilities to go rescue this Japanese solo sailor. They got on scene after refueling twice the helicopter.

13:08 The conditions were so bad that they elected to not rescue him because the rescue was going to be more dangerous.

13:18 Then help me riding out the storm, but the helicopter was headed back to Long Island Air Force Reserve helicopter, and they tried their they did refuel after they parted scenery field one time and then the last time to refuel.

13:38 Turbulence was so bad. And there was an armed guard malfunction. If I remember correctly that they could not Fuel and they ended up ditching. The helicopter their forces are helicopter into the ocean blue 90 miles south of Long Island, I believe.

13:57 And the in the middle of the storming there are still a virgin and extra that I'm got lawn to go look so true.

14:11 On the down helicopter

14:14 And one of the things I remember a lot of things about this Mission because it stood up to the flight computer wishes perfectly standard that we knew where they were theoretically so this pattern concentrates on a known last position.

14:37 What is normally goes from the dad on the last known position? I'll 10 Mi turns and looks like a flower bloomed lotus flower was with with triangular petals is what it looks like eventually and normally 10 miles going 10 miles around come back in about 10 miles turn around come back in and bobsled put 15 Mile.

15:15 And we got on the scene.

15:17 And unlike the book about the storm.

15:21 We found the strobes in the water of the individuals four of the five individuals in the water.

15:28 I was either the first or second pass and we found them at 13 and a half miles from the datum. So instead of standard 10 probably would have missed them and it might have been much worse off, but the situation Tameron.

15:57 And helicopter got on scene and good friends on board. Cuz it we all came out of Cape Cod.

16:04 And I spent an hour trying to get the basket down to the people in the water and the winds were so severe.

16:12 That they lower the baskets in the helicopter has to face into the wind to try and hover over the people in the water. Right when we take the basket towards which of the critical failure.

16:32 The wind went towards the tail rotor. I tried this for an hour and had to give up. And in the meantime we had.

16:41 Run low on fuel in the Falcon jet. So we went back to the Suffolk airport where the helicopter was out which happened to be where the helicopter fuel and to use the bathroom break for having been on scene for a couple hours and I'll several hours.

16:57 It was kind of eerie. I remember walking in the building and it has been long enough since they ditched in the water that the word was out everywhere and we walk down a hall.

17:09 Probably 18 feet long or so to the restrooms in the entire length of the hall or people sitting on the floor standing mountain grounds. I mean it was the families of the men that were in the water families of co-workers. That was the co-workers just going on. Where are they? How are they doing like lights in the house went back out and then the tamaroa finally arrived on scene. They were making 324 nauseous because the Seas were so badly true cargo net.

17:56 Over the bow of the boat

17:59 And basically rammed the people in the water or the only way I think they got two on the first try a third one and a fourth person seen a little farther away. The guy was probably the best training for survival, but life wasn't fair that night.

18:30 So we came back home, and that was a big thing for Cape Cod.

18:37 Turn up to Kodiak Alaska Bush to C-130 aircraft, which was a good tour. I always remember he's always use c-130s so or 5 years old when I was 4 years old when I got done with my rent cuz we were Mitchell was born and then we immediately so then you even 30 minute laska.

19:26 I never have participated in anything, you know who serious up in Alaska which which is good. I guess I'll documentaries and different things of things that happened in Alaska and you can be pretty sure most of us up there weather-wise and rugged Wilderness bad up there a couple cases. I did get launched on dungeon resolve very well and the bolts were gone by the time we got out into the Bering Sea.

20:00 Has to be tough, I guess being a part of ambulance Crews. I would suspect so I can get a little hard into it.

20:18 Do your job and just a moment and if it's something right after like the most emotional response later?

20:52 Elizabeth City, North Carolina box 45 minutes south of Norfolk. I'm 6 years there.

21:02 Funny little bit of a funny thing is a terrible thing actually.

21:10 Perfect Storm was

21:12 Halloween 91. I was Halloween of 99 was most people don't even remember this but was Egypt 880 which of the following 767 with the co-pilot when he was alone in the cockpit shut the engines down and pushed it over and basically committed suicide two hundred and some people on the back and ANSI NASA from the Coast Guard looking for

21:52 For survivors, hopefully, that's not likely when an airliner goes down specially dog diving into the water fountain sounds just south of Long Island 20 miles.

22:12 Clothes are ready to think about. It seems like it's far, but it really isn't I guess one of us etty.

22:30 I don't remember that as much you must have just people who was almost there and he just picked up jetliner out himself a co-pilot versus hitting building just terrible as it's obviously with older in North Carolina and love the city. So I remember you going

23:02 Admissions in pain trypsin and not really knowing knowing that it was risky and dangerous to a new stunt, you know, like not like

23:11 Creepy Danielle. Just knowing that there was always a risk level and being worried and then you went in September 11th. And that for me is coming even September 3rd today and coming up on it now and I remember going

23:28 Class that day cuz I was in I was 11. So I was in sixth grade sixth grade watch it live on TV. And I remember knowing that you like exactly knew that you were going on some sort of mission that day.

23:51 I remember leaving the house mom be like, you're a flake on us some special flight Mission and in my head, I'm like, oh my God, like not knowing that you weren't in like one of those playing but like that you were in the are potentially in this crazy situation that was just like couldn't even process it at the time and I don't remember what you were supposed to be doing that day.

24:16 Josh boulter co-pilot in Iowa. I was acting as aircraft Commander we are going training we were on standby and being on duty standby is off of a spot training missions and I was by coincidence. I was going to fly the Hudson Corridor right past Statue of Liberty, right? That's the World Trade Center actually below the Top of the World Trade Center flying up the Hudson River.

24:46 And we were so we were on the ramp and Elizabeth the city. We'd started one of the four engines and we got a radio call for operation thing shut down by the shutdown and come on in.

25:03 Play shut down and we went into operations and one of the towers have been hit at that time, and they said there's a hold on the flights across the country.

25:15 And then we watch the second aircraft hit the World Trade Center, and we know what happened after that, but had it happened an hour later.

25:26 I might have been flying right there and thank God I wasn't you know, that would have been hard to deal with can't even more so far removed from it.

25:40 Yet still so close to it nowadays. They just yeah, I just remember being 11 and thinking oh my God, my dad's probably in the air.

25:51 What how is it going to affect all of that? And then I watched the first Tower fall live and then the school. I think we literally probably on the principal just like

26:13 How to process this and then I'm really going through it like having to go to the rest of my day and just being like

26:20 Give me an update on my where is Dad. And then yeah, like all the airfields in the Air Bud movies made about the hundreds of aircraft to Windsor. Canada was the military rounded to click to some extent lot of people that we were at War.

27:03 We

27:05 We didn't try for a while unless it was urgent and approved. But then they had this thing that caused the change for us that Elizabeth City Coast Guard was where started to fly Homeland Security Patrol sauce off the immigration patrol search-and-rescue is now after 9/11. We're doing the homeland security patrols see any suspicious tankers all the big tankers, especially, you know, the liquid petroleum type tankers were being questioned. So we would go out and catch him the far offshore. They were all legitimate. That's just wanted to find a physician make sure they were where they're supposed to be talked to him asking some questions and them

28:01 Make sure that everything was kosher would have changed just this whole Cielo everything the military service in a little more military after that.

28:19 Life-saving ones of a boat down or going and tracking Iceberg, which I always thought was interested in need random like that. You got Iceberg slime that really big drug bust was this big history-changing.

28:55 Then how to do what kind of car today do they still owe 3/321 years.

29:25 You have total service Army and Coast Guard combined.

29:33 What was your rank Air Force why they can't make it the same as could you think so.

29:53 So

29:56 And then you were tired and then we were I guess still a military family were supposed then I guess growing up and all these different Coast Guard places and different major life events. Just cost for the cost of the cost was relations with family.

30:30 Turn our family with our relatives families and then it was a cost of my being missing many birthdays and anniversaries.

30:44 Holidays, but I think all five of us being out of holiday, none of that sticks out of my mind and mom freaking do you like why did you tell the family to get in the basement and we'll see you in a couple days.

31:26 But other than that, I mean, I obviously yeah, I'm glad that you joined before I was born made me who I am and I think made our family the way we are have interesting stories to tell and share and I mean

31:47 Call Barry.

31:49 Historic and memorable the most words Luigi for today. Yes.