Sunday, December 3, 2017

LEACH, STEVEN

On the USS Constellation late in 1968, a catapult crewman gives the signal that an A-6 is ready to launch. A centerline D-704 refueling store augmented the four drop tanks beneath the wings. The D-704’s propeller, driven by wind in flight, powered a motor that extended and retracted its refueling hose. 
 
LEACH, STEVEN
Earlier this year:  Steve was my first cousin and flew 120 missions over north Vietnam.  His solution to our border problem was Claymores.:)
 
 LEACH, Steven Ralph, 74, of New Market, Tenn., passed away suddenly on May 21, 2017 in Knoxville, Tenn. Former places of residence include Richmond, Va.; Metuchen, N.J.; Fort Smith, Ark.; Laguna Niguel, Calif.; and Raleigh, N.C. 
 
He was born January 26, 1943 in San Diego, Calif. to Colonel Ralph D. Leach (USMC) and Elizabeth Townsend Leach. In 1950, the family relocated from an avocado farm in El Cajon, Calif. to Richmond, Va. Steven was an alumnus of Bullis Preparatory School in Potomac, Md., where he excelled in athletics. He went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, with the commission of Second Lieutenant in Marine Corps Aviation. He served in Vietnam as a Marine A-6 Intruder bombardier navigator and rose to the rank of Captain. He flew 181 missions in Vietnam and won several medals for his service.
 

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