The Unauthorized Randy “Duke” Cunningham Page

Before copping his plea . . . ala the movie "Wall Street." See: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1146700,00.html This is getting better with each passing day . . .

I remember a quote from Sheriff Andy Taylor when he caught a thief in Mayberry on the old Andy Griffith Show:

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive".

Tol 'em, only speak to the "Dukie" if he is nikkid . . . such a sickening thought that no one would have talked to him . . .

The Duke wore a wire?

You mean the ultimate fighter ace turns from AW (air warfare) to EW (electronic warfare) - from fiery missiles in the sky, to a stealthy wire under his sweaty shirt? Wow! How in desperation and disgrace, his tactics have changed.

But here is the bright side.

Maybe if there were a few more covert wires walking around Congress, we could finally rid ourselves of those other lizard-like, Gordon Gecko's of Greed who covertly prostitute their high office with political and legislative favors, just for the bribe money.

When the light finally shines – be it wired congressmen, or federal investigators - only then can we tell the really sleazy rats from the honest and diligent souls who truly work on our behalf, in that warren called the Capitol.

If the President wants to have authority to spy on the populace, then let the populace have equal ability to spy on their elected representatives, and weed out the rats.

"If the President wants to have authority to spy on the populace, then let the populace have equal ability to spy on their elected representatives, and weed out the rats."

WOW! Well said! Indeed, "You da man!"

A wire? A WIRE!?!? Now I finally know how I was busted on the Connie!
Duke's bunkroom shared a common wall with my bunkroom of 6 JO's on the Connie. We were all lowly Ensigns (filthy slime Line Officers). We got busted one night for drinking/partying on board. All along I thought it was the Incense, Patouli Oil, Crook Cigars, and Led Zeppelin that brought the Master-At-Arms and Executive Officer to our stateroom. Now I find out that Cunningham might have been wired... OUCH!
Senior Fleet Ensign - USNR - retired

There you 'ave it.

Jeeze, busted for drinking on a USN ship . . . now that is something that seldom happens . . . arn't you ashmed? The XO after busting you went back and reported to the CO and they celebrated with a drink. The Navy is the baston of "Don't do as I do, do as I command."

You mean, "Dirty Slime Black Shoes right?" Aviators are line officers also.

Led Zeppelin . . . nice touch.

Yeah Paul, I am ashamed for sure. ;-) The only reason we were busted is because we had a couple first class in our bunkroom drinking and playing cards with us. If no enlisted personnel were there, all would have been okay. Double standard? In the Navy?

Yeah, the XO was a @!#$ to the max. T.R. Overdorf twas his name. He was one of those guys that would strut around the ship with his sun glasses in a case on one side of his belt, and his smoking pipe in a case on the other side of his "mid-rif bulge" (and a flask of whiskey in his pocket).

Okay, so one of my fellow OOD's called me a few years after we got out. He asked me, "Hey Scott, do you ever miss the Navy? " I had to confess to him: "Yeah Rich, sometimes I do...but when that occurs I set the alarm clock for 2 AM. When it goes off, I get up, put a pair of binoculars around my neck, and stare out the kitchen window for a couple hours. I get over it right away".

You guys that post on this list have made this site one of my favorite websites to surf. Great posts with insight, satire, and humor.
Scott

Yo Scott, I too was busted drinking on the boat. So my CO sez to me, "Well, this event toilets your career." Sez I, "does that mean that I don’t have to fly anymore combat missions in this stupid f••king war and that I can submit my letter of resignation and get out?"

I did and was out in about 90-days . . . oh, happy days.

He also told me that he would personally screw any chance that I thought I had with the airlines . . . " “Airlines?” I replied, "You moron, now why in the f••k would I want to go work for another military like bureaucracy . . . "

Got out bought a broke d•ck machine tool company. Built it so that today it does over $2.5M usd in business.

Did I, do I, miss the Navy and Naval Aviation, night carrier approaches/landings and stupid combat that is only meant to prop-up the military-industrial complex . . . yeah, like my ex-wife.

In case I ever do miss it, I have a Navy F-4J that I purchase over 25 years ago minus the engines from a scrapper in Arizona. It is parked out in the scrap - junkyard behind the main building shop with all the other hazardous waste. At least once a week I go out there and pee on the nose gear.

Paul- You dawg! Got out in 90 days? You fly-boys always got the breaks. It took me about 10 months after turning in a letter to the CO AND CNO "that I refuse to accept promotion to the rank of Ltjg., based upon my political and moral beliefs...and the few dollars and false authority that promotion represents to me". Ah, the Viet Nam ~conflict~......

Funnier note on our "bust" for the nightly party. The CO gave all 6 of us Ensigns an option:
We could either voluntarilly restrict ourselves to the ship during the upcoming leave in Hong Kong after 50 days at sea, OR go to Captain's Mast.
Guess who decided that he'd like to see what a "Captain's Mast" is all about? The other 5 guys did the voluntary thing, but like venereal disease, I thought everyone should experience at least one Captain's Mast. You have to picture a formal proceeding on the Flag Bridge (the Admiral's bridge that we formerly never got to step a foot in). Right away I felt blessed. That is, until my star defense witness, Ensign Rich Miller walked in. The proceeding had already commenced when Miller walked in like it was a social affair. He saundered into the Flag Bridge with his hat and sunglasses on and ~plopped down~ next to the Captain. All fell silent as the Captain turned to Miller and said, "Ensign, would you mind uncovering and taking off your sunglasses?" Miller's casual response was, "uh, well gee Captain, I was just down at Sick Bay and had my eyes dialated so I can't take off my sunglasses". The Captain hesistated, turned the other way and back again and said, "Well, Ensign, would you mind at least taking your hat off?" Miller replied, "Oh sure Captain", and tossed his brim under the table.... My defense was feeble at best.
Prior to all this, the prosecution witnesses were called. The Master-At-Arms was called to testify first. He described following two First Class Petty Officers leaving the Crew's Mess with trays stacked full of food, and followed them to our stateroom. (Heck, us Blackshoes new the food was better in the Crew's Mess than the Wardroom, hence the reason for the catered meal with our @!#$ game). So, the Captain asks the Master-At-Arms: "What was the first thing you observed when entering the stateroom of Ensign Hewett and the other 5 officers?" The Master-At-Arms answered a matter-of-factly: "Let's see Captain...I saw Ensign Madruga over there eating Ice Cream out of a Tin Can with a Bayonet, Sir....Oh yeah Captain, he was also wearing Bermuda Shorts, sir.
Signed/Sealed/Delivered, I was sentenced to "restriction to the ship while in Hong Kong"...just like the other guys did voluntarily, but I got the experience of Captain's Mast.
Yes, I DO miss the Navy!
Seriously, as a note, it would not be fair to end this true story without giving a high-five and thank you to Captain J.D. Ward. The guy was an alright guy for sure. We were anchored out of Hong Kong for 4 days. On the last day, the Captain made a point of finding each and everyone of us and making an excuse to get us into Hong Kong for 12 hours. He came to me and said, "Ensign, I have a real problem. I have some China that I bought over in Hong Kong and have no way to get it back aboard. Would you mind terribly if I asked you to go get it and bring it back aboard for me?"
All 6 of us had a similar type of ~problem~ we needed to solve for the Captain. The Navy could use more like him.
Scott
"Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms. Give a clean sweepdown, fore and aft. Sweep down all ladders, decks, and passageways. Now Sweepers".

Great story Fleet Ensign. With all of that color, you should have been an Aviator!

I got Mast also, no choice. Defense? That was a joke. That Mast, however, paved the way for me to get out of the Navy alive. Until that event, I had serious questions as to whether I would make it out of Vietnam alive.

Can you imagine, that they took umbrige to someone drinking in a war zone? Hell, that was all that kept many folks sane in the first place. However, Mast was an experience. They really took themselves serious. They really thought that whatever the he•• they were doing really mattered the following week.

After that the word got out, you drink aboard ship and get caught, you get Mast, a bad fit rep, ruin your "career," have to leave combat flying, delploying for 10 to 12 months, no more night carrier landings and no more Navy b.s. The rush was on . . . .

I know of a story that just occurred in the Gulf. Two (2) F-18 drivers decided that it really sucked, and wanted out. However, they had the huge obligation of like 8 years after Wings; and had about 6 years remaining. So bam, they get drunk aboard ship, get caught, get sent to Mast, get tossed out of the war and sent back to the states and told to resign their regular commissions. They do, both are given honorable discharges . . . and they were last seen laughing all the way out the main gate.

Color is not dead in the Nav . . .

My one and only Captain's Mast was in front of the Duke himself in VF-126, The Bandits. I was a senior second class PO with 11 years in the NAV, and forgot to take the office trash bags out one evening. Upon arriving the next morning, I discovered that a certain AT2 took it upon himself to pile all of the said bags in and on top of my desk. Wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't been for the hydraulic fluid that ruined much paperwork and 2 whitehats. The XO said that ordinarily, he would have written the charge of "Disobeying A Direct Order" off as an office prank on me, but Duke wanted to make an example of me. He would make you stand in front of the wooden podium with your toes touching the base, so he could shove the top portion into your chest for emphasis. Duke gave me 2 months extra duty, mustering the duty section 7 days a week, an extra two hours each work day, and no week ends off. I used to work in Maintenance Control where the pilots would review the "Gripes" on each plane before flight. It was pretty well known that Duke couldn't string 3 words together and make sense, so the chief would write the "Gripes" for him. I don't know if this has been told before, but Duke had a painting in his office of two hands "flying" with flames shooting out the back of them. This was in honor of all of the times he would demonstrate his feats of daring do with his own two hands. He treated the people in his squadron like dirt, but at least we all knew what he was, a moron. I'd love to buy that painting if it ever comes up for sale. Burn on, skipper.

Amazing story. Considering all of the times that he had in deep @!#$, isn't it amazing how he went out of his way to cause otherstrouble?

As I have said here on other strings, I was an F-4 driver at Miramar when the Duke was in VF-96. Fortunately, my resignation came through and I did not have to experience him or the Nav any longer.

After my Mast I became convinced that every person going to Mast should request a general court marshal. The penalty cannot be any worse, and general courts would really plug up the system. It is every service persons right to request a general court marshal, with the Article 32 hearing, rather than go through the "rocks and shoals" of some idiot CO or XO tha is out of control with his or her own power.

It would be something to see that painting. And yes, he was/is a moron.

In all fairness reporting the news, Cunningham's attorneys say that the Dukester never wore a wire. I guess that he would never do anything so low. He will take bribes, but draws the line at wearing a wire to implicate his fellow congressmen or defense contractors I 'pose.

I for one am relieved . . . right, and I have a bridge that I would like to sell you.

Trust me, he was nuts before the MiGs but without portfolio. After the MiGs he was nuts, but with portfolio . . . so he got away with it.

It was not the first class POs in the stateroom that caused them to bust you and not the party going on next door . . . it was that next door was Cunningham's stateroom and a double standard surely existed.

I was nailed under such a double standard, it led to my resignation of my commission. I mourned that resignation like I mourned not getting a dose of Po City Clap. My being caught, enabled me to live. The military-industrial-congressional establishment, as I have said before, had no qualms about killing off Naval Aviators.

It could have save you also. Remember, fires, crashes aboard an bird farm kill and injure black shoes also. . .