Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Brutke Family, Please accept my prayers and condolences on the passing of your husband, father, grandfather and friend. Lonnie and I served together as F-4, Phantom, pilots with the VMFA-314, Black Knights, in Chu Lai, RVN. We actually lived in the same hut together during 1966-1967and got to know each other quite well. Lonnie served as the S-1, Administrative Officer of the squadron while I served as the S-3, Operations Officer. We were both, of course, squadron pilots and had very similar flight histories, missions, etc during our stay at Chu Lai. We were both Captains of approximately the same vintage. I will always remember returning from assigned missions, our ordnance expended, and engaging in "air combat maneuvering" with Lonnie during our return flight to our Chu Lai base. I remember Lonnie smoking his pipe. He got to know my wife, Kay, and our two oldest children, when they joined me in Iwakuni, Japan in August, 1967, during our squadron deployment to Japan. My older daughter, Wendy, was two years old at the time. Kay dressed her in beautiful pinafore dresses, fixed her hair in long blond curls, and we sat her on top of the piano during officer's club happy hours. Our squadron members with young family back at home would gather around and we all sang together as they laughed and cried around the beautiful two year old atop the piano. My wife, Kay, is also gone now; also in 2012 and quite unexpected. She will forever be the love of my life, since high school, and I miss her immensely! Lonnie got to know Kay, Wendy and son, Brian, who was three years old at the time, during our Iwakuni adventure. Brian is also gone now; since long ago when he was six years old. Kay and Brian are inurned together in a common niche in the US Naval Academy cemetery. I can identify with your pain in losing Lonnie. I pray for the Brutke family often. Please pray for us as well. From a brother US Marine. Sempre Fi Forever.
Richard C Jones, Jr
Regards,
Richard C. Jones, Jr.
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