Carl Saviola

To Carl's sisters Geraldine, Elizabeth and Ann Marie: Carl and I were in Flight training in Pensacola 1967-68 and were in the same flight during Carrier Qualifications in the T-28 Trojan on the Carrier USS Lexington. We roomed together in the same bachelor pad house in 1968 during Helicopter transition. He was a real competitor in basketball & tennis courts and always a true and loyal friend. In the years since I left the Naval Service I continued to communicate with Carl by email and occasional telephone conversations. We tried to get together a few times at Navy Squadron reunions but I missed the ones he attended and he missed the ones I made. From Tacoma WA it is a long drive to Jacksonville FL, so email and phone calls kept us informed. I truly regret that Carl is no longer with us and our chance to get together again will now be in another world. He loved his friends and family and was a great patriotic American and a Chrisian gentleman.

To all of my Uncles Navy brothers and sisters, you have shown me a side of my uncle i never really knew and i thank you.

Strano 2of3: Particularly now, in light of his (for me) untimely passing, we HS-75 guys were blessed & graced to reconnect with Carl twice in the past 3 years, at squadron reunions, the most recent one in JAX, which he principally organized. Although many years had passed since the halcyon days of our “flying youth”, the same “Saviolan” light was still burning, the “joi de vivre” still in evidence, the same insouciant, arched eyebrow, mildly irritated response at every dumb, dunderheaded remark, idea etc. was still in play, undimmed!. “I” was charmed; and now clearly having moved into the sunset of our Navy life, was so looking forward to more reunions - of our special NAVY AIR FAMILY, resuscitating our OWN BAND OF BROTHERHOOD. Ironically, even though we continued to keep in touch by e-mail, and even knowing Carl was experiencing some health issues, I didn't go to GQ when he failed to respond to a few of my more recent ones. I nevertheless continued to let all that life & light seduce me into thinking that he, like me, was now at max endurance with plenty of fuel left. I should have known: Carl was all Navy, all the time: Type A, attaboy-trained, “b___s to the wall”, fly hard/play hard, max speed kind of guy.

Strano 3 of 3: Although outta sight most of the time these past 25-30 years, he seldom was outta mind. He left quite a wake. He was nothing if not authentic! Not a few anecdotes are flooding back; perhaps for another time. Old friend, Det ALPHA brother, you will not be forgotten. You were a true friend. You did the Navy proud; by your many years of dedicated service as a combat support & ASW helicopter pilot, followed by your leadership instructing & managing in the Navy's premier combat helicopter flight & mission simulation facility at Navy JAX. And by doing so, you have honored your Navy family and your 1st family, your Connecticut family. May your heavenly signal be “Charlie”, and blessedly Rest In Peace. Joe Strano

Strano 1 of 3: The “Sav” may have departed on his last flight, but, like taps he will echo again & again in our memories . Though a NYC native, there will be no fughetting about ‘im! Belieing many appearances to the contrary, he was a “straight arrow”, though never seeming to travel in a straight line, He was guileless, an especially charming & rare quirk in an adult; but one I'm sure in which he was secretly proud! He was smart, intelligent even; and of course, SAVVY. He even ran for President! We shared many delightful times, many of which were in the dark – of a cockpit, of a club or a beach house on the JERSEY COAST, of the NASL bar, of the N. Atlantic doing ASW off the Canadian ship HMS Protecteur, etc... Even in the dark, with Carl “the light was on”! He was/will be legendary, though he wasn't a legend, and would've disdained being so thought. Beneath the Type A energy and the hubris that often goes with it (e.g. IMHO never crossed his lips), LCDR Carl always displayed a sense of place : 4th behind country, God, family – in the sequence that I came to see them displayed over the years. Yes, he did have a serious streak, and a funny one; not infrequently, he was the funniest when he was the most serious! His pet peeve, his bête noir, was other people who didn't take him or his latest suggestion as seriously as he did. Fortunately, he began to see the predictability of it; and thus its humor, which he played on, redeemingly.