Insane Hand Signals on an Aircraft Carrier's Flight Deck Explained

I was positioned there where the planes are catapulted off. Everyone is color coded, so with a quick glance you know what that persons job is. I would have been that guy standing next to the Corpsman. White jersey & vest, but with a black checkerboard stenciled on both the jersey and vest. That's not me in the photo.

 

Here's one White Jersey sailor:

 

when I was transferred from in country to the Saratoga CVA 60, the last few months of fighting, I was a green shirt. Aviation storekeeper. ran parts up flight deck and such.

 

During the time I was in, the AK rating got absorbed into SK and eventually SK became LS for Logistics Specialist. The H-53 was a maintenance beast so those guys were always busy making sure we had the right parts on hand. Not easy, especially on deployment.

 

Thank you guys for your service.