The F-14 Tomcat, a US Navy Veteran's Perspective

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Some food for thought for fans wishing to mingle with Veteran circles.

I am a US Navy Veteran, and perhaps I can offer some feedback as to why they retired the F-14 and also how servicemen that actually worked on this aircraft view it.  I have observed that there is wide rift between how fans view the aircraft and how veterans view it and veterans and fans don't always get along because of this rift.
To a Fan the F-14 is a cool machine that zorches across the sky.  They sometimes merge it with the mascot Grumman Aerospace assigned to it--Tom the Cat, making it into a curious anthropomorphic creation.  I see many fans on this site enjoying the F-14 in that fashion.  Still the merge is done in much subtler fashion with the use of pronouns such as 'him, and he'.  It is also the product of coming from cultures where language assigns the masculine to aircraft.
Now how do most Navy Veterans view this machine, especially those who cracked their knuckles on it fixing it or spent hours cleaning up after it?  First let me fill you in on a little history.  The machine was name after Vice Admiral Thomas ' Connelly, the man who made the famous statement about the F-111B--the Missileer that was supposed to replace the F-4 Phantom.  " All the thrust in Christendom couldn't make a fighter out of that airplane".  The funding for the Navalized F-111 stopped.  The F-14 was born and was named Tom's Cat.  The named was contracted to Tomcat.
Now to the original question, how servicemen view their baby:   The plane needs a lot of pampering to keep it flying.  The plane in finicky.  Each one has its own personality to the point that sailors and pilots have taken to giving them names.
To the vast majority of servicemen, especially those that worked on the F-14-she is their favorite girl.  To the pilots she is that curvy muscle backed beauty they like to show off.  The men tend fiercely defend their love, the F-14.
The Fan world and the Veteran world, when it comes to the F-14 are two different worlds.  They tend to clash at times.
Here I am a Navy Veteran in your world.  I will try not to stink things up for you, claw up the furniture or leave my messes unburied.  ;)
AT2 R. Woods Marks Retired.
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F-14D's avatar
first of all thank you for you service  .... 2ndly  i rather listen to a veteran  then any one else as  i do love  learning about  the craft as i am sure  any one else who grew up  with tomcat as the aircraft there dreams  understand  only veteran that is been around and in the plane  understand it better then any one else what i know of the  tomcat is airshows  the natops files and simulation games i don't know and can't vouch for others but i personaly would love to  hear  and learn  from you the plane from you'r perspective for more understanding