USS Kitty Hawk Message Board
Welcome to our new message board, a place to connect with long lost shipmates.
Capt. J.L. Butts was one time the Capt. of the U.S.S. PLATTE (Jan 1963 - Fed 1964) just before he went to the Kitty Hawk. The Platte and the Kitty Hawk also had a collison in June 1967.
Shipmate, Here is his BIO
LT Eddie Nikolas, USN RET
22ND USS KITTY HAWK CV-63
Commanding Officer
Captain D. L. Rainey Jr.
Captain Daniel Lawrence Rainey, Jr., a native of Georgia entered the Navy as a Naval Aviation Cadet on October 15, 1965. He received his wings of gold on July 3, 1967 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He retired from the Navy on October 31, 1992 at NAS Pensacola where he was Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to the Chief of Naval Education and Training.
After flight training and fleet replacement squadron training, Ensign Rainey reported to Air Anti-Submarine Squadron -21 aboard USS KEARSARGE (CVS-33) then deployed to the Tonkin Gulf. He made two deployments with the squadron and then reported to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey where he received his degree in Political Science and International Relations in September of 1972.
In the fall of 1972, LT Rainey reported to Commander ASW Group Four as Aide and Flag Lieutenant. Immediately following the disestablishment of ASW Group Four, the next year, he was assigned to USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65) as Assistant Navigator. During this tour he was recognized as the first Naval Aviator to be dual designated as an Aviator and Surface Warfare Officer under the Navy’s new guidelines. He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service which included an eleven month cruise to the Western Pacific in support of the United States final pull out from Saigon. Departing ENTERPRISE the summer of 1975, LCDR Rainey reported to the Naval War College and graduated from the Command and Staff Course in the spring of 1976.
Then reporting to Kingsville Texas for jet transition training in VT-21, LCDR Rainey reported to Air Anti-Submarine Squadron Forty One (VS-41) for training in the S-3 Viking before reporting to Air Anti-Submarine Squadron Thirty One (VS-31) in September 0f 1977 where he made the first deployment of USS DWIGHT D.EISENHOWER (CVN-69). Immediately following that deployment he reported back to VS-41 awaiting his assignment to Air Anti-Submarine Squadron Thirty Seven (VS-37) as Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer. During that tour he deployed aboard USS RANGER (CV-61) AND USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and received the Meritorious Service Medal for his command tour.
Reporting back to USS ENTERPRISE in October of 1982, CDR Rainey was assigned as Operations Officer before being selected for Air Wing Command. During that tour CDR Rainey completed the deployment he had started as a squadron commanding officer and remained onboard preparing ENTERPRISE for her next western pacific deployment. CDR Rainey was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal upon departure.
Reporting to NAS Oceana and Cecil Field for training in the A-6 Intruder, F-14 Tomcat and A-7 Corsair II in the spring of 1984, he assumed duties as Commander Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) in September of that year. Deploying the Air Wing aboard USS NIMITZ (CVN-68), the air wing was aboard for the TWA hostage crisis in the summer of 1985. Following this tour for which he received the Meritorious Service Medal, Captain Rainey reported to the Pentagon where he reported to the Chief of Naval Operations, Air Warfare as Deputy 05B. Following a one year tour there, Captain Rainey reported to Senior Office Ship Material Readiness Training Newport, Rhode Island.
Captain Rainey in September of 1987 assumed command of USS SAVANNAH (AOR-4) home ported in Norfolk Virginia and conducted training operations in the Caribbean followed by NATO evaluation operations in support of a four carrier battle group in the north Atlantic. Here he received his first award of the Legion of Merit.
On April 27, 1989, Captain Rainey became the twenty second Commanding Officer of USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) at a ceremony conducted in the Naval Shipyard Philadelphia. Ensuring successful completion of the ship’s Service Life Extension Program, Captain Rainey and KITTY HAWK with Carrier Air Wing – 15 aboard commenced training and transit back to San Diego, California. In December of 1991, Captain Rainey made his way back to Pensacola for his final tour.
Captain Rainey was awarded five Meritorious Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, and the Combat Air Medal plus numerous unit and campaign medals.
For most of his career, Captain Rainey was married to Georgia Roueche Rainey, the daughter of a Marine Aviator. They had two children Brad and Ashley and three grand children. Upon her passing, Captain Rainey and a few other aviators who have lost their wives to cancer founded “The Toughest Job in the Navy” Scholarship as a perpetual scholarship under the auspices of the Tailhook Education Foundation.
After retiring from the Navy, Mr. Rainey was employed by Crown Castle International for 13 years. Retiring on December 31, 2007, he is now living in Barnesville, Georgia and is married to Linda Butler Rainey. Together they enjoy the love of eight grandchildren. He is President elect of the Rotary Club, plays golf and drives his two Porsches on many of the road courses in the south.
My name is Allison Butts Roulier, youngest daughter of RADM John L Butts, Jr. fourth skipper of KITTY HAWK. I am sorry to report that my father passed away on May 6, 1992, of a heart attack.
Thank you to the lady who posted my father's bio to this message board on Dec. 21, 2008. I know that I have seen his bio on the Kitty Hawy website for some time now. Please let me know if you need any additional information or if I can otherwise be of any assistance.
My mother, husband, and I are looking forward to attending the Decommissioning Ceremony on January 31st. Hope to see many of you there!
Best regards,
Allison Butts Roulier
Correction: My father, John L Butts, Jr., died on May 3rd (not 6th), 1992, of a sudden heart attack.
