Neptunus Lex Crosses the Bar

I started this blog in 2003. At the time there were few MILBLOGS around. Then one called Neptunus Lex arrived on scene. It was written by an active duty Naval Aviator and senior officer. It soon became one of my daily reads. His writing was exemplary as can be seen is his portrayal of a day at sea on board a carrier, Rhythms. As a fellow native Virginian, his posts about returning to visit the Old Dominion were especially meaningful to me.

I was happy for him when he started flying again. I felt a small connection since the F-21's would occasionally fly over my house on their way home to Newport News. When I saw them, I would wonder if Lex was at the controls. I thought it would be cool to meet him. Alas, that is not to be.

I was waiting my turn at the NAS Oceana barber shop catching up on my blog reading when I saw the post on CDR Salamander. Lex had died doing what he loved the most. It was strange the sadness I felt for someone who I had never met and until recently, never knew his real name.

In his next to last post, he wrote about his chosen vocation;

It’s funny how quickly you can go from “comfort zone” to “wrestling snakes” in this business.

But even snake wrestling beats life in the cube, for me at least. In measured doses.

Fair Winds and Following Seas Captain Carroll LeFon, you will be missed.


The Armorer has a nice tribute and a collection of others.