General MacArthur once famously declared that, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

True to that mantra, an old soldier faded away on Friday, and hardly anyone noticed.

You see, on Friday, the Navy removed the last of its F-14 Tomcats from active service, replacing them once and for all with the younger, hipper F/A-18 Hornet. (Great Tomcat photos here.)

Commander Curt Seth summed up the difference between the two warriors perfectly. “The F/A-18 is like a Porsche; it handles really well. The F-14 is like a Corvette, a muscle car. It just has tremendous power.” And, oh by the way, even in its twilight years, the F-14 can still dust the F/A-18 in a race.

For those of us who grew up at the end of the Col War, the F-14 was the ultimate symbol of our nation’s ability to project power across oceans. (That little movie about F-14s played a small part in our love for the Tomcat, too.)

Developed to interdict and destroy Soviet intercontinental bombers like the famous TU-22 Backfire, the F-14 was the perfect carrier-based fighter. It was big, ugly and designed to take a pounding. Even so, pilots always raved about its speed, long range and nimbleness in combat.

And, as one pilot told USA Today, “It’s the only plane that looks fast sitting still.”

The F-14 has been crashing into carrier decks, protecting our shores, and fighting our fights abroad since the early 1970s. Its career has been long and distinguished to say the least.

So, a toast all around here at the On Tap bar — to the F-14 Tomcat and all of the men who flew them. You served your nation well for a very long time. You made us proud. Thanks.

(Lots more at the F-14 Tomcat Association.)

Jim: They’re not fading away, they’re riding into the Danger Zone –er, the sunset.

Not only will I raise my glass, I will make that bizarre biting gesture that Iceman made for emphasis.