TheList 7447

The List 7447

To All.

Good Sunday Morning February 15, 2026.

..It is a clouding up and cool this morning and stay that way for the next few days and the rain will start on Monday and go through next Thursday.

Toni is making some progress but will have to go to rehab before she can come home. I may have to hire a crew to come in and get the house ready. I got into my closet and the result is a mess in progress. I did find a bunch of things I had been searching for but if Toni sees the mess I may be the one that goes to the hospital next.

Thanks to everyone who has called or emailed I appreciate it very much

.Regards .

.Skip

.HAGD 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)

Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.    Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams. 

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History

 February 15

1856—The stores-ship, Supply, commanded by Lt. David Dixon Porter, sails from Smyrna, Syria, bound for Indianola, TX, with a load of 21 camels intended for experimental use in the American desert west of the Rockies.

I had a story in the List quite a while ago that talked about those camels and when the last wild one was spotted. I may try to search the archives for it….skip-

1898—The battleship Maine explodes in Havana Harbor and nearly three-quarters of the battleship's crew die as a result of the blast. Popular opinion blames Spain, and the Spanish-American war starts soon after.

1943—USS Gato (SS 212) sinks Japanese stores ship Suruga Maru in Bougainville Strait and USS Pickerel (SS 177) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks cargo vessel Tateyama Maru off the east coast of Honshu.

1944—While serving as commander of a Catalina patrol plane, Lt. Nathan Gordon responds to a report of U.S. Army Fifth Air Force personnel shot down over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea. Risking his life and under Japanese fire, he makes a daring rescue mission, saving 15 service members from certain death or capture by the enemy. For his "extraordinary heroism," Gordon is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1960—Icebreakers USS Burton Island (AGB 1) and USS Glacier (AGB 4) become the first U.S. Navy vessels to reach Thurston Peninsula in the Antarctic.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

This Day in World History

15 February

1798 The first serious fist fight occurs in Congress.

1804 New Jersey becomes the last northern state to abolish slavery.

1862 Union General Ulysses S. Grant launches a major assault on Fort Donelson, Tenn.1869 Charges of treason against Jefferson Davis are dropped.

1898 The U.S. battleship Maine blows up in Havana Harbor, killing 268 sailors and bringing hordes of Western cowboys and gunfighters rushing to enlist in the Spanish-American War.

1900 The British threaten to use natives in the Boer War fight.

1925 The London Zoo announces it will install lights to cheer up fogged-in animals.

1934 U.S. Congress passes the Civil Works Emergency Relief Act, allotting new funds for Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

1940 Hitler orders that all British merchant ships will be considered warships.

1942 British forces in Singapore surrender to Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita.

1943 The Germans break the American Army's lines at the Fanid-Sened Sector in Tunisia, North Africa.

1944 American bombers attack the Abbey of Monte Cassino in an effort to neutralize it as a German observation post in central Italy.

1946 Royal Canadian mounted police arrest 22 as Soviet spies.

1950 Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse-tung sign a mutual defense treaty in Moscow.

1957 Andrei Gromyko replaces Dmitri T. Shepilov as the Soviet Foreign Minister.

1961 Eighteen members of the U.S. figure skating team are lost in an airplane crash in Belgium.

1965 Canada's maple leaf flag is raised for the first time.

1967 Thirteen U.S. helicopters are shot down in one day in Vietnam

1974 U.S. gas stations threaten to close because of federal fuel policies.

.

 NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to the Bear and Dan Heller. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …

. rollingthunderremembered.com .

To All

Thanks to the Bear

This is great to watch…skip

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQcxP70jNMY

 

 Thanks to Micro

From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..February 15 . .

February 15: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1600 

Hello All,

Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear

 Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.

     An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via  https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).

     If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you      Dan

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

 Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at:  https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.

.

This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info  https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM

 

MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War

 The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.  https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/

https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2022-news-articles/wall-of-faces-now-includes-photos-of-all-servicemembers-killed-in-the-vietnam-war/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TMNsend&utm_content=Y84UVhi4Z1MAMHJh1eJHNA==+MD+AFHRM+1+Ret+L+NC

 

Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War

By: Kipp Hanley

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

.

From the archives about a great Lady….skip

. Martha Raye

Thanks to Bill

I have had a note like this in the List many years ago. There is another out there that modifies this one a bit but she was still an extraordinary woman….skip

For those of you about my age, you will enjoy this.  Before this I only remember that Martha Raye was Funny and had a large mouth.  Maybe there should be a TV channel that only shows stuff like this.

   It was well recognized that Martha Raye endured less comfort more than any other Vietnam entertainer. Don't let the sun go down without reading this about Martha Raye.

  The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped.  I was unaware of her credentials or where she is buried.

  Somehow I just can't see Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, or Jessica Simpson doing what this woman and the other USO women, including Ann Margaret & Joey Heatherton did for our troops in past wars.  Most of the old time entertainers were made of a lot sterner stuff.

  The following is from an Army aviator who takes a trip down memory lane:

"It was just before Thanksgiving '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku.  We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back.  All of a sudden, we heard a 'take-charge' woman's voice in the rear.  There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a Special Forces beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook and carrying the dead aboard.  Martha had been visiting her Special Forces (SF) 'heroes' out 'west'.

  We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku.  As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms. Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!"

  To our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said "Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve and on this is a 'Caduceus' which means I am a nurse, with a surgical specialty.... now, take me to your wounded!"

  He said, "Yes, ma'am. Follow me." This one still brings a tear to my eyes…skip

  Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would 'cover' a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break.  Martha is the only woman buried in the SF   (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.

  Hand salute! A great lady.  I did not know this about Martha Raye and thought you might like to read it

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Nice News.

Dabbling Is Good for You: Why an Expert Says You Should Try New Things Just for Fun

 RgStudio/iStock

 

When was the last time you tried something fun without worrying about the outcome? We're often taught that in order to reap the benefits of a new activity, we need to do it consistently. Yet as helpful as habits can be, dabbling — or engaging in activities sporadically just for the pure enjoyment of it — can actually be just as valuable.

 

Dabbling is freeing for the same reason it's scary: While it requires you to release perfectionism, it can also invite a multitude of mental health benefits that come from simply trying. Karen Walrond knows this well. She's the author of In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur, and she told Nice News over email that dabbling helped her embrace "intentional amateurism," or the cadence of returning to an activity she loved over and over, "without regard to productivity, profitability, or perfection."

.

 

Today, we're sharing a story from reader Wendy R. in Covington, Virginia.

 

"I was taking my 5-year-old granddaughter into the city on the high-speed train for a day of fun. It was her first train ride, and she was excited but nervous. She took her favorite stuffed animal to hold and hug. When the train arrived for boarding, she forgot her stuffie on the bench on the platform, and she immediately started crying. Since the train was leaving in less than a minute I didn't want to go back and risk missing the train."

 

"A young man who had just exited the train heard her crying and ran and grabbed the stuffie, then darted back thru the doors as they were closing. He had retrieved her beloved baby but was now stuck on the train! His smile never faltered as I thanked him and apologized that he'd missed his stop. He was so humble and unbothered. We were able to chat with him to the next stop and got to know him a little. He's a great example of a fine, kind young man, and I will forever be grateful he saved a little stuffie loved by a little girl."

 

Bookkeeping

> 47: The number of unprovoked shark bites last year, down by 22 from 2023.

> 940 million: The number of flowers processed through Miami for Valentine's Day.

 

 

Historybook: Astronomer Galileo Galilei born (1564); Women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony born (1820); Musician Nat King Cole dies (1965); Soviet-Afghan War ends as all Soviet troops depart Afghanistan (1989); Actress Raquel Welch dies (2023).

 

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do."

- Galileo Galilei

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN 

 

Thanks to Carl

Logan Franklin   Feb 15, 2023

"In my 30s, I exercised to look good. In my 50s, to stay fit. In my 70s, to stay ambulatory. In my 80s, to avoid assisted living. Now, in my 90s, I'm just doing it out of pure defiance." —Dick Van Dyke.

Pushing the Limits

For a long time one of the things most frequently asked by seniors has been about High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). In short, they want to know if they should do it.

Here's what I know. High-intensity intervals are great for overall physical conditioning and they also burn off fat better than, say, aerobics such as long slow distance running. But the question then becomes: is high-intensity training age-appropriate (meaning safe) for seniors?

For young seniors, let's say those in their 50s, who are in pretty decent shape and with no prohibitive underlying health problems, the answer is an easy yes. However, as we get older the answer is not so clear-cut. For older seniors, just how intense should exercise be? Are we talking about, for example, Tabata? That's pretty tough stuff for the very elderly. Interval training can be good at almost any age, but maybe there comes a time when the intensity should be toned down.

For senior beginners of all ages, and especially overweight senior beginners, a much smarter approach than HIIT is to ease into training with a beginners' strength and fitness program. Then, later on, higher-intensity intervals may come into play.

Until I was 80, I'd sneak in some Tabata, maybe once a week or so. Now at 86, I don't go near that kind of intensity. Any exercise I do isn't nearly as intense as it used to be. I simply keep up a steady movement for about 30 minutes, sometimes combining resistance work with light cardio.

Years ago, a newsletter subscriber, Franco, sent this wonderful quote from the actor/comedian Dick Van Dyke.

"In my 30s, I exercised to look good. In my 50s, to stay fit. In my 70s, to stay ambulatory. In my 80s, to avoid assisted living. Now, in my 90s, I'm just doing it out of pure defiance." —Dick Van Dyke.

People also ask about the high-intensity programs they see in TV infomercials. Most of those programs aren't sustainable for seniors, at least not for me personally. Not as they are shown on TV anyway. Even when I was young I didn't believe in pushing myself to the limit workout after workout, as in HIIT. On the few occasions, I tried going all out at every session, I soon began to dread training.

Extreme training gets riskier as we get older. Be smart. Older folks should let their doctors know what they're up to. And if HIIT is part of your plan (you younger seniors), ease into it. Don't jump in at full-throttle.

Here are a few workout guidelines that I almost universally recommend:

•             All balanced fitness programs should include elements of a) strength training, b) cardiovascular exercise, and c) flexibility movements. Based on personal preferences and goals, you can put emphasis on either a, b, or c; but totally ignoring any one of them won't provide a balanced fitness program. Some interval circuit training arrangements can combine all three elements in a single workout, or, of course, they can be divided into separate segments.

•             Don't do marathon workout sessions. Generally, anything over an hour in a gym is too much. Less than an hour is usually even better, provided that it is time-spent training, not standing around talking. Yes, I know Jack LaLanne is said to have been doing two-hour-plus workouts into his nineties. He was one in a million.

•             Cross training (mixing things up) can be fun because changes of routine tend to keep things interesting, and overuse injuries are more preventable than when doing the same movements over and over, month after month, year after year.

•             Select exercise programs that appeal to you. Group exercise classes, for example, are right for some people. Others hate them. Whether training in groups or training alone, strength, cardiovascular and flexibility movements can all be done using only your own bodyweight exercises. On the other hand, why not include free weights, resistance bands or kettlebells if they are available to you? Have fun. Mix them up.

There is a training lifestyle for every taste and to meet every fitness goal.

Stay healthy. Stay fit.

Logan

Senior Exercise Central

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Interesting Facts

"IKEA" is an acronym.

You'd be forgiven for assuming that IKEA is a Swedish word related to furniture. In fact, it's an acronym that combines the initials of founder Ingvar Kamprad (IK) with the name of the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd) and a nearby village (Agunnaryd). Kamprad was just 17 when he founded the company in 1943, initially selling small household items — think pens and wallets — rather than beds and sofas. He likely had no idea that there would one day be more than 450 IKEA stores across the globe.

IKEA isn't the only unexpected acronym. It's joined on that list by "laser" (light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation), "scuba" (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), "radar" (RAdio detection and ranging), and even fellow Swedes ABBA (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid).

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

From the archives

Thanks to Carl

https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/can-dogs-sense-moods/?ui=de7ed42c3f747a23b26fda9ec9138c712c2534b267fbe012d20a01056a6c76c0&sd=20110602&utm_source=petsprnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1HL&utm_campaign=20230215Z1

 

How Dogs 'See' the World and Sense Your Mood

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This Day in U S Military History

February 15

1898 – A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million. Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana in January. An official U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry ruled in March that the ship was blown up by a mine, without directly placing the blame on Spain. Much of Congress and a majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war. Subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter, coupled with United States indignation over Spain's brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898. Within three months, the United States had decisively defeated Spanish forces on land and sea, and in August an armistice halted the fighting. On December 12, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain, officially ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire with the ceding of such former Spanish possessions as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.

 

1944 – Allied aircraft bomb the historic monastery on the crest of Monte Cassino. German forces, which have not occupied the position previously, move into the ruins of the monastery. The New Zealand Corps (part of US 5th Army) follows-up the bombing with an assault which fails.

 

1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first electronic general-purpose computer. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve "a large class of numerical problems". ENIAC was initially designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory. When ENIAC was announced in 1946 it was heralded in the press as a "Giant Brain". It had a speed of one thousand times that of electro-mechanical machines. This computational power, coupled with general-purpose programmability, excited scientists and industrialists. ENIAC's design and construction was financed by the United States Army, Ordnance Corps, Research and Development Command which was led by Major General Gladeon Marcus Barnes. He was Chief of Research and Engineering, the Chief of the Research and Development Service, Office of the Chief of Ordnance during World War II. The construction contract was signed on June 5, 1943, and work on the computer began in secret by the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering starting the following month under the code name "Project PX". The completed machine was announced to the public the evening of February 14, 1946 and formally dedicated the next day at the University of Pennsylvania, having cost almost $500,000 (approximately $6,000,000 today). It was formally accepted by the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps in July 1946. ENIAC was shut down on November 9, 1946 for a refurbishment and a memory upgrade, and was transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland in 1947. There, on July 29, 1947, it was turned on and was in continuous operation until 11:45 p.m. on October 2, 1955. Finished shortly after the end of World War II, one of its first programs was a study of the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb. A few months after its unveiling, in the summer of 1946, as part of "an extraordinary effort to jump-start research in the field" the Pentagon invited "the top people in electronics and mathematics from the United States and Great Britain" to a series of forty-eight lectures altogether called The Theory and Techniques for Design of Digital Computers more often named the Moore School Lectures. Half of these lectures were given by the inventors of ENIAC.

 

1951 – The communists were defeated at Chipyong-ni by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division's 23rd Infantry Regimental Combat Team (RCT) and the French Battalion. At the climax of the battle, the 1st Cavalry Division's Task Force Crombez broke through to support the encircled 23rd RCT. After three days of intense combat and having suffered perhaps 8,000 casualties, the Chinese forces withdrew. The 23rd RCT suffered 52 killed, 42 missing and 259 wounded in action. This was the first major battlefield defeat of the Chinese communist forces in the war.

 

1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska. The DEW Line was operational from 1957 to the late 1980s and it was the northernmost and most capable of three radar lines in Canada and Alaska; the joint Canadian-US Pinetree Line ran from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, and the Mid-Canada Line ran somewhat north of this.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

WOMBLY, VOLTAIRE P.

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company F, 2d lowa Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Donelson, Tenn., 15 February 1862. Entered service at: Keosauqua, Van Buren County, lowa. Birth: Van Buren County, lowa. Date of issue: 12 March 1897. Citation: Took the colors after 3 of the color guard had fallen, and although most instantly knocked down by a spent ball, immediately arose and bore the colors to the end of the engagement.

 

BURGER, JOSEPH

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Crystal Lake, Minn. Birth: Austria. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

CLARK, WILLIAM A.

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Shelbyville, Minn. Birth: Pennsylvania. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

FLANNIGAN, JAMES

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Louisville, Scott County, Minn. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

HANNA, MILTON

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Henderson, Minn. Birth: Lickland County, Ohio. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

HOLMES, LOVILO N.

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Mankato, Minn. Birth: Cattaraugus County, N.Y. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

PAY, BYRON E.

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Mankato, Minn. Born: 21 October 1844, LeRoy Township, Jefferson County, N.Y. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

VALE, JOHN

Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Rochester, Minn. Birth: England. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

WRIGHT, SAMUEL

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Swan Lake, Minn. Birth: Indiana. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.

 

LOW, GEORGE

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1847, Canada. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Tennessee at New Orleans, La., 15 February 1881, and sustaining, until picked up by a boat's crew, N. P. Petersen, gunner's mate, who had fallen overboard.

 

FLUCKEY, EUGENE BENNETT  Lucky Fluckey his great book is called Thunder Below…skip

Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, Commanding U.S.S. Barb. Place and date: Along coast of China, 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: S October 1913, Washington, D.C. Other Navy award: Navy Cross with 3 Gold Stars. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Barb during her 11th war patrol along the east coast of China from 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. After sinking a large enemy ammunition ship and damaging additional tonnage during a running 2-hour night battle on 8 January, Comdr. Fluckey, in an exceptional feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking on 25 January, located a concentration of more than 30 enemy ships in the lower reaches of Nankuan Chiang (Mamkwan Harbor). Fully aware that a safe retirement would necessitate an hour's run at full speed through the uncharted, mined, and rock-obstructed waters, he bravely ordered, "Battle station–torpedoes!" In a daring penetration of the heavy enemy screen, and riding in 5 fathoms of water, he launched the Barb's last forward torpedoes at 3,000-yard range. Quickly bringing the ship's stern tubes to bear, he turned loose 4 more torpedoes into the enemy, obtaining 8 direct hits on 6 of the main targets to explode a large ammunition ship and cause inestimable damage by the resultant flying shells and other pyrotechnics. Clearing the treacherous area at high speed, he brought the Barb through to safety and 4 days later sank a large Japanese freighter to complete a record of heroic combat achievement, reflecting the highest credit upon Comdr. Fluckey, his gallant officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.

 

GORDON, NATHAN GREEN

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, commander of Catalina patrol plane. Place and date: Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 4 September 1916, Morrilton, Ark. Citation: For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lt. Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.

 

*WILLETT, LOUIS E.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 15 February 1967. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y. Born: 19 June 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Willett distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman in Company C, during combat operations. His squad was conducting a security sweep when it made contact with a large enemy force. The squad was immediately engaged with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire and pinned to the ground. Despite the deadly fusillade, Pfc. Willett rose to his feet firing rapid bursts from his weapon and moved to a position from which he placed highly effective fire on the enemy. His action allowed the remainder of his squad to begin to withdraw from the superior enemy force toward the company perimeter. Pfc. Willett covered the squad's withdrawal, but his position drew heavy enemy machinegun fire, and he received multiple wounds enabling the enemy again to pin down the remainder of the squad. Pfc. Willett struggled to an upright position, and, disregarding his painful wounds, he again engaged the enemy with his rifle to allow his squad to continue its movement and to evacuate several of his comrades who were by now wounded. Moving from position to position, he engaged the enemy at close range until he was mortally wounded. By his unselfish acts of bravery, Pfc. Willett insured the withdrawal of his comrades to the company position, saving their lives at the cost of his life. Pfc. Willett's valorous actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 15,  FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

15 February

1908: The US government received bids for its first airship (see 24 February 1908). (24)

1910: The Signal Corps relocated its flight training program from College Park, Md., to Fort Sam Houston, Tex. (21)

1943: Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker will replace Maj. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz as commander of the Eighth Air Force. Spaatz will move to the Mediterranean to command the air operations for TORCH, the invasion of North Africa.

1944: Twelfth Air Force sent 254 B-17 and B-25 bombers to attack and destroy the Abbey of Monte Cassino, Italy. The US Fifth Army did not take the ruins until 18 May, which allowed the US Fifth and British Eighth Armies to advance on Rome. (21)

1948: The XF-87 Blackhawk made its first flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (5)

1951: To 16 February, H-5 pilots of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron flew through a blinding snowstorm and 40-knot winds to deliver blood plasma and medical supplies to the US Army's 2d Division at Chipyong, Korea. They also evacuated 52 wounded men. (26)

1953: A Northwest Airlines Stratocruiser set a 15-hour, 10-minute record for a flight between Tokyo, Japan, and Seattle, Wash. (24)

1961: The Tactical Air Command received the first T-39B jet trainer at Nellis AFB, Nev.

1962: In the fifth consecutive silo launching, a Minuteman I missile set a new record by flying 3,900 miles, the longest distance for the Minuteman to date. (16) (24)

1963: The North American YAT-28E first flew. (5)

1965: The first OH-13E "Bubbletop" helicopter arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., for use in a vertical short take-off and landing test pilot training program. (3)

1975: The first pre-production A-10 completed its initial flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)

1978: During Operation SNOW BLOW II, USAF C-5s, C-141s, and C-130s deliver 2,300 tons of snow-removal equipment and other supplies to snowbound New England after a blizzard on 6 February closed most transportation lines in the state of Rhode Island. More than 1,000 passengers are airlifted to safety during the operation.

1979: A Minuteman III missile launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., to the Kwajalein missile range, where it deployed three Mark 12A reentry vehicles. (5)

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm1htw3BAyGwT6JDHwyiG7tr9i4QqLyk2LFe7zgfTHLv7A%40mail.gmail.com.

TheList 7446

The List 7446

To All.

Good Saturday Morning February 14, 2026.

.Happy Valentines Day to All

..It is a clear and cool this morning. But that is going to go away and it will get overcast by 11 and stay that way for the next few days and the rain will start on Monday and go through next Thursday but Friday is supposed to be clear and sunny.

I got to spend some time at the hospital with Toni  yesterday and Worm and his wife Lynn came also.. After a bit we had to leave so we went and had a nice lunch together. The hospital is understaffed and is not very responsive to patients.

I had a relapse last night and am not doing well. Apologies for the late List today.

.Regards .

.Skip

.HAGD 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)

Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.    Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams. 

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History

 February 14

 

1778—Continental ship, Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, receives the first official salute to a U.S. Stars and Stripes flag by a foreign government (the French fleet) at Quiberon, France.

1813—The frigate Essex, commanded by Capt. David Porter, becomes the first U.S. Navy warship to round Cape Horn and enter the Pacific Ocean.

1814—The frigate Constitution, commanded by Capt. Charles Stewart, captures the British Lovely Ann off Guiana, the first of four during a five-day period.

1945—USS Gato (SS 212) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.9 in the Yellow Sea and USS Hawkbill (SS 366) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 4 and Cha 114 in the Java Sea.

1945—Water Tender Second Class Elmer C. Bigelow heroically fights a blaze after USS Fletcher (DD 445) is hit by enemy shelling. Bigelow dies the next day from his injuries. He is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity." USS Bigelow (DD 942) is named in his honor in 1957.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This Day in World History

 

February 14

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is St. Valentine's Day, the feast day of two Christian martyrs named Valentine: one a priest and physician, the other the Bishop of Terni. Both are purported to have been beheaded on this day. The custom of sending handmade 'valentines' to one's beloved became popular during the 17th century and was first commercialized in the United States in the 1840s.

1349     2,000 Jews are burned at the stake in Strasbourg, Germany.

1400     The deposed Richard II is murdered in Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire.

1549     Maximilian II, brother of the Emperor Charles V, is recognized as the future king of Bohemia.

1779     American Loyalists are defeated by Patriots at Kettle Creek, Ga.

1797     The Spanish fleet is destroyed by the British under Admiral Jervis (with Nelson in support) at the battle of Cape St. Vincent, off Portugal.

1848     James Polk becomes the first U.S. President to be photographed in office by Matthew Brady.

1859     Oregon is admitted as the thirty-third state.

1870     Esther Morris becomes the world's first female justice of the peace.

1876     Rival inventors Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell both apply for patents for the telephone.

1900     General Roberts invades South Africa's Orange Free State with 20,000 British troops.

1904     The "Missouri Kid" is captured in Kansas.

1912     Arizona becomes the 48th state in the Union.

1915     Kaiser Wilhelm II invites the U.S. Ambassador to Berlin in order to confer on the war.

1918     Warsaw demonstrators protest the transfer of Polish territory to the Ukraine.

1920     The League of Women Voters is formed in Chicago in celebration of the imminent ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.

1924     Thomas Watson founds International Business Machines Corp.

1929     Chicago gang war between Al Capone and George "Bugs" Moran culminates with several Moran confederates being gunned down in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

1939     Germany launches the battleship Bismarck.

1940     Britain announces that all merchant ships will be armed.

1942     Japanese paratroopers attack Sumatra. Aidan MacCarthy's RAF unit flew to Palembang, in eastern Sumatra, where 30 Royal Australian Air Force Lockheed A-28 Hudson bombers were waiting.

1945     800 Allied aircraft firebomb the German city of Dresden. Smaller follow up bombing raids last until April with a total death toll of between 35,000 to 130,000 civilians.

1945     The siege of Budapest ends as the Soviets take the city. Only 785 German and Hungarian soldiers managed to escape.

1949     The United States charges the Soviet Union with interning up to 14 million in labor camps.

1955     A Jewish couple loses their fight to adopt Catholic twins as the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to rule on state law.

1957     The Georgia state senate outlaws interracial athletics.

1965     Malcolm X's home is firebombed. No injuries are reported.

1971     Moscow publicizes a new five-year plan geared to expanding consumer production.

1973     The United States and Hanoi set up a group to channel reconstruction aid directly to Hanoi.

1979     Armed guerrillas attack the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

1985     Vietnamese troops surround the main Khmer Rouge base at Phnom Malai.

1989     Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini charges that Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses, is blasphemous and issues an edict (fatwa) calling on Muslims to kill Rushdie.

 

On this day in history (February 14,):

 

1876: Inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray applied separately for patents related to the telephone. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually ruled Bell the rightful inventor.

1929: The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" took place in Chicago. Seven gangsters who were rivals of Al Capone were killed.

1946: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was unveiled.

The device, built at the University of Pennsylvania, was the world's first general purpose electronic computer.

 

And today is:

 

National Cream Filled Chocolates Day

278  St. Valentine beheaded

. 1973   Release of U.S. POWs begins »

 

A History of Valentine's Day  ( one of many)

 

     The lover's holiday has its beginnings in the 4th century B.C. in Rome. The Romans held an annual lottery wherein young men would draw a young woman's name from a box. The couple would be assigned to each other the entire year for entertainment and pleasure. (Now, I can see where this could be real dangerous!) This celebration, traditionally held on February 15, also included banquets, dancing and foot races run in the nude.

      Around A.D. 496, early church fathers sought an end to the pagan practice, but knew better than to upset the citizens by removing the lottery completely. Instead, they had teenagers pull the names of saints from the box. The teen was supposed to spend the year emulating that saint's life as much as possible, which was probably not as much fun as naked marathons. (Right! It's no wonder they fed Christians to the lions!) St. Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new event, and young Roman men resorted to courting females by sending handwritten notes delivered on February 14.

.

 NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to the Bear and Dan Heller. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …

. rollingthunderremembered.com .

To All

Thanks to the Bear

This is great to watch…skip

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQcxP70jNMY

 

 Thanks to Micro

From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..February 14 . .

February 14: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1598 

Hello All,

Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear

 Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.

     An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via  https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).

     If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you      Dan

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

 Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at:  https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.

.

This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info  https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM

 

MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War

 The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.  https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/

https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2022-news-articles/wall-of-faces-now-includes-photos-of-all-servicemembers-killed-in-the-vietnam-war/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TMNsend&utm_content=Y84UVhi4Z1MAMHJh1eJHNA==+MD+AFHRM+1+Ret+L+NC

 

Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War

By: Kipp Hanley

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

.

. Thanks to Carl

 

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272865/just-say-no-valentines-day-deborah-weiss

 

JUST SAY 'NO' TO VALENTINE'S DAY

Celebrating love on February 14th is "un-Islamic."

February 14,

 Deborah Weiss

While many of those in the West are celebrating Valentine's Day with the exchange of roses, chocolate, and candlelight dinners, lovers in Muslim countries must go into hiding to express their affections.

Though Valentine's Day has Christian roots, honoring a Christian martyr named St. Valentine, over the years its religious connection has become attenuated and it is now considered a secular holiday, celebrated by all who want to express amore to their special someone on this day. However, in much of the Islamic world, Valentine's Day is not just frowned upon, but is illegal, sometimes coming with dire consequences for those who ignore the "unIslamic" nature of this day of love.

Pakistan, for example, outlawed Valentine's Day in 2017, when Islamabad's High Court ruled that the holiday goes against Islamic teachings. The ruling came in response to a petition by Abdul Waheed, a Pakistani citizen, who believes that any Valentine's Day promotions in the mainstream or social media are un-Islamic. His petition further argued that while Valentine's Day is advocated in the language of love, this is merely pretext for the promotion of nudity, immorality and indecency. He won his case.

Subsequently, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) was ordered to monitor all media and send out advisory notifications warning the media against reporting Valentine's Day celebrations or promoting the holiday. Additionally, Pemra officials declared that "No [Valentine's Day] event shall be held at the official level or at any public space."

Over 60 percent of Pakistan's population is under the age of 30, and many of them commemorated the holiday prior to the ban. Commercial outlets also benefitted by selling flowers, chocolate and Valentine's Day hearts. Now, they do so at their own risk.

In recent years, the more stringent within the religious Islamic ummah have become politically active and denounce the holiday as being immoral. Specifically, the Taliban-linked group Jamiat ulema-e-Islam opposes Valentine's Day. Surprisingly, even the women who belong to this group can be seen in full burkas burning signs that read "Happy Valentine's Day."

In 2012, in Indonesia, the highest Islamic clerical council announced that Valentine's Day is contrary to Islamic teachings. In 2017, nationwide rallies were held to bring awareness to the fact that the holiday is a western concept. Protestors held signs reading "Muslims say no to Happy Valentine's Day." Last year, police gathered and arrested couples that were publicly affectionate. Indonesian fundamentalists believe that Valentine's Day encourages premarital sex, which is a crime in Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Islamic authorities issued a fatwa in 2006 which banned Valentine's Day. In 2011, the JAIS (Islamic morality police) arrested 80 couples for celebrating the holiday. Officers raided hotels in major cities during an anti-Valentine's Day crusade. Then, in 2017, the National Muslim Youth Association issued a statement the day prior to Valentine's Day, advising women not to wear perfume on Valentine's Day and to refrain from using emoticons in their text messages.

In Iran, though the holiday isn't technically illegal, much of the associated activity is banned. The morality police order shops and restaurants to remove hearts, flowers, and decorations, including pictures of couples embracing. They are prohibited from selling heart-shaped balloons, red roses, heart-shaped boxes, or Valentine's Day cards. If they have the audacity to sell Valentine's Day gifts, they are threatened with prosecution. Despite this, numerous restaurants in Tehran defy the law, employing lookouts to give advance notice of inspectors on Valentine's Day patrol.

However, the country where celebrants of Valentine's Day suffer the most, are those in Saudi Arabia. There, open celebration of this holiday can result in harsh criminal penalties. For example, in 2014, five men were caught on Valentine's Day dancing with women who were not their wives. They were arrested and thrown in jail, and sentenced to 4500 lashings split among them.

The Commission on the Promotion of Virtue and Vice, otherwise known as the Religious Police, monitor store shelves to ensure that nothing is displayed in the verboten color of red. Red roses go on the black market, drastically increasing their price due to the risk of sale and their unavailability on the open market. The forbidden items are legal during the rest of the year, when Valentine's Day is not in the fore. This, however, is little consolation for those who want to celebrate on this special day.

Yes, clearly the Islamic religious police are very concerned about the "immorality" that Valentine's Day inspires. Given their concern about morals, what exactly are the religious police doing to stop the gang rape of women without hijabs, forced marriages of little girls, the jailing of those who engage in "blasphemous" speech, or the beheadings sanctioned by their own state? Oh, never mind. These activities aren't western; they are "Islamic" so apparently they are A-OK -- so long as you don't give your girlfriend flowers on February 14th. Islamic morals indeed.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

.

Thanks to Al

From the archives

Monday Morning Humor--Valentine's Day

 

If men ruled the world, Valentine's Day would be moved to February 29th so it would only occur once every four years.

 

 

Valentine's Day Scorecard for Guys--How do you rate?   

Simple Duties

·         You go out to buy her flowers: +5

·         But return with beer: -5

·         You check out a suspicious noise at night: 0

·         You check out a suspicious noise and it's nothing: 0

·         You check out a suspicious noise and it's something: +5

·         You pummel it with a six iron: +10

·         It's her cat: -10

Social Engagements

·         You stay by her side the entire party: 0

·         You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a drinking buddy: -2

·         Named Tiffany: -4

·         Tiffany is a dancer: -6

·         Tiffany has implants: -8

Saturday Afternoons

·         You visit her parents: +1

·         You visit her parents and actually make conversation: +3

·         You visit her parents and stare vacantly at the television: -3

·         And the television is off: -6

·         You spend the afternoon watching college football in your underwear: -6

·         And you didn't even go to college: -10

·         And it's not really your underwear: -15

Valentine's Day

·         You take her out to dinner: 0

·         You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar: +1

·         Okay, it is a sports bar: -2

·         And it's all-you-can-eat night: -3

·         It's a sports bar, it's all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team: -10   

·         You give her a gift: 0

·         You give her a gift, and it's a small appliance: -10

·         You give her a gift, and it's not a small appliance: +1

·         You give her a gift, and it isn't chocolate: +2

·         You give her a gift that you'll be paying off for months: +30

·         You wait until the last minute and buy her a gift that day: -10

·         With her credit card: -30

·         And whatever you bought is two sizes too big: -40

Thoughtfulness

·         You forget to pick her up at the bus station: -25

·         Which is in Detroit: -35

·         And the pouring rain dissolves her leg cast: -50

A Night Out with Your Pals

·         You have a few beers: -9

·         For every beer after three, -2 again

·         And miss curfew by an hour: -12

·         You get home at 3 a.m.: -20

·         You get home at 3 a.m. smelling of booze and cheap cigars: -30

·         And not wearing any pants: -40

·         Is that a tattoo? -200

A Night Out, Just the Two of You

·         You go see a comic: +2

·         He's crude and sexist: -2

·         You laugh: -5

·         You laugh too much: -10

·         She's not laughing: -15

·         You laugh harder: -25

Driving

·         You lose the directions on a trip: -4

·         You lose the directions and end up getting lost: -10

·         You end up getting lost in a bad part of town: -15

·         You get lost in a bad part of town and meet the locals: -25

·         She finds out you lied about having a black belt: -60

Communication

·         When she wants to talk, you listen, displaying a concerned expression:+20   

·         When she wants to talk, you listen, for over 30 minutes: +5

·         You listen for more than 30 minutes, without looking at the television:+10

·         She realizes this is because you've fallen asleep: -10

 

 

Here's a list of the least appreciated Valentine's Day gifts:   

A box of chocolates, clumsily rearranged in an attempt to hide the fact you ate all the caramel ones.

Lingerie that you think will look almost as good on her as on the Victoria's Secret model.

Any clothing item with the words "push-up" or "slim-down" on the label.

Any food item with the words "diet", "light", or "high fiber" on the label.

Any video starring Sylvester Stallone, Jim Carrey, or Pamela Anderson.

Flowers from a hospital's gift shop--or worse, a mortuary's.

Poetry, no matter how heartfelt, that starts out "There was once a girl from..."

Anything you ever gave another woman, including your mother.

Any household appliance, power tool or other item from the harder side of Sears.

A gift certificate.

Cash.

Anything you could have bought at the gas station mini-mart on the way over, even if you didn't.       

An apologetic look and the words "That was today?"

 

 

     He loved her very much. He wanted this Valentine's Day to be special, So he had ordered a bottle of her favorite liquor imported from France and it had arrived in time for the occasion. On his way home, he stopped at the local florist. He had planned to have a bouquet made with her favorite flower, white anemones. But to his dismay, he found that the florist had sold all her flowers and had only a few sterns of feathery ferns left for decoration.

     In a moment of inspiration, he had the answer. He asked the florist to make a bouquet using the flask of liquor instead of flowers and what she produced was magnificent well beyond his expectations. He added a card, and proceeded home. When he arrived, his wife was beautiful in her most elegant gown, and it was apparent that she had spent much of the day preparing a romantic candlelight dinner for the two of them. He presented her with his gift, and she opened the card to read, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder."

     With a tear in her eye, she whispered to him lovingly, "Yes, and with fronds like these, who needs anemones."

 

     I remember one Valentine's Day I had to be away on a business trip. I wired flowers for my lovely wife, but she found the fuse.

 

     A university student fell in love, and dropped out of school to marry her young love. She wrote her parents to say that she had put the heart before the course.

 

      If love is blind and marriage is an institution, does that mean that marriage is an institution for the blind?

 

     Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Connors. 

     Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford -but you'll take him anyway.

 

      A young woman was taking an afternoon nap. After she woke up, she told her husband, "I just dreamt that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's Day.  What do you think it means?"

     "You shall know tonight", he said.

     That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it. She found a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams".

 

Submitted by Skip Leonard:

 The Spatula Act

     It was rumored that the 'split a raw egg with knife act' could only be seen in the Jinjiang Hotel in old Shanghai, and only one master could do the stunt.   Before Nixon visited China in 1972, General Al Haig first came to Shanghai and requested to see the act.   At that time, almost no one knew what it was all about. See this video today and realize what an amazing Valentine's Day act it is!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KPnUfYRK2g

 Remember today is Valentine's Day.

Have a great week,

Al

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

.

Thanks to Brett

Border Czar: 3,364 Missing Migrant Children Located in Major Minnesota ICE Sweep

Tom Homan says coordinated operation also led to more than 4,000 arrests as federal authorities intensify crackdown on illegal immigration.

BIG LEAGUE POLITICS

 

In a sweeping immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, Border Czar Tom Homan announced that federal authorities have located 3,364 unaccompanied migrant children who had previously been lost in the system.

 

The large-scale operation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), also resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, according to Homan.

"We're Finding the Kids"

Homan said the operation was designed to address what he has repeatedly called one of the most disturbing consequences of the Biden-era border surge: thousands of migrant children released into the United States with little to no meaningful follow-up.

"These children were scattered across the country," Homan stated. "We're finding them. We're checking on them. And where crimes have been committed, we're making arrests."

For years, critics warned that lax border enforcement and overwhelmed federal agencies created ideal conditions for trafficking networks and criminal exploitation. Congressional investigations previously revealed that tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors had failed to appear for immigration hearings, with many effectively vanishing after being placed with sponsors.

The Minnesota operation appears to be one of the largest concentrated efforts to track them down.

Over 4,000 Arrests

In addition to locating the children, the coordinated enforcement sweep led to more than 4,000 arrests, targeting individuals accused of immigration violations and other criminal offenses.

Officials indicated that many of those detained had outstanding deportation orders, prior criminal records, or were under investigation for additional offenses.

Homan emphasized that the mission was not merely about numbers but about restoring order to a system that had been overwhelmed.

"This is about public safety," he said. "It's about protecting vulnerable children. And it's about enforcing the laws Congress has already passed."

A Shift Toward Aggressive Enforcement

The Minnesota operation is part of a broader national crackdown as federal authorities move to reassert immigration control following years of record-breaking illegal crossings at the southern border.

America First advocates have long argued that failure to track unaccompanied minors represents both a humanitarian crisis and a national security risk. The latest figures suggest that federal enforcement agencies are now prioritizing accountability and follow-through.

While critics on the left continue to attack stepped-up enforcement actions, supporters say locating thousands of migrant children proves why strong border policy matters.

"This is what enforcement looks like," one federal official said. "You can't protect children if you refuse to enforce the law."

As ICE operations expand nationwide, Minnesota may serve as a preview of what intensified immigration enforcement will look like across the country in the months ahead.

 

.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

.

Thanks to Brett....It is good to see VDH back on line

 

Commentary

China's Quiet Infiltration of America

Victor Davis Hanson

February 12, 2026

|

 

Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior contributor for The Daily Signal, is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and host of "The Victor Davis Hanson Show." His website, The Blade of Perseus, features columns, lectures, and exclusive content for subscribers. Contact him at authorvdh@gmail.com.

Editor's note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today's video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. 

Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I'd like to talk about our two cold wars, the one that we won against Russia and the one that we're de facto in against China. They're very different. And I would argue that the 45-year Cold War with Russia was much easier to win, despite their 7,000 nukes, than it will be with China for a variety of reasons that we should all be aware of.

No. 1, Russia was Russia, kind of a pariah state. It was isolated from the so-called free world. Europe was Europe, and Asia and the United States had guardrails against it. There were no students de facto from Russia in the United States. None. Statistically, almost none. There was no conduit for espionage or the expropriation of American scientific and engineering knowledge out of our Ph.D. programs, MBA programs, you name it. There was very little espionage by students. There were very few Russian nationals in the United States. We just didn't let them in. There was no American investor class in Russia.

Remember how controversial Armand Hammer was? He was the head of Occidental Petroleum. He had the pencil monopoly in Russia. His parents had been living in Russia. They had been pro-communist, at least his father, as I recall. And then they'd gone back to the United States. He'd grown up part of his youth in Russia. He spoke fluent Russian. And he was our de facto business liaison with the communist government. Every time there was a JFK or Nixon or Johnson administration, and they wanted a back channel, they called up Armand Hammer.

I don't know quite what his sympathies were, but he was about the only one, and he was a pariah. People were angry at him.

Take the example with China today. It's much different. And funny, there was a sense that Russia had very bad propaganda. People thought that Russians were crude. They thought they were cruel, that nobody liked them in the Third World when they came in.

Even today in Hollywood, have you noticed that almost every villain in every movie is a Russian? He has that kind of guttural Russian accent. He's got a shaved head. He has a tattoo when he takes off his shirt. He's covered with tattoos. There's the three-bar Orthodox cross. It's a very cruel caricature, but we don't do that with China.

And remember that we thought we were going to be blown up by Russia. They had 7,000 nuclear weapons. They had the mother of all bombs. I think it was a 50- or 100-megaton bomb they dropped. It was all over our childhood in school. That propaganda wasn't propaganda. Actually, it was the truth. I can remember having to do drills.

So, we were clear who the enemy was and what they were capable of. China is very different. They were an ally of ours in World War II. But unlike Russia, that we did not include in the Marshall Plan, and we stopped Lend-Lease right after, we had a much more empathetic view.

China was deindustrialized. It didn't really have a chance. It hadn't made a deal with Hitler as the Russians did. It had been preyed upon by Japan. And so, there had been American missionaries, not colonialists or imperialists. We never had an imperial project in China. But it was sort of a goodwill. It wasn't even lost during the Korean War.

We had this good feeling about China, and there are 300,000 students. People in the administration, I don't know why, are thinking of having 600,000. If you have 1% engaged in active espionage, that would mean you would have 3,000 students who are actively trying to glean information in labs, in research projects, in joint endeavors with American academics, sending that home. Almost every student who leaves the United States and goes home to China is interrogated by the intelligence arms of the People's Liberation Army.

It's nothing—the Russians had no such clout. There were almost no, as I said, no Russians here. Three to 5 million people are foreign-born from China. I think 3 million of them who are in the United States are not U.S. citizens. They're residents. That would be unheard of in the Cold War with Russia.

I don't know how much investment there is, but it seems like every American capitalist has made a fortune in China. People have suggested it might be trillions of dollars over the last 40 years. I'm not saying they have dual loyalties, but there's an insidious idea that China's not really an enemy because of the massive amount of money that has been invested there.

And that means, put the Chinese students, the Chinese residents, the foreign investment, and our history of empathy with China—it's very, very hard to tell people that China is an existential enemy in the way that Russia was.

And we all know that they played the DEI, woke propaganda card. Especially, we saw that with COVID. It wasn't just that we were supposed to believe that crazy idea that a sick pangolin or a bat 100 miles away gave the world COVID when the Wuhan lab was right there, a level 4 lab with American expertise, instrumentation, and some money provided by whom? Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak, and others, Francis Collins, perhaps.

And so, what I'm getting at is, every time that we tried to criticize the corruption of the World Health Organization or China, they came back and said, here you go again. You're racist. You're racist. This is the Yellow Peril all over again. This is the Rape of Nanking, your style. It was almost as if they had studied the DEI mosaic in the United States, and they had tapped into it in a way that the Russians couldn't.

They were lily-white, guttural-speaking enemies on the Hollywood big screen. And the result of that is, as we speak today, can you imagine if there were Russian bio labs? One was about 10 miles from here. I used to work there in high school at the packing house. It was used later by this operative of the Chinese Communist Party. There was one in Las Vegas. There may be more.

Can you imagine if the Russians bought farmland next to U.S. high-security military bases? We would have never allowed that to happen. We would have never funded a Russian lab.

So, there are so many different ways that China has infiltrated the cultural, social, economic, political life, the military life of the United States, that they are much more insidious, much more powerful. And of course, they have 1.4 billion people. The Soviet Union at its height, I think, had 240 million. So, they are a much more formidable enemy, and they're much more adept at knowing where we are strong and especially where we are weak.

 

 NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This Day in U S Military History

February 14

1945 – 521 American heavy bombers flew daylight raids over Dresden, Germany following the British assault. The firestorm killed an estimated 135,000 people. At least 35,000 died and some people place the toll closer to 70,000. The novel "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut was set in Dresden during the firebombing where he was being held as a prisoner of war. US B-17 bombers dropped 771 more tons on Dresden while P-51 Mustang fighters strafed roads packed with soldiers and civilians fleeing the burning city.

1945 – American USAAF B-24 and B-29 bombers raid Iwo Jima in preparation for the landings later in the month. They drop a daily average of 450 tons of bombs over the course of 15 days (6800 tons).

1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets with King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.

1949 – The United States charged the USSR with interning up to 14 million in labor camps.

1951 – Operation ROUNDUP officially concluded and the 30-day battle of Wonju began as the 2nd Infantry Division repelled repeated attacks from seven Chinese divisions.

1953 – U.S. Air Force Colonel Royal N. "The King" Baker, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, downed his tenth enemy aircraft and became the third double ace of the war. (An ace has five enemy kills.) His F-86 Sabre was called "Angel Face & the Babes."

2007 – Operation Imposing Law, also known as Operation Law and Order, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon or Baghdad Security Plan(BSP), a joint Coalition-Iraqi security plan conducted throughout Baghdad, begins. Under the Surge plan developed in late 2006, Baghdad was to be divided into nine zones, with Iraqi and American soldiers working side-by-side to clear each sector of Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents and establish Joint Security Stations so that reconstruction programs could begin in safety. The U.S. military commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, went so far as to say Iraq would be "doomed" if this plan failed. Numerous members of Congress stated the plan was a critical period for the U.S. presence in Iraq.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken this Day

ARTHER, MATTHEW

Rank and organization: Signal Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1835, Scotland. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. G.O. No.: 17, 10 July 1863. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Carondelet at the reduction of Forts Henry and Donelson, 6 and 14 February 1862 and other actions. Carrying out his duties as signal quartermaster and captain of the rifled bow gun, S/Q.M. Arther was conspicuous for valor and devotion, serving most faithfully, effectively and valiantly.

IRWIN, BERNARD J. D.

Rank and organization: Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army. Place and date: Apache Pass, Ariz., 13-14 February 1861. Entered service at: New York. Born: 24 June 1830, Ireland. Date of issue: 24 January 1894. Citation: Voluntarily took command of troops and attacked and defeated hostile Indians he met on the way. Surgeon Irwin volunteered to go to the rescue of 2d Lt. George N. Bascom, 7th Infantry, who with 60 men was trapped by Chiricahua Apaches under Cochise. Irwin and 14 men, not having horses began the 100-mile march riding mules. After fighting and capturing Indians, recovering stolen horses and cattle, he reached Bascom's column and help break his siege.

BONNEY, ROBERT EARL

Rank and organization: Chief Watertender, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Hopkins. Place and date: Aboard U.S.S. Hopkins, 14 February 1910. Entered service at: Nashville, Tenn. Birth: Tennessee. Citation: While serving on board the U.S.S. Hopkins, Bonney displayed extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on the occasion of the accident to one of the boilers of that vessel, 14 February 1910.

CLARY, EDWARD ALVIN

Rank and organization: Watertender, U.S. Navy. Born: 6 May 1883, Foxport, Ky. Accredited to: Kentucky. G.O. No.: 59, 23 March 1910. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Hopkins for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on the occasion of the accident to one of the boilers of that vessel, 14 February 1910.

*BIGELOW, ELMER CHARLES

Rank and organization: Watertender First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve. Born: 12 July 1920, Hebron, 111. Accredited to. Illinois. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving on board the U.S.S. Fletcher during action against enemy Japanese forces off Corregidor Island in the Philippines, 14 February 1945. Standing topside when an enemy shell struck the Fletcher, Bigelow, acting instantly as the deadly projectile exploded into fragments which penetrated the No. 1 gun magazine and set fire to several powder cases, picked up a pair of fire extinguishers and rushed below in a resolute attempt to quell the raging flames. Refusing to waste the precious time required to don rescue-breathing apparatus, he plunged through the blinding smoke billowing out of the magazine hatch and dropped into the blazing compartment. Despite the acrid, burning powder smoke which seared his lungs with every agonizing breath, he worked rapidly and with instinctive sureness and succeeded in quickly extinguishing the fires and in cooling the cases and bulkheads, thereby preventing further damage to the stricken ship. Although he succumbed to his injuries on the following day, Bigelow, by his dauntless valor, unfaltering skill and prompt action in the critical emergency, had averted a magazine explosion which undoubtedly would have left his ship wallowing at the mercy of the furiously pounding Japanese guns on Corregidor, and his heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

*SITMAN, WILLIAM S.

Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Chipyong-ni, Korea, 14 February 1951. Entered service at: Bellwood, Pa. Birth: Bellwood, Pa. G.O. No.: 20, 1 February 1952. Citation: Sfc. Sitman distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. Sfc. Sitman, a machine gun section leader of Company M, was attached to Company I, under attack by a numerically superior hostile force. During the encounter when an enemy grenade knocked out his machine gun, a squad from Company I, immediately emplaced a light machine gun and Sfc. Sitman and his men remained to provide security for the crew. In the ensuing action, the enemy lobbed a grenade into the position and Sfc. Sitman, fully aware of the odds against him, selflessly threw himself on it, absorbing the full force of the explosion with his body. Although mortally wounded in this fearless display of valor, his intrepid act saved 5 men from death or serious injury, and enabled them to continue inflicting withering fire on the ruthless foe throughout the attack. Sfc. Sitman's noble self-sacrifice and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the honored traditions of the military service.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 14,  FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

14 February

1914: Lt Townsend F. Dodd and Sgt Herbert Marcus set an official nonstop American duration and distance record for pilot and passenger when they flew a Burgess H tractor 244.18 kilometers in 4 hours 43 minutes. (5)

1931: Congress created the Air Mail Flyers Medal of Honor, retroactive to 15 May 1918. (24)

1932: WOMEN'S EVENT. Using a Lockheed Vega, Ruth Nichols set a new world altitude record of 19,928 feet for diesel-powered aircraft at Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y. (24)

1939: In Boeing's XB-15, Major Caleb V. Haynes flew from Langley Field, Va., to Chile in 29 hours 53 minutes flying time with 3,250 pounds of medical supplies for earthquake victims. (24)

1945: 450 B-17s staged a follow-up raid on Dresden, Germany. (4)

1951: The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak with a Wright J-65 Sapphire engine made its first flight at Edwards AFB. (5)

1955: The Killian Report from the Technological Capabilities Panel of the Science Advisory Committee, Office of Defense Management, recommended assigning the highest national priority to the ballistic missile program. It also urged the simultaneous development of intermediate-range ballistic missiles. (6)

1983: Operation EARLY CALL. In Egypt, the Strategic Air Command's KC-10 demonstrated its dual importance as a tanker and a cargo carrier in operational activities through 24 February,. Three 3 KC-10s at Cairo West Airport refueled the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft that monitored Libyan air traffic and Libyan preparations for a possible attack on Sudan. In the 10-day deployment, the KC-10s flew 21 sorties to refuel American and Egyptian aircraft and transported 832 passengers and 1,340 tons of cargo. (18)

1989: In its first launch, the McDonnell-Douglas Delta II space booster lifted the first operational NAVSTAR Block II GPS satellite into orbit. (20)

1991: An unusual air-to-air victory occurred, when Capts Tim Bennett and Dan Bakke of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing from Seymour-Johnson AFB, N. C., shot down an Iraqi helicopter with a GBU-10 laser-guided bomb dropped from their F-15E. (20)

1996: Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR. A Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System E-8A flew its 50th mission in support of Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR, surpassing the E-8s record of 49 missions in Operation DESERT STORM. (26)

2003: Global Hawk (AV-7), a first production-representative sample, landed at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., after its maiden flight from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. It was the last advanced concept technology platform, but the first vehicle that incorporated all of the improvements made in the platform to date. (3)

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm2N2todjfDFm8xsePU0vZ8dWzM4847Vay9YYohjv%2BD3MA%40mail.gmail.com.