To All,
Good Monday morning November 9. Sunny with clear skies and 80 degrees this morning here on this side of paradise with a high expected of 86 around 3PM and a low tonight of 56. Just another absolutely beautiful day here. My granddaughter had a great weekend as the only starting freshman of her college lacrosse team. They won all three games (note from the editor, she CRUSHED Skip’s alma mater USC). Yesterday she started out as the draw and on the first play took the ball all the way through the other team and scored. My wife and I spent the afternoon at the commissary… I have become a beast of burden. My life is spent in toil under a heavy yoke. My back bears the scars of many lashes and my hooves are worn thin from my many trips to the commissary and Wal-Mart……… I now walk with a permanent limp from shoveling tons of chicken shit and carrying more water than Gunga Din…………… I may never know the sweet joys of my youth ever again
Regards
Skip
HAGD
Note from the Editor... Skip is requesting your assistance in identifying and naming the other criminals from Friday's Bubba Breakfast. Pride prevents either of us from admitting whose name we remember and who we don't........ blame it on either age or infantry service related repeated head injuries, but we request your help. Also, as I type, Skip claims the picture was blurry..... he blames on my old phone. Skips says something about recognizing those of us on the edge and some in the middle but the rest of you merry men are a different question. Gary Specht, aka, Orange Shirt, aka, Spot….. don't worry, we got you!
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Next Bubba Breakfast is scheduled for Friday December 4, 2026. Doors open at 630AM and breakfast is served at 7AM, at the Rockers Senior NCO Club attached to the Fairway Cafe (next to the base golf course).
Add it to your calendar!
Address and Google Map: 3750 Anderson Ave, San Diego, CA 92145
Please don’t be a stranger!
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CC Distribution List: I do my best to keep everyone’s email address private and BCC when sending the list. However, I’ve been getting feedback on the list and a lot of really interesting notes on historical events and notes being shared by friends near and far alike. If you would like to be put on a CC distro list so that you can see each other’s responses and share in the conversation, let me know.
If we missed adding you, hit me again.
Skip
IF YOU NEED YOUR EMAIL UPDATED OR IF YOU ALREADY SENT IT AND IT GOT LOST IN THE WASH, SEND IT AGAIN!
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Wingtip To Canopy - The Blue Angels
https://youtu.be/7qSgv7vDCn4?si=p9PRi9VG6EaRtq9_
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Russia’s Population Collapse is Worse Than We Thought
https://youtu.be/q8fuhio_frI?si=UhODO0F80TcA2XNy
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Why the Air Force Came Back for MORE F-15EXs
https://youtu.be/1xsBy5bxq_M?si=6-kakXCSEd69TeDT
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Secrets of the Civil War: The Ships that Shaped America (Full Episode) | Drain the Oceans
https://youtu.be/7-6pB0Zj5LY?si=pC_BLFzVgH_mBut5
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They Asked Göring Why Germany Lost to America. He Was Blunt.
https://youtu.be/Tm8EPoS4rmk?si=W8rL14dfST6of6VV
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Why Americans Don't Have the Stomach to Fix This Country
https://youtu.be/pJx3lhCqXPk?si=YXw-Xmv8A5T6_M6L
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Wednesday is Veterans' Day. These articles were received from several sources. I felt they brought the concept of why we take time to remember veterans.
Please take time to remember those who gave their lives and even those today who sacrifice time away from their homes and families.
* Because of them, we can have elections that take days to determine BUT no guns are used.
* Because of them we can suffer a downturn in the economy where growth slows to 4% and S&P 500 profits are 19% better than last year.
* Because of them we have more religions and denominations in America than ever before.
* Because of them you can go home at night and not worry about an enemy attack or ethnic cleansing in your neighborhood.
Is America perfect? NO. But there have been several people in the past and there are several serving today who are trying to make it as good as it can be.
Happy Veteran's Day!
“Those of us who were fortunate enough to have lived through it all are blessed with memories of extremely good men at their very finest.”
Why We Fight by Maj. Dave Saville
I discovered one of the most powerful lessons I ever learned in a short book titled "What They Fought For, 1861-1865," by James M. McPherson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Battle Cry For Freedom." The book was McPherson's summary of hundreds of letters written by soldiers of the Civil War in both the Union and Confederate armies.
I had always wondered why so many thousands of Americans would sacrifice themselves on the battlefield, fighting against each other. It baffled me. All other books I have read about the Civil War failed to answer this fundamental question for me. But reading this unique book clarified for me why they fought and why I am ready to fight.
The Civil War was the first war in history in which the average foot soldier was literate, and the last war in history in which personal correspondence was free of censorship or security guidelines. Civil War soldiers wrote lots of letters, and many of those letters are available today, preserved by families and museums.
In fact, these soldiers wrote descriptively about their experiences and their thoughts, revealing insights into their motivation for fighting.
The most common motivation McPherson discovered in the letters, from both sides, was to preserve liberty and government "of the people, by the people, for the people." They understood they were responsible for preventing it from vanishing from the Earth.
How did they develop this sense of global responsibility? McPherson theorizes that most of these soldiers learned their duty to defend the Constitution by sitting on their great-grandfathers' and -grandmothers' laps and hearing stories of the Revolutionary War.
When the war began in 1861, it had only been 80 years since the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown and the end of the Revolutionary War. When the Civil War soldiers were children, they learned what the first war was all about from those who lived it.
When the Southern states seceded from the Union over issues of state sovereignty and slavery, the stage was set for these young Americans to rise up and serve the Constitution themselves. The South saw the future of America one way while the North saw it another way.
The letters from the soldiers reveal that the average soldier felt a profound burden to personally ensure democracy survived.
This sentiment was captured in President Lincoln's Gettysburg address. He said, "We are highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Like the soldiers who died on that battlefield after writing these letters, Lincoln knew democracy was fragile, and its future hung in the balance, affecting not only Americans, but the whole world.
Although America is much stronger now, the ideals of this country based on liberty are still under attack. The terrorist attacks on America over the past few years, including the attacks on Khobar Towers, the U.S.S. Cole and the World Trade Center and Pentagon, remind us that we have the same job our forefathers had at Yorktown and Gettysburg.
We have our chance to "ante up," like our fathers did at Normandy, Inchon and Vietnam. We can now add to that list Kuwait, Kosovo and Afghanistan. It is in these conflicts that we find the stories and lessons we will tell our grandchildren as we bounce them on our knees.
Imagine if our children and grandchildren do not learn the same sense of responsibility and patriotism we received from our forefathers? That would be a tragedy too colossal for words to describe. We must ensure the future of a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" or we risk losing it from the Earth.
That is why we fight.
WHAT IS A VET?
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg-or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's alloy forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a vet?
· He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
· He is the bar room loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.
· She-or he-is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
· He is the POW who went away one person and came back another-or didn't come back AT ALL.
· He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat-but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.
· He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
· He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
· He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
· He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket-palsied now and aggravatingly slow-who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
· He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being-a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.
· He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.
When a good Veteran leaves the "job" and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder. We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.
We know in the military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.
These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.
Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the "job" and merely being allowed to leave "active" duty.
So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God," and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds' a$$ that left you behind.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!" Then get you home safely and put you to bed.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM for using your name in vain.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.
How long has it been since we all were young together? Strangers becoming more like brothers than friends. Sharing things that most will never know, building bonds that are stronger than blood.
Cat shots into a formless black night, when sea and sky are one. Only the gauges point to altitude and life. Or into a hot, still day, when lift seems but a theory. Straining against the straps, willing it to climb. Hours strapped to a hard seat, mask cutting your face. Seemingly alone in a universe of three. Stretching for home, fuel balanced against Charlie time. "Foul deck. Continue to hold." Can sweat replace fuel? CCA through the muck, bathed in St. Elmo's ghostly glow. Pilot on the gauges, B/N searching for the sight of the plane guard's wake or Mustang's faint lights. Gear down. Flaps down. Hook down. "Call the ball." Pin point of orange, two green bars. "Folder five, ball." Air speed, line up and ball. Seconds to get it right. Pitching deck, don't chase it. "Folder five, power!" A rush of lights. Jarring hit. Scraping hook. Please catch. Full power. Slammed into the straps. Yes! From flight deck chaos to the ready room's warmth and the LSO's dreaded review: "High start, low in the middle. Okay three."
And there were joys that never grew old. On top of sun-blessed clouds, little less than gods. Or high in a clear night, a billion stars humbling the soul. The low-level rush, hills grabbing for your guts. Face in the scope, find the aim point, track. Master bomb on. "Follow BDI." Tone. Pull! Two and a half Gs. Release. Roll. Shack! Happy hours at the club. Unplanned weekend parties. Married couples who'll feed bachelor JOs.
Off to WestPac. Mai Tais beneath the "bang bang tree." Popcorn and "juice" in the JO bunkroom. Atsugi for hotsy baths and sake to forget night traps. Cubi and San Miguels, "fragrant river" and "monkey on a stick." Hong Kong's good cheap suits and floating restaurants. Pollywogs becoming shellbacks on crossing the line Down under, where past sacrifices still bring respect. Finally, homeward bound. "Open up those Golden Gates."
But life on the edge brings soaring highs AND crushing lows. Friends so full of life, can they really be gone? Empty ready room chairs bring the sad truth: Fatherless kids, wives now widows and men who will never grow old. "Glory, glory, what a helluva way to die." "And they'll never fly home again." Practicing for war until the real thing came. The wrong war, in the wrong place, fought the wrong way. Too many good men gave their all for so little good.
Does anyone remember but those of us who loved them? The wall may be black, but the names are golden.
Now those who remain come together in joy. So many years have flown and our bodies are weaker. But the memories and the bonds are forever strong. And, for a moment, we all were young together again.
A story about a Viet Nam vet and movie star Ann Margaret which was written by the veteran's wife…
Richard, my husband, never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy 8x10 black-and-white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.
A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book-signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo, so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.
Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.
Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as second in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it."
She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen." With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to-do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he was the only one there.
Later, at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army," he said.
That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet.
I'll never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that one small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say Thank You to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces.
Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.
My hand salute and special thanks to all you veterans and families of veterans!!!!
Have a great week,
Al
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”-Ambrose Redmoon
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”-Thucydides
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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 101 H-Grams.
November 9
1822 The brig Alligator, commanded by Lt. William H. Allen, recaptures several merchant ships from pirates off Matanzas, Cuba, but Allen dies in battle. Boats from Alligator capture all the pirate vessels except one schooner that manages to escape.
1863 During the Civil War, the side wheel steamer James Adger, commanded by Cmdr. Thomas H. Patterson, captures blockade runner Robert E. Lee off Cape Lookout, Shoals, N.C.
1921 USS Olympia (C 6) arrives at the Washington Navy Yard from France carrying the body of the Unknown Soldier of World War I for internment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
1944 USS Barbero (SS 317) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the merchant ship Shimotsu Maru about 250 miles west of Manila while USS Queenfish (SS 393) also attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the gunboat Chojusan Maru about 50 miles west of Kyushu. Additionally on this date, USS Haddo (SS 255) sinks the Japanese tanker No.2 Hishu Maru in Mindoro Strait.
1950 Task Force 77 makes its first attack on the Yalu River bridges. In the first engagement between MIG-15 and F9F jets, Lt. Cmdr. William T. Amen, commanding officer of VF-111, based on board USS Philippine Sea (CV 47), shoots down a MiG and becomes the first Navy pilot to shoot down a jet aircraft.
1956 Secretary of the Navy Charles S. Thomas proposes the Polaris missile program to Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson.
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This Day in World History
November 9
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte participates in a coup and declares himself dictator of France.
1848 The first U.S. Post Office in California opens in San Francisco at Clay and Pike streets. At the time there are only about 15,000 European settlers living in the state.
1900 Russia completes its occupation of Manchuria.
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt leaves Washington, D.C., for a 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico, becoming the first president to make an official visit outside of the United States.
1914 The Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney wrecks the German cruiser Emden, forcing her to beach on a reef on North Keeling Island in the Indian Ocean.
1918 Germany is proclaimed a republic as the kaiser abdicates and flees to the Netherlands.
1935 Japanese troops invade Shanghai, China.
1938 Nazis kill 35 Jews, arrest thousands and destroy Jewish synagogues, homes and stores throughout Germany. The event becomes known as Kristallnacht, the night of the shattered glass.
1965 Roger Allen LaPorte, a 22-year-old former seminarian and a member of the Catholic worker movement, immolates himself at the United Nations in New York City in protest of the Vietnam War.
1965 Nine Northeastern states and parts of Canada go dark in the worst power failure in history, when a switch at a station near Niagara Falls fails.
1967 NASA launches Apollo 4 into orbit with the first successful test of a Saturn V rocket.
1972 Bones discovered by the Leakeys push human origins back 1 million years.
1983 Alfred Heineken, beer brewer from Amsterdam, is kidnapped and held for a ransom of more than $10 million.
1989 The Berlin Wall is opened after dividing the city for 28 years.
1993 Stari Most, a 427-year-old bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is destroyed, believed to be caused by artillery fire from Bosnian Croat forces.
1994 The chemical element Darmstadtium, a radioactive synthetic element, discovered by scientists in Darmstadt, Germany.
1998 Largest civil settlement in US history: 37 brokerage houses are ordered to pay $1.3 billion to NASDAQ investors to compensate for price fixing.
2007 German Bundestag passes controversial bill mandating storage of citizens' telecommunications traffic date for six months without probable causeToday in World History November 8
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Rolling Thunder Remembered
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.
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
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Thanks to Micro
Vietnam Air Losses for November 9
Date: 9 November 1968
Aircraft type: F-4B Phantom
Serial Number: 152209
Military Unit: VMFA-115, MAG-13
Service: USMC
Home Base: Chu Lai
Name(s):
Capt Joseph Louis Cannava, Jr. (Survived)
1Lt Bruce Alan Blahnik (Survived)
During the monsoon season in Southeast Asia one of the extra hazards that aircrew had to contend with was that of wet runways. Heavy rain often did not drain away from the runway surfaces fast enough and when mixed with rubber residue from thousands of take offs and landings, the result was a very slick surface. On the 9th a Marine Corps Phantom ran off a wet runway as it was taking off from Chu Lai. The aircraft was damaged and caught fire as it hit obstructions and was completely burnt out.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for November 9
9 Nov: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2017
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…Skip 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/
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/
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
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From the Archives
A GREAT REPEAT ARTICLE FROM SHADOW
Thanks to Shadow for another great note with Veteran’s Day on the 11th and the USMC Birthday AND Shadow’s tomorrow the 10th.
Those were the days
When you think about it… I firmly believe we all shared one of the most exciting, fulfilling and incredible lives than the other 99.9999% of the human race. We saw Mother Earth as few ever have… we saw beautiful skies like no others have… we traveled the world over. We were lucky enough to interface with magical machines and learned to master them! We knew the thrill of the catapult, the joy of an "OK Three Trap" and the concentration required to make a night trap at minimums. We saw the moon and stars at their most vivid best, experienced the awesome power of a level Five Boomer and witnessed incredible lightening at night from above it. Exhilarating low levels around mountain peaks, down in incredible canyons and the beautiful and incredible sentinels of Monument Valley as they burst from the desert floor. We saw skiers from above as they came down a mountain on fresh powder snow, leaving beautiful twisting trails behind them. I’ll never forget the night I saw my wingman flying into the largest Harvest Moon I’ll ever see and the incredible silhouette of his magnificent machine as it appeared to be suspended in space, like he was part of the moonscape itself. We saw the earth as few people have… incredible shorelines, marshes, limestone escarpments, incredible mountain ranges… great canyons around the world and the eerie but beautiful shadows of islands, cast upon the waters from a setting sun… and speaking of the sun… I dare say we have seen the most beautiful sunsets one could ever see from a vantage point that only us very few will ever experience.
We knew the thrill of adventure… and the smugness of taking off at sunrise as the nine to five drones down below were just awakening… bursting through a low cloud cover to be greeted by a magnificent rising sun framed by mountain peaks. I was often reminded of a Jack London quote I first read as a youth; “Tis the easiest thing in the world to live a placid and complacent life… but to do so... is to have never lived at all”! My friends, we didn’t have that problem.
We have memories like no others… and in my mind I still reflect and say to myself, one of the greatest gifts I received from it all... was the other incredible human beings that shared the experience that I got to meet along the way! You were special… we were special!
We were blessed!
Shadow
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From the Archives
Thanks to Carl
Veterans Day Profiles of Valor: Black Hawk Down | The Patriot Post
MARK ALEXANDER NOVEMBER 8, 2023
Veterans Day Profiles of Valor: Black Hawk Down
“Without a doubt, I owe my life to those two men and their bravery.”
“I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.” —John Adams (1776)
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, as memorialized in the film “Black Hawk Down,” a very compressed version of the 24-hour fight.
The Operation Gothic Serpent mission that began with a joint-force operation, primarily Army Rangers but also some Navy SEALS and Air Force Pararescue operators, to apprehend two top lieutenants of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s regime, ended in a bloody fight after two of our UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in the heart of Aidid’s urban territory. There were 18 Americans killed and 73 wounded, with one man captured. It is estimated that our forces responding to the rescue efforts of those helicopter crews killed between 300 and 700 of Aidid’s fighters.
I invite you to revisit the extraordinary scarifies of that battle ahead of our national observance of Veterans Day Saturday, when we pause at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in honor of all American veterans.
In the spirit of Veterans Day, allow me to tell you a bit about two veterans who represent the best of American warriors — Maine native son Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, who served with 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, and Nebraska native son Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, who served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Delta Force.
As background, in August 1993 prior to standing up Task Force Ranger in Magadishu, four U.S. soldiers were killed by an IED remotely detonated by Aidid’s terror squads. A week before the main battle, another Black Hawk was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, crashing and killing three American service personnel onboard.
My East Tennessee friend MG Gary Harrell (RIP), who retired as Deputy Commanding General of the Army Special Operations Command, was probably best known for his leadership as a then-Lt. Col. of C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, during the Battle Mogadishu. He was severely wounded, but Gary was a rock — and he recovered. (Ironically, he had previously almost met his end in a helicopter crash during operations in Panama.)
Conversations with Gary, who advanced the names of Master Sgt. Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Shughart for the posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor, provided firsthand insights into the courage and character of these men. Gary’s account of their heroic actions was bolstered in subsequent conversations with others who fought there, including Lt. Gen. William Boykin (USA, Ret.) and Col. Danny McKnight (USA, Ret.), who commanded 450 soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Mogadishu.
They all confirmed that our warriors were hamstrung by restrictive rules of engagement imposed by then “Commander-in-Chief” Bill Clinton, who apparently did not learn anything from the bad example of his predecessor, LBJ, whose advisors also endeavored to micromanage combat — in his case in Vietnam — from the basement of the White House.
Perhaps the most visceral account of the actions that day is from CW4 Michael Durant (USA, Ret.), who was the pilot of Super Six Four, the second MH-60L Black Hawk shot down while trying to provide cover after Super Six One was downed. Durant authored a detailed account of that day and night in his book In the Company of Heroes.
After repeated denials of their request to get on the ground and defend Durant and his crew, Gordon and Shughart were inserted by Super Six Two into a battleground with insurmountable odds of survival. They killed numerous Somalis before they ran out of ammunition and were killed in their valorous defense of their fellow warriors, becoming the first Medal of Honor recipients since the Vietnam War.
Their respective Medal of Honor citations detail their actions.
M/Sgt. Gordon distinguished himself by action above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. M/Sgt. Gordon’s sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault, and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When M/Sgt. Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, M/Sgt. Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused him to abort the first attempt, M/Sgt. Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and pistol, M/Sgt. Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. M/Sgt. Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. M/Sgt. Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. M/Sgt. Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew’s weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. M/Sgt. Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded, and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, M/Sgt. Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words “Good Luck.” Then, armed only with his pistol, MSgt. Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot’s life. M/Sgt. Gordon’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
Sfc. Shughart distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sfc. Shughart provided precision sniper fire from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sfc. Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sfc. Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sfc. Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while travelling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sfc. Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot’s life. Sfc. Shughart’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
According to Michael Durant, who was severely injured in the crash of his helicopter and taken prisoner and held him captive for 11 days: “Without a doubt, I owe my life to those two men and their bravery. Those guys came in when they had to know it was a losing battle. If they had not come in, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Reading the account of the actions that day, and considering every other Medal of Honor citation and the heroic actions of so many more, it is clear that never in our nation’s history has the contrast between those who have defended our legacy of American Liberty with their blood and life stood in such stark contrast with the domestic enemies of Liberty.
One of the most disgraceful but exemplary illustrations of that contrast would be the actions of anti-Semite Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (D-MN), who was born in Mogadishu and was 11 years old when the lives of Gordon and Shughart were taken. Two years later, in 1995, Omar arrived in the United States, where she and her family were granted asylum. They settled in Minneapolis, which has a large Islamic population and has earned the title of terrorist-recruiting capital of the U.S..
It is from that cesspool of hatred that the now-40-year-old Omar was elected to the U.S. House in 2018. She is a consummate hater whose anti-Semitic sentiments were exposed most recently after the Hamas attack on Israel. She is a charter member of the uber-leftist, America-hating “Squad” — eight Marxists who are leading the socialist surge in the Democrat Party.
Omar owes her life and existence to those who have defended the country she loathes, and yet has been on the forefront of the “systemic racism” lie and the Marxist so-called “Black Lives Matter” radicals it spawned.
I mention this not only by way of her connection to Mogadishu and the contrast in character, but because the hatred that Omar and her ilk invoked in 2020 has been tied to the desecration of Master Sgt. Gordon’s gravesite in Maine.
Their disgraceful behavior and lack of gratitude notwithstanding, we American Patriots set aside Veterans Day to honor the service and sacrifice of generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who have carried forward the banner of Liberty since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. Millions of American Patriots have, for generations, honored their oaths “to support and defend” the freedom “endowed by our Creator” as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Constitution.
Amid all the political rancor that dominates the public discourse and news cycles, we should remind others of the following observation from Army veteran Charles M. Province:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
At one point in their lives, every veteran wrote a blank check made payable to “The People of the United States of America” for an amount up to and including their life.
Finally, to genuinely demonstrate gratitude to military veterans and those still serving, Patriots who have and continue to defend the Liberty we enjoy, here is my suggestion: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
The most common written word in English is “the.”
English words today come from a variety of languages, originating from Greek, French, Latin, and many others. But perhaps the most important of them all is German, whose words form the backbone of English. That’s why English is considered a Germanic language, as opposed to a Romance language like French (although English also shares a considerable number of similarities with French, thanks to the Normans). Taking a look at the most commonly written words in English around the world, as compiled by the Oxford English Dictionary, illustrates German’s indelible influence.
At the top of the list of the most common written words is, unsurprisingly, “the,” related to German’s gendered der, die, and das. Germanic function words, such as “and,” “but,” and “that,” pepper the rest of the list. English’s most-written noun (“time”), verb (“be”), and adjective (“good”) are also Germanic in origin. Today, English borrows liberally for its vocabulary — scholars estimate that words from more than 350 languages have entered English — but the roots of its linguistic tree are considered Western Germanic. English-speakers are far from alone: Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian (spoken in parts of the Netherlands and Germany), Yiddish, and of course German also developed from the same West Germanic roots. In total, these tongues are spoken as primary languages by about 450 million people throughout the world.
English has twice as many non-native speakers as native ones.
English is one of the most universal languages in human history, thanks to the former expanse of the British empire, the dominance of the U.S. post-World War II, and other factors. It’s because of this ubiquity that it has the strange distinction of having twice as many non-native speakers (753 million) as native ones (379 million). When factoring in both of these numbers, English has (just barely) more speakers than Mandarin, which has 918 million native speakers — by far the most in the world — but only 199 million non-native speakers. In total, English is spoken by 1.5 billion speakers around the world, compared to Mandarin’s 1.1 billion.
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From the Archives
Thanks to Dutch
Thanks to Marathon
This has been around before and some of the names at the bottom may have changed, but the logic is the same, thanks to Craig
THIS SEEMS VERY LOGICAL…
RATTLESNAKE LOGIC
As long as we insist on maintaining the "moral high ground", we will NEVER win the war on terrorism! We're in a conflict which we absolutely INSIST on playing by the rules - against a maniacal group who have NO rules!
Rattlesnake Logic in dealing with terrorists.
After the Boston bombing the news media spent days and weeks trying to determine why these men did what they did. They want to know what America did to make these brothers so angry with us.
They want to know why these men were not arrested before they did something so terrible.
The media is in a tizzy about this new era of home-grown radicals and about why and how they can live among us and still hate us.
A Texan explained it:
Here in west Texas , I have rattlesnakes on my place, living among us.
I have killed a rattlesnake on the front porch. I have killed a rattlesnake on the back porch.
I have killed rattlesnakes in the barn, in the shop and on the driveway.
In fact, I kill every rattlesnake I encounter. I kill rattlesnakes because I know a rattlesnake will bite me and inject me with poison. I don't stop to wonder WHY a rattlesnake will bite me;
I know it WILL bite me because it's a rattlesnake and that's what rattlesnakes do.
I don't try to reason with a rattlesnake or have a "meaningful dialogue" with it. I just kill it.
I don't try to get to know the rattlesnake better so I can find a way to live with the rattlesnakes and convince them not to bite me.. I just kill them.
I don't quiz a rattlesnake to see if I can find out where the other snakes are, because (a) it won't tell me and (b) I already know they live on my place. So, I just kill the rattlesnake and move on to the next one.
I don't look for ways I might be able to change the rattlesnake to a non-poisonous rat snake. I just kill it. Oh, and on occasion, I accidentally kill a rat snake because I thought it was a rattlesnake at the time.
Also, I know for every rattlesnake I kill, two more are lurking out there in the brush. In my lifetime I will never be able to rid my place of rattlesnakes.
Do I fear them? Not really. Do I respect what they can do to me and my family? Yes!
And because of that respect, I give them the fair justice they deserve. I kill them. As a country, we should start giving more thought to the fact that these jihadists' are telling the world their goal is to kill Americans and destroy our way of life.
They have posted graphic videos on the Internet showing them beheading Americans. They are serious. They are exactly like rattlesnakes. It is high time for us to start acting accordingly!
I love this country. It's the damn government I'm afraid of! Why?
Look who's new in the White House!
Arif Alikhan, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Mohammed Elibiary, Homeland Security Adviser
Rashad Hussain, Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Salam al-Marayati, Obama adviser and founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and is its current executive director
Imam Mohamed Magid, Obama's Sharia Czar from the Islamic Society of North America
Eboo Patel, Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships
This is flat-out scary! The foxes are now officially living in the hen house...
And our borders are letting these in by the thousands BUY MORE AMMO
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From the Archives
Thanks to shadow
FYI… From a former squadron mate… Shadow
Begin forwarded message:
Kurt Schlichter, Col USA (Ret) lays out the case why more Republican Senators ought to get behind the Auburn football coach’s effort to make the Senate do its job. Giving the Pentagon the courtesy of blanket approval for their senior officers had turned out to be a disastrous practice. It has filled the ranks with Obama Woke Flags that are incompetent, unsatisfactory and basically ruinous. These selections are so important that they need to be singularly vetted for their positions they are striking to assume.,
But those are not the reasons Sen Tuberville is holding his ground. He is blocking the blanket Mike Pence style approval method because the Pentagon insists on breaking the law over concerning the federal funding of abortion. The removal of that demand and they can go back to waving all these woke in all these woke generals. The Senate Majority can at any moment bring the singular votes to the floor and fill these positions. He has done so in a few instances, apparently causing the heart attack of the new Commandant of the Marine Corps, but he’d rather pin his donkey’s tail on Senator Tuberville’s dangerous tactic that “jeopardizes America’s security!”
No it doesn’t! The blanket approval method must be abolished and each senior officer should be properly vetted. The Pentagon has screwed the pooched here as they are no longer to be trusted to give us the best leadership available.
Col Schlichter recommends that the slate be wiped clean, the Senate Repubs ought to all vote a resounding “Nay!” on these Romper Room Flags.
Kudos to Senator Tuberville for holding firm.
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From the Archives
Great!!
Thanks to Billy ...and Dr.Rich
This is quite a remarkable story.
23-year-old Phyllis Latour jumps from a US Air Force bomber and parachutes into occupied Normandy to gather intelligence on Nazi positions in preparation for D-Day. She uses an entrenching tool strapped to her leg to bury her 'chute and clothes, and begins a 4 month mission of impeccable spycraft posing as a poor teenage French girl.
Latour had been trained by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). She learned about encryption and surveillance, how to send messages in Morse code, and how to repair the wireless sets. She had to pass grueling physical tests set in the rough terrain of the Scottish highlands. She learned the techniques of close combat, and described how they were taught by a cat burglar who had been released from jail on "how to get in a high window, and down drain pipes, how to climb over roofs without being caught." Latour was determined to exact revenge against the Nazis, who had killed her godfather.
It would be a dangerous mission. Years later Latour told an interviewer "The men who had been sent just before me were caught and executed. I was told I was chosen for that area [of France] because I would arouse less suspicion." She used bicycles to tour the region, often under the guise of selling soap, and passed information to the British on Nazi positions using coded messages. Acting the part of a silly country girl, she would chatter with German soldiers. She moved constantly to avoid detection. Often she would spend nights sleeping in forests and foraging for food.
Latour developed an ingenious plan to conceal her activities. She carried her secret codes on a piece of silk, pricking each one with a pin when it had been used. She concealed the silk in a hair tie. When she was briefly detained by the Germans and subjected to search, she brazenly removed the tie and let her hair fall, to show that she had nothing to hide. During the summer of 1944 she sent 135 coded messages, helping Allied bombers to identify German targets.
After the war, Latour married and settled in New Zealand, raising four children. Her children knew nothing about their mother's service until her oldest son discovered the information on the Internet in 2000. She was presented with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the French government in 2014, as part of the 70th anniversary of the battle of Normandy. Still living in New Zealand, Latour is 101.
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This Day in U.S. Military History
November 9
1620 – Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
1780 – In the Battle of Fishdam Ford a force of British and Loyalist troops fail in a surprise attack against the South Carolina Patriot militia under Brigadier General Thomas Sumter. The Battle of Fishdam Ford was an attempted surprise attack by British forces under the command of Major James Wemyss against an encampment of Patriot militia around 1 am, late in the American Revolutionary War. Wemyss was wounded and captured in the attack, which failed because of heightened security in Sumter’s camp and because Wemyss did not wait until dawn to begin the attack.
1861 – Gunboats of Flag Officer Du Pont’s force took possession of Beaufort, South Carolina, and, by block¬ing the mouth of Broad River, cut off this communication link between Charleston and Savannah. Major General Robert E. Lee wrote Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin regarding the effects of the Union Navy’s victory at Port Royal: “The enemy having complete possession of the water and inland navigation, commands all the islands on the coast and threatens both Savannah and Charleston, and can come in his boats, within 4 miles of this place [Lee’s headquarters, Coosawhatchie, South Carolina]. His sloops of war and large steamers can come up Broad River to Mackay’s Point, the mouth of the Pocotaligo, and his gunboats can ascend some distance up the Coosawhatchie and Tulifinny. We have no guns that can resist their batteries, and have no resources but to prepare to meet them in the field.”
1862 – General US Grant issued orders to bar Jews from serving under him. The order was quickly rescinded.
1989 – East German officials today opened the Berlin Wall, allowing travel from East to West Berlin. The following day, celebrating Germans began to tear the wall down. One of the ugliest and most infamous symbols of the Cold War was soon reduced to rubble that was quickly snatched up by souvenir hunters. The East German action followed a decision by Hungarian officials a few weeks earlier to open the border between Hungary and Austria. This effectively ended the purpose of the Berlin Wall, since East German citizens could now circumvent it by going through Hungary, into Austria, and thence into West Germany. The decision to open the wall was also a reflection of the immense political changes taking place in East Germany, where the old communist leadership was rapidly losing power and the populace was demanding free elections and movement toward a free market system. The action also had an impact on President George Bush and his advisors. After watching television coverage of the delirious German crowds demolishing the wall, many in the Bush administration became more convinced than ever that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s statements about desiring a new relationship with the West must be taken more seriously. Unlike 1956 and
1968, when Soviet forces ruthlessly crushed protests in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, respectively, Gorbachev actually encouraged the East German action. As such, the destruction of the Berlin Wall was one of the most significant actions leading to the end of the Cold War.
2001 – Northern Alliance forces, under the command of Dostum and Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor, overcame resistance crossing the Pul-i-Imam Bukhri bridge, and seized the city of Mazar e Sharif’s main military base and airport. U.S. Special Forces Operational Detachment A-595, CIA paramilitary officers and United States Air Force Combat Control Team[137][138][139] on horseback and with close air support, took part in the push into Mazari Sharif. After a bloody 90-minute battle, Taliban forces withdrew after holding the city since 1998, triggering celebrations. The fall of the city was a “body blow” to the Taliban and ultimately proved to be a “major shock”,[141] since the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had originally believed that the city would remain in Taliban hands well into the following year and any potential battle would require “a very slow advance”. Following rumors that Mullah Dadullah was headed to recapture the city with as many as 8,000 fighters, a thousand American 10th Mountain Division personnel were airlifted into the city, providing the first solid position from which Kabul and Kandahar could be reached.[144][145] While prior military flights had to be launched from Uzbekistan or aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea, the Americans now had an airport that allowed them to fly more sorties for resupply missions and humanitarian aid. These missions allowed shipments of humanitarian aid to be immediately shipped to Afghans facing starvation on the northern plain. American-backed forces began immediately broadcasting from Radio Mazar-i-Sharif, the former Taliban Voice of Sharia channel, including an address from former President Rabbani.
2001 – The Battle of Mazar-e Sharif may also mark the last use of horseback mounted tactics by US troops. US Special Forces operators, blending modern and ancient, rode with Northern Alliance allies while using modern communications to direct air support.
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Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*SIJAN, LANCE P.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 4th Allied POW Wing, Pilot of an F-4C aircraft. Place and date: North Vietnam, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 13 April 1942, Milwaukee, Wis. Citation: While on a flight over North Vietnam, Capt. Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than 6 weeks. During this time, he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food. After being captured by North Vietnamese soldiers, Capt. Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a prisoner of war camp. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered 1 of his guards and crawled into the jungle, only to be recaptured after several hours. He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length. During interrogation, he was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. Capt. Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner. During his intermittent periods of consciousness until his death, he never complained of his physical condition and, on several occasions, spoke of future escape attempts. Capt. Sijan’s extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
TAYLOR, JAMES ALLEN
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Troop B, 1st Cavalry, Americal Division. Place and date: West of Que Son, Republic of Vietnam, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Born: 31 December 1937, Arcata, Calif. Citation: Capt. Taylor, Armor, was serving as executive officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron. His troop was engaged in an attack on a fortified position west of Que Son when it came under intense enemy recoilless rifle, mortar, and automatic weapons fire from an enemy strong point located immediately to its front. One armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit immediately by recoilless rifle fire and all 5 crewmembers were wounded. Aware that the stricken vehicle was in grave danger of exploding, Capt. Taylor rushed forward and personally extracted the wounded to safety despite the hail of enemy fire and exploding ammunition. Within minutes a second armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit by multiple recoilless rifle rounds. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire, Capt. Taylor moved forward on foot to rescue the wounded men from the burning vehicle and personally removed all the crewmen to the safety of a nearby dike. Moments later the vehicle exploded. As he was returning to his vehicle, a bursting mortar round painfully wounded Capt. Taylor, yet he valiantly returned to his vehicle to relocate the medical evacuation landing zone to an area closer to the front lines. As he was moving his vehicle, it came under machinegun fire from an enemy position not 50 yards away. Capt. Taylor engaged the position with his machinegun, killing the 3-man crew. Upon arrival at the new evacuation site, still another vehicle was struck. Once again Capt. Taylor rushed forward and pulled the wounded from the vehicle, loaded them aboard his vehicle, and returned them safely to the evacuation site. His actions of unsurpassed valor were a source of inspiration to his entire troop, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army
YOUNG, GERALD O.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 37th ARS Da Nang AFB, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Khesanh, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Colorado Springs, Colo. Born: 9 May 1930, Chicago, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Young distinguished himself while serving as a helicopter rescue crew commander. Capt. Young was flying escort for another helicopter attempting the night rescue of an Army ground reconnaissance team in imminent danger of death or capture. Previous attempts had resulted in the loss of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire. The endangered team was positioned on the side of a steep slope which required unusual airmanship on the part of Capt. Young to effect pickup. Heavy automatic weapons fire from the surrounding enemy severely damaged 1 rescue helicopter, but it was able to extract 3 of the team. The commander of this aircraft recommended to Capt. Young that further rescue attempts be abandoned because it was not possible to suppress the concentrated fire from enemy automatic weapons. With full knowledge of the danger involved, and the fact that supporting helicopter gunships were low on fuel and ordnance, Capt. Young hovered under intense fire until the remaining survivors were aboard. As he maneuvered the aircraft for takeoff, the enemy appeared at point-blank range and raked the aircraft with automatic weapons fire. The aircraft crashed, inverted, and burst into flames. Capt. Young escaped through a window of the burning aircraft. Disregarding serious burns, Capt. Young aided one of the wounded men and attempted to lead the hostile forces away from his position. Later, despite intense pain from his burns, he declined to accept rescue because he had observed hostile forces setting up automatic weapons positions to entrap any rescue aircraft. For more than 17 hours he evaded the enemy until rescue aircraft could be brought into the area. Through his extraordinary heroism, aggressiveness, and concern for his fellow man, Capt. Young reflected the highest credit upon himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the Armed Forces of his country.
WHITE, KYLE J.
Living History of Medal of Honor Recipient Kyle White
https://youtu.be/_PMD7OAOgD4?si=T-nVr59lMvQ7AEKe
Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and Date: November 9, 2007, Aranas, Afghanistan. Born: March 27, 1987. Departed: No. Entered Service At: Seattle, Washington. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 05/13/2014. Accredited To: Washington. Citation: Specialist Kyle J. White distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio telephone operator with Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on November 9, 2007. On that day, Specialist White and his comrades were returning to Bella Outpost from a shura with Aranas Village elders. As the soldiers traversed a narrow path surrounded by mountainous, rocky terrain, they were ambushed by enemy forces from elevated positions. Pinned against a steep mountain face, Specialist White and his fellow soldiers were completely exposed to enemy fire. Specialist White returned fire and was briefly knocked unconscious when a rocket-propelled grenade impacted near him. When he regained consciousness, another round impacted near him, embedding small pieces of shrapnel in his face. Shaking off his wounds, Specialist White noticed one of his comrades lying wounded nearby. Without hesitation, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire in order to reach the soldier and provide medical aid. After applying a tourniquet, Specialist White moved to an injured Marine, similarly providing aid and comfort until the Marine succumbed to his wounds. Specialist White then returned to the soldier and discovered that he had been wounded again. Applying his own belt as an additional tourniquet, Specialist White was able to stem the flow of blood and save the soldier’s life. Noticing that his and the other soldier’s radios were inoperative, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire yet again in order to secure a radio from a deceased comrade. He then provided information and updates to friendly forces, allowing precision airstrikes to stifle the enemy’s attack and ultimately permitting medical evacuation aircraft to rescue him, his fellow soldiers, Marines and Afghan Army soldiers. Specialist Kyle J. White’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
for November 9, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 November
1918: The 155th Night BMS became the last American unit assigned to the armies before the end of World War I. (24)
1930: Capt Roy W. Ammel of Chicago, flying a Lockheed Sirius, the “Blue Flash,” powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine, began the first solo nonstop flight from New York to the Panama Canal Zone. On the flight, Ammel flew 2,700 miles in 24 hours 35 minutes. (21)
1935: The US Navy flew the first mass seaplane flight from Honolulu to French Frigate Shoal, flying 759 miles nonstop in 6 hours 10 minutes. (24)
1944: MEDAL OF HONOR. 1Lt Donald J. Gott and 2Lt William E. Metzger’s B-17 received several bad flak hits while flying in a group formation. With only one engine operable, the pilots jettisoned the bombs and made for Allied territory. The rest of the crew parachuted, leaving the pilots and the radio operator, who was too injured to jump, to try a crash landing. As Gott banked into a final landing approach at about 100 feet, the fire from three engines reached the fuel tank and the bomber exploded and crashed, killing all three occupants. Gott and Metzger received Medals of Honor for their action. (4)
1950: KOREAN WAR. In the Navy’s first encounter with MiGs in the Korean War, Lt Cmdr W. T. Amen became the first Navy pilot in history to shoot down a jet aircraft. [After the breakup of the Soviet Union, historians found evidence that this event may also be the first jet-to-jet aerial victory. See 8 November 1950.] (16) (24) A 91 SRS gunner, Sgt Harry J. Levene, scored the first B-29 jet victory in the war by destroying an attacking MiG-15. The RB-29 limped back to Japan, where five crewmen died in the crash landing. (28)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A C-47 landed on the beach of Paengnyong-do Island off the southwest coast of North Korea and rescued 11 crewmen of a downed B-29. The 19 BG attacked marshalling yards at Hwang-ju, Kowon, and Yangdok; the Saamcham Airfield; and a barracks area. In other night attacks, 98 BW B-29s bombed Taechon Airfield, flew five close support sorties and a leaflet sortie, and struck Hungnam. (28)
1956: SUEZ CRISIS: Through December, C-121s, C-124s, and other aircraft moved over 1,500 members of the UN peacekeeping force and some 170 tons of cargo to the Middle East. (18)
1959: The USAF awarded Dyna Soar development contracts to Boeing and Martin. (12)
1960: The US Post Office demonstrated a new use for the ECHO I satellite. It sent a “speed mail” letter from Washington DC to Newark by bouncing a microwave beam off the satellite. (24)
1961: Maj Robert M. White attained 4,093 MPH (Mach 6.04) in the X-15A-2 while flying at full throttle at 101,600 feet in altitude above Edwards AFB. (3) (9)
1962: At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in the first full-duration, full-thrust, static firing test of a Saturn C-1 stage I, the booster produced 1.5 million pounds of thrust. (24)
1964: Vandenberg AFB launched the last Minuteman I (Model A) operational test missile. (6)
1966: A F-111A fighter-bomber achieved a first for American aircraft by flying faster than the speed of sound for 15 minutes at a constant ground clearance of less than 1,000 feet. (16)
1967: Saturn V completed its first test by launching Apollo IV. The 36-story high rocket performed without a flaw. MEDAL OF HONOR. An ARRS member, Capt Gerald O. Young, earned the Medal of Honor as an HH-3 pilot in a combat rescue mission near Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Despite intense ground fire that damaged one HH-3, Captain Young and his crew (Capt Ralph Bower, SSgt Eugene L Clay, and Sgt Larry W. Maysey) tried to rescue the remaining reconnaissance team. Wounded with second and third degree burns over one-fourth of his body, Young prevented the capture of the survivors. Some 17 hours after the crash and six miles from the crash site, Young finally escaped the North Vietnamese and signaled for a pick up. Clay and Maysey received an Air Force Cross posthumously, while Young received the Medal of Honor. (18) (21) MEDAL OF HONOR. Ejecting from his F-4C Phantom over North Vietnam, Capt Lance P. Sijan successfully evaded capture for more than six weeks. Enemy forces captured him, but the severely weakened and injured Sijan managed to escape. After his recapture and torture, he contracted pneumonia and died. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously. (21)
1988: A 709 MAS C-5 flew a mobile dental clinic and two ambulances to Niamey, Niger, on a humanitarian mission. (26)
1989: Over Edwards AFB, the NB-52D carried Pegasus, an air-launched space booster, on its first captive-carry flight. The flight examined the vehicle's guidance, navigation, control, and tele-metry systems. (8: Jan 90)
2006: SECEF Michael W. Wynne announced the selection of Boeing to provide 141 HH-47 helicopters as the new Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle (CSAR-X). The Air Force planned to replace HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters with the HH-47s. (Pentagon Press Release, “Air Force Selects Developer for Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle,” 9 Nov 2006) The Air Force activated the first MQ-9 Reaper unit, the 42d Attack Squadron, at Creech AFB. The single-engine, propeller-driven Reaper (formerly the Predator B) could carry 3,000 pounds of bombs and missiles, while remaining airborne for 24 hours. The smaller MQ-1 Predator carried 500 pounds of weaponry. (USAF Aimpoints, “First Reaper Squadron Stands Up,” 9 Nov 2006)
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