To All
Good Monday Morning March 23, 2026.
Another clear and hot day climbing to 85 by 1. ..
.A great physical Therapy session this morning I think I got to over 6 feet on the RACK and then she added a few more stretching exercised to my list. This is going to help get me back in shape a lot. Thanks to Karan.
Another testing session this evening at the school. Everyone is going to do sparring and that is always entertaining. Next week is the Bubba Breakfast so make plans to meet with the Bubbas on April 3.
Warm Regards,
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HAGD
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Monday Morning Humor--Spring
.Thanks to Al
Spring arrived last Friday which got me thinking on several related areas…
Gardening…
I can't tell the difference between a rose and a dandelion. So now that it's spring, it's time to fix up my garden. I had no clues which plants to keep and which ones to remove.
That is when I remembered that my dad gave me this handy tip: "Pull them all up. If it comes back, it's a weed."
Camping…
It was late in the evening when a fully loaded minivan pulled into the only remaining campsite at the beach. As soon as it stopped, the doors flew open and four children jumped out.
They began to unload gear and worked feverishly to set up the tent. Next, the boys set up the fire pit while the girls and their mother set up the kitchen area.
The camper in the space next to them marveled and told the children's father, "I've never seen such teamwork nor a campsite that was ready so quickly. I'm impressed."
The father nodded sagely and said, "I have a system. No one goes to the bathroom before the camp is set up."
Spring Check-Up…
A man visited his doctor for his annual physical, and the doctor checked him over before commenting, "It looks like you get a fair bit of exercise.
The man replied, "Oh yeah, in fact, just the other day I walked five miles over rugged terrain as I climbed over rocks and trees. I also waded along the edges of a lake, pushing my way through tall thistles, and even slid down sandy slopes while getting sand in my eyes."
The doctor was quite impressed. "Well, you are certainly a dedicated outdoor enthusiast."
The man replied, "Not really, doctor. I'm just a really bad golfer."
In Upper Michigan…
There are knee-deep snowdrifts everywhere with howling winds. It's -38 degrees with a windchill of -54 degrees.
On the bright side, there haven't been any mosquitos in weeks.
Spring Travel…
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded: "Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Delta Airlines," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"Delta?" exclaimed the hairdresser. "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"
"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's going to be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump."
"We're going to go to see the Vatican and maybe get to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.
"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Delta's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old flight attendant who waited on me hand and foot.
And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."
"Oh, really! What'd he say?"
He said: "Who screwed up your hair?"
Have a great week,
Al
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 86 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
March 23
1815 The sloop-of-war USS Hornet captures the brig sloop HMS Penguin after a 22 minute battle, with neither ship aware the War of 1812 is over.
1882 Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt (Jan. 7, 1881 to April 16, 1882), creates the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) with General Order No. 292.
1917 USS New Mexico (BB 40) is launched. She is the first dreadnought with turboelectric drive.
1944 USS Tunny (SS 282) sinks the Japanese submarine I 42 off the Palau Islands.
1945 USS Haggard (DD 555) is damaged when she rams and sinks Japanese submarine RO 41 in the Philippine Sea. Also on this date, USS Spadefish (SS 411) attacks Japanese Sasebo-to-Ishigaki convoy SAI-05 in the East China Sea about 120 miles north-northwest of Amami O Shima and sinks transport Doryu Maru.
1953 During the Korean War, jet aircraft from USS Oriskany (CVA 34) stage a "lights out" program by attacking a water power site below the Fusen Reservoir, resulting in four cuts in the penstocks and damaging two buildings housing generators.
1965 Navy Lt. Cmdr. John W. Young is a pilot on Gemini III, the first 2-manned spacecraft, that completes three orbits in four hours, 53 minutes at an altitude of 224 km. He is joined by Air Force Lt. Col. Virgil Grissom, command pilot.
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This date in World history
March 23
1657 France and England form an alliance against Spain.
1743 Handel's Messiah is performed for the first time in London.
1775 American revolutionary hero Patrick Henry, while addressing the House of Burgesses, declares "give me liberty, or give me death!"
1791 Etta Palm, a Dutch champion of woman's rights, sets up a group of women's clubs called the Confederation of the Friends of Truth.
1848 Hungary proclaims its independence of Austria.
1857 Elisha Otis installs the first modern passenger elevator in a public building, at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in New York City.
1858 Eleazer A. Gardner of Philadelphia patents the cable street car, which runs on overhead cables.
1862 Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson faces his only defeat at the Battle of Kernstown, Va
1880 John Stevens of Neenah, Wis., patents the grain crushing mill. This mill allows flour production to increase by 70 percent.
1901 A group of U.S. Army soldiers, led by Brigadier General Frederick Funston, capture Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the Philippine Insurrection of 1899.
1903 The Wright brothers obtain an airplane patent.
1909 Theodore Roosevelt begins an African safari sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.
1909 British Lt. Ernest Shackleton finds the magnetic South Pole.
1917 Austrian Emperor Charles I makes a peace proposal to French President Poincare.
1920 Great Britain denounces the United States because of its delay in joining the League of Nations.
1921 Arthur G. Hamilton sets a new parachute record, safely jumping 24,400 feet.
1927 Captain Hawthorne Gray sets a new balloon record soaring to 28,510 feet.
1933 The Reichstag gives Adolf Hitler the power to rule by decree.
1942 The Japanese occupy the Anadaman Islands in the Indian Ocean.
1951 U.S. paratroopers descend from flying boxcars in a surprise attack in Korea.
1956 Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic, although it is still within the British Commonwealth.
1967 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. calls the Vietnam War the biggest obstacle to the civil rights movement.
1970 Mafia boss Carlo Gambino is arrested for plotting to steal $3 million.
1972 The United States calls a halt to the peace talks on Vietnam being held in Paris.
1981 U.S. Supreme Court upholds a law making statutory rape a crime for men but not women.
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. .
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 .
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Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..March 23 . .
March 23: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2
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 Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
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MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026
Good Morning! On this day in 1839, The Boston Morning Post used "O.K." in the day's edition, marking the first appearance of the phrase in a formal publication. O.K. is an abbreviated form of "oll korrect," a slang form of "all correct" at the time.
Today, we cover a delightfully odd airport discovery: a possum tucked in among plush toys in an Australian gift shop. We have the details below.
Plan for your future with today's sponsor, Fisher Investments, and get the 15-Minute Retirement Plan, a free guide with tips to help you plan for retirement if you have $1 million or more in investable assets.
ICE Agents Head to Airports Today
President Trump said Sunday that ICE agents will deploy to U.S. airports starting today to assist TSA officers working without pay. The partial DHS shutdown is now approaching day 40 with no deal in sight.
Border czar Tom Homan said ICE won't operate X-ray machines but will cover exit lanes and check IDs to free up screeners for security checkpoints. It takes four to six months to train and certify a TSA officer, a process ICE agents haven't undergone.
Lines have stretched to nearly three hours at some terminals, with checkpoints closing at airports in Houston and Philadelphia. See the scene at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.
With full paychecks stopped, nonprofits and food banks have stepped in across the country, stocking pantries and delivering meals to agents at airports from San Diego to Seattle.
Worst Flooding in 20 Years Hits Hawaii
Hawaii spent Sunday cleaning up from its worst flooding in 20 years after a Kona low storm dumped up to 12 inches of rain on already-saturated ground, forcing 5,500 people to evacuate on Oahu's North Shore and pushing a 120-year-old dam to the brink of failure.
More than 230 people were rescued from rising waters, including 72 children and adults airlifted by the National Guard and the Honolulu Fire Department from a spring break camp. No deaths were reported.
Actor Jason Momoa, a Hawaii native, evacuated from the North Shore with his family after losing power, later taking to social media to encourage locals to support their neighbors and spread aloha.
Gov. Josh Green called it the worst flooding since 2004 and estimated more than $1 billion in statewide damage to airports, schools, roads, and a hospital. Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday, but a flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon.
Map: Income Needed for Middle Class by State
The income needed to qualify as middle class in the United States varies by nearly $30,000 depending on where you live, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau and Pew Research data.
Massachusetts tops the list, where households need roughly $69,900 just to enter the middle-income range, followed by New Jersey at $69,500 and Maryland at $68,600, all driven by proximity to Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
At the other end, Mississippi requires only $39,400 to be considered middle class, with West Virginia and Louisiana close behind.
A middle-class household in the top three states can afford a home priced around $315,000 to $320,000, while those in the cheapest states can comfortably buy in the $180,000 to $190,000 range
Thanks to the Flyover
. THE YEAR 1907
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
One hundred and 16 years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907:
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The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City
cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more
heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 Cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year.
A dentist made $2,500 per year.
A veterinarian $1,500 per year.
And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all U.S. Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 US. Adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,
regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.'
There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!
Now I sent it to you and others all over the United States, possibly the world, in a matter of just Seconds !!!!!!!!!
PASS THIS ALONG!!!!!
Just try to imagine.....
What it may be like
In another 100 years !!!!!!!
IT STAGGERS THE MIND !!!!!!!!!
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. . One of my favorite from the List archives
Thanks to Doug via Bill A. …
Love the story of using him when interrogating prisoners!!
Here is a re-post on Bubba. We got him in Laos after his mom tramped on a land mine. He was only two days old, but I had him in my jungle jacket wrapped in a towel and when we were extracted we fed him milk and got him on his way. He did well because he got much larger than an Asian Tiger usually grew to.
His weakness was real beer (He had two cans a day) which he slurped down, went to a corner of the hooch, rolled on his back, showed his junk and snored like the last day!
If the bubster wanted to get in your bunk with you, you just rolled over and dealt with it. It's such a shame so many tigers were killed over there because most were killed for sport and not in human defense. When we cycled out the question was what the hell do with Bubba??? He couldn't survive because he only knew SOG, SF,Seals etc.
Here is where we got creative. We had access to things normal military didn't. So we got creative and a phone call went to a research zoo in Sidney Australia and were asked if they wanted a free tiger. When the lady at the other end realized we were for real she pissed her pants and said yes, but how do we get him?
I don't want to reference Air America, but we flew the bubster to his new home and I got off the airplane with him walking beside me like a dog on a leash. They all went nuts when he walked to the lady and heeled by her side looking at her for instructions. He must have had a very good time and life there because he sired tons of babies. When I was back in Sidney in 87 I saw a bronze plaque telling about the SF Tiger that came to them in 1969 and made lotsa great baby tigers. That part of my life is gone like Bubba who lasted to '85, but every time I hear a Tiger make those special noises my head and heart goes back to a tiny little baby we found in Laos in 1968. God I miss him!
BTW the Bubster never lived in a cage. He was always shown love from a bunch of very dangerous men who's hearts melted when they met him. To discipline him you grabbed a handful of hair and flesh on his shoulder and simply said no. He never retaliated he just complied. When I said he never lived in a cage the decision about the zoo where he ended up was a research zoo that was very excited because of gene diversity. It also had the new concept of no animals in cages. People were the ones in cages or behind glass.
It took a bit for him to get back to being a tiger, but after he figured out the male female thing nature took it's course and he was off to the races and made a ton of tiger babies who are in zoos around the world. God Bless … to my knowledge he was the only SF tiger in the history books.
A interesting side note is that SF and MAC V were in many ways involved with the CIA. The coats and ties back in Langley, VA couldn't understand how our intel was so accurate. Picture a NVA prisoner strapped into a chair and questioned. Also picture the prisoner telling us in multiple languages to go F**K ourselves. So a hood goes back on and the prisoner was told to spill the beans or we were going to feed the zip to our tiger. They all laughed their asses off and said we were crazy. Enter the bubster and have his head about two feet from the prisoner, pull the hood off at the same time I would pinch the back of Bubbas neck. He roared in the dinks face with his extremely nasty tiger breath and the prisoner pissed his pants or worse while he sang like the Mormon tabernacle choir.
God I miss that stuff. BTW our intel was so accurate the pencil necks were amazed and never found out why!
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Thanks to NHHC
On March 23, 1945, U.S. Navy landing craft, Task Unit 122.5.1, took part in the crossing of the Rhine River at Oppenheim, Germany. LCVPs (landing craft, vehicle, personnel) and LCMs (landing craft, medium) ferried 4,000–4,500 troops from Gen. George G. Patton's Third Army. Navy landing craft had been moved from the Atlantic seaboard to the Rhine. This colossal riverine exploit was the prelude to the final overwhelming assault on Nazi Germany that would end World War II in Europe. The Army expressed its sincere gratitude to the Navy for its help in crossing the Rhine. The Third Army's official report stated, "…the Navy again demonstrated its ability to be the most useful and effective in a crossing operation…. Soon after the naval craft hit the water, they poured over such a continual stream of troops, vehicles, and tank destroyers in the early crucial hours that the enemy artillery was silenced, and further ferrying and bridging was able to proceed without interference." For more, read Operation Plunder: Crossing the Rhine, an essay by NHHC intern Rachael A. Beath, at NHHC's website.
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. This should bring back some memories
Thanks to Clyde
The Cubi Bar and Cafe in Pensacola
,
A neat 5 min You Tube of the National Naval Aviation Museum and the Replica Cubi Bar-the original being the 'Watering Hole' for many when the carrier would pull into Subic Bay.
Its one of those "I've Been There Memories'-both the original and the one at the NNAM in Pensacola.
<http://youtu.be/k0f99CIioVE> http://youtu.be/k0f99CIioVE
Imagine my surprise when I saw Buick Massie on this video. He was ahead of me at USC and always wanted to be a Marine. We were even roommates for a few months my freshman year. He graduated and I never head a thing about him. Glad to see he made it through Nam….skip
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. Thanks to Bill
guys--check this Video --from187,000 feet above the earth's surface -"Super Sonic man" -
From: Hank Goetz
Austrian skydiver and daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumped from 128,100 feet above the Earth's surface on October 14th, 2012. Seven GoPro cameras recorded the jump and GoPro just released this incredible footage, showing from a new perspective of what it was like from Baumgartner's point of view.
Exhilarating to say the least. After about a minute you will see the altimeter and the airspeed indicator come on the screen. Watch the speed, and his rate of descent. You will be amazed at what you see.
Hold your breath and watch this, also watch the odometer as the speed increases and then decreases as he enters the earth's atmosphere. What a view!
http://www.flixxy.com/first-person-view-of-felix-baumgartners-space-jump.htm#.Uu5KxEhDi7Q.gmail
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Thanks to Carl
A good oldie!!
This is a little heavy reading, but what the hell, I assume you have nothing else to do !
Hell Explained
HELL explained by a Chemistry student:
The following is an actual question given on a University of Arizona chemistry midterm, and an actual answer turned in by a student.
The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving, which is unlikely. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.
Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Betty during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.
The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore extinct .. leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Betty kept shouting 'Oh my God.'
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.
✔️ 😃😃😃
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This Day in U S Military History
23 March
1839 – 1st recorded use of "OK" [oll korrect] was in Boston's Morning Post.
1945 – On Luzon, San Fernando is taken by US 1st Corps with help from Filipino guerrillas.
1951 – Operation TOMAHAWK, the second airborne operation of the war and the largest in one day, involved 120 C-119s and C-46s, escorted by sixteen F-51s. The 314th TCG and the 437th TCW air transports flew from Taegu to Munsan-ni, an area behind enemy lines some twenty miles northwest of Seoul, and dropped the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and two Ranger companies-more than 3,400 men and 220 tons of equipment and supplies. Fifth Air Force fighters and light bombers had largely eliminated enemy opposition. UN forces advanced quickly to the Imjin River, capturing 127 communist prisoners. Some of the prisoners waved safe-conduct leaflets that FEAF aircraft had dropped during the airborne operation. Helicopters evacuated only sixty-eight injured personnel from the drop zone. One C-119, possibly hit by enemy bullets, caught fire and crashed on the way back.
1965 – America's first two-person space flight began as Gemini 3 blasted off from Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young aboard. Gemini 3 completed 3 orbits in 4 hours., 53 minutes at an altitude of 224 km. Recovery was by helicopters from USS Intrepid (CVS-11).
2003 – In the 5th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom US-led warplanes and helicopters attacked Republican Guard units defending Baghdad while ground troops advanced to within 50 miles of the Iraqi capital. Pres. Bush put a $75 billion price tag on a down payment for the war. The 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed after it made a wrong turn into Nasiriya; 11 soldiers were killed, seven were captured. US and Iraqi officials say that Iraqi troops have halted an advance by US forces up the Euphrates river, engaging them in battle near the city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. Iraqi state television says that an official of Iraq's ruling Baath party has been killed in the fighting.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
PURLING, ANDREW B.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 2d Maine Cavalry. Place and date: At Evergreen, Ala., 23 March 1865. Entered service at: Maine. Birth: Cranberry Isles, Maine. Date of issue: 10 September 1897. Citation: Advanced alone in the darkness beyond the picket line, came upon 3 of the enemy, fired upon them (his fire being returned), wounded 2, and captured the whole party.
CARTER, EDWARD A., JR.
Rank: Staff Sergeant. Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action on 23 March 1945, near Speyer, Germany. When the tank on which he was riding received heavy bazooka and small arms fire, Sergeant Carter voluntarily attempted to lead a three-man group across an open field. Within a short time, two of his men were killed and the third seriously wounded. Continuing on alone, he was wounded five times and finally forced to take cover. As eight enemy riflemen attempted to capture him, Sergeant Carter killed six of them and captured the remaining two. He then crossed the field using as a shield his two prisoners from which he obtained valuable information concerning the disposition of enemy troops. Staff Sergeant Carter's extraordinary heroism was an inspiration to the officers and men of the Seventh Army Infantry Company Number 1 (Provisional) and exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.
FITZMAURICE, MICHAEL JOHN
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Troop D, 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam, 23 March 1971. Entered service at: Jamestown, N. Dak. Born: 9 March 1950, Jamestown, N. Dak . Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice, 3d Platoon, Troop D, distinguished himself at Khe Sanh. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and 3 fellow soldiers were occupying a bunker when a company of North Vietnamese sappers infiltrated the area. At the onset of the attack Sp4c. Fitzmaurice observed 3 explosive charges which had been thrown into the bunker by the enemy. Realizing the imminent danger to his comrades, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he hurled 2 of the charges out of the bunker. He then threw his flak vest and himself over the remaining charge. By this courageous act he absorbed the blast and shielded his fellow-soldiers. Although suffering from serious multiple wounds and partial loss of sight, he charged out of the bunker, and engaged the enemy until his rifle was damaged by the blast of an enemy hand grenade. While in search of another weapon, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice encountered and overcame an enemy sapper in hand-to-hand combat. Having obtained another weapon, he returned to his original fighting position and inflicted additional casualties on the attacking enemy. Although seriously wounded, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice refused to be medically evacuated, preferring to remain at his post. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice's extraordinary heroism in action at the risk of his life contributed significantly to the successful defense of the position and resulted in saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. These acts of heroism go above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit on Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 23, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
23 March
1903: First patent on the Wright Brothers' airplane, based on their 1902 glider, filed in America. It was not issued until 22 May 1906. (12)
1912: Wernher von Braun, the father of the American Apollo program, was born in the Prussian Province of Posen, now a part of Poland. Inspired by a passion for astronomy, Von Braun joined an amateur rocket society during university, and he later worked on Germany's V-2 rocket program during World War II. Following the war, Von Braun and his team were recruited by the US Army to work on US rockets which later led to his involvement in NASA's Apollo program.
1921: Lt A. G. Hamilton parachuted from 23,700 feet at Chanute Field. (24)
1951: Operation TOMAHAWK. In the Korean War's second airborne operation, and the largest to date in one day, 120 USAF transports dropped more than 3,400 troops and 220 tons of materiel behind enemy lines at Munsan-ni, Korea. (21)
1958: The US Navy accomplished the first underwater test firing of a dummy Polaris missile, using a pop-up launcher, near San Clemente Island, off Los Angeles. (16)
1959: TAC started its DEW Line Extension (Eastern) supply mission, when a C-130 made the first ski-equipped landing on Dye 2 Station on Greenland's west coast near the Arctic Circle. (11)
1964: The GAM-72A Quail missile made its first operational test flight (nicknamed Shotgun) at Eglin AFB. (6)
1965: GEMINI III. The US manned space program's second phase began. In the "Molly Brown,"launched by an Air Force Atlas missile from the Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick AFB, Fla., astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John Young (USN) orbited Earth three times. They achieved the first two-man flight, first manual orbit change, and first reentry control by an astronaut. The astronauts returned to earth after 4 hours 53 minutes in space. Grissom also became the first man to go into space a second time. (4) (21) SECDEF Robert McNamara approved development of the SRAM. (6)
1970: The first A-7D trainer went to the 310 TFTS at Luke AFB, Ariz. (5)
1977: Contractors completed the Minuteman integrated program of modifications on Wing VI at Grand Forks AFB. (6)
1978: Capt Sandra M. Scott, KC-135 pilot with the 904 AREFS at Mather AFB, Calif., was the first female pilot to perform SAC alert duty. (1) (8)
1979: NASA brought space shuttle orbiter 102 from Edwards AFB to Cape Canaveral. (5)
1983: B-1A No. 2 (modified for the B-1B effort) flew its first flight at Edwards AFB to begin the flight test program. (3) (12)
1999: An AFFTC test team successfully released an AGM-154 JSOW for the USAF the first time at the Edwards AFB Precision Impact Range Area. The weapon impacted well within its boundaries. (The Navy received the weapon in 1998) (3)
2005: The USAF received its last and seventeenth E-8C Joint STARS aircraft. All E-8Cs were assigned to the blended ANG/USAF 116th Air Control Wing (ACW) at Robins AFB, Ga. (32)
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Thanks to Shadow
SEAL IV
After this, Seal embarked on his own publicity campaign. He started giving interviews to
any hack that came around and that included all the "Talking Heads" whoʼd give him
face time... Hell, I think ABC gave him a whole hour on 20/20. He was trying to make
himself out to be "The Anti-Hero"...
Why heʼd taken great personal risks on behalf of an ungrateful and deceitful
Government. My take was the bastard was in no greater danger working for the "Task
Force", than he did in his everyday smuggling endeavors... actually probably a lot less.
Of course none of these stories ever mentioned the thousands of pounds of cocaine
heʼd smuggled in himself; nor did they mention that a lot of folks around Barry
mysteriously turned up dead from time to time... nor did they mention the millions and
millions of dollars he made off his crimes... nor the number of lives he helped destroy.
No. they didnʼt mention that... it didnʼt fit their agenda. Try to make the Government and
the Republicans look bad.
We learned early on the Colombians had put a contract out on Seal. As I recall, the
decision was made at a cartel meeting at a ranch in Venezuela. I was told one of the
Ochoaʼs was there (it was their ranch)... Escobar and I also believe, Gacha. I think the
price was about a million dollars... could have been more. Regardless... Barry was
notified immediately (this was before sentencing in Louisiana). He was encouraged to
go to ground and a lot of pressure was put on him to go into the "Witness Protection
Program". Seal would have none of it!
On the contrary... he took about as high a profile as he could get. I really think in his
own narcissistic way, he felt he was untouchable... in his mind heʼd beaten the rap,
screwed the Colombians and no one could touch him... vanity will do you in every time.
When the Judge hit him with probation restrictions, even more pressure was put on him
to go underground and into the program. He was defiant and refused.
Right after this I got a call from Harry Doan... Seal had showed up in New Symrna
Beach... spent the day with Harry and sold him the C-123 back at a fraction of what was
paid for it. Seal didnʼt give a shit, the Colombians had paid for it in the first place. The
Registration was never changed. When Harry told me this, I went ballistic on Harry...
"Goddamnit... I told you there was a contract out on the son of a bitch and when they
come for him... theyʼre not gonna give a shit whoʼs in the way when they start shooting!
Donʼt ever go near him again.... itʼs just a question of time before the make a run at
him... Damn Harry, sometimes youʼre so naive, you scare me"!
In less than a month, Seal was dead, he was parking his Cadillac at the halfway house
and the Colombians got him. It was all over the news... and then came the news stories
about how it was the governmentʼs fault for him getting taken out... Bullshit! Seal was
given every opportunity in the world to get protection by going in the program... he
refused! And frankly, outside of his family and a few associates who lived off Barryʼs
smuggling and crimes... he didnʼt contribute one thing to his fellow man. He was an
egotistical, arrogant, scum bag as far as Iʼm concerned... and a lot of other folks I know.
The world is a better place without him. But thatʼs just my opinion.
Iʼm gonna take a minute to talk about the times and the smugglers Iʼve known or known
about. Generally they fell into three categories... 1.) The dumb ones... usually small
timers and almost always caught. 2.) The smart ones... who had a longer run and 3.)
The really intelligent and connected ones, were the hardest to nail.
The mom and pops didnʼt last long... and the smart ones were always caught too. You
could only get away with it so long. One of the personality flaws they all shared in
common was a disdain for the Agents and the users... and a crazy inability to quit, once
theyʼd gotten away with it. It became a compulsion.
I know of guys who had so much damn money (Iʼm talking about bulk here)... it was a
burden to find some place to hide it. Theyʼd hide it in barns, bury it, store it in "You
Storage Units"... all kinds of crazy things. I mean it was obscene... one guy had more
money in his house than any of our local banks!
Iʼm talking like an authority... really I am not. I only was involved directly in two cases...
Seal and Bird. And my assignment on Seal was to basically keep an eye on him. Byrd
started out as a "Baby Sitting" assignment, that was supposed to be short term and
limited... unfortunately it went on a hell of a lot loner than any of us anticipated. I hated
it! When Byrd was finally sent to jail, I told everyone, I would never work a dope case
again... and I didnʼt.
Letʼs talk about the really smart ones. Usually these guys would have been successful
in just about anything in life they set their mind to. They were rational, resourceful and
competent. Their biggest problem was the "nut cases" they had to deal with... from the
Colombians to the Mexican Gangs to the Jamaicans. There were a lot of "cowboys" in
those groups and they were violent, impetuous and unpredictable. The really smart
guys only dealt with groups that were stable (as could be) and even then kept them at
arms length.
Now these smart ones didnʼt fly junk... usually their airplanes and/or boats were top
notch... all the latest navigation equipment and comm gear... some even had HF radios
and a sort of a standby rescue unit if their planes went down. They were pros... the kept
up to date on all the Governments tactics and equipment. It was like spy, counter spy.
They hired the best lawyers, laid the foundation for criminal defenses and took money
laundering to an art form. Even then... eventually, they either got killed or got caught.
trouble is... thereʼs always someone willing to take their place.
If the latter group had one weakness... it was the money and what they bought with it. I
used to joke; "Show me a guy with a fast car, faster airplane and a hot wife or girlfriend
in Florida... and Iʼll bet you heʼs a doper"! Nine times out of ten, Iʼd be right.
When cocaine became the preferred drug of choice for the self indulgent and "Nuevo
Riche"... and the middle class wannabes... it was an overnight epidemic and the money
that flowed from these criminal empires it spawned was pandemic. It had a huge impact
on Floridaʼs economy... Banking, construction, expensive car dealers, jewelry
businesses, aviation businesses... hell, even the clothiers and florists were making a
killing... all off of one industry.... illegal though it was. Even my own field, "Warbirds". At
one time Iʼd be willing to bet that 80% of all "Warbirds" that existed in the State of
Florida were bought with dope money...probably nation wide as well... and they drove
prices sky high in the process! It was a fast and furious lifestyle. And I donʼt think a
single one of them gave a nano-second of thought about the misery, violence and
destruction their chosen path was wrecking on the population at large.
And what happened when they got caught... usually there was some high powered
lawyer who would negotiate a deal... do a little time, rat out a couple of competitors and
come out of prison wealthier than you and I will ever be. The worst were the cry
babies... I wouldnʼt have done it f my sister hadnʼt given me a joint... My friends talked
me into it... My partners were stupid... I heard every excuse in the world... when if they
really wanted to see who was the cause of it... all they had to do was look in the mirror.
Iʼll share a little personal story. When Byrd went to prison, I was asked by the family to
accompany them to Eglin, along with his girlfriend to turn him over to the authorities at
Club Fed... Byrd got a hell of a deal... in no small part because I was able to convince
him to cooperate and he almost screwed that up. One of the last things he asked me
when I confronted him was to ask if he should get a lawyer before he made up his
mind... I said, "By all means, do so".
The dumb shit hired Bill Shepard, here in Jacksonville, probably the best "Drug" lawyer
in Northeast Florida. But he wasnʼt straight with Bill and tried to soft sell his involvement
in the drug ring, claiming he was a bit player. Now Bill did what lawyers do and told him
to clam up and not talk... they were going to fight it. When I heard about it, I went
ballistic... I knew Byrd like the back of my hand. The little weasel wasnʼt about to own up
to his own culpability. Now I didnʼt know Shepard, but I did know his reputation. He was
tough, tenacious and intelligent. Heʼd use every legal device at his disposal to defend
his clients... but Bill was also straight and certainly not stupid.
I broke every rule in the book and drove to Shepardʼs Office. I walked in and sat down
and walked him through what we had on Byrd... when I started reciting dates and
numbers, I could tell Shepard was staggered by by the depth of what we knew... and
90% of it was new to him. I then dropped the hammer... "Bill if you donʼt get on the
phone with the U.S. Attorneyʼs Office and arrange to have him turn himself in and try to
cut a deal... Heʼs dead meat... the indictment is already here, I know where he is and
theyʼre gonna arrest him tomorrow if you donʼt make that call". I had offered him a
chance the day before and after talking to you, heʼs backing out... "Big mistake".
Bill sat there and finally said, "I canʼt believe he didnʼt tell me all this... Shit if we were in
Florida, Iʼd be negotiating for life"! "What kind of deal do you think we can get"? I said,
"Bill, Iʼm here on my own... I have no idea what you can get... Thatʼs between you and
them... whatever it is, itʼs better than he can possibly get by fighting it". Shepard then
looked at me and said, "I think I need to have a Go to Jesus talk with my client, do you
know where he is"? I told him and Bill then said... "Man, this is a new experience for
me... thought Iʼd seen and heard it all, but this guy takes the cake. Thanks for filling me
in".
After I left, Shepard got ahold of Byrd and the next morning they were on a plane to
Scranton to have Neal turn himself in. Eventually, they made a deal and it was a gift
from God as far as Iʼm concerned... with more than a little bit of help from Shepard and
his office. Byrd got a better deal than he deserved... but the U.S. Attorneyʼs Office felt
they had to have him in order to nail the rest of the ring. After that, the rest of the ring
"Pled Out"... getting sentences from 15 to 25 years. Total assets recovered exceeded
$80 million dollars... but not one ounce of cocaine. Byrd got five and was out in 27
months.... and he bitched!
One of the things that amazed me was how far the U.S. Attorneyʼs would go in order to
secure cooperation... Part of Nealʼs plea deal was he was supposed to turn over all
cash and assets heʼd derived from his drug running. Now he was of the "Silver Spoon"
set... a "Trust Fund" Baby... and was wealthy in his own right (Thanks to his Father and
Grandfather). One day I get a call from an Agent up North... he ran through a list of
assets Byrd claimed to have and what he would turn over. The spoiled little bastard still
wasnʼt coming clean... I knew there were millions of dollars he wasnʼt telling them about
and I said so. Even had a damn good idea of where it was. Part of it involved a staged
faux robbery Byrd had claimed that involved over $7 million dollars! The Agent then said
something Iʼll never forget... "I told the U.S. Attorney that and he said he didnʼt expect
him to give up everything... otherwise if we took everything... he wouldnʼt cooperate...
said it was normal in big drug cases". I was floored! It went against everything I believed
in. This spoiled rotten rich kid... who helped fuck up thousands of lives was gonna come
out of prison a multi-millionaire! I was pissed... but I had one more bitter pill to swallow
before it was over.
It came on the long drive back to Jacksonville from Eglin when Byrd was incarcerated.
Before we even reached Tallahassee... Byrdʼs old man dropped a big one on me... I was
in the back seat with his girl friend and I was about to get an object lesson on how the
Blue Bloods of Society think.
Doc Byrd, out of the blue says... "Roy, how long will Neal have to stay in prison"? I told
him if he kept his nose clean, somewhere around thirty months to three years. He then
said something that really shocked me... "Do you think he has any money salted away"?
I thought about it and said... "Doc, I figure thereʼs three and a half to seven million
dollars unaccounted for". The old man fell silent for a minute and then said... "Now if you
werenʼt married and didnʼt have kids... Three years for three and a half million dollars,
now thatʼs really not a bad deal is it"?
He glanced up at me in the rearview mirror to see my reaction... I was seething! I finally
said, "Doc, do you realize what youʼve just done? Youʼve just rationalized the whole
thing away... as long as he made enough money... Thatʼs what the fuck got him involved
in the first place... I canʼt believe you said that"! He had broken it down... it was all about
the money. Now I knew where Neal and his friends got their twisted sense of logic from.
It was a long, silent drive home from there.
By now I was sick of the Blue Bloods, the dopers and the lawyers... I wanted my life
back. One of the Agents met with me the next day... His name was Bill. Now Bill was
one of the first Agents Iʼd met... older and laid back. He took me to lunch and I told him
what Old Man Byrd had said. Iʼd been under a tremendous amount of pressure trying to
bring this thing to an end and I was venting... I was cussing everyone. Byrd, his family
and doper friends and even the U.S. Attorney. this thing had gone on over two years,
when Iʼd been told it would only be 2 to 3 months. Bill sat there and listened and was
sympathetic. Finally he says, letʼs take a ride.
We drove about three miles away and Bill pulls into the parking lot of a Catholic Church.
We walked into the annex and Bill went forward, made the sign of the cross and sat
down in a pew and then kneeled in prayer. I hesitated and then followed suit and did the
same thing... As I kneeled and looked up at the Crucifix... I completely broke down. I
sobbed and the tears flowed like rain drops... I hadnʼt cried like that but once before in
my life... when my Father died. I was a basket case for about five minutes. Only after Iʼd
quit sobbing did Bill get up and go forward, light a candle and quietly walk out leaving
me alone for a couple of minutes.
I finally got up and did the same thing and walked out into the sunlight... it was blinding
after being in the Chapel. Now Iʼm not much on organized religion... donʼt believe folks
have conversations with God... make that two way conversations... Like YP, Iʼve had
more than a few occasions to speak to the "Big Guy" about a perilous situation I was in,
usually it was on the order of "Dear God, let me live through this"! I did it in Vietnam and
more than once in the cockpit. But when I closed my eyes to the blinding sun that day
and looked through my closed eye lids... that Crucifix was embedded in the in the
darkness and colors that swirled around inside my closed eyes... a perfect silhouette.
A sign, an epiphany... man I donʼt know... But I know one thing... Iʼll never forget that
day.
On the way back to my car, Bill hands me a folder. Inside was a record of the Novenaʼs
he had been having said for me over the last year. Somehow he knew that I needed to
let it all out. He also gave me the religious medal I wear to this day. I guess you could
say Iʼd reached my limit, even though I didnʼt know it or even acknowledge it. It had
been a long haul, full of intrigue and stress. But at the end of the day, I was
rejuvenated... felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
I never got involved in a dope case again... really never intended to get involved in the
first place. Just got caught up in the circumstances. It closed a major milestone in my
life... and in case youʼre wondering... No, I didnʼt take a dime, not one penny. I did it
because that is the way I was brought up. Call me stupid, call me nuts... but thatʼs one
of the things that got me through it. In my mind, if I was getting paid to do what I did...
then in a warped way, I felt I would be no better than them. Iʼm not a fink. This was just a
very unusual set of circumstances.
Iʼll cover some more things tomorrow... some quite funny.
Shadow
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