To All
. Good Tuesday morning June 9 It started out overcast and it is clearing and climbing to 80 by 2.
Our main road in front of the house is open now.
The testing in the school started well last night with a dozen black Belts to help move things along
Regards and have a great Day
Skip
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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 97 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
1813
During the War of 1812, the frigate, President, commanded by John Rodgers, is en route between the Azores and England when it begins a series of captures of British vessels that include the brig Kitty, the packet brig Duke of Montrose, the brig Maria, and the schooner Falcon.
1869
Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie, orders the construction of the first torpedo station on Goat Island, Newport, R.I. Cmdr. Edmund O. Matthews is the first Commanding Officer. During the establishment, the station experiments with torpedoes and trained sailors in the use of the weapons.
1882
The Office of Naval Records of the War of the Rebellion (which later becomes part of the Naval History and Heritage Command) is established. The office is placed under the direction of James R. Soley, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the 1890s.
1944
During her Fifth War Patrol, USS Harder (SS 257) sinks Japanese destroyer Tanikaze in the Sibitu Passage, about 90 miles southwest of Basilan Island. On June 6, she sinks the Japanese destroyer Minazuki 120 miles east-northeast of Tarakan, Borneo. On June 7, Harder sinks the Japanese destroyer Hayanami south of the Japanese fleet anchorage at Tawi Tawi, southeast of the Sibitu Passage, Borneo. On the morning of Aug. 24, Harder is sunk in Dasol Bay, Philippines, by enemy depth charges on its Sixth War Patrol. There are no survivors and the crew is never recovered. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity " in sinking the Japanese destroyers during the Fifth War Patrol, Cmdr. Samuel D. Dealey, Harders CO, is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1959
USS George Washington (SSBN 598), the first U.S. Navy nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine, is christened and launched at Groton, Conn. Her nuclear capability is removed in 1983, and she is classified as SSN 598 serving until 1985. USS George Washington is later processed in the nuclear recycling program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1998.
2007
USS Kidd (DDG 100) is commissioned at Galveston, Texas. The 49th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named after Rear Adm. Isaac C. Kidd, who was killed in action onboard USS Arizona during the Japanese Navys attack on Pearl Harbor. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
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Today in World History: June 9
1064 Coimbra, Portugal falls to Ferdinand, king of Castile.
1534 Jacques Cartier sails into the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in Canada.
790 Civil war breaks out in Martinique.
1861 Mary Ann "Mother" Bickerdyke begins working in Union hospitals.
1863 At the Battle of Brandy Station in Virginia, Union and Confederate cavalries clash in the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War.
1923 Bulgaria's government is overthrown by the military.
1931 Robert H. Goddard patents a rocket-fueled aircraft design.
1942 The Japanese high command announces that "The Midway Occupation operations have been temporarily postponed."
1945 Japanese Premier Kantaro Suzuki declares that Japan will fight to the last rather than accept unconditional surrender.
1951 After several unsuccessful attacks on French colonial troops, North Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap orders Viet Minh to withdraw from the Red River Delta.
1954 At the Army-McCarthy hearings, attorney Joseph Welch asks Senator Joseph McCarthy "Have you no sense of decency?"
1959 The first ballistic missile-carrying submarine, the USS George Washington, is launched.
1972 American advisor John Paul Vann is killed in a helicopter accident in Vietnam.
1986 NASA publishes a report on the Challenger accident.
1973 With a spectacular victory at the Belmont Stakes, Secretariat becomes the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win America’s coveted Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. In one of the finest performances in racing history, Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, completed the 1.5-mile race in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, a dirt-track record for that distance.
Secretariat was born at Meadow Stables in Doswell, Virginia, on March 30, 1970. He was sired by Bold Ruler, the 1957 Preakness winner, and foaled by Somethingroyal, which came from a Thoroughbred line known for its stamina. An attractive chestnut colt, he grew to over 16 hands high and was at two years the size of a three-year-old.
He ran his first race as a two-year-old on July 4, 1972, a 5 1/2-furlong race at Aqueduct in New York City. He came from behind to finish fourth; it was the only time in his career that he finished a race and did not place. Eleven days later, he won a six-furlong race at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, New York, and soon after, another race. His trainer, Lucien Laurin, moved him up to class in August, entering him in the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga, which he won by three lengths. By the end of 1972, he had won seven of nine races.
With easy victories in his first two starts of 1973, Secretariat seemed on his way to the Triple Crown. Just two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, however, he stumbled at the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, coming in third behind Angle Light and Sham. On May 5, he met Sham and Angle Light again at the Churchill Downs track in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Secretariat, a 3-to-2 favorite, broke from near the back of the pack to win the 1 1/4-mile race in a record 1 minute and 59 2/5th seconds. He was the first to run the Derby in less than two minutes and his record still stands.
A Speedy History of the Kentucky Derby
Two weeks later, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Secretariat won the second event of the Triple Crown: the Preakness Stakes. The official clock malfunctioned, but hand-recorded timers had him running the 1 3/16-mile race in record time.
On June 9, 1973, almost 100,000 people came to Belmont Park near New York City to see if “Big Red” would become the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. Secretariat gave the finest performance of his career in the Belmont Stakes, completing the 1.5-mile race in a record 2 minutes and 24 seconds, knocking nearly three seconds off the track record set by Gallant Man in 1957. He also won by a record 31 lengths.
Ron Turcotte, who jockeyed Secretariat in all but three of his races, claimed that at Belmont he lost control of Secretariat and that the horse sprinted into history on his own accord.
Secretariat would race six more times, winning four and finishing second twice. In November 1973, the “horse of the century” was retired and put to stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Among his notable offspring is the 1988 Preakness and Belmont winner, Risen Star. Secretariat was euthanized in 1989 after falling ill. An autopsy showed that his heart was two and a half times larger than that of the average horse, which may have contributed to his extraordinary racing abilities. In 1999, ESPN ranked Secretariat No. 35 in its list of the Top 50 North American athletes of the 20th century, the only non-human on the list.
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June 9
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
June 9: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1187
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/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . 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
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Thanks to Todd S. .and Dr. Rich ..I am happy to be in this group. The fond memories of growing up on Air Force bases all over the country are great ones We lived in all four corners and in the middle of Kansas…and a bunch in between… I remember all of these items……skip
The One percent group born between 1930 & 1946
Some interesting statistics......
The 1% Age Group
This special group was born between 1930 & 1946 = 16 years.
In 2023, the age range is between 77 & 93
Are you, or do you know, someone "still here?”
Interesting Facts For You . . . .
You are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900s.
You are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war that rattled the structure of our daily lives for years.
You are the last to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar to shoes to stoves.
You saved tin foil and poured fried meat fat into tin cans.
You saw cars up on blocks because tires weren't available
You can remember milk being delivered to your house early in the morning and placed in the "milk box" on the porch. The Good Humor ice cream truck coming through the neighborhood.
You are the last to see the gold stars in the front windows of grieving neighbors whose sons died in the War.
You saw the 'boys' home from the war, build their little houses that they were so happy with.
You are the last generation who spent childhood without television; instead, you “imagined” what you heard on the radio and you read library books.
With no TV until the 1950s, you spent your childhood "playing outside" There was no Little League. Many kids walked to school.
There was no city playground for kids. You organized neighborhood baseball and football games on vacant lots. You rode your bike everywhere.
The lack of television in your early years meant that you had little real understanding of what the world was like.
On Saturday mornings and afternoons, the movies gave you newsreels sandwiched in between westerns and cartoons.
Telephones were one to a house, often shared (party lines), and hung on the wall in the kitchen (no cares about privacy).
Computers were called calculators; they were hand-cranked.
Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and changing the ribbon.
'INTERNET' and 'GOOGLE' were words that did not exist.
Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and the news was broadcast on your radio in the evening. Kids read comic books.
The Government gave returning Veterans the means to get an education and spurred colleges to grow.
Loans fanned a housing boom
Pent-up demand, coupled with new installment payment plans opened many factories for work.
New highways would bring jobs and mobility
The veterans joined civic clubs and became active in politics.
The radio network expanded from 3 stations to thousands.
Your parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and the war, and they threw themselves into exploring opportunities they had never imagined.
You weren't neglected, but you weren't today's all-consuming family focus.
They were glad you played by yourselves until the street lights came on.
They were busy discovering the postwar world.
You entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where you were welcomed, enjoyed ourselves and felt secure in your future although the depression poverty was deeply remembered.
Polio was still a crippler.
You came of age in the '50s and '60s.
You are the last generation to experience an interlude when there were no threats to our homeland.
The second world war was over and the cold war, terrorism, global warming, and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life with unease.
Only your generation can remember both a time of great war and a time when our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.
You grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better...
You are "The Last Ones."
More than 99 % of you are either retired or deceased, and you feel privileged to have "lived in the best of times!"
Amen!
It’s great being part of the 1% ….Special Group!
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From the archives
Thanks to Robert and a few others. My screen always gets fuzzy watching this one. Just thinking of all the times I have heard TAPS for my many brothers over the last many years
The Silence,
About six miles from Maastricht , in the Netherlands lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944-45. Everyone of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom
to keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor
in their home. Annualy on "Liberation Day," Memorial Services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland ." The day concludes with a concert.
The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the twentieth anniversary of Holland 's liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.
This past year, the soloist was a 13 year old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by Andre Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal dOrchestra of the Netherlands ). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.
Watch at this site and go full screen. A beautiful and moving tribute to our fallen warriors world wide.
http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm
As I watch this a chill starts up my spine and then my eyes mist over remembering all the times I have heard it play for my many friends that have passed away..skip
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From the archives
THIS IS A MJUST WATCH……SKIP
Thanks to Keith,
I received this on Friday and remember it well. This is an unbelievable story of an A-6 Bn who was partially ejected from his aircraft and survived to trap back aboard the carrier. I remember it well and have had it in the list before many years ago but when his email came in yesterday I had to share it with all of you.
Thanks for adding me to the list. John Laughter, who referred me, suggested I send you this story. https://www.gallagherstory.com/ejection_seat/index.htm. He thought you'd find it interesting.
It happened July 9, 1991, which was my 26th birthday. The 33rd anniversary is coming up next month.
I am the BN in the story.
Regards,
Keith "Yogi" Gallagher
Much of that was written by me and my pilot, Mark “Master” Baden.
If you share podcast episodes, here’s a podcast where we talk about it:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/so-there-i-was/id1628848482?i=1000576469678
So There I Was is a great podcast in general for people who like aviation stories. Hosted by two Marine Harrier pilots. They’ve had some great guests, including Capt Royce Williams who shot down four MIGs in the Korean War in his F9 in a 1 v 7 fight.
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Thanks to Dr.Rich
William "Bill" Anders, the astronaut who showed us our planet as we had ...
Nice video tribute to Bill..
https://youtu.be/YJ0xo1NcHK0?si=Se6WxprBhRYRJGk-
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Thanks to Brett
June 8, 2026
Reflecting on D-Day
By: George Friedman
I am writing this on June 6, 2026, 82 years after Gen. Dwight Eisenhower ordered Operation Overlord. That order – and the operation’s success – guaranteed the defeat of Nazi Germany. It’s possible that Germany could have defended itself from the Russian counterattack in the east, but with U.S. and British forces also attacking in the west, Germany was fated to fall.
Operation Overlord’s success was important, of course, but there was an earlier and even more critical decision that guaranteed Germany’s inevitable defeat: Hitler’s decision to declare war on the United States. Germany might have been able to stop the Soviets and the British, but declaring war on the U.S., just four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, ensured Hitler’s downfall.
Like most Europeans and Japanese, Hitler did not understand the United States. Isolationism seemed to them to be an eternal American principle. After World War I, the American reaction against Europe was profound. Hitler interpreted this as weakness. At one point, he met with Charles Lindbergh, who was both a determined isolationist and a Hitler admirer. The meeting reinforced the Fuehrer’s belief that Americans would not go to war or, if they did, would not do so with the requisite determination to win.
Japan made the same mistake. Franklin D. Roosevelt was concerned with Japan’s imperial ambitions, but he knew he could not initiate war. Instead, he blocked the flow of oil, steel and other resources Japan needed but could not produce domestically. That led to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the purpose of which was to force the U.S. to enter negotiations and end the embargo. Instead, the U.S. declared war on Japan.
There was another element to Japan’s calculations. Germany had approached Japan to join in the attack on Russia from the east. Tokyo apparently intimated to Hitler that it would, but only after dealing with the Americans. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stunned and enraged the American public, and isolationism dissolved within hours. The idea of negotiating with Japan was seen as treason. But, as promised, Germany declared war on the U.S. days later, incorrect in its belief that Washington would avoid battle at all costs.
Germany’s decision goes down in the annals of stupid geopolitical moves. The U.S. was less interested in entering a simultaneous war in Europe than it was in avenging Pearl Harbor. I am not sure what the U.S. would have done in the long run, but I believe Roosevelt would have had a hard time declaring war on Germany had Germany not declared first.
Its declaration was predicated on the assumption that the U.S. would quickly capitulate to Japan, which would then be free to attack Russia from the east. Whether Japan would have done that is unknown, but what is known is that Germany’s declaration of war on the U.S. ultimately led Hitler to blow his brains out in a cellar in Berlin and to the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The bottom line is that Germany and Japan fundamentally misunderstood anti-war sentiment in the U.S. as a permanent feature. It was a fatal mistake. They also miscalculated how quickly the U.S. could leverage industrial development, which created enormous military power, and failed to understand the unity and collective rage Americans felt when the stakes demanded it.
It’s unclear whether the Soviet Union and the U.K. could have defeated Germany alone. Bringing the Americans into the war made defeat certain. The military brilliance of the Normandy invasion, the solidarity of Britain and the U.S., and the bravery and competence of American soldiers and sailors – not to mention the nature of American culture, dispensing with disagreement when danger appeared – should not be forgotten.
I was born in Europe and brought to the U.S. as an infant but raised in a household of Europeans. On the anniversary of D-Day, I reflect on how profoundly the rest of the world, which I have travelled widely, still misunderstands the nature of the United States. We periodically engage in the luxury of internal discord and even rage. That’s part of our culture. The world should think of Normandy when evaluating the nature of America. I urge my fellow citizens to do the same.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Two-Time "Ace In A Day" …
Great story!!
Major Archie Donahue distinguished himself during World War II as a Marine Corps fighter pilot and leader. He shot down 14 enemy aircraft primarily flying the F4U Corsair and twice became an ‘Ace in a Day’ by downing five airplanes in one day.
Donahue’s reputation preceded him when he began training a new generation of U.S. Marine pilots to operate the Vought F4U-1D Corsair from aircraft carriers in 1944. At the ripe old age of 26, he was one of the early birds who had fought the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, enough in itself for the newer squadron members to regard “the Old Man,” as they called him, with reverence. Moreover, Donahue was one of only seven Marines credited with downing five enemy planes in one day—a distinction that may have been marred by one being listed as a “probable,” but which he would make up for later with a second quintuple victory. Regardless, it was Donahue’s reputation as a battle-seasoned flight leader that impressed his squadron mates the most. “The guys liked to fly with him,” said Philip S. Wilmot, “because they knew Archie always came home.” “Before each mission Archie used to put coins in a Buddha on his desk,” recalled Charles H. Hodson. “He said it covered all the luck we’d need.”
Donahue was lucky indeed. After three years at the University of Texas studying engineering, he left to join the U.S. Navy’s Naval Aviation Cadet program, but his flying career almost crashed before it got off the ground. “I badly wanted to be a fighter pilot,” he explained. “When I took the Snyder Test to see if my blood pressure was acceptable, my pulse would go way up. They would say, ‘You are not fighter pilot material.’ But I was persistent. I kept trying for nine months to a year, and it finally worked out. I think the doctor didn’t count all the beats. Funny thing is, after downing my first enemy plane, I took my own pulse and it was normal!”
On one occasion, while Donahue was training some pilots in aerial gunnery, a plane came out of its dive and collided with his Wildcat, cutting off the tail five feet behind him. Ground observers reported that Donahue was dead, because they had not seen his parachute open. Once again, though, his luck held. He had actually bailed out, but his plane was spiraling down just above him. “I was afraid the chute would get caught by the plane,” Donahue explained. “So I waited until the last minute and opened the chute just about 150 feet above the ground. The plane passed me by, hit the ground, exploded, and blew me back up in the air before I finally descended. Amazingly, I wasn’t even injured.”
On November 2, 1942, the squadron arrived at its first combat assignment: Guadalcanal in the Solomons. There, the Marines and their offshore U.S. Navy support were still fighting to hold the island and its airstrip, Henderson Field, code-named “Cactus” by the Allies.
Second Lieutenant Donahue’s first victory came during three days and nights of naval and aerial combat that brought the struggle for the island to its climax. On November 13, Henderson-based U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft, joined by planes from the carrier Enterprise, attacked and sank the Japanese battleship Hiei, which had been crippled in a wild naval action the night before. For the Wildcat pilots, that involved protecting their bombers from Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters operating from Japanese bases in the upper Solomons. In the course of those encounters, Donahue shot down a Zero off Guadalcanal, killing Chief Petty Officer Tasuke Mukai from the carrier Zuiho’s air group.
That night Japanese cruisers arrived off Lunga Point and lobbed 1,400 shells at Henderson, destroying 18 American planes and damaging 32 others. They failed to render the field inoperable, however, and when Japanese Rear Adm. Raizo Tanaka’s Destroyer Squadron 2, better known to his American adversaries as the “Tokyo Express,” escorted 11 transports to Guadalcanal, every Marine and Navy aircraft that could still fly, joined by Enterprise’s planes, attacked. They damaged the retiring cruiser Maya and sank seven of the 11 transports, although “Tenacious Tanaka” ran the four remaining ships aground to land 2,000 troops and supplies, while his destroyers rescued some 5,000 survivors.
Donahue was part of an eight-plane patrol led by 2nd Lt. James G. Percy northwest of the Russell Islands at 1045 on November 14 when the Marines spotted six Zeros of the 253rd Kokutai, dispatched from Vunakanau airfield on Rabaul, en route to engage the Americans who were attacking Tanaka’s convoy. “They dived from a great height,” Donahue recalled, “and we all shot at them and they kept on diving. I thought we got a couple of them. If you got a good shot into one, it burst into flame—then you know you got him.” Five Zeros were credited to Percy’s flight—including one to Donahue—though in fact only three of the Japanese failed to return to base.
By May VMF-112 had exchanged the last of its F4F-4s for Vought F4U-1 Corsairs. Like most Marines who flew the “Bent-wing Bird,” Donahue fell in love with the powerful new fighter. “You thought you were going to make a round trip in a Corsair,” he said. “That thing was marvelous. Its greatest asset was speed, as far as I was concerned.” It wouldn’t be long before Donahue put the fast fighter to good use.
On May 13, flying F4U-1 Bureau No. 02349, he and his flight encountered Zeros west of Florida Island at 1250 hours. In an hourlong series of dogfights, Donahue was credited with four Zeros and one probable, though he wrote over the latter entry in the report, “(1st Lt. Milton M). Cook verified the fifth.” Whatever the case, Japanese naval records note the loss of four A6M3 Zeros and the death of three pilots off the Russells. One of three Corsairs shot down that day was flown by Donahue’s wingman, 1st Lt. Otto J. Seifert, who was last seen plunging to earth at a 45-degree angle, trailing a plume of smoke. Donahue remembered little of that moment, except to recall, “I think he saved my life.” Seifert was VMF-112’s second—and last—air-to-air combat fatality of the Solomons campaign.
Eleven Wolf Pack Corsairs escorted Grumman TBF-1s and Douglas SBD-3s on a June 5 raid on Kahili Bay and got into a dogfight with some 40 Zeros west of the Shortlands at 0930. In the ensuing two-hour melee, VMF-112 pilots were credited with 11 victories, including one for Donahue.
Two days later, the Japanese struck back against American units in the Russells with 24 Zeros of the 204th Kokutai and 36 Zeros of the 251st Kokutai, which were hotly engaged by fighters of the Thirteenth Air Force as well as Navy and Marine fighters between 1020 and 1220. VMF-112 was involved in two major dogfights that day. Donahue, flying F4U-1 02383, went after them and shot down two. “There was one day we took a lot of burning on them,” he recalled. “I got lost in a cloud, dove down, got two and there I had the other seven cornered. There was another flight of U.S. planes lower, but they didn’t know I was up there. Those Zeros were all over me, and suddenly my plane started shaking. I managed to get away and landed in the Russells to find that they’d shot a hole in my prop, which caused all the vibrations. The Zeros were strafing the island, so I jumped into a foxhole, only to hear a strangely familiar voice yell ‘Get the f— off me!’ It was Joe Cain, a girlfriend’s sister’s boyfriend who I had known when we went to the University of Texas. He was a Marine, and there we were, meeting again in a foxhole in the Russells.”
The Americans claimed 23 enemy planes destroyed on June 7, while the Japanese reported nine Zeros and seven pilots lost that day. Four of the fatalities were from the 251st Kokutai, including Petty Officer 1st Class Masuaki Endo, who after his plane was set on fire rammed 1st Lt. Henry E. Matson of the 44th Fighter Squadron for his 14th and final victory. Thanks to his P-40F’s rugged construction, Matson survived to bail out and was later saved by a rescue boat. VMF-112 lost three Corsairs, along with Donahue’s and two others damaged, but all its pilots came back alive.
Later that month the battleweary VMF-112 was shipped back to the United States, having tallied 90 aerial victories since its formation on March 1, 1942. Captain Donahue, whose own score stood at nine, was made the flight operations officer at El Toro Naval Air Station, Calif. On February 15, 1944, a new Marine unit, VMF-451— the “Blue Devils”—was formed at Marine Corps Air Station Mojave, and Donahue was tasked with training its pilots to qualify for carrier operations.
Bunker Hill was then serving as the flagship of Vice Adm. Marc Mitscher, commander of Task Force 58, so he was present to personally award the Navy Cross to Donahue for his quintuple victory.
VMF-451 received a Presidential Unit Citation for its work aboard Bunker Hill. The squadron was deactivated on September 10, 1945. Archie Donahue had flown 215 combat missions in the course of his two overseas deployments and was officially credited with 14 enemy planes. In addition to the Navy Cross, he received three Distinguished Flying Crosses and five Air Medals. Returning to command a squadron at El Toro NAS, he later transferred to Quantico, Va., retiring as a full colonel in the Marine Reserves on May 1, 1958.
On October 14, 2004, Archie Donahue penned a few words of wisdom for future generations in his University of Texas engineering book: “The more you learn about mankind the more you marvel at the patience of God. The fighter pilot’s last resort: Hope.
“What we have learned in our time is history. It must be passed on so that it will not be relived.”
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Thanks to Jim
U.S. NAVY WINGS OF GOLD 1940s NAVAL AVIATOR TRAINING AT PENSACOLA
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Thanks to Barrett
Skip, Boris & Folks,
Re: ARE THE DAYS OF DOGFIGHTS OVER?
Minor point in case anyone might want to add it to the mix:
There was at least one MiG effort to intercept an Oriskany Iron Hand mission, December 67. It resulted in Rick Wyman's kill while Brown Bear Schaffert survived his epic A-4 defense v. four 17s and two blow-through 21s.
Also, not Iron Hand but thought I'd mention it:
In July 68 Tico's John Nichols of honored memory downed one of two 17s that jumped his photo flight. Don't know if the Viets knew it was an RF-8 or thought maybe an Iron Hand. In any case the Fightin' Photo aviator was the most aggressive in the fight. After Pirate's MiG hit the dirt, Bill Kocar called, "Let's go find the other one." By then John was out of winders and low on ammo.
Warm regards to all,
Barrett
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Thanks to American Facts
Can You Believe All These Dinosaurs Lived Here, In America?
The United States of America has hundreds of years of history, and many people lived and built their lives on this land long before 1776. But 65 million years ago, the Earth was very different, and this territory was home to massive prehistoric creatures: the dinosaurs. Did you know the first partial Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton was discovered in Montana? Fortunately, many other fossils have been found as well, allowing us to learn about these 10 incredible dinosaurs that once roamed what is now America!
Triceratops
One of the most popular dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous was found in what is now Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota. We're talking about the Triceratops, known for its large bony ridge on the back of its head and its three horns. Despite being a herbivore, the Triceratops was huge, weighing between 6 and 12 tons and growing up to 30 feet in length and 10 feet in height!
Allosaurus
The Allosaurus lived approximately 150 million years ago, and its fossils were found in the areas occupied today by the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. With a size that could reach 39 feet in length and weighing about 2.5 tons, Allosaurus was a massive bipedal carnivore, which means it walked on two large, strong hind legs!
Ankylosaurus
If there was one creature that looked truly prehistoric, it was the Ankylosaurus, which lived around 66 million years ago and roamed the areas now known as Montana and Wyoming. It could grow up to 30 feet long and weigh about 8,000 pounds! It was herbivorous, but its body was like a tank, covered with thick bony plates and protective spikes.
Ornithomimus
Now it's the turn of a very special specimen: the Ornithomimus. This peculiar dinosaur, whose fossils were found in the western United States, was light and fast. It weighed up to 300 pounds, not much compared to its colleagues. It looked more or less like an ostrich, and scientists believe it even had feathers on its forelimbs.
Coelophysis
Coelophysis was another bipedal dinosaur that lived about 210 million years ago. Fossils of this species have been found in what is now New Mexico, Arizona, and other parts of the American Southwest. Unlike Allosaurus, Coelophysis was small, light, and fast, measuring between 6 and 10 feet in length and weighing roughly 60 pounds.
Maiasaura
The incredible Maiasaura lived about 75 million years ago and was discovered in North America, specifically in Montana. It was a duck-billed herbivore, and according to research, it devoted a lot of time and dedication to the care of its eggs. In fact, its name means "Good Mother Lizard." Cute, isn't it?
Deinonychus
Deinonychus is the name of this dinosaur that lived around 110 million years ago, with fossils discovered mainly in Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. This carnivore is believed to have hunted in packs—a behavior that, if true, would have made it even more terrifying!
Stegosaurus
We return to the "-saurus" with Stegosaurus, whose image is one of the most iconic, thanks in part to movies. Yes, it’s the big dinosaur with a long tail and bony plates running along its back. This 7-ton animal’s fossils have been found in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Despite its massive size and weight, Stegosaurus had a very small brain.
Diplodocus
Diplodocus was one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth, and its footsteps left their mark in the lands of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah. It could reach up to 100 feet in length, thanks in part to its incredibly long neck, and weighed between 15 and 30 tons. Yes, it’s the dinosaur that reminds many people of the Loch Ness Monster!
Tyrannosaurus Rex
We saved the best for last. The star of the dinosaurs is undoubtedly the popular Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex for friends. Its fossils have been discovered mainly in the western United States. This huge dinosaur lived between 70 and 66 million years ago and had an imposing body: it could reach 40 feet in length, stand 12 feet tall at the hips, and weigh an incredible 8 tons—as much as a bus!
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This Day in American Military History
June 9
1945 – On Okinawa, the Japanese forces defending the Oroku peninsula are cut off and surrounded by forces of the US 6th Marine Division. The US 1st Marine Division advance southward to Kunishi Ridge, one of the last Japanese strong points.
1945 – On Luzon, the US 37th Division captures Bagabag. The American forces attempt to block the routes into the Cagayan valley in order to isolate the Japanese forces concentrated in the Sierra Madre, in the northeast. On Mindanao, elements of the US 24th Division take Mandog, the last major strong point in the Japanese defenses.
1945 – Japanese Premier Kantaro Suzuki declared that Japan will fight to the last rather than accept unconditional surrender.
1963 – JFK named Winston Churchill a US honorary citizen.
1964 – In reply to a formal question submitted by President Lyndon B. Johnson–“Would the rest of Southeast Asia necessarily fall if Laos and South Vietnam came under North Vietnamese control?”–the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) submits a memo that effectively challenges the “domino theory” backbone of the Johnson administration policies. This theory contended that if South Vietnam fell to the communists, the rest of Southeast Asia would also fall “like dominoes,” and the theory had been used to justify much of the Vietnam War effort. The CIA concluded that Cambodia was probably the only nation in the area that would immediately fall. “Furthermore,” the report said, “a continuation of the spread of communism in the area would not be inexorable, and any spread which did occur would take time–time in which the total situation might change in any number of ways unfavorable to the communist cause.” The CIA report concluded that if South Vietnam and Laos also fell, it “would be profoundly damaging to the U.S. position in the Far East,” but Pacific bases and allies such as the Philippines and Japan would still wield enough power to deter China and North Vietnam from any further aggression or expansion. President Johnson appears to have ignored the CIA analysis–he eventually committed over 500,000 American troops to the war in an effort to block the spread of communism to South Vietnam.
1972 – Under President Nixon, the number of USAF fighter bombers in Southeast Asia has tripled, the number of aircraft carriers has tripled and will quadruple (2 to 8), and B-52s are being quadrupled.
1972 – Part of a relief column composed mainly of South Vietnamese 21st Division troops finally arrives in the outskirts of An Loc. The division had been trying to reach the besieged city since April 9, when it had been moved from its normal station in the Mekong Delta and ordered to attack up Highway 13 from Lai Khe to open the route to An Loc. The South Vietnamese forces had been locked in a desperate battle with a North Vietnamese division that had been blocking the highway since the very beginning of the siege. As the 21st Division tried to open the road, the defenders inside An Loc fought off repeated attacks by two North Vietnamese divisions that had surrounded the city early in April. This was the southernmost thrust of the North Vietnamese invasion that had begun on March 30; the other main objectives were Quang Tri in the north and Kontum in the Central Highlands. Although the lead elements of the 21st Division reached the outskirts of the city on this day, they did not represent significant reinforcements for An Loc, having suffered tremendous casualties in their fight up the highway and the two-month siege was not lifted. It would not be lifted until large numbers of fresh reinforcements were flown in to a position south of the city from which they then successfully attacked the North Vietnamese forces that surrounded the city. By the end of the month, most of the communist troops within the city had been eliminated, but the North Vietnamese forces still blocked Route 13 and continued to shell An Loc.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
GRAY, JOHN
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 5th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Port Republic, Va., 9 June 1862. Entered service at: Hamilton County, Ohio. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 14 March 1864. Citation: Mounted an artillery horse of the enemy and captured a brass 6-pound piece in the face of the enemy’s fire and brought it to the rear.
HARDING, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, Middletown, Conn. Accredited to: Connecticut. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Dacotah on the occasion of the destruction of the blockade runner Pevensey, near Beauford, N.C., 9 June 1864. “Learning that one of the officers in the boat, which was in danger of being, and subsequently was, swamped, could not swim, Harding remarked to him: ‘If we are swamped, sir, I shall carry you to the beach or I will never go there myself.’ He did not succeed in carrying out his promise, but made desperate efforts to do so, while others thought only of themselves. Such conduct is worthy of appreciation and admiration–a sailor risking his own life to save that of an officer.”
*DEGLOPPER, CHARLES N.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Co. C, 325th Glider Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Merderet River at la Fiere, France, 9 June 1944. Entered service at: Grand Island, N.Y. Birth: Grand Island, N.Y. G.O. No.: 22, 28 February 1946. Citation: He was a member of Company C, 325th Glider Infantry, on 9 June 1944 advancing with the forward platoon to secure a bridgehead across the Merderet River at La Fiere, France. At dawn the platoon had penetrated an outer line of machineguns and riflemen, but in so doing had become cut off from the rest of the company. Vastly superior forces began a decimation of the stricken unit and put in motion a flanking maneuver which would have completely exposed the American platoon in a shallow roadside ditch where it had taken cover. Detecting this danger, Pfc. DeGlopper volunteered to support his comrades by fire from his automatic rifle while they attempted a withdrawal through a break in a hedgerow 40 yards to the rear. Scorning a concentration of enemy automatic weapons and rifle fire, he walked from the ditch onto the road in full view of the Germans, and sprayed the hostile positions with assault fire. He was wounded, but he continued firing. Struck again, he started to fall; and yet his grim determination and valiant fighting spirit could not be broken. Kneeling in the roadway, weakened by his grievous wounds, he leveled his heavy weapon against the enemy and fired burst after burst until killed outright. He was successful in drawing the enemy action away from his fellow soldiers, who continued the fight from a more advantageous position and established the first bridgehead over the Merderet. In the area where he made his intrepid stand his comrades later found the ground strewn with dead Germans and many machineguns and automatic weapons which he had knocked out of action. Pfc. DeGlopper’s gallant sacrifice and unflinching heroism while facing unsurmountable odds were in great measure responsible for a highly important tactical victory in the Normandy Campaign.
GANDARA, JOE
Rank and Organization: Private. U.S. Army. Company D, 2d Battalion. 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Place and Date: June 9, 1944, Amfreville, France. Born: April 25, 1924, Santa Monica, CA . Departed: Yes (06/09/1944). Entered Service At: Los Angeles, CA. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 03/18/2014. Accredited To: . Citation: Gandara is being recognized for his heroic actions on June 9, 1944, in Amfreville, France. His detachment came under devastating enemy fire from a strong German force, pinning the men to the ground for a period of four hours. Gandara advanced voluntarily and alone toward the enemy position and destroyed three hostile machine-guns before he was fatally wounded.
McGONAGLE, WILLIAM L.
Rank and organization: Captain (then Comdr.) U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Liberty (AGTR-5). place and date: International waters, Eastern Mediterranean, 8-9 June 1967. Entered service at: Thermal, Calif. Born: 19 November 1925, Wichita, Kans. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sailing in international waters, the Liberty was attacked without warning by jet fighter aircraft and motor torpedo boats which inflicted many casualties among the crew and caused extreme damage to the ship. Although severely wounded during the first air attack, Capt. McGonagle remained at his battle station on the badly damaged bridge and, with full knowledge of the seriousness of his wounds, subordinated his own welfare to the safety and survival of his command. Steadfastly refusing any treatment which would take him away from his post, he calmly continued to exercise firm command of his ship. Despite continuous exposure to fire, he maneuvered his ship, directed its defense, supervised the control of flooding and fire, and saw to the care of the casualties. Capt. McGonagle’s extraordinary valor under these conditions inspired the surviving members of the Liberty’s crew, many of them seriously wounded, to heroic efforts to overcome the battle damage and keep the ship afloat. Subsequent to the attack, although in great pain and weak from the loss of blood, Captain McGonagle remained at his battle station and continued to command his ship for more than 17 hours. It was only after rendezvous with a U.S. destroyer that he relinquished personal control of the Liberty and permitted himself to be removed from the bridge. Even then, he refused much needed medical attention until convinced that the seriously wounded among his crew had been treated. Capt. McGonagle’s superb professionalism, courageous fighting spirit, and valiant leadership saved his ship and many lives. His actions sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. (Captain McGonagle earned the Medal of Honor for actions that took place in international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean rather than in Vietnam.)
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 9, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 June
1916: Lt Richard C. Saufley died in a crash near Pensacola after being in the air 8 hours 51 minutes on an endurance flight. He set an American altitude record earlier on 2 April 1916. (24)
1945: 110 B-29s attacked the aircraft factories at Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe, Japan. (24)
1952: KOREAN WAR. An H-19 helicopter of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron picked up a downed UN pilot, encountering moderate small arms fire enroute. (28)
1959: The Republic F-105D Thunderchief first flew. First Navy fleet ballistic missile submarine, the nuclear- powered USS George Washington, launched.
1960: SAC began a test program to disperse B-47s to civilian airfields in times of crisis. (1)
1961: The 1611 ATW at McGuire AFB received the first C-135A Stratolifter, the first jet aircraft in MATS. (18) (21)
1964: FIRST KC-135 SUPPORT FOR VIETNAM COMBAT OPERATIONS. Four KC-135s from Clark AB refueled eight F-100s from Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, on an attack against anti-aircraft batteries in North Laos. PACAF RF-101Cs and KB-50Js supported the strike. (1) (17)
1967: The first O-2A Forward Air Controller aircraft arrived in Vietnam. (16) (26) The USAF started evacuating some 1,300 military and civilian Americans from the Middle East because of the Arab-Israeli War. (16) (26)
1971: Karl Stefan set a FAI altitude record for 2,220-3,000 cubic meter balloons (Subclass AX-8) by taking his Raven S-60 to 31,000 feet over Boulder, Colo. (9)
1974: Northrop’s YF-17 prototype made its first flight at Edwards AFB. Northrop pilot Henry E. “Hank” Chouteau flew the jets for 61 minutes at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and speeds of 610 MPH. (3)(12) (21)
1983: C-5B fabrication began almost three months early. (12)
1989: MAC units flew four tons of medical supplies to aid the victims of a rail disaster at Ufa on the Trans-Siberian Railroad about 750 miles southeast of Moscow. A liquid-gas pipeline exploded as two trains passed each other. One train derailed and crashed into the other. Nearly 850 passengers were either killed or injured, making it the worst rail disaster in history. (16)
1995: A B-2 Spirit flew its first "Global Power" mission by flying from Whiteman AFB, Mo., to the Netherlands in 12 hours. It simulated a bomb drop. (16)
1997: During the 9-20 June Central Enterprise exercise, for the first time in the 10-year history of the B-1B bomber, two units became one force at a forward operating location, RAF Fairford, England. The 7th Bomb Wing from Dyess AFB and the 28th Bomb Wing from Ellsworth AFB, along with 350 people, fused together to form the 7th Expeditionary Bomb Group. (AFNEWS, 19 Jun 97)
1997: The Pathfinder RPV set a new world record for high-altitude flight by a solar powered aircraft, reaching 67,350 ft. This flight to the highest altitude ever reached by a propeller-driven aircraft took place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii. (3)
2003: The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Altair UAV first flew at Gray Butte at El Mirage (near Edwards AFB), Calif., where it reached 7,000 feet in altitude. The turboprop Altair was a high altitude research vehicle for NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program. (3)
2005: The USAF accepted 420th, and final, re-engined KC-135R from Boeing. The KC-135R (tail number 57-1441) went to the 141 AREFW, an ANG unit at Fairchild AFB. (22)
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