To All.
Good Tuesday Morning March 10, 2026.
Nice weather here today with clear skies and 70 for a high. I hope that your week has started well
Shadow is back home in Florida. It was great to finally meet him face to face after all the years of phone calls and Emails. He does have a skill to put entertaining thoughts and histories together for our entertainment.
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
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Thanks to Frog
Hello Skip. Please put the word out that Jay Yakeley (Spook) died peacefully two days ago. I have no other details. He and I did not know each other on active duty although we were selected for CAG the same year. I think he is the only man to have had command of a fighter squadron (VF114?), Topgun, CVW and a battle group. I knew him as a beautiful human being and man before his demons got him. TANOTG. Frog Burgess
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams.
March 10
1783 USS Alliance (CAPT John Barry) defeats HMS Sybil in final naval action of Revolution in West Indies waters
1933 Pacific Fleet provides assistance after earthquake at Long Beach, CA
1943 USS Savannah (CL 42) and USS Eberle (DD 430) intercept German blockade runner Karin in the South Atlantic. After boarding the ship, a timed explosion goes off, killing 11 of Eberle's boarding party.
1944 USS Kete (SS 369) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks one cargo and two transport ships while dodging counterattacks.
1945 Navy and civilian nurses interned at Los Banos, Philippines flown back to U.S. Navy nurses awarded Bronze Star.
1948 First use of jets assigned to operational squadron (VF-5A) on board a carrier (Boxer)
2001 USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The 31st destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class is the fourth U.S. Navy warship to be named after a British citizen. Churchill has a Royal Naval officer assigned permanently to the ship and she flies the Royal Navy's White Ensign as well as the Stars and Stripes.
2007 USS New Orleans (LPD 18) is commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana. The second of the 12-ship San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock warships, New Orleans is homeported at Naval Base San Diego.
From NHHC
On March 10, 1945, Navy and civilian nurses interned in the Philippines as prisoners of war since early January 1942 returned to the United States, landing in San Francisco, CA. The nurses were working at the naval hospital in Cañacao when the war began. They were captured in Manila and had been at the Los Baños Internment Camp on Luzon since May 1943. While at the camp, they treated other internees the best they could considering dreadful conditions in a makeshift hospital. Their rescue came around 7 a.m. on Feb. 23, 1945, when U.S. Army paratroopers descended on the internment camp, which was still behind enemy lines. The nurses received the Bronze Star medal from the Army for their three years' work as medical specialists while incarcerated. For more, read the essay by COD's Adam Bisno at NHHC's website.
During the Battle for Iwo Jima, Pharmacist's Mate First Class Francis Pierce repeatedly opened himself up to enemy fire to protect Marines under his care while attached to the 4th Marine Division. On March 15, 1945, while caught in heavy enemy machine gun fire that wounded multiple Marines, Pierce quickly took charge, carried the wounded to safety, and rendered first aid. After directing the evacuation of three of the casualties, he stood in the open with his weapon blasting to draw enemy fire, enabling the litter bearers to reach cover. Turning his attention to other casualties, Pierce attempted to stop the profuse bleeding of a casualty when a Japanese soldier fired at him from less than 20 yards away, wounding his patient. Pierce proceeded to kill the enemy with the last of his ammunition. He then lifted the patient on his back and trekked 200 feet unarmed, bringing him to safety. Despite extreme exhaustion, he backtracked the same terrain and rescued another fallen Marine. The following morning, he led a combat patrol to a sniper nest and, while providing aid to a stricken Marine, was seriously wounded. Pierce received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary valor and heroism.
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Today in World History: March 10
0049 Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon and invades Italy. And many have crossed the Rubicon since IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
0241 The Roman fleet sinks 50 Carthaginian ships in the Battle of Aegusa.
0515 The building of the great Jewish temple in Jerusalem is completed.
1656 In the colony of Virginia, suffrage is extended to all free men regardless of their religion.
1776 ""Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is published.
1785 Thomas Jefferson is appointed minister to France.
1806 The Dutch in Cape Town, South Africa surrender to the British.
1814 Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated by an allied army at the Battle of Laon, France.
1848 The treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo is signed which ends the United States' war with Mexico.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell makes the first telephone call to Thomas Watson saying "Watson, come here. I need you."
1893 New Mexico State University cancels its first graduation ceremony, because the only graduate was robbed and killed the night before.
1902 The Boers of South Africa score their last victory over the British, capturing British General Methuen and 200 men.
1910 Slavery is abolished in China.
1924 The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a New York state law forbidding late-night work for women.
1927 Prussia lifts its Nazi ban, Adolf Hitler is allowed to speak in public.
1933 Nevada becomes the first U.S. state to regulate drugs.
1941 Vichy France threatens to use its navy unless Britain allows food to reach France.
1943 Adolf Hitler calls Field Marshall Erwin Rommel back from Tunisia in North Africa.
1944 The Irish refuse to oust all Axis envoys and deny the accusation of spying on Allied troops.
1945 American B-29 bombers attack Tokyo, killing 100,000.
1947 The Big Four meet in Moscow to discuss the future of Germany.
1948 Author Zelda Fitzgerald (wife of F. Scott) dies in a fire at Highland Hospital.
1953North Korean gunners at Wonsan fire on the USS Missouri, the ship responds by firing 998 rounds at the enemy position.
1954 President Dwight Eisenhower calls Senator Joseph McCarthy a peril to the Republican Party.
1966 The North Vietnamese capture a Green Beret camp at Ashau Valley.
1969 James Earl Ray pleads guilty to the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King and is sentenced to 99 years in jail.
1971 The Senate approves a Constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18.
1975 The North Vietnamese Army attacks the South Vietnamese town of Buon Ma Thout, the offensive will end with total victory in Vietnam.
1980 Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, lends his support to the militants holding the American hostages in Tehran.
1982 The United States bans Libyan oil imports, because of the continued support of terrorism.1987 The Vatican condemns surrogate parenting as well as test-tube and artificial insemination.
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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 10 . .
March 10: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1029
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
Flamingos can sleep standing on one leg.
Flamingos are some of the most striking birds on the planet. Their bright pink plumage is easy to spot in wetland habitats around the world, they eat upside down, and yes, they can fall asleep standing on one leg — a task that's impossible for most vertebrates. So how (and why) do flamingos pull off this impressive feat? For years, scientists believed it was because flamingos conserved heat by retracting their other leg into their body — similar to how a cat "loafs" to conserve warmth. However, this didn't quite square with most birds' physiology. So a study in 2017 went back to the proverbial drawing board, analyzed both dead and living flamingos, and discovered the answer has to do with some surprising physics.
Flamingos are pink because of the food they eat. A flamingo's diet involves a steady course of algae and small crustaceans, both filled with an orange-ish pigment called beta carotene. Over time, this diet steadily turns flamingos from a dullish gray to a brilliant pink.
Scientists placed juvenile flamingos on what amounted to a highly sensitive bathroom scale to analyze the miniscule muscle movements in their legs and feet. When the birds slept on one leg, swaying decreased sevenfold compared to when they were standing or grooming on two legs. Scientists also realized that flamingos can passively lock their knee, which is located close to their trunk (the visible joint we see is actually their ankle), and then stabilize their center of gravity over this leg. Doing so doesn't seem to require any conscious activity or muscle effort, as even dead flamingos were capable of doing it. The one-legged pose thus allows flamingos to expend less energy while they snooze — even if it looks a little unconventional.
Numbers Don't Lie
Maximum estimated population of flamingos worldwide
330,000
Year the famous John Waters film "Pink Flamingos" was released
1972
Number of flamingo species, including the American flamingo
6
Approximate number of pounds of plastic transformed into flamingo lawn ornaments every year
270 million
A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
For more than a century, flamingos were considered an invasive species in Florida.
In the U.S., the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is found almost exclusively in southern Florida — but for more than a century, the Sunshine State considered the bird an invasive species. Because of widespread hunting, flamingos stopped nesting in Florida at the turn of the 20th century. In the decades following, it was often assumed that any wild flamingos one spotted had escaped from captive colonies. However, research in 2018 using satellite trackers, aerial surveys, and historical reports (including accounts from 19th-century feather traders) concluded that the American flamingo is most likely originally native to southern Florida. This simple distinction carries big implications for the bird's protection in the state, as well as protection of its wetland habitat. Today the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission considers the American flamingo a native resident, but has declined to consider them "state threatened" in part due to their overall low population in Florida. That could change if these brilliant pink birds continue to return to their ancestral home.
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. Thanks to Mike
An olde but a goode
Creation
NEVER HEARD CREATION EXPLAINED THIS WAY BEFORE!!! Who knew???
1. In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
2. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Crème Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.
3. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.
4. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side . And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
5. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake" and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."
6. God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.
7. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips and deep-fried them . And Man gained pounds .
8. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super-size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
9. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
10. Then Satan created Cuts to the Health Care System. Amen!
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Some bits from 1440
Gulf Oil Squeeze
Oil prices whipsawed yesterday, rising to roughly $120 per barrel—the highest since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine—before retreating below $100. The swing came as traders reacted to the expanding war in the Middle East and signs that governments may step in to stabilize energy markets.
The conflict, involving the US, Israel, and Iran, has disrupted oil production and tanker traffic across the region, especially in the Strait of Hormuz (see visual explainer), through which 20% of the world's oil passes. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE are among producers that have reduced output amid the fighting, prompting traders to bid up oil futures (contracts to buy oil at a set price in the future) in anticipation of shortages. Prices later retreated after reports that the US and the Group of Seven nations may release emergency oil reserves if prices keep climbing. Explore the best resources we've curated on oil markets here.
For consumers, the impact could mean higher gas prices (track here) and heating costs. Analysts warn that sustained high oil prices could push inflation higher and slow economic growth. Separately, President Donald Trump held a news conference yesterday on war updates; .
Anthropic Sues Pentagon
AI company Anthropic filed two lawsuits against the US government yesterday over the decision to label it a supply chain risk. Anthropic is the first American company to receive the designation, typically reserved for foreign entities working with US adversaries.
The designation came last week, after a Feb. 27 deadline for Anthropic to remove restrictions on the Pentagon's use of its technology, specifically for autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance. (The military has reportedly used Anthropic's AI tools for attacks in Venezuela and Iran.) Since then, the Pentagon has signed a contract with Anthropic competitor OpenAI, which says it will build guardrails into its systems' code.
Barring judicial intervention, government contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir have to cut ties with Anthropic or lose business with US agencies, including the Defense, State, and Treasury Departments. Most of Anthropic's $14B in projected revenue this year comes from businesses and government agencies.
Birth of the Telephone
Today marks 150 years since Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call from his Boston lab to his assistant in a nearby room.
The breakthrough came just days after Bell received a patent for telephone technology, four days after his 29th birthday. His successful prototype used acidified water to convert acoustic oscillations created by the human voice into electrical, voice-mimicking oscillations that could travel to a receiver (watch how). The design closely resembled that of American electrical engineer Elisha Gray, who unsuccessfully contested Bell's patent in court. Bell went on to commercialize his telephone by founding the Bell Telephone Co., which eventually became the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., or AT&T.
Nearly 100 years after Bell's first phone call, Motorola engineer Marty Cooper made the first cellphone call. .
"Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you."
- Alexander Graham Bell's first words transmitted via telephone
Historybook: Courrières mining accident kills 1,099 in France (1906); Harriet Tubman dies (1913); Sharon Stone born (1958); Dot-com bubble peaks as the Nasdaq hits 5,048 (2000); Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes, killing 157 (2019).
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https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/03/07/not-tired-winning-3-historic-geopolitical-victories-trumps-operation-epic-fury not-just-the-ayatollah-how-operation-epic-fury-is-remaking-geopolitics.
Commentary
Not Just the Ayatollah—How Operation Epic Fury Is Remaking Geopolitics
Tyler O'Neil | March 07, 2026
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Tyler O'Neil is senior editor at The Daily Signal and the author of two books: "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center," and "The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government."
President Donald Trump's military response to Iran's decades-long war against the United States has already reaped massive dividends in its first week.
On America's 250th anniversary, Trump isn't just reshaping the Middle East—he's reshaping the global balance of power and strengthening the United States' position.
"Operation Epic Fury" has already yielded three massive victories in the first week.
1. Decapitating Iran
Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. and Israeli military strikes had killed 49 leaders of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The strikes killed other key leaders, such as Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammed Pakpour, former National Defense Council head Ali Shamkani, and armed forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi.
Israel's Air Force also struck the building housing the Assembly of Experts in Qom—the group of 88 clerics responsible for electing the next supreme leader.
Unfortunately, knocking out key regime leaders won't necessarily doom the Islamic Republic. Just as Trump's successful operation to extricate Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro did not result in immediate regime change, so the decapitation of Tehran doesn't guarantee a new form of government. Iran is a much larger country than Venezuela, and its regime has a stronger foothold.
Even so, the Islamic Republic appears to be flailing. Iran didn't just send missiles to hit Israeli and American targets—it has also targeted Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian drones have even attacked Iran's northern neighbor Azerbaijan, though the Islamic Republic's foreign ministry denied carrying out the attack.
Whether or not Operation Epic Fury topples the Iran regime, it will leave a weakened Iran and, likely, a safer Middle East once the conflict draws to a close.
2. Hezbollah
Iran has long supported proxy forces in other countries, backing Shia militias in Iraq, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah, long considered Iraq's most effective proxy force, acted as a likely deterrent to any Israeli attack on Iran.
Israel has fought multiple wars with Hezbollah, often invading Lebanese territory to respond to the terrorist group's attacks.
Hezbollah maintained an army larger than that of Lebanon, and long operated as a state within a state—a de facto independent government that effectively held the Lebanese government hostage.
After the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Israel decimated Hezbollah's leadership by rigging their pagers to explode in September 2024.
Hezbollah had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel last year, but the terrorist group responded to Operation Epic Fury by launching rockets into northern Israel earlier this week.
Then something truly remarkable happened: the Lebanese government turned on Hezbollah. It announced "the immediate ban of all Hezbollah security and military activities," and demanded Hezbollah surrender its weapons.
While some analysts faulted Lebanon's measures as "half-hearted," they still represent a remarkable sea change.
Lebanon had often opposed Israel, seeing Israel as the invading aggressor and Hezbollah as a military force protecting Lebanon. Now, Lebanon is turning on Hezbollah and asserting itself against this Iranian proxy that seems determined to bring Lebanon into a wider war.
If Lebanon can disarm Hezbollah, that will go a long way toward restoring its integrity as an independent country—and protect Israel from one of its nastiest rivals.
3. Russia and China
While Russia and China, America's two largest rivals on the global stage, have signaled support for Iran, they have remained largely disengaged from the conflict. Meanwhile, Trump's moves in both Venezuela and Iran have separated Russia and China from major oil producers.
Russia and Iran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in January 2025, and the countries carried out joint military drills in the Indian Ocean as late as February. Yet the treaty does not include a mutual defense clause, so Moscow had no obligation to engage militarily when Tehran faced U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Andrey Kortunov, former director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, told Al Jazeera that the risks of joining the war on Iran's side would be too high. While Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target the U.S. in the region, it seems unlikely to get engaged beyond that.
China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement with Iran in 2021, drawing Tehran into China's Belt and Road Initiative. Yet China has also developed ties with the Persian Gulf states. In 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping brokered normalization between Saudi Arabia and Iran, aiming to stabilize the Persian Gulf, from which most of China's oil comes.
Around 50% of China's oil comes from Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, while only roughly 17% comes from the Islamic Republic that just attacked Saudi Arabia.
Both Russian and Chinese leaders have condemned the strikes and called for a ceasefire, but escalation seems largely limited to the Middle East.
The U.S. and Israel took a bold gamble in Iran this week, and so far the results have been remarkably positive. The strikes have decapitated Iran's leadership, led Lebanon to oppose Hezbollah, and put China between a rock and a hard place when it comes to oil diplomacy.
The war is just beginning, but America and Israel have achieved truly historic successes. Let's pray these are early signs of more victories to come—and ultimately harbingers of a lasting peace.
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From the Archives
. Ánother SUPERB H-|Gram from Admiral Cox .
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
You can find all the H-Grams by going to the Director's Corner
H-Gram 081: A Legacy of Valor—Commander Hugh W. Hadley and Steward's Mate First Class Charles J. French
6 March 2024
One of the responsibilities of Naval History and Heritage Command is to provide recommended ship names to the Secretary of the Navy, consistent with the traditional naming convention for that type of ship. The Secretary has sole authority for naming U.S. Navy ships. The only actual congressionally mandated directions for naming ships are that battleships must be named after states (not an issue any more) and no two ships in commission at the same time can have the same name. Everything else is "tradition" (i.e., the rules are there are no rules) and Secretaries of the Navy have been breaking the "rules" since the first Secretary, Benjamin Stoddert, named one of the first six frigates USS Chesapeake, because that's where he had his home.
Nevertheless, last summer Secretary Carlos del Toro asked me to provide a list of 25 potential names for future Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyers. In keeping with my personal philosophy that ships should be named after combat heroes, or heroic ships, this gave me an excuse to compile my "all-time" names that I find to be most inspirational. In December 2023, the Secretary took my top pick off that list, naming DDG-141 after Commander Ernest Evans, commanding officer of the destroyer USS Johnston (DD-571), who was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. In January, the Secretary took another off my list, naming DDG-142 for African-American Steward's Mate First Class Charles Jackson French, known as the "Human Tugboat" for his heroic actions in a little-known night battle off Guadalcanal on 4–5 September 1942, for which he was recommended for a Navy Cross, but received a Letter of Commendation instead (upgraded to a posthumous Navy-Marine Corps Medal in 2022).
About the same time that SECNAV was announcing the USS Charles J. French, I received a request for information (RFI) from the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. The RFI noted that in October 2023, the guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) had shot down a total of 19 (Houthi) anti-ship missiles and attack drones (and subsequently shot down many more). His question was, which U.S. Navy surface ship has shot down the most aircraft?
It turns out that the cumulative record by a single surface ship is, somewhat surprisingly, not known. However, the record for a single ship in a single engagement is held by the destroyer USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774), with 23 aircraft destroyed (20 shot down and three kamikazes that crashed into the ship) off Okinawa on 11 May 1945. This is also quite likely the cumulative record for a single surface ship.
Commander Hugh W. Hadley is also on the list that I provided to the SECNAV, not only for his own actions, which earned a posthumous Silver Star, but also for those of the crew of the ship named after him, which earned a Presidential Unit Citation and a Navy Cross for her commanding officer. Commander Hadley was killed on the bridge of fast transport USS Little (APD-3) in the same battle in which Steward's Mate First Class French performed his heroics. Thus the impetus for this H-gram, which attempts to weave the threads of valor from one action to another, and to demonstrate my belief that the most important purpose of a ship's name is to inspire its crew to greatness.
The Sacrifice of TRANSDIV 12
On 15 August 1942, five days after the U.S. Navy "abandoned" the U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal, four navy fast transports (APDs) of Transport Division (TRANSDIV) 12 arrived off Lunga Point and unloaded ammunition, aviation gasoline, aviation maintenance gear, and about a hundred Marines and Navy personnel who would establish an airfield operations capability at what would become Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Making multiple supply runs to Guadalcanal over the next days, the lightly armed converted World War I–vintage obsolescent destroyers relied on speed for survival. None of them would survive the war. Three of them wouldn't survive the next three weeks.
USS Colhoun (APD-2) was bombed and sunk by 18 Japanese bombers while unloading off Guadalcanal on 30 August 1942, with the loss of 51 of her crew. USS Gregory (APD-3) and USS Little went down in a valiant but hopeless night fight against three Japanese destroyers just off Guadalcanal on 4–5 September 1942. Under the overall command of Commander Hugh W. Hadley, embarked on Little, as the two APDs turned to attack the Japanese destroyers that had just commenced shelling the Marines ashore, their slim chance of achieving surprise was accidently betrayed by flares dropped from a U.S. Navy PBY Catalina, which mistook the APDs for a Japanese submarine. The startled Japanese, who had failed to previously detect the APDs, shifted their fire from the Marines ashore. Five hundred Japanese shells later, the two APDs were on the bottom of Ironbottom Sound with almost 90 crewmen, including Hadley and the skippers of Gregory and Little. Their sacrifice prevented further shelling of the Marines that night.
As the Japanese destroyers exited the area and continued to fire on survivors in the water, Mess Attendant Second Class Charles J. French of Gregory rounded up 15 mostly dazed and wounded survivors and pushed them onto a raft. A strong swimmer, he then tied a rope around his waist and proceeded to tow the raft through shark-infested waters and away from Japanese-held shoreline on Guadalcanal, where capture would have meant torture and death, for eight hours—according to an officer survivor on the raft—before they were rescued after dawn.
Left out of most histories of the battle of Guadalcanal, this action ("Miscellaneous Action in the South Pacific" per Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison) cost a similar number of Navy lives as Marines lost in the far more famous Battle of Bloody Ridge (approximately 90–100 killed in action) on Guadalcanal on 12–14 September. Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, commander of U.S. naval forces off Guadalcanal, wrote, "The officers and men serving in these ships have shown great courage and have performed outstanding service. They entered this dangerous area time after time, well knowing their ships stood little or no chance if they should be opposed by any surface or air force the enemy would send into those waters." Yet, to support the Marines, they did.
Commander Hadley, Lieutenant Commander Harry F. Bauer (commanding officer of Gregory) and Lieutenant Commander Gus B. Lofberg (commanding officer of Little) were each awarded a posthumous Silver Star. Despite being recommended for a Navy Cross, French was awarded a Letter of Commendation signed by Admiral William F. Halsey.
The Epic Fight of USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774), 11 May 1945
Following the loss of Colhoun, Little, and Gregory, and the deaths of Hadley, Lofberg, and Bauer, the Navy would name destroyers after all of them. USS Colhoun (DD-801) would be sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa on 6 April 1945, as would USS Little (DD-803) on 3 May. USS Harry F. Bauer (DD-738/DM-26) would later be damaged by a Japanese kamikaze off Okinawa on 6 June and would earn a Presidential Unit Citation. The Allen M. Sumner–class destroyer USS Hugh W. Hadley was commissioned on 25 November 1944 and would make history.
On 11 May 1945, Japanese massed kamikaze raid Kikusui No. 6 ("Floating Chrysanthemums") of about 150 suicide aircraft resulted in another horrific day, which included the truly epic fight by destroyers Hugh W. Hadley and Evans (DD-552) at radar picket station RP15, north-northwest of Okinawa. Evans shot down 14 or 15 aircraft before she was put out of action by four kamikaze hits in quick succession. Hugh W. Hadley shot down 19 or 20 aircraft before she too was gravely damaged by a large bomb and three kamikaze hits. On both ships, the crews fought on and saved their ships, even when it seemed all hope was lost. Both ships were so badly damaged that neither was repaired. Hugh W. Hadley suffered 30 dead and 68 wounded, while Evans suffered 30 dead and 29 wounded (out of about 320 on each ship) in one of the most desperate battles against overwhelming odds in U.S. Navy history. Hugh W. Hadley's tally was the highest number of aircraft shot down by a U.S. surface ship in a single engagement, and that of Evans was probably the second highest.
Vice Admiral Cooper's RFI was followed up with, "Which U.S. Navy ship shot down the most aircraft with surface-to-air missiles, and has a ship ever shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile before now?" During the Vietnam War, USS Long Beach (CGN-9) shot down two, probably three, MiGs at long range with Talos missiles. USS Sterret (DLG-31) shot down one, possibly two, MiGs with Terrier missiles. USS Biddle (DLG-34) shot down two MiGs (one with Terrier missiles, one with guns), and USS Chicago (CG-11) shot down a MiG with Talos. No ship has previously shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile.
For more on TRANSDIV 12 and USS Hugh W. Hadley, please see attachments H-081-1 and H-081-2 (note that H-Gram 010 and H-Gram 046 previously covered these subjects). Previous H-grams may be found here. Further dissemination is greatly encouraged.
Published: Wed Mar 06 09:01:49 EST 2024
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This Day in U S Military History
10 March
This Day in U S Military History March 10
1783 – USS Alliance (CAPT John Barry) defeats HMS Sybil in final naval action of Revolution in West Indies waters. Barry, in defense of a companion ship, the Duc de Lauzun which was carrying gold to fund the US war effort, maneuvered her between Sybil and Duc De Lauzun to demand the full attention of the former so that the latter might slip away to safety. Sybil then turned her fire toward Alliance and managed to send one shot from her bow chaser into the American frigate's cabin, mortally wounding a junior officer and scattering many splinters. Yet, Barry held Alliance's fire until she was within a stone's throw of her opponent. At that point, a broadside from the American warship opened some 40 minutes of close-in fighting which finally forced Sybil to flee
1849 – A riot erupts in New York where a British actor named Macready is performing at the Astor Place Opera House. Crowds are angry because of the theater's snobbish dress requirements and because Macready makes scornful comments on the vulgarity of Americans. Twenty-two people are killed and thirty-six injured when troops are called in.
1917 – On a third day of riots and demonstrations in Moscow, Russia, an estimated 25,000 workers are on strike. Army units are called in to deal with the growing unrest, but they refuse to fire on the demonstrators. These vents become known as the 'February Revolution'–the Russian (Julian) calendar of the time was 11 days behind the western one.
1942 – American aircraft launched from the American carriers Lexington and Yorktown attack Japanese vessels near Lae, New Guinea.
1943 – Chennault is promoted and his command in China is to be enlarged and named the 14th Air Force.
1944 – On New Britain, American forces capture Talasea.
1944 – On Bougainville, Japanese forces capture Hill 260 but lose ground to American counterattacks in other areas.
1945 – Patton's 3rd Army made contact with Hodge's 1st Army. They link up near Andernach completing the Allied hold on the west bank of the Rhine everywhere north of Koblenz. Field Marshal Kesselring arrives from Italy to take command of the German armies in the west.1945 – Germany blew up the Wessel Bridge on the Rhine.
1945 – 300 American bombers drop almost 2,000 tons of incendiaries on Tokyo, Japan, destroying large portions of the Japanese capital and killing 100,000 civilians. In the closing months of the war, the United States had turned to incendiary bombing tactics against Japan, also known as "area bombing," in an attempt to break Japanese morale and force a surrender. The firebombing of Tokyo was the first major bombing operation of this sort against Japan. Early in the morning, the B-29s dropped their bombs of napalm and magnesium incendiaries over the packed residential districts along the Sumida River in eastern Tokyo. The conflagration quickly engulfed Tokyo's wooden residential structures, and the subsequent firestorm replaced oxygen with lethal gases, superheated the atmosphere, and caused hurricane-like winds that blew a wall of fire across the city. The majority of the 100,000 who perished died from carbon monoxide poisoning and the sudden lack of oxygen, but others died horrible deaths within the firestorm, such as those who attempted to find protection in the Sumida River and were boiled alive, or those who were trampled to death in the rush to escape the burning city. As a result of the attack, 10 square miles of eastern Tokyo were entirely obliterated, and an estimated 250,000 buildings were destroyed. During the next nine days, U.S. bombers flew similar missions against Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe. In August, U.S. atomic attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki finally forced Japan's hand.
1945 – Navy and civilian nurses interned at Los Banos, Philippines flown back to U.S. Navy nurses awarded Bronze Star.
1953 – North Korean gunners at Wonsan fired on the USS Missouri, the ship responds by firing 998 rounds at the enemy position.
1968 – Battle of Lima Site 85, concluding the 11th with largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members (12) during the Vietnam War. Also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) (then known as NVA) and the Pathet Lao, against airmen of the United States Air Force 1st Combat Evaluation Group, elements of the Royal Laos Army, Royal Thai Border Patrol Police, and the Central Intelligence Agency-led Hmong Clandestine Army. The battle was fought on Phou Pha Thi mountain in Houaphanh Province, Laos, on 10 March 1968, and derives its name from the mountaintop where it was fought or from the designation of a 700 feet (210 m) landing strip in the valley below.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
ATKINS, THOMAS E.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 10 March 1945. Entered service at: Campobello, S.C. Birth: Campobello, S.C. G.O. No.: 95, 30 October 1945. Citation: He fought gallantly on the Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands. With 2 companions he occupied a position on a ridge outside the perimeter defense established by the 1st Platoon on a high hill. At about 3 a.m., 2 companies of Japanese attacked with rifle and machinegun fire, grenades, TNT charges, and land mines, severely wounding Pfc. Atkins and killing his 2 companions. Despite the intense hostile fire and pain from his deep wound, he held his ground and returned heavy fire. After the attack was repulsed, he remained in his precarious position to repel any subsequent assaults instead of returning to the American lines for medical treatment. An enemy machinegun, set up within 20 yards of his foxhole, vainly attempted to drive him off or silence his gun. The Japanese repeatedly made fierce attacks, but for 4 hours, Pfc. Atkins determinedly remained in his fox hole, bearing the brunt of each assault and maintaining steady and accurate fire until each charge was repulsed. At 7 a.m., 13 enemy dead lay in front of his position; he had fired 400 rounds, all he and his 2 dead companions possessed, and had used 3 rifles until each had jammed too badly for further operation. He withdrew during a lull to secure a rifle and more ammunition, and was persuaded to remain for medical treatment. While waiting, he saw a Japanese within the perimeter and, seizing a nearby rifle, killed him. A few minutes later, while lying on a litter, he discovered an enemy group moving up behind the platoon's lines. Despite his severe wound, he sat up, delivered heavy rifle fire against the group and forced them to withdraw. Pfc. Atkins' superb bravery and his fearless determination to hold his post against the main force of repeated enemy attacks, even though painfully wounded, were major factors in enabling his comrades to maintain their lines against a numerically superior enemy force.
DETHLEFSEN, MERLYN HANS
Rank and organization: Major (then Capt.), U.S. Air Force. Place and date: In the air over North Vietnam, 10 March 1967. Entered service at: Royal, Iowa. Born: 29 June 1934, Greenville, Iowa. Citation: Maj. Dethlefsen was 1 of a flight of F-105 aircraft engaged in a fire suppression mission designed to destroy a key antiaircraft defensive complex containing surface-to-air missiles (SAM), an exceptionally heavy concentration of antiaircraft artillery, and other automatic weapons. The defensive network was situated to dominate the approach and provide protection to an important North Vietnam industrial center that was scheduled to be attacked by fighter bombers immediately after the strike by Maj. Dethlefsen's flight. In the initial attack on the defensive complex the lead aircraft was crippled, and Maj. Dethlefsen's aircraft was extensively damaged by the intense enemy fire. Realizing that the success of the impending fighter bomber attack on the center now depended on his ability to effectively suppress the defensive fire, Maj. Dethlefsen ignored the enemy's overwhelming firepower and the damage to his aircraft and pressed his attack. Despite a continuing hail of antiaircraft fire, deadly surface-to-air missiles, and counterattacks by MIG interceptors, Maj. Dethlefsen flew repeated close range strikes to silence the enemy defensive positions with bombs and cannon fire. His action in rendering ineffective the defensive SAM and antiaircraft artillery sites enabled the ensuing fighter bombers to strike successfully the important industrial target without loss or damage to their aircraft, thereby appreciably reducing the enemy's ability to provide essential war material. Maj. Dethlefsen's consummate skill and selfless dedication to this significant mission were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
FISHER, BERNARD FRANCIS
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Air Force, 1st Air Commandos. Place and date: Bien Hoa and Pleiku, Vietnam, 10 March 1966. Entered service at: Kuna, Idaho. Born: 11 January 1927, San Bernardino, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On that date, the special forces camp at A Shau was under attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Other hostile troops had surrounded the camp and were continuously raking it with automatic weapons fire from the surrounding hills. The tops of the 1,500-foot hills were obscured by an 800 foot ceiling, limiting aircraft maneuverability and forcing pilots to operate within range of hostile gun positions, which often were able to fire down on the attacking aircraft. During the battle, Maj. Fisher observed a fellow airman crash land on the battle-torn airstrip. In the belief that the downed pilot was seriously injured and in imminent danger of capture, Maj. Fisher announced his intention to land on the airstrip to effect a rescue. Although aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt, he elected to continue. Directing his own air cover, he landed his aircraft and taxied almost the full length of the runway, which was littered with battle debris and parts of an exploded aircraft. While effecting a successful rescue of the downed pilot, heavy ground fire was observed, with 19 bullets striking his aircraft. In the face of the withering ground fire, he applied power and gained enough speed to lift-off at the overrun of the airstrip. Maj. Fisher's profound concern for his fellow airman, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 10, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
10 March
1934: The army suspended Air Corps airmail operations until 19 March to assess the high fatality rate. A lack of instrumentation for flying at night and in bad weather contributed to nine fatalities. (5)
1943: A few P-47 Thunderbolts participated in a fighter sweep from the UK for the first time.
1945: When a pilot from the 36th Fighter Squadron landed a P-47 on an airstrip near Aachen, Germany, he became the first to land an American combat plane voluntarily in Germany since the war began. (4)
1948: A B-29 dropped a nonexplosive, 42,000-pound bomb at Muroc. (24)
1959: A Snark missile flew a several-thousand-mile round-trip after launching from Cape Canaveral. (24) The X-15A-1 rocket research plane completed its first captive flight on the wing of a B-52. (3)
1961: The 565 SMS became the second US war-ready ICBM unit to achieve operational status. (24)
1966: TAC accepted its first F-4D at Nellis AFB. (5) MEDAL OF HONOR. Maj Bernard Fisher from the 1st Commando Squadron landed an A-1E on A Shau runway, Vietnam, under fire from North Vietnamese troops to rescue a downed pilot, Maj Dafford W. Myers from the 602 FS. President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Major Fisher this medal for heroism on 19 January 1967. He thus became the first Air Force man to be so honored for action in the Southeast Asian conflict. (5) (16)
1967: MEDAL OF HONOR. F-105 Thunderchiefs and F-4C Phantoms bombed the Thai Nguyen steel plant in North Vietnam for the first time. At the time, Thai Nguyen was the only plant in Southeast Asia making bridge sections, barges, and drums for fuels and lubricants. While attacking the steel plant, Capt Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen used his severely damaged F-105 to silence enemy defenses, despite intense enemy ground fire and fighter attacks, to earn the Medal of Honor. (16) (17) (21) TWIN MIG KILLER. Capt Mac C. Brestel, a F-105 pilot with the 355 TFS at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand, became the first USAF pilot to down two MiGs in one mission in the Vietnam War. (16) (26)
1971: An Air Force helicopter saved 10 Japanese fishermen from rough surf and a coral reef after they were shipwrecked 200 miles southwest of Kadena AB. (16) (26)
1977: The first female navigator candidates reported to Mather AFB for undergraduate navigator training. (16) (26)
1995: The 11th Space Warning Squadron became the first unit with the ability to warn battlefield commanders of incoming theater ballistic missiles, such as the Scud missiles fired by Iraq in DESERT STORM. (26)
2007: The 326th Airlift Squadron, 512th Airlift Wing (Air Force Reserve Command), at Dover AFB, Del., flew its final C-5 Galaxy flight. According to plans, the squadron converted to the C-17 Globemaster III mission on 1 April and the first of 12 C-17s arrived in June. (AFNEWS, "Dover Reserve Squadron Flies Final C-5 Flight," 13 Mar 2007.)
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