. Good Wednesday morning May 27. It is starting out cooler again today and the skies are going to be overcast and we will hit 64 around 3 The forecast is for a lot of overcast skies and lower temps until Saturday when we are supposed to jump to clear skies and 75.
Today will be weed whacking day
Warm Regards,
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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/
May 27
On This Day
1862 USS Bienville captures the British blockade-runner Patras off Bulls Island, S.C. and USS Santiago de Cuba captures the schooner Lucy C. Holmes off Charleston.
1919 The crew of the Curtiss flying boat NC-4 arrives at Lisbon, Portugal for a stop during its transatlantic flight to Portsmouth, England, arriving May 31.
1942 Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris Miller receives the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz presents the medal to Miller on board USS Enterprise (CV 6). He is killed when his ship is torpedoed Nov. 24, 1943, during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands.
1943 USS Runner (SS 275) departs Midway for her third war patrol but is never heard from again. Overdue and presumed lost in July 1943, she is struck from the Navy list that October.
1952 During the Korean War, USS Douglas H. Fox (DD 779) receives eight to 10 rounds of 76-mm fire off Suwon, Korea. The destroyer returns fire, silencing the gun crew.
1995 USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) is commissioned at Charleston, S.C. before sailing to her homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Paul Hamilton, named for the third Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton, is the 10th in a class of ship that continues to serve the fleet.
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Today in World History May 27
.1564 John Calvin, one of the dominant figures of the Protestant Reformation, dies in Geneva.
1647 Achsah Young becomes the first woman known to be executed as a witch in Massachusetts.
1668 Three colonists are expelled from Massachusetts for being Baptists.
1813 Americans capture Fort George, Canada.
1907 The Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco.
1919 A U.S. Navy seaplane completes the first transatlantic flight.
1929 Colonel Charles Lindbergh marries Anne Spencer Morrow.
1935 The Supreme Court declares President Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Act unconstitutional.
1937 San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge opens.
1941 The German battleship Bismarck is sunk by British naval and air forces.
1942 German General Erwin Rommel begins a major offensive in Libya with his Afrika Korps.
1944 American General Douglas MacArthur lands on Biak Island in New Guinea.
1960 A military coup overthrows the democratic government of Turkey.
1969 Construction begins on Walt Disney World in Florida.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon and Soviet Communist Party chief Leonid Brezhnev sign an arms reduction agreement.
1999 The international war crimes tribunal indicts Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic for war atrocities.
1939
A boat carrying 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution is turned away from Havana, Cuba, on May 27, 1939. Only 28 immigrants are admitted into the country. After appeals to the United States and Canada for entry are denied, the rest are forced to sail back to Europe, where they’re distributed among several countries including Great Britain and France.
On May 13, the S.S. St. Louis sailed from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba. Most of the passengers—many of them children—were German Jews escaping increasing persecution under the Third Reich. Six months earlier, 91 people were killed and Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed in what became known as the Kristallnacht pogrom. It was becoming increasing clear the Nazis were accelerating their efforts to exterminate Jews by arresting them and placing them in concentration camps. World War II and the formal implementation of The Final Solution were just months from beginning.
The refugees had applied for U.S. visas, and planned to stay in Cuba until they could enter the United States legally. Even before they set sail, their impending arrival was greeted with hostility in Cuba. On May 8, there was a massive anti-Semitic demonstration in Havana. Right-wing newspapers claimed that the incoming immigrants were Communists.
The St. Louis arrived in Havana on May 27. Roughly 28 people onboard had valid visas or travel documents and were allowed to disembark. The Cuban government refused to admit the nearly 900 others. For seven days, the ship’s captain attempted to negotiate with Cuban officials, but they refused to comply.
The ship sailed closer to Florida, hoping to disembark there, but it was not permitted to dock. Some passengers attempted to cable President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking for refuge, but he never responded. A State Department telegram stated that the asylum-seekers must “await their turns on the waiting list and qualify for and obtain immigration visas before they may be admissible into the United States.”
As a last resort, the St. Louis continued north to Canada, but it was rejected there, too. “No country could open its doors wide enough to take in the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people who want to leave Europe: the line must be drawn somewhere,” Frederick Blair, Canada’s director of immigration, said at the time.
Faced with no other options, the ship returned to Europe. It docked in Antwerp, Belgium on June 17. By then, several Jewish organizations had secured entry visas for the refugees in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The majority who had traveled on the ship survived the Holocaust; 254 later died as the Nazis swept through the continent.
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May 26
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
May 27: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=144
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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There are a lot of stories from YP in the archives. This is just one of them.
Thanks to YP”_
My Memorial Day entry is an email from someone I greatly admire, RADM Tom Brown, who has sadly Flown West. It features parts of one of my HOOK stories from way back. It is entirely true, and I have not forgotten.
YP
Begin forwarded message:
From: Thomas F Brown III
Subject: Memorial Day - And we did not forget them!
Date: May 29, 2011 at 2:30:58 PM MDT
Tailhookers,
Here's a Memorial Day Remembrance, written by Jack "Puresome" Woodul some years ago, that is close to my heart:
"To the Brethren:
"In small moments, the War always came back to him.
He never remembered his minor triumphs, but Frabb-ups were always sneaking up out of his subconscious, tapping him on the shoulder, saying 'Remember me?' The Ghosts of his flying career also occasionally emerged from their smoking holes in the ground and their fireballs in the sky to visit, though over the years, they had largely merged with the spirits that haunted the skies over Schweinfurt, stilled the air over Gettysburg, and sounded distant trumpets over the lonely white markers on the hills above the Little Big Horn....."
---"The Shrill of the Bagpipe, the Roll of the Drum"
"Puresome did all the usual stuff......turned in his DD-175 to the Ops guys. Then, as he was leaving for the transient line, Puresome noticed the plaques. The sun was streaming through the windows and dust motes were dancing in the light. On the wall were posted the names of all the guys from Lemoore who had been bagged in the war. There were lots of names.
Time stopped in Puresome's universe as he read the names--some he knew, most he didn't. Puresome felt them, what they had done, and what he had not. He felt the honor in them and the sadness of a ratsass cause. "you don't forget us, you don't forget us, " the wall whispered, "we gave and we're gone and nobody gives a shit, so don't forget us. Puresome started as two loudly talking sailors came around the corner. He walked on out of operations towards his plane.
On the flight home, and on other flights, and through the years, Puresome could hear the ghosts, and the bright fire in him burned, and he did not forget them."
God bless.
Puresome"
With best wishes, Tom
Note: In case you did not know Miramar has a Memorial next to the golf course for all their Pilots lost in Vietnam and the majority are RF-8 Pilots from VFP-63 and the various Dets that were sent out to a lot of ships….skip
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Thanks to Brett
A Critical Point in the Iran War
By: George Friedman
After three months, the war in Iran has reached a critical point. The conflict itself has become frozen in a way. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains in control, and it does not seem to have been significantly weakened as a fighting force. Israel appears to have reduced operations in Iran, focused now on fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz remains essentially closed, with some movement of vessels allowed by Iran and the United States, each in a position to block it but not to clear it. The peace negotiations have so far failed. The U.S. wants Iran to surrender its nuclear material and open up the strait; it has done neither. In short, neither side has done enough damage to compel the other into surrender.
From here, the war can go in one of three ways: One side cripples the other, a peace agreement is reached, or it becomes one of those permanent wars, lasting for many years with neither side willing or able to end it.
The question, then, is whether the U.S. is willing or able to launch a crippling attack on the IRGC. The flipside to that question is whether Iran thinks it can withstand such an attack. Considering Tehran has yet to capitulate, it probably believes it can.
So before the U.S. decides its next steps, it needs to determine whether it has the military capability to launch a crippling offensive, and whether it has the political capital to spend on such an attack. Support for the war in the U.S. is limited, particularly because of
President Donald Trump’s earlier position that he would oppose wars in the Eastern Hemisphere. And it’s an open question whether an attack would galvanize the Islamic Republic in opposition against the United States. So far, the IRGC seems to be in control of Iran internally, and there are no clear signs inside the country of an anti-war movement. Third-party pressure should not be ruled out; the price of oil and the knock-on effects for food prices and inflation could compel another country to spur one side of the war to action (or inaction). If such a third party currently exists, it clearly hasn’t applied enough pressure to make a difference.
So to me, this means neither the U.S. nor Iran is willing to change its demands for the sake of an agreement, and no one else is willing or able to force them to the table. Iran cannot make concessions without appearing weak, and though the U.S. has more room to maneuver, it doesn’t yet have a reason to.
The most obvious solution, then, would be a massive U.S. buildup of forces to intimidate Iran. If it fails to be intimidated, then Washington would launch an invasion, destroy the IRGC and impose peace.
Domestic political considerations aside, there are a couple of problems with this approach. First, Washington has a poor record of invading countries to impose its goals. Second, the IRGC is no pushover. It would be defending its homeland and its ideology, so there is no guarantee that the U.S. could defeat Iran militarily.
Given what has transpired in Ukraine, it’s clear that the nature of war has changed such that drones and missiles can easily cripple conventional ground attacks. Iran doesn’t have the requisite satellite intelligence for targeting – although it could obtain as much from other countries. At the same time, the dispersal of IRGC ground forces means that U.S. forces would have a difficult time targeting the IRGC as well.
The alternative, then, would be intense air attacks to destroy Iran’s ability to build drones and taking control of the perimeter of the country to prevent other countries, particularly Russia, from sending drones of their own in support of Iran. This would require isolating Iran before launching the main offensive. The process of isolation alone would be difficult, requiring a massive military force even before the invasion began. In the meantime, the price of oil would weaken economies around the world, including America’s, decreasing Trump’s popularity and loosening his control.
The other option would be an enormously massive deployment of U.S drones in concert with massive air and ground attacks to cripple Iran’s military. The manned bombers of World War II and Vietnam weakened the enemy but did not break it. Now, the bombs deliver themselves, but the kill zones of conventional weapons are nonetheless limited, and the number of drones and missiles needed to break Iran would be enormous.
The question of war is not whether it should be fought but whether it can be fought at the price a nation is able and willing to pay. The war in Iran does not appear to meet the criteria. Still, this is a critical moment. Whether my analysis is right or not, it seems that Iran will defer to the U.S. to escalate the war. If it does, it will play to Iran’s advantage. It would last a long time, and a long war would not only hurt Trump domestically but also hurt the world economically, at least as long as the Strait of Hormuz is closed.
It is not clear to me what Trump will decide, but every decision carries danger and political and economic risk. Geopolitical analysis does not predict how a war ends, but it does predict that the U.S. needs this war to end. The question of Iran’s nuclear capabilities can be addressed later.
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Some bits from the Flyover
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2026
Good Morning! On this day in 1941, British warships found and sank the mighty Bismarck, the pride of Adolf Hitler’s navy. Johnny Horton's Sink the Bismarck, commemorating the event, became a hit song in 1960.
Iran Threatens US Over New Strikes
U.S. forces carried out strikes in southern Iran on Monday, hitting missile launch sites and Iranian boats accused of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran called the strikes a clear violation of the seven-week ceasefire and threatened retaliation.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said American military bases in the Middle East are no longer safe, in a message marking the start of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Despite the tensions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it could take "a few more days" to finalize a deal, as negotiators continue to work through specific language.
President Trump is set to convene a rare Camp David Cabinet meeting today to discuss next steps in the Iran talks.
Trump's Redistricting Push Stalls in Two States
President Trump's effort to redraw congressional districts hit two setbacks Tuesday after South Carolina's Senate rejected a Republican plan to oust longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
Also, on Tuesday, a federal court blocked Alabama from using a state-drawn map for the midterms, ruling it relied too heavily on race by including only one majority-black district.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said he'd appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, where a recent decision made it harder to challenge congressional maps as racially discriminatory.
Both parties are racing to redraw districts ahead of November, with Democrats picking up new seats from California and Utah and Republicans gaining ground in Texas, Florida, and several other states.
Ferrari's First EV Falls Flat with Fans
Ferrari shares tumbled more than 5% Tuesday after the Italian sports car maker unveiled the Luce, its first all-electric vehicle and a sharp departure from its signature design language.
The five-seater, designed by former Apple designer Jony Ive, hits 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and features an external speaker system that amplifies the hum of the electric engine to give it more of a Ferrari-style roar.
Critics on social media called the design a "monstrosity" and compared it to a Nissan Leaf, which starts at around $30,000.
Rivals Lamborghini and Porsche have scaled back EV plans due to weak demand for high-end electric cars.
➤ A federal judge has set a trial date for former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post.
➤ The Class of 2026 is the first AI-native group entering the workforce, and employers are still figuring out what to do with them.
➤ A lawyer in China was executed for poisoning the billionaire gaming tycoon behind the studio that brought 3 Body Problem to Netflix
➤ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in Tuesday's Republican Senate primary runoff after a last-minute endorsement from President Trump. Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico in November.
➤ The Supreme Court threw out Florida's lawsuit against California and Washington for issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, a case stemming from a 2025 crash that killed three people
➤ President Trump declared that his physical at Walter Reed "checked out PERFECTLY" in a Truth Social post Tuesday, his fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since returning to office.
➤ Dan Greaney, the Simpsons writer known as "The Prophet" for the 2000 episode that imagined a Trump presidency, announced a long-shot 2028 White House bid as a "progressive Republican."
➤ Former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Manny Fernandez died yesterday at 79. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion and a cornerstone of the famed No-Name Defense that went undefeated in 1972.
➤ The U.S. officially unveiled its 26-player World Cup roster yesterday in New York, and half of the squad is tournament first-timers.
➤ Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski threw 57 pitches of at least 100 mph against the Cardinals, the most in a single game since pitch tracking began in 2008. The previous record was 47.
➤ The NCAA baseball tournament bracket is set, with UCLA earning the No. 1 overall seed. Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, and Florida round out the top eight seeds.
➤ Big Stock Move: Micron topped a $1 trillion market value for the first time on Tuesday as its stock rose more than 19%, driven by demand for its memory chips.
➤ Eli Lilly agreed to buy three vaccine developers, Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company, for up to $3.8 billion combined, marking the drugmaker's return to infectious disease as it deploys cash from its booming GLP-1 business. (More)
➤ Iranian hackers were responsible for the March cyberattack on Los Angeles' transit system, stealing at least 700 gigabytes of files, according to a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm that traced the breach to a known Tehran operation.
➤ A new species of tiny blue octopus has been discovered nearly 6,000 feet below the ocean near the Galapagos Islands, small enough to curl up in the palm of a hand
➤ Mister Rogers is returning to mailboxes. His 2018 Forever Stamp won a nationwide Postal Service encore contest with more than half a million votes and goes back on sale June 1. (See Stamps)
Daily Quote
"There's nothing like spending the day looking at something no other human has ever seen."
— Stephanie Smith, Field Museum X-ray lab head, on the discovery of a new species of blue octopus near the Galapagos Islands
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Thanks to Nice News
World’s Largest Operating Steam Locomotive Begins First-Ever East Coast Journey
All aboard! The world’s largest operating steam locomotive kicked off the eastern leg of a rare coast-to-coast journey Monday in honor of America’s 250th birthday, marking its first-ever tour to the East Coast. Departing from Cheyenne, Wyoming, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 is set to make more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states over the next two months, as well as host eight major public display events and a July Fourth celebration in Philadelphia.
Built in Schenectady, New York, and delivered to the Union Pacific Railroad in 1941, the 133-foot-long, 1.2 million-pound locomotive is the only operational Big Boy out of 25 that were constructed for transporting military equipment during World War II. Though 4014 was retired in 1961, Union Pacific reacquired it from a museum in 2013 and spent six years restoring it. “A steam locomotive is an amazing machine from a bygone era,” Ed Dickens, Union Pacific’s senior manager of steam operations, told USA Today. “You don’t have to be a rail fan for it to capture your imagination.”
The western leg of the tour began in April in Sacramento, California, and by the time 4014 concludes its northeast journey and returns to Cheyenne on July 29, Union Pacific officials project over 1 million people will have seen it. “When [people] come, they’re going to hear that whistle, and chances are they’re going to hear that whistle long before they see it,” Dickens said. “You’ll feel the ground rumbling, feel the heat ... emanating off this giant machine. This locomotive, it does not disappoint.” See all of 4014’s eastward stops.
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From the archives
Thanks to Newell
Skip,
You might receive a number of Memorial Day posts from friends that honor our nation’s fallen heroes. One of my favorite tributes is the musical-video ANGEL FLIGHT by Radney Foster.
Additionally, some words spoken long ago by General Patton also linger in mind. Paraphrasing his message from memory, Patton encouraged celebration in our hearts because such courageous American men had existed, and, by their personal sacrifice, gifted us the lives we now enjoy.
Or General MacArthur's colorful description of the Filipino-US forces nicknamed the Battling Bastards Of Bataan, "They died hard, those savage men - like wounded wolves at bay. They were filthy, and they were lousy, and they stunk. And I loved them."
Newell Tarrant
Radney Foster’s ANGEL FLIGHT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMxb1LvOLc
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video Radney Foster - Angel Flight (Radio Tower Remix) - w Lyrics
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THIS IS STILL GOING STRONG
Thanks to Mat
Multi-Volume Book Series Tells Full Story of the Blue Angels
Blue Angels Decades Takes the NFDS 10 Years at a Time
Since their formation in 1946 many books have been written about the US Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS), better known as the Blue Angels. Author Mat “Irish” Garretson has launched an ambitious book project – Blue Angels Decades – that, when completed, will tell the entire story of the Team in unprecedented detail. How this book series came to be is a story in itself.
“Two years ago, I was spending a lot of time in the archives at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, conducting research for a book I was then writing on the A-7 Corsair II,” Garretson recalls, “one day, as I was walking through the archives, I came across rows of shelves, each containing boxes labelled, ‘Blue Angels Archives’. Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked the Curator for permission to inspect the boxes that covered the early years of the Team. Permission was granted, and what I found in those boxes astonished me. Inside were hundreds of photos and documents, most of which I had never seen before...and I thought I had seen everything there was to see about the early days of the Blue Angels. It was clear to me that these items needed to be shared with the world.”
“Other books on the Blue Angels have all been single-volume, ‘stand-alone’ books,” explains Garretson, “and most offer cursory details about the team’s history, and tend to include the same familiar photographs. I quickly realized that the only way to do justice to the material in the archives was to create a multi-volume work that would tell the Team’s story year-by-year. At first, I considered a series where each Volume would cover one decade...the 1940s, 1950s, etc. But, given that the Blue Angels were established in 1946, that first volume would be fairly short.” Garretson decided to telling the story in ten-year increments, starting with 1946, “A Blue Angels Decade”, he explains.
Diving deep into the official Blue Angels’ archives, as well as sharing material from Team alumni and their families, Blue Angels Decades - Volume One tells the story of the early years of the Blue Angels in words, historical documents, newspaper clippings, and pictures, almost all of which have never before seen in print. Each chapter of the book covers one season, and includes a detailed calendar of demonstrations flown in that year. “The airshow calendars are one of the features in Volume One that I am most proud of,” said Garretson, “historical records for the first three years of demonstrations were practically nonexistent. The most-detailed record that exists in the archives of these shows was a two-page, typewritten note from Dave Scheuer.”
Known to the Team as ‘Grandfather’, Scheuer served as the Grumman Tech Rep to the Blues, and later served as President of the Blue Angels Association. “Scheuer’s note basically reads, ‘In the first three years, the Team flew shows in’, and then lists about a dozen locations.” Using Scheuer’s note as a baseline, and referencing other items in the archives as well as memoirs from early Blue Angels, Garretson was able to begin to piece together more-detailed demonstration calendar. Additional confirmation of shows was gleaned in the archives of newspapers across the US. “It took nearly a year for me to piece together the ‘puzzle’ of the first three years of Blue Angels’ shows,” admits Garretson, “but, being able to provide readers with the first-ever detailed show calendars for these years was worth it.”
Blue Angels Decades - Volume One was released on November 5, 2021 during the Team’s end of season show in Pensacola, and was met by rave reviews. “I truly wish I’d had this detailed history when I was Boss,” stated Greg Wooldridge, “It’s hard to express how impressed I am with the work. It should be required reading for all new Blues.” Wooldridge’s sentiments were echoed by fellow alumnus and Boss, Kevin Mannix, “Due to its incredible detail, I know that this will become the “official historical document” of the Blue Angels.”
“The reaction to Volume One, especially from Blue Angels past and present, has been very rewarding,” admits Garretson, “to know that I’ve met or exceeded their expectations with this effort is a powerful incentive for me to do better with each and every volume.” Future Volumes are planned to be released during every end of season show. Garretson is challenging himself to have all seven prior decades/Volumes in print by the Team’s 80th anniversary, in 2026.
Like future Volumes, Blue Angels Decades - Volume One comes in two versions. “The Regular Edition is a softbound version,” states Garretson, “In addition to this Regular Edition, 1,000 hardbound, ‘Plankowner Editions’ were also produced. These special editions are numbered and signed, and come in a striking book sleeve, along with a similarly-numbered, two-inch metal commemorative challenge coin.” Copies of Blue Angels Decades
The Birth of the Blues
“…a flight exhibition team be organized within the Naval Air Advanced Training Command to represent the Navy at air shows and similar events.”
ADM Chester A. Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations
The quote above comes from an April 2, 1946 directive issued by Nimitz, and addressed to RADM Frank D. Wagner, Chief of Naval Air Training. Like many within the Navy, Nimitz saw the value of a flight exhibition team. Ostensibly, such a team could enhance the service’s recruitment and retention efforts, but Nimitz saw a bigger picture: such a team would likely generate headlines, ensuring that Naval Aviation got its fair share of a shrinking, post-war defense budget.
Upon receiving his orders, Wagner reached out from his office at NAS Pensacola to RADM Ralph Davison, Chief of Naval Air Advanced Training, then based at NAS Jacksonville (‘Jax’). Davison had under his command a number of exceptional instructor pilots, most of them decorated combat veterans. Wagner had directed Davison to do what was necessary to put Nimitz’ directive into action, and Davison knew just the man for the job: LCDR Roy “Butch” Voris. As the Chief Flight Officer for the IATU (Instructors’ Advanced Training Unit) based at Jax, Voris was responsible for overseeing the training of the Unit’s instructors. A consummate pilot and war Ace, he had the skillset and professionalism needed to flesh out a plan on how best to assemble, operate and maintain a flight demonstration team. Davison’s directive to Voris read, “You are requested to provide comment and recommendations on the desirability and feasibility of organizing a flight demonstration team to represent the Navy and Naval Aviation at air shows and other events as directed.” While ordered to prepare for his commanding officer “…comment and recommendations…”, Voris understood that, if his recommendations were favorably received, it was likely that he’d be the one ordered to turn those recommendations into reality. And in the end, that’s exactly what happened. On April 24, 1946 Washington gave the go-ahead to form a team, with Voris serving as its Officer in Charge.
Within six weeks of Nimitz’ directive, Voris took delivery of the first of four F6F-5 Hellcats; three for use in the demonstrations, and one as a spare. In his research for Davison, Voris had considered the FM-2, F4U and F7F in addition to the F6F, but in the end, the Hellcat won out. The reason for this was two-fold; first, the IATU was already supporting F6Fs. The second reason had to do with optics. Some might very well criticize the Navy for spending big money on state-of-the art aircraft, better utilized by front-line units; especially during these lean times. Besides, nobody involved in the project had any expectations as to what the response to this flight team would be. In addition to aircraft, Voris began to assemble his men. He had established a set of criteria for the pilots he would fly with; namely, they had to be exceptional pilots, be combat veterans, they had to be instructor pilots within the Navy’s Training Command, and they had to be single. In the end, Voris selected LCDR Lloyd Barnard, LT Maurice “Wick” Wickendoll, and LT Melvin “Mel” Cassidy. The officers were supported by a cadre of 13 enlisted maintainers, likewise hand-picked. In the end, these 21 individuals would collectively be referred to as, “The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team”.
Training flights commenced on May 21st, and the Team quickly worked out a routine that included maneuvers that would impress both the public and fellow aviators. On June 6th, the Team performed their first show to an audience of one: CDR Dan “Dog” Smith, Davison’s Director of Training. A good friend and accomplished pilot himself, Voris knew if he could impress Smith, then the Team had hit on something special. With Barnard on his left wing, and Wickendoll on his right, Voris led Davis, following in another Hellcat, to a unmanned outlying field (OLF) away from Jax. Smith landed at the OLF, and quickly parked his aircraft, keeping his engine running so that he could communicate with Voris via radio. Mightily impressed by what he saw, Smith said he’d arrange to have Admiral Davison see the routine the following day. On June 7th, in the skies above NAS Jacksonville, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team put on a show for Davison, a few of his staff, and their spouses. Like Smith, what Davison saw impressed him…so much so that he approved the Team to perform at nearby Craig Field for the inaugural Southeastern Air Show and Exhibition, slated to take place on June 15th and 16th. Returning to his office, Davison then contacted RADM Wagner, informing him of the successful demonstration he had just witnessed. Wagner relayed to Davison his pleasure that all had come together so quickly and successfully. He also instructed Davison to get the Team to Pensacola as soon as practical.
In the span of just 73 days since Nimitz had issued his directive to Wagner, the U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Team was roaring low above Craig Field, in front of a relatively small but enthusiastic crowd. From these humble beginnings was born what is today recognized as the world’s preeminent precision flight squadron…the United States Navy Blue Angels.
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On a personal note I met a young lady named Marne Magda who lived on Magda Lane while I was going to USC. I spent a bit of time in the area of Los Angeles she lived because a man who I much admired lived out there. with his family. He had been a Colonel in the USAF and had been the Commanding Officer at Vandenberg AFB. His oldest son and I went to high school together and would study together once in a while. I also was invited to go water skiing with them. Both of his oldest sons graduated from the Air Forcfe Acadeamy. So I met Marne when I was out there and invited her to come to my College graduation. I had received my private pilot’s License through a navy program so my plan was to fly out and pick her up at an air field close to her home and bring her back to the Santa Monica field and then drive to my apartment and change in to my whites and go to USC for graduation. Did I mention that my parents had flown in from the east coast to see the graduation? Any way I went out to pick up the airplane . As I took off the airplane started to make some banging noises and I turned around and asked the tower for a straight in. I landed and got the airplane on deck and real slow and as I was turning toward the taxi way the airplane did a ground loop just as I got on the taxi way. I had called the base and they sent someone out to see what the problem was. When I got back they were very apologetic that they had given me the wrong airplane. This one was hard down for a multitude of problems. So I jumped in the new one and headed for Marne as I got there the radio stopped working and I was circling and rocked my wings and got a green light from the tower and landed . About the time I was rolling out the radio came back on so I picked up Marne and we took off and headed for Santa Monica for an uneventful landing and then a race to my apartment to change and another race to head to USC. I was so late that I ran to the graduation and got there just as the line of midshipmen started to move toward stage and I got my diploma. So what has this to do with the Blue Angels..Her father Jonny Magda was the only Blue Angel lost in combat during the Korean war….skip
So this experience got me ready to fly F-8s since I think I had every emergency you could have in one and some more than once. In over 2000 hours.
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This Day in U S Military History May 27
1919 – First Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone, USCG, piloting the Navy’s flying boat NC-4 in the first successful trans-Atlantic flight, landed in the Tagus River estuary near Lisbon, Portugal on 27 May 1919. Stone was decorated that same day by the Portuguese government with the Order of the Tower and Sword. Three aircraft, designated NC-1, NC-3 and NC-4–called “Nancy” boats–had taken off from New York’s Rockaway Naval Air Station for Lisbon on May 8, with intermediate stops planned for Newfoundland and the Azores. Only NC-4 completed the 3,925-mile transatlantic flight. Heavy rain and fog forced NC-1 down at sea, where it sank on May 17. NC-3 came down in rough seas and taxied 200 miles into the harbor at Horta in the Azores.
1941 – Despite US neutrality thus far into World War II, the US Navy assists the Royal Navy in its pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck. British code-breakers had been able to decrypt some German signals, including an order to the Luftwaffe to provide support for the damaged Bismarck making for Brest, and the French Resistance provided the British with confirmation that Luftwaffe units were relocating there. British Admiral John Tovey, in charge of the pursuit, could now turn his forces toward France to converge in areas through which Bismarck would have to pass. A squadron of Coastal Command PBY Catalinas based in Northern Ireland joined the search, covering areas where Bismarck might be headed in her attempt to reach occupied France. At 10:30, a Catalina piloted by Ensign Leonard B. Smith of the US Navy located her, some 690 nmi (1,280 km; 790 mi) northwest of Brest. At her current speed, she would have been close enough to reach the protection of U-boats and the Luftwaffe in less than a day. Bismarck would be sunk early the next day.
1942 – The Japanese invasion fleet for Midway puts to sea from Saipan and Guam with troop transports carrying 5000 men. They are escorted by cruisers and destroyers. Likewise, the invasion force for the Aleutians sets sail in two groups from Ominato.
1942 – The damaged USS Yorktown arrives at Pearl Harbor and repairs begin immediately.
1945 – On Okinawa, American forces attacking southward, continue to encounter heavy Japanese resistance. Japanese aircraft begin a two-day series of strikes against the Allied naval forces around the island. The US destroyer Drexler is sunk.
1945 – The US 25th Division, part of the US 1st Corps, takes Santa Fe on Luzon. There is still heavy fighting in several parts of Mindanao.
1958 – The Air Force received its first production Republic F-105B Thunderchief. In 1951, Republic Aviation began a project to develop a supersonic tactical fighter-bomber to replace the F-84F. The result was the F-105 Thunderchief, which later gained the affectionate nickname “Thud”. Although the prototype YF-105A made its first flight on October 22, 1955, the first production aircraft, an F-105B, was not delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF) until May 27, 1958. A supersonic aircraft capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons internally as well as externally, the F-105B was the heaviest, most complex fighter in the USAF inventory when it became operational. F-105s were produced only in the “B,” “D” and “F” series (later, some “F”s were modified to become F-105Gs). Of the 833 Thunderchiefs built, only 75 were produced as F-105Bs.
1958 – The F-4 Phantom II makes its first flight. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor aircraft/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their respective air wings. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record. During the Vietnam War, the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the USAF had one pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs), and the US Navy one pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO), achieve five aerial kills against other enemy fighter aircraft and become aces in air-to-air combat. The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the U.S. Air Force, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the US Navy Blue Angels (F-4J). The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an Target drone in the U.S. Air Force. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.
1968 – Last Monday of the month. Memorial Day, which began in 1868 as Decoration Day, was set aside to remember those who have died in the service of their country. Celebrated on May 30 for the first 100 years, Memorial Day was officially changed to the last Monday in May in 1968.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
McHUGH, MARTIN
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, Cincinnati, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. G.O. No.: 17, 10 July 1863. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Cincinnati during the attack on the Vicksburg batteries and at the time of her sinking, 27 May 1863. Engaging the enemy in a fierce battle, the Cincinnati amidst, an incessant fire of shot and shell, continued to fire her guns to the last, though so penetrated by shellfire that her fate was sealed. Serving bravely during this action, McHugh was conspicuously cool under the fire of the enemy, never ceasing to fire until this proud ship went down, “her colors nailed to the mast.”
PUTNAM, EDGAR P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 9th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Crumps Creek, Va., 27 May 1864. Entered service at: Stockton, N.Y. Birth: Stockton, N.Y. Date of issue: 13 May 1892. Citation: With a small force on a reconnaissance drove off a strong body of the enemy, charged into another force of the enemy’s cavalry and stampeded them, taking 27 prisoners.
RUTHERFORD, JOHN T.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company L, 9th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Yellow Tavern, Va., 11 May 1864; At Hanovertown, Va., 27 May 1864. Entered service at: Canton, N.Y. Birth:——. Date of issue: 22 March 1892. Citation: Made a successful charge at Yellow Tavern, Va., 11 May 1864, by which 90 prisoners were captured. On 27 May 1864, in a gallant dash on a superior force of the enemy and in a personal encounter, captured his opponent.
STRONG, JAMES N.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 49th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Port Hudson, La., 27 May 1863. Entered service at: Pittsfield, Mass. Birth: ——. Date of issue: 25 November 1893. Citation: Volunteered in response to a call and took part in the movement that was made upon the enemy’s works under a heavy fire therefrom in advance of the general assault.
WARREN, FRANCIS E.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 49th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Port Hudson, La., 27 May 1863. Entered service at: Hinsdale, Mass. Birth: Hinsdale, Mass. Date of issue: 30 September 1893. Citation: Volunteered in response to a call, and took part in the movement that was made upon the enemy’s works under a heavy fire therefrom in advance of the general assault.
CUTTER, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1849, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 176, 9 July 1872. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Powhatan, Norfolk, Va., 27 May 1872. Jumping overboard on this date, Cutter aided in saving one of the crew of that vessel from drowning.
*FLEEK, CHARLES CLINTON
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U .S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 27 May 1967. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: 28 August 1947, Petersburg, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Fleek distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader in Company C, during an ambush operation. Sgt. Fleek’s unit was deployed in ambush locations when a large enemy force approached the position. Suddenly, the leading enemy element, sensing the ambush, halted and started to withdraw. Reacting instantly, Sgt. Fleek opened fire and directed the effective fire of his men upon the numerically superior enemy force. During the fierce battle that followed, an enemy soldier threw a grenade into the squad position. Realizing that his men had not seen the grenade, Sgt. Fleek, although in a position to seek cover, shouted a warning to his comrades and threw himself onto the grenade, absorbing its blast. His gallant action undoubtedly saved the lives or prevented the injury of at least 8 of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Fleek’s gallantry and willing self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*PHIPPS, JIMMY W.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company B, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Near An Hoa, Republic of Vietnam, 27 May 1969. Entered service at: Culver City, Calif. Born: 1 November 1950, Santa Monica, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a combat engineer with Company B in connection with combat operations against the enemy. Pfc. Phipps was a member of a 2-man combat engineer demolition team assigned to locate and destroy enemy artillery ordnance and concealed firing devices. After he had expended all of his explosives and blasting caps, Pfc. Phipps discovered a 175mm high explosive artillery round in a rice paddy. Suspecting that the enemy had attached the artillery round to a secondary explosive device, he warned other marines in the area to move to covered positions and prepared to destroy the round with a hand grenade. As he was attaching the hand grenade to a stake beside the artillery round, the fuse of the enemy’s secondary explosive device ignited. Realizing that his assistant and the platoon commander were both within a few meters of him and that the imminent explosion could kill all 3 men, Pfc. Phipps grasped the hand grenade to his chest and dived forward to cover the enemy’s explosive and the artillery round with his body, thereby shielding his companions from the detonation while absorbing the full and tremendous impact with his body. Pfc. Phipps’ indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty saved the lives of 2 marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 27, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
27 May
1913: Under General Order No. 39, Army officers who qualified as military aviators received a Military Aviator’s Certificate and badge. At the time, 24 officers qualified. (18)
1931: The first full-scale wind tunnel for testing airplanes placed in operation at the Langley Field Laboratory of the NACA. (21)
1939: Lt Col Alfred A. Cunningham, first Marine and fifth naval aviator, died at his home in Sarasota, Fla.
1951: KOREAN WAR. Unit 4/SAM C-47s flew leaflet drop/voice broadcast sorties encouraging the enemy to surrender to elements of the U.S. Army's IX Corps. Some 4,000 enemy soldiers surrendered, with many carrying leaflets. The captives reported morale problems among the enemy because of UN aerial attacks. (28)
1958: Gen O. P. Weyland accepted TAC's first production F-105B Thunderchief from Republic at its Farmingdale plant in Long Island. (12) Company test pilot Robert Little flew the McDonnell Douglas' XF-4H-1 Phantom II prototype on its first flight in St. Louis. (8)
1959: The 702 SMW (ICM-Snark) at Presque Isle AFB received SAC's first Snark missile. (6)
1963: McDonnell-Douglas’ two-seat, twin-engine F-4C Phantom II completed its first flight. (4) (12)
1965: The Army’s XH-51A, fastest helicopter in the world, demonstrated its rigid motor system and auxiliary jet engine during a test flight. It had a top speed of 272 MPH. Without thrust from the engine, the XH-51A could be operated as a helicopter.
1966: The McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom made its first public flight.
1970: The Air Force completed the Minuteman III's basic R&D program. The last launch of the Minuteman III at the Eastern Test Range took place on 14 December 1970.
1971: Boeing received a $81,745,707 contract to produce 19 737 jet transports for the USAF’s Undergraduate Navigator Training System. Honeywell received an earlier contract to build 52 ground simulators for the system. (16)
1996: The Air Force named the ninth B-2 the "Spirit of Hawaii" in ceremonies at Hickam AFB. (AFNEWS Article 960453, May 96)
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