To All..
Good Saturday morning April 25, 2026. I hope that you all have a great weekend,
The forecast is for rain for both Saturday and Sunday. However it is not supposed to start until later this evening although it is overcast now.
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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/
On This Day
April 25
1862 Union Flag Officer David G. Farragut's fleet sails into New Orleans, La., after long preparation and fierce battles while passing through the Confederate defenses of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip the previous day.
1914 In the first use of U.S. Navy aircraft in a combat situation, Lt. j.g. P.N.L. Bellinger made a flight from USS Mississippis aviation unit at Vera Cruz, Mexico, to observe the city and make preliminary search for mines in the harbor.
1944 USS Crevalle (SS 291) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kashiwa Maru, north of Borneo and USS Guvania (SS 362) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Tetsuyo Maru, northwest of Chichi Jima.
1957 USS Forrestal (CVA 59) and USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39), with accompanying destroyers, enter the Eastern Mediterranean to support King Hussein of Jordans government from a possible coup conspiracy. The planned coup failed.
1959 USS Eversole (DD 789) rescues 14 Chinese Nationalist fishermen from their sinking fishing trawler in the Formosa Strait.
1998 The first-in-class Impeccable (T-AGOS 23), an ocean surveillance ship designed to gather acoustic data, detect and track submarines, is launched from Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is given to Military Sealift Command to be operated by both civilian and military crew members.
1998 The destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) is commissioned at Garden City Terminal in Savannah, Ga., before departing for her homeport of Norfolk, Va. The 24th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named after Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul, a Navy SEAL who posthumously received the Navy Cross for attempting to save a platoon mate on Dec. 20, 1989, while serving in Panama during Operation Just Cause.
2009 Destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) is commissioned at Naval Weapons Station Charleston, S.C., before cruising to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
2009 Boeings new P8-A Poseidon test jet, a 737-based submarine hunter for the Navy that will replace the P3-C Orion, flies for first flight from Renton, Va., to Boeing Field, Seattle, Wash.
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This day in World history
April 25
1590 The Sultan of Morocco launches a successful attack to capture Timbuktu.
1644 The Ming Chongzhen emperor commits suicide by hanging himself.
1707 At the Battle of Almansa, Franco-Spanish forces defeat the Anglo-Portugese forces.
1719 Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe is published in London.
1792 The guillotine is first used to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier.
1859 Work begins on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
1862 Admiral David Farragut occupies New Orleans, Louisiana.
1864 After facing defeat in the Red River Campaign, Union General Nathaniel Bank returns to Alexandria, Louisiana.
1867 Tokyo is opened for foreign trade.
1882 French commander Henri Riviere seizes the citadel of Hanoi in Indochina.
1898 The United States declares war on Spain.
1915 Australian and New Zealand troops land at Gallipoli in Turkey.
1925 General Paul von Hindenburg takes office as president of Germany.
1926 In Iran, Reza Khan is crowned Shah and chooses the name "Pahlavi."
1926 Puccini's opera Turandot premiers at La Scala in Milan with Arturo Toscanini conducting.
1938 A seeing eye dog is used for the first time.
1945 U.S. and Soviet forces meet at Torgau, Germany on Elbe River.
1951 After a three day fight against Chinese Communist Forces, the Gloucestershire Regiment is annihilated on "Gloucester Hill," in Korea.
1953 The magazine Nature publishes an article by biologists Francis Crick and James Watson, describing the "double helix" of DNA.
1956 Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" goes to number one on the charts.
1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway--linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes--opens to shipping.
1960 The first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth is completed by a Triton submarine.
1962 A U.S. Ranger spacecraft crash lands on the Moon.
1971 The country of Bangladesh is established.
1980 President Jimmy Carter tells the American people about the hostage rescue disaster in Iran.
1982 In accordance with the Camp David agreements, Israel completes a withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula.
1990 Violeta Barrios de Chamorro begins a six year term as Nicaragua's president.
1983 Andropov writes to U.S. student
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April 25
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 below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
For Saturday 25 April. ..
April 25: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2202
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 few phrases that read the same both ways…..skip-
One is about Napoleon Able was I ere I saw elba
Thanks to Interesting Facts
7 Interesting Facts About Napoleon Bonaparte
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
There are few individuals in European history as influential as Napoleon Bonaparte. The historic leader is remembered for his iconic bicorn hat, his allegedly short stature (a bit unfairly, since he was actually of average height for his time), and his singular military skill. During his lifetime, Napoleon went from a student in a French military academy to the ruler of an empire that spanned nearly all of continental Europe. By the time he was finally defeated in 1815, his series of conquests, known as the Napoleonic Wars, had changed the European continent forever. Here are seven facts about Napoleon Bonaparte that offer a small glimpse into his spectacular rise and fall.
French Wasn’t His First Language
Despite the central role Napoleon played in the history of France, he didn’t start learning to speak French until he was 9 years old. Napoleon was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, where most people spoke a regional dialect of Italian, and this was the language he grew up speaking. He spoke with a Corsican accent throughout his life, and even after he became emperor of France, this accent continued to mark him as a foreigner on the French mainland and served as a reminder of his Mediterranean origins.
The Rosetta Stone Was Discovered by One of His Soldiers
The Rosetta Stone is one of the greatest discoveries in the history of archaeology, proving crucial to the translation of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Yet it was discovered not by a scientist or researcher, but by a soldier in Napoleon’s army, officer Pierre-François Xavier Bouchard. In 1799, Napoleon was a young general and rising military star attempting to conquer Egypt (and in so doing, disrupt British trade routes in the Middle East and threaten British possessions in India). Napoleon’s troops uncovered the Rosetta Stone while preparing for battle in Alexandria, and the general had the stone transported to Cairo for study. The Rosetta Stone remained there until 1801, when Napoleon’s forces in Egypt were defeated by the British and the artifact was transported to the British Museum in London, where it remains to this day.
The Civil Code He Created Is Still Used Today
As Napoleon’s hold over France grew, the leader began to introduce new ways of governing the people under his control. One method involved introducing a standardized set of laws known as the Napoleonic Code, which were enforced both in France and in every new territory the general conquered. The laws outlined in the code addressed nearly all aspects of life, from individual rights to property law to marriage and divorce. The Napoleonic Code was extremely influential, and several countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, and Monaco, still use it in some form today.
The “Mona Lisa” Once Hung in His Bedroom
Shortly after declaring himself emperor of France, Napoleon pulled one of the biggest power moves in the history of art collecting: He had the “Mona Lisa” moved to his private bedchambers for his own personal viewing pleasure. Napoleon was enchanted by the enigmatic woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece (he referred to her as “Madame Lisa” and the “Sphinx of the Occident”), and this new arrangement allowed him to contemplate her mysterious beauty for as long as he wanted. The “Mona Lisa” hung in Napoleon’s bedroom for four years, until it was transferred to the Grand Gallery of the Louvre Museum in 1804.
He Kidnapped Two Different Popes
Napoleon had a rocky relationship with the Vatican throughout his reign, and on two different occasions, tensions between the general and the papacy got so severe that Napoleon felt compelled to kidnap the pope. The first incident occurred in 1798, when Napoleon was still a young commander in the French army and had captured Pope Pius VI in order to help defend France against a Vatican-supported European coalition opposed to the French Revolution. Napoleon’s forces invaded Italy, and Pope Pius VI was taken by force to France, where he died a prisoner 18 months later. Napoleon returned to his pope-snatching ways in 1809, when he ordered French forces to kidnap Pius VI’s successor, Pope Pius VII, from his home in Rome and smuggle him out of the city. The kidnapping was the culmination of long-escalating political tensions, and the pope remained Napoleon’s prisoner until the emperor was forced to abdicate the throne in 1814.
He Went From Ruling Europe to Ruling an Island of Only 12,000 People
After his catastrophic failed invasion of Russia, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne as the self-proclaimed emperor of France. In 1814, he was exiled to the small island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany. Though Napoleon was granted control over the Principality of Elba, going from the leader of the sprawling French Empire to the leader of Elba was a significant demotion. In 1811, Napoleon’s empire had encompassed practically the whole European continent, while Elba was an 86-square-mile island with some 12,000 residents. In 1812, Napoleon had commanded an army of 600,000 men, while his military forces on Elba consisted of fewer than 1,000 soldiers and a navy with only one ship. Apparently, Napoleon wasn’t too concerned about this decrease in fighting power; just 300 days into his exile, he escaped from Elba with his reduced army to reclaim his throne in France.
He Was Exiled Two Different Times to Two Different Islands
The first time Napoleon surrendered, he was banished to Elba. When the emperor surrendered a second time, after escaping from Elba in 1815 and once again plunging Europe into war, his enemies decided that he had to be banished to an island that was much farther away. After being defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, which was 1,200 miles from the nearest mainland, on the western coast of Africa. The total isolation of the island, along with his declining health, guaranteed that Napoleon would never return to Europe again, and he remained on St. Helena until his death in 1821.
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I had to watch the whole thing again…skip
FROM THE ARCHIVES
THIS WILL WAKE YOU UP THIS MORNING
Thanks to Dale….this is really good. Gun camera kills galore Skip, Found this 1945 video of WWll in Europe The Fight For The Sky: Our Fighter Pilots Versus The Luftwaffe In Western Europe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEJa9iBPYb0
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From the archives
. 'Monty Python' Turns 50
This month marks the 50th anniversary of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the 1975 cult classic that satirized the legend of King Arthur and helped define “Pythonesque” comedy—characterized by abrupt cuts, silly punchlines, and deliberately low-budget effects. Produced for around $400K, the film has since grossed over $5.7M and is widely considered one of the greatest comedies ever made.
The story follows King Arthur and his eccentric knights on a purposefully absurd quest for the Holy Grail, crossing paths with killer rabbits, taunting French soldiers, and a deity depicted as a photo of Victorian cricketer WG Grace. Memorable gags include the use of coconut shells to mimic horse hooves and the Black Knight, who insists “it’s just a flesh wound” despite losing all his limbs.
The six-man British comedy troupe Monty Python was best known for their BBC sketch series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” (1969-74). The film later inspired several stage adaptations and earned multiple honors, including a European Film Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Tony Award for the film-inspired "Spamalot."
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This Day in U S Military History…….April 25
1960 – First submerged circumnavigation of the Earth was completed by a Triton submarine. Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world executed by the United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) in 1960 while under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach, USN. The New York Times described Triton ’s submerged circumnavigation of the Earth as “a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man’s ultimate conquest of the seas.” The actual circumnavigation took place between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering 26,723 nautical miles (49,491 km; 30,752 mi) over 60 days and 21 hours. Operation Sandblast used the St. Peter and Paul Rocks, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean near the Equator, as the starting point and terminus for the circumnavigation. During the course of the circumnavigation, Triton crossed the Equator four times while maintaining an average speed of advance (SOA) of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Triton ’s overall navigational track during Operation Sandblast generally followed the same course for the first circumnavigation of the world led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan between 1519-1522. The initial impetus for Operation Sandblast was to enhance American technological and scientific prestige prior to the May 1960 Paris Summit between U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Additionally, Operation Sandblast provided a high-profile public demonstration of the capability of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines to carry out long-range submerged operations independent of external support and undetected by hostile forces, presaging the initial deployment of the U.S Navy’s Polaris ballistic missile submarines later in 1960. Finally, Operation Sandblast gathered extensive oceanographic, hydrographic, gravimetric, geophysical, and psychological data during Triton ’s circumnavigation. Although official celebrations for Operation Sandblast were cancelled following the diplomatic furor arising from the shooting down of a CIA U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in early May 1960, the Triton did receive the Presidential Unit Citation with a special clasp in the form of a golden replica of the globe in recognition of the successful completion of its mission, and Captain Beach received the Legion of Merit for his role as Triton ’s commanding officer. In 1961, Beach received the Magellanic Premium, the United States’ oldest and most prestigious scientific award, from the American Philosophical Society in “recognition of his navigation of the U.S. submarine Triton around the globe.”
Captain Edward L Beach Went on to write several best selling novels about Submarines including; Run Silent Run Deep. I recommend them all…..skip
1972 – Hanoi’s 320th Division drives 5,000 South Vietnamese troops into retreat and traps about 2,500 others in a border outpost northwest of Kontum in the Central Highlands. This was part of the ongoing North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive, also known as the “Easter Offensive,” which included an invasion by 120,000 North Vietnamese troops. The offensive was based on three objectives: Quang Tri in the north, Kontum in the Central Highlands, and An Loc in the south–just 65 miles north of Saigon. If successful, the attack at Kontum would effectively cut South Vietnam in two across the Central Highlands, giving North Vietnam control of the northern half of South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese defenders were able to hold out and prevent this from happening.
1990 – The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope, a long-term space-based observatory, into a low orbit around Earth. The space telescope, conceived in the 1940s, designed in the 1970s, and built in the 1980s, was designed to give astronomers an unparalleled view of the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe. Initially, Hubble’s operators suffered a setback when a lens aberration was discovered, but a repair mission by space-walking astronauts in December 1993 successfully fixed the problem, and Hubble began sending back its first breathtaking images of the universe. Free of atmospheric distortions, Hubble has a resolution 10 times that of ground-based observatories. About the size of a bus, the telescope is solar-powered and orbits Earth once every 97 minutes. Among its many astronomical achievements, Hubble has been used to record a comet’s collision with Jupiter, provide a direct look at the surface of Pluto, view distant galaxies, gas clouds, and black holes, and see billions of years into the universe’s past.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day *GONZALES, DAVID M.
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, 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Pacoima, Calif. Birth: Pacoima, Calif. G.O. No.: 115, 8 December 1945. Citation: He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company’s perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales’ valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.
*KNIGHT, RAYMOND L. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: In Northern Po Valley, Italy, 24 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Houston, Tex. Birth: Texas. G.O. No.: 81, 24 September 1945. Citation: He piloted a fighter-bomber aircraft in a series of low-level strafing missions, destroying 14 grounded enemy aircraft and leading attacks which wrecked 10 others during a critical period of the Allied drive in northern Italy. On the morning of 24 April, he volunteered to lead 2 other aircraft against the strongly defended enemy airdrome at Ghedi. Ordering his fellow pilots to remain aloft, he skimmed the ground through a deadly curtain of antiaircraft fire to reconnoiter the field, locating 8 German aircraft hidden beneath heavy camouflage. He rejoined his flight, briefed them by radio, and then led them with consummate skill through the hail of enemy fire in a low-level attack, destroying 5 aircraft, while his flight accounted for 2 others. Returning to his base, he volunteered to lead 3 other aircraft in reconnaissance of Bergamo airfield, an enemy base near Ghedi and 1 known to be equally well defended. Again ordering his flight to remain out of range of antiaircraft fire, 1st Lt. Knight flew through an exceptionally intense barrage, which heavily damaged his Thunderbolt, to observe the field at minimum altitude. He discovered a squadron of enemy aircraft under heavy camouflage and led his flight to the assault. Returning alone after this strafing, he made 10 deliberate passes against the field despite being hit by antiaircraft fire twice more, destroying 6 fully loaded enemy twin-engine aircraft and 2 fighters. His skillfully led attack enabled his flight to destroy 4 other twin-engine aircraft and a fighter plane. He then returned to his base in his seriously damaged plane. Early the next morning, when he again attacked Bergamo, he sighted an enemy plane on the runway. Again he led 3 other American pilots in a blistering low-level sweep through vicious antiaircraft fire that damaged his plane so severely that it was virtually nonflyable. Three of the few remaining enemy twin-engine aircraft at that base were destroyed. Realizing the critical need for aircraft in his unit, he declined to parachute to safety over friendly territory and unhesitatingly attempted to return his shattered plane to his home field. With great skill and strength, he flew homeward until caught by treacherous air conditions in the Appennines Mountains, where he crashed and was killed. The gallant action of 1st Lt. Knight eliminated the German aircraft which were poised to wreak havoc on Allied forces pressing to establish the first firm bridgehead across the Po River; his fearless daring and voluntary self-sacrifice averted possible heavy casualties among ground forces and the resultant slowing on the German drive culminated in the collapse of enemy resistance in Italy.
*ESSEBAGGER, JOHN, JR.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company A, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Popsudong, Korea, 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Holland, Mich. Born: 29 October 1928, Holland, Mich. G.O. No.: 61, 24 April 1952. Citation: Cpl. Essebagger, a member of Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Committed to effect a delaying action to cover the 3d Battalion’s withdrawal through Company A, Cpl. Essebagger, a member of 1 of 2 squads maintaining defensive positions in key terrain and defending the company’s right flank, had participated in repulsing numerous attacks. In a frenzied banzai charge the numerically superior enemy seriously threatened the security of the planned route of withdrawal and isolation of the small force. Badly shaken, the grossly outnumbered detachment started to fall back and Cpl. Essebagger, realizing the impending danger, voluntarily remained to provide security for the withdrawal. Gallantly maintaining a l-man stand, Cpl. Essebagger raked the menacing hordes with crippling fire and, with the foe closing on the position, left the comparative safety of his shelter and advanced in the face of overwhelming odds, firing his weapon and hurling grenades to disconcert the enemy and afford time for displacement of friendly elements to more tenable positions. Scorning the withering fire and bursting shells, Cpl. Essebagger continued to move forward, inflicting destruction upon the fanatical foe until he was mortally wounded. Cpl. Essebagger’s intrepid action and supreme sacrifice exacted a heavy toll in enemy dead and wounded, stemmed the onslaught, and enabled the retiring squads to reach safety. His valorous conduct and devotion to duty reflected lasting glory upon himself and was in keeping with the noblest traditions of the infantry and the U.S. Army.
*GILLILAND, CHARLES L.
Rank and organization: Corporal (then Pfc.), U.S. Army, Company I, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tongmang-ni, Korea, 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Yellville (Marion County), Ark. Born: 24 May 1933, Mountain Home, Ark. G.O. No.: 2, 11 January 1955. Citation: Cpl. Gilliland, a member of Company I, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. A numerically superior hostile force launched a coordinated assault against his company perimeter, the brunt of which was directed up a defile covered by his automatic rifle. His assistant was killed by enemy fire but Cpl. Gilliland, facing the full force of the assault, poured a steady fire into the foe which stemmed the onslaught. When 2 enemy soldiers escaped his raking fire and infiltrated the sector, he leaped from his foxhole, overtook and killed them both with his pistol. Sustaining a serious head wound in this daring exploit, he refused medical attention and returned to his emplacement to continue his defense of the vital defile. His unit was ordered back to new defensive positions but Cpl. Gilliland volunteered to remain to cover the withdrawal and hold the enemy at bay. His heroic actions and indomitable devotion to duty prevented the enemy from completely overrunning his company positions. Cpl. Gilliland’s incredible valor and supreme sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.
*GOODBLOOD, CLAIR
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company D, 7th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Near Popsu-dong, Korea, 24 and 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Burnham, Maine. Born: 18 September 1929, Fort Kent, Maine. G.O. No.: 14, 1 February 1952. Citation: Cpl. Goodblood, a member of Company D, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. Cpl. Goodblood, a machine gunner, was attached to Company B in defensive positions on thickly wooded key terrain under attack by a ruthless foe. In bitter fighting which ensued, the numerically superior enemy infiltrated the perimeter, rendering the friendly positions untenable. Upon order to move back, Cpl. Goodblood voluntarily remained to cover the withdrawal and, constantly vulnerable to heavy fire, inflicted withering destruction on the assaulting force. Seeing a grenade lobbed at his position, he shoved his assistant to the ground and flinging himself upon the soldier attempted to shield him. Despite his valorous act both men were wounded. Rejecting aid for himself, he ordered the ammunition bearer to evacuate the injured man for medical treatment. He fearlessly maintained his l-man defense, sweeping the onrushing assailants with fire until an enemy banzai charge carried the hill and silenced his gun. When friendly elements regained the commanding ground, Cpl. Goodblood’s body was found lying beside his gun and approximately 100 hostile dead lay in the wake of his field of fire. Through his unflinching courage and willing self-sacrifice the onslaught was retarded, enabling his unit to withdraw, regroup, and resecure the strongpoint. Cpl. Goodblood’s inspirational conduct and devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and are in keeping with the noble traditions of the military service.
MIYAMURA, HIROSHI H.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Taejon-ni, Korea, 24 and 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Gallup, N. Mex. Birth: Gallup, N. Mex. G.O. No.: 85, 4 November 1953. Citation: Cpl. Miyamura, a member of Company H, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 24 April, Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked threatening to overrun the position. Cpl. Miyamura, a machine gun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machine gun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company Cpl. Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers. Cpl. Miyamura’s indomitable heroism and consummate devotion to duty reflect the utmost glory on himself and uphold the illustrious traditions on the military service.
SPRAYBERRY, JAMES M .
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 25 April 1968. Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 24 April 1947, LaGrange, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Sprayberry, Armor, U.S. Army, distinguished himself by exceptional bravery while serving as executive officer of Company D. His company commander and a great number of the men were wounded and separated from the main body of the company. A daylight attempt to rescue them was driven back by the well entrenched enemy’s heavy fire. Capt. Sprayberry then organized and led a volunteer night patrol to eliminate the intervening enemy bunkers and to relieve the surrounded element. The patrol soon began receiving enemy machinegun fire. Capt. Sprayberry quickly moved the men to protective cover and without regard for his own safety, crawled within close range of the bunker from which the fire was coming. He silenced the machinegun with a hand grenade. Identifying several l-man enemy positions nearby, Capt. Sprayberry immediately attacked them with the rest of his grenades. He crawled back for more grenades and when 2 grenades were thrown at his men from a position to the front, Capt. Sprayberry, without hesitation, again exposed himself and charged the enemy-held bunker killing its occupants with a grenade. Placing 2 men to cover his advance, he crawled forward and neutralized 3 more bunkers with grenades. Immediately thereafter, Capt. Sprayberry was surprised by an enemy soldier who charged from a concealed position. He killed the soldier with his pistol and with continuing disregard for the danger neutralized another enemy emplacement. Capt. Sprayberry then established radio contact with the isolated men, directing them toward his position. When the 2 elements made contact he organized his men into litter parties to evacuate the wounded. As the evacuation was nearing completion, he observed an enemy machinegun position which he silenced with a grenade. Capt. Sprayberry returned to the rescue party, established security, and moved to friendly lines with the wounded. This rescue operation, which lasted approximately 71/2 hours, saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Capt. Sprayberry personally killed 12 enemy soldiers, eliminated 2 machineguns, and destroyed numerous enemy bunkers. Capt. Sprayberry’s indomitable spirit and gallant action at great personal risk to his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
STUMPF, KENNETH E.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Duc Pho, Republic of Vietnam, 25 April 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 28 September 1944, Neenah, Wis. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Stumpf distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, Company C, on a search and destroy mission. As S/Sgt. Stumpf’s company approached a village, it encountered a North Vietnamese rifle company occupying a well fortified bunker complex. During the initial contact, 3 men from his squad fell wounded in front of a hostile machinegun emplacement. The enemy’s heavy volume of fire prevented the unit from moving to the aid of the injured men, but S/Sgt. Stumpf left his secure position in a deep trench and ran through the barrage of incoming rounds to reach his wounded comrades. He picked up 1 of the men and carried him back to the safety of the trench. Twice more S/Sgt. Stumpf dashed forward while the enemy turned automatic weapons and machineguns upon him, yet he managed to rescue the remaining 2 wounded squad members. He then organized his squad and led an assault against several enemy bunkers from which continuously heavy fire was being received He and his squad successfully eliminated 2 of the bunker positions, but one to the front of the advancing platoon remained a serious threat. Arming himself with extra hand grenades, S/Sgt. Stumpf ran over open ground, through a volley of fire directed at him by a determined enemy, toward the machinegun position. As he reached the bunker, he threw a hand grenade through the aperture. It was immediately returned by the occupants, forcing S/Sgt. Stumpf to take cover. Undaunted, he pulled the pins on 2 more grenades, held them for a few seconds after activation, then hurled them into the position, this time successfully destroying the emplacement. With the elimination of this key position, his unit was able to assault and overrun the enemy. S/Sgt. Stumpf’s relentless spirit of aggressiveness, intrepidity, and ultimate concern for the lives of his men, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 25, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1914: FIRST SORTIE AGAINST ANOTHER COUNTRY. The USS Mississippi’s aviation unit completed its first flight near Vera Cruz, Mexico, when Lt (JG) Patrick N. L. Bellinger flew the Curtiss AB-3 Flying Boat from the battleship to observe the city and harbor. (20)
1922: Eddie Stinson flew Stout Engineering Laboratory's twin-engine ST-1, the Navy’s first all-metal plane, on its first flight. Although the ST-1 had inadequate longitudinal stability, it marked a step forward in the development of all-metal planes. (24)
1940: The Navy commissioned the carrier USS Wasp. (24)
1944: Seventh Air Force B-24s made the first land plane attack on Guam from Eniwetok, while Navy PBYs flew photo reconnaissance missions. (24) Flying a Sikorsky YR-4 helicopter, Lt Carter Harman, 1st Air Commando Group, rescued four men from the jungle in Burma. That rescue was the first combat rescue by helicopter in the US AAF. (21)
April 1944: A Sikorsky YR-4B helicopter, Lt Carter Harman, 1st Air Commando Group, rescued four men from the jungle in Burma. That rescue was the first combat rescue by helicopter in the US AAF. The limited range of the YR-4B and small size of its cabin constrained how Harman managed the rescue operation. He transported the soldiers one by one to a liaison L-5 plane waiting at a designated sandbar and without the aid of weaponry. Over the span of two days, he ferried the soldiers to this plane bringing them to safety.
1945: Eighth Air Force made its last attack on an industrial target in World War II, when 274 bombers dropped 500 tons of bombs on Skoda Works at Plyen, Czechoslovakia. (4) (24)
1953: Col Joseph J. Preston, 91 SRW Commander, flew the first RB-47 (# 51-2194) to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. (1)
1956: Piloted by Frank Everest, the X-2 completed its first supersonic flight. The X-2 was a rocket-powered, swept-wing research aircraft developed jointly in 1945 by Bell Aircraft Corporation, the United States Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to explore aerodynamic problems of supersonic flight.
1966: The first Minuteman II squadron, the 447 SMS, became operational at Grand Forks AFB, when AFSC’s Ballistic Systems Division transferred the 50 missiles and 5 launch control centers to SAC. (6) (16)
1967: Maj Gen Benjamin D. Foulois died at Andrews AFB at the age of 87. He was the first person to fly an Army dirigible; first military observer on a cross-country flight with Orville Wright; first military man to teach himself to fly; one of two Americans to first use a plane in combat; and the first Chief of Staff of the Army Air Corps to be a military aviator. (16) (26) The first jet-assisted C-123K Provider assault transports arrived at Tan Son Nhut AB for duty with the 19th Air Commando Squadron. The older C-123Bs began returning to the CONUS for modification on 27 April. (17)
1969: SAC decided to disperse its bomber and tanker aircraft to improve the survivability of its alert forces. (16)
1970: The 175 TFG in Baltimore, Md., received an A-37 aircraft, the ANG’s first. (16)
1971: The last C-130A in PACAF, assigned to the 374 TAW at Naha AB, flew to the states for an assignment with a reserve or ANG unit. (17)
1990: Boeing delivered the 200th re-engined KC-135R to the 340 AREFG at Altus AFB. This program replaced the Pratt & Whitney J57 engines on 237 KC-135’s with CFM International F-108 engines. (20)
2001: An AFFTC pilot from Edwards AFB released the first Joint-Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile
(JASSM) from a B-52H. (3)
2003: The General Electric F110-GE-132 engine, with 32,500 lbs of thrust, flew for the first time.
The engine would be fitted in the Block 60 F-16. It was the highest-thrust fighter engine ever developed for that aircraft. (3)
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