To All,
Good Wednesday Morning October 21, 2026. 60 and sunny here this morning on this side of paradise with a high expected today of 82, a low tonight of 61 with a chance of showers beginning this evening and into tomorrow.
I was starting to work on a large email box this morning and it was after a pretty wild day yesterday where at one point I ended up by the side of the road with both left side tires trashed and waiting for AAA to come bail me out. That ended much better than I could imagine at the time maybe more on that later
Then I came across the following note…..
Skip,
This is a hard email to send. Last month, I had a seizure that led to an MRI and Cat Scan. The results were not good. I have brain cancer, a grade 4 Glioblastoma (GBM). No cure and untreatable. I have never heard of this disease. I have been blessed to be part of the finest group of fighter pilots and warriors on the planet. Your group pictures brought back so many great memories. Prayers are most appreciated. Please let the community know.
You are all great.
Deepest Respect,
HOWDY
Regards,
Skip
Make it a good Day
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Reminder: Midterm Elections is right around the corner: https://veteransvote.us/
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CC Distribution List: I do my best to keep everyone’s email address private and BCC when sending the list. However, I’ve been getting feedback on the list and a lot of really interesting notes on historical events and notes being shared by friends near and far alike. If you would like to be put on a CC distro list so that you can see each other’s responses and share in the conversation, let me know.
If we missed adding you, hit me again.
Skip
IF YOU NEED YOUR EMAIL UPDATED OR IF YOU ALREADY SENT IT AND IT GOT LOST IN THE WASH, SEND IT AGAIN!
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US Navy's NEW GIANT Aircraft Carrier ENTERS Final Phase
https://youtu.be/pWSjg2s4nCk?si=kyk4FXxiMgrUMkgJ
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Flying the F-4 Phantom During the Vietnam War | Jerry Beaulier
https://youtu.be/PrKG8-JihBU?si=qKesYLN6AVbCXfPf
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China Just Got Some Terrible News
https://youtu.be/EIl6wHyKKnU?si=lGfrVG-JKp46xOx3
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Naval Legends: USS Midway | World of Warships
https://youtu.be/5deauDeBzPc?si=81evwbweQWQTjKlE
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Why Can't You Visit Iwo Jima?
https://youtu.be/hEsjPdO3YQM?si=9s6vk4eTtRMKLTtv
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How Coca-Cola Was Invented—and Why Its Bottle Looks Like That
https://youtu.be/gpSQr6NED7c?si=e9xO2YUOy6N_DXIR
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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 101 H-Grams
October 21
On This day
1797 The frigate Constitution launches at Edmund Hartt's Shipyard, Boston, Mass. The ship is now the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.
1862 The Cairo class ironclad river gunboat Louisville, under the command of Lt. Cmdr. R.W. Meade III, escorts the steamer Meteor, whose embarked Army troops landed at Bledsoes Landing and Hamblins Landing, Ark. The towns are burned in reprisal for attacks by Confederate guerrillas on mail steamer Gladiator early in the morning of
1864 The wooden side-wheel cruiser Fort Jackson captures steamer Wando at sea, east of Cape Romain, S.C., with cargo of cotton.
1942 The British submarine HMS Seraph lands Navy Capt. Jerauld Wright and four Army officers including Maj. Gen. Mark Clark at Cherchel, French North Africa to meet with a French military delegation to assess French attitude towards future Allied landings (Operation Torch). Eventually, the French agreed to the mission.
1942 USS Guardfish (SS 217) sinks Japanese freighter Nichiho Maru about 120 miles north-northeast of Formosa while USS Gudgeon (SS 211) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Bismarck Sea and sinks the transport Choko Maru.
1952 USS Lewis (DE 535) aids two Korean minesweepers under fire at Wonson Harbor. As she approaches, at least four enemy batteries open up on the destroyer escort. Lewis returns fire and lays down a smoke screen to cover the minesweepers retreat. Shortly thereafter the destroyer escort takes two 75mm shell hits, killing six crewmen outright and mortally wounding a seventh. The second hit explodes on the main deck, port side, lightly wounding one sailor.
1989 Los Angeles-class submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754) is commissioned at Groton, CT
1995 USS Stethem (DDG 63) is commissioned at Port Hueneme, Calif., and named in honor of Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, Robert Dean Stethem. She is the 13th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy.
2017 Expeditionary Sea Base USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) is put into service during a christening ceremony at General Dynamics NASSCO, San Diego.
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Today in World History: October 21
1096 Seljuk Turks at Chivitot slaughter thousands of German crusaders.
1529 The Pope names Henry VIII of England Defender of the Faith after defending the seven sacraments against Luther.
1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats his enemies in battle and affirms his position as Japan's most powerful warlord.
1790 The Tricolor is chosen as the official flag of France.
1805 Vice Admiral and Viscount Horatio Nelson wins his greatest victory over a Franco-Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. Nelson is fatally wounded in the battle, but lives long enough to see victory.
1837 Under a flag of truce during peace talks, U.S. troops siege the Indian Seminole Chief Osceola in Florida.
1861 The Battle of Ball's Bluff, Va. begins, a disastrous Union defeat which sparks Congressional investigations.
1867 Many leaders of the Kiowa, Comanche and Kiowa-Apache sign a peace treaty at Medicine Lodge, Kan. Comanche Chief Quanah Parker refused to accept the treaty terms.
1872 The U.S. Naval Academy admits John H. Conyers, the first African American to be accepted.
1879 After 14 months of testing, Thomas Edison first demonstrates his electric lamp, hoping to one day compete with gaslight.
1904 Panamanians clash with U.S. Marines in Panama in a brief uprising.
1917 The first U.S. troops enter the front lines at Sommerviller under French command.
1939 As war heats up with Germany, the British war cabinet holds its first meeting in the underground war room in London.
1940 Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is published.
1942 Eight American and British officers land from a submarine on an Algerian beach to take measure of Vichy French to the Operation Torch landings.
1950 North Korean Premier Kim Il-Sung establishes a new capital at Sinuiju on the Yalu River opposite the Chinese City of Antung.
1959 The Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opens in Manhattan.
1961 Bob Dylan records his first album in a single day at a cost of $400.
1967 The "March on the Pentagon," protesting American involvement in Vietnam , draws 50,000 protesters.
1969 Israel's Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan resigns over disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policies related to the Palestinians.
1983 The United States sends a ten-ship task force to Grenada.
1994 North Korea and the US sign an agreement requiring North Korea to halts its nuclear weapons program and agree to international inspections.
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Rolling Thunder Remembered
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.
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
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Thanks to Micro
Vietnam Air Losses for October 20
Date: 21 October 1968
Aircraft type: RB-57E Canberra
Serial Number: 55-4264
Military Unit: Detachment 1, 460 TRW
Service: USAF
Home Base: Tan Son Nhut
Name(s):
Maj J W Johnston (Survived)
Maj Philip N Walker (Survived)
In over five years of operations the Patricia Lynn detachment had only lost a single aircraft until 21 October. One of the unit’s aircraft (call sign Moonglow 1) was making a sensor run over a Viet Cong position three miles southeast of the town of Truc Giang in the Mekong Delta when it was hit. Flying straight and level at 2,000 feet, the aircraft ran into small arms fire that damaged the starboard engine causing it to catch fire. Moments later the two crew ejected and were later recovered with only minor injuries. The Patricia Lynn missions continued until the unit was inactivated in August 1971 and the four surviving RB-57s returned to the USA.
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.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Sunday October 21
21-Oct: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1996
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 Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
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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From the Archives
Thanks to Micro..this is very cool
This Tiny Engine Growls like a Beast (assembly & test run) - YouTube
. Car guys hope you can open this… pretty cool
https://youtu.be/a5hZstgIiRY?si=Xgx2fpK7xLLuE3vw
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5 Surprising Things the Ancient Egyptians Invented
The ancient Egyptians were one of the most intriguing civilizations in history. They erected enormous stone pyramids without the use of any of the heavy machinery we have today, they had a culture rich in complex mythology, and they were one of the first groups of people to translate their spoken language into a written one. You don’t have to be an Egyptologist to know that we owe the Egyptians for many of the ideas we still use today, but it may surprise you to learn that these five things were invented by the ancient Egyptians too.
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Toothpaste
The oldest known formula for toothpaste was found on a piece of papyrus that is said to be more than 1,600 years old. The writer of the recipe called it “a powder for white and perfect teeth,” which, once mixed with saliva, forms a “tooth paste” that cleans teeth. Ingredients included rock salt, mint, dried iris flower, and crushed pepper. One dentist who tried it said that it made his gums bleed, but that it was much more effective than some other toothpastes that were created in the last century.
Scissors
For some reason, many scholars credit Leonardo da Vinci with inventing scissors (maybe because he invented so many other things). There is proof, though, that the Egyptians were using scissors long before the great artist and polymath was even born — way back in 1500 BCE, to be precise. These scissors were composed of a single piece of bronze formed into two blades and held together by a strip of metal. The strip kept the blades apart until they were squeezed together to cut things.
Prosthetic Appendages
Scientists knew that the ancient Egyptian civilization was advanced, but they didn’t know just how advanced until they tested a prosthetic toe that came from the foot of a female mummy from about 950–710 BCE. While false body parts were often attached to mummies for burial purposes, experts agree that this toe was in fact used while the person was still alive. The wear and tear on the three-part leather and wood appendage (which was thought to be tied onto the foot or a sandal with string) proved that it was used to help the person walk, and tests using a replica of the toe fitted to a volunteer missing the same part of their foot showed that it significantly improved their gait in Egyptian-style sandals.
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The Solar Calendar
While the Egyptians weren’t the first to invent a calendar, they did create the calendar that laid the basis for the one we use today — the solar calendar. Since farming was key to the Egyptians, they made a schedule of the different seasons tied to the flooding of the Nile and the movements of Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. After doing extensive research on the movements of the stars and the solar cycle, they broke each season into four months, each with 30 days (with a couple of extra days at the end of the season), which gave us the 365-day calendar we have been using ever since.
Marshmallows
Today marshmallows are largely reserved for campfires and hot chocolate, but in ancient Egypt they were a treat for the gods. The ancients took sap from the mallow plant (which grows in marshes) and mixed it with nuts and honey. Scholars aren’t sure what the treat looked like, but they know it was thought suitable only for pharaohs and the divine. It wasn’t until 19th-century France that confectioners began whipping the sap into the fluffy little pillows we know and love today.
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Thanks to History Facts
Some of the most profound moments in history can be encapsulated in a single, memorable quote. These succinct phrases, often pulled from longer speeches or events, distill complex ideas into digestible gems. At their best, they act as verbal snapshots, capturing the essence of historical moments with an emotional urgency that lingers and lets them resonate across generations. Martin Luther King Jr.’s rallying cry of “I have a dream” is easily one of the most famous such lines in history. Similarly, Neil Armstrong’s “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” immortalizes a peak moment in humanity; the astronaut’s muffled voice as he spoke to the public on Earth from the moon is unforgettable. These sound bites have become cultural shorthand for momentous events and the ideals they captured, and their historical weight will keep them in the cultural consciousness for years to come.
“I Have a Dream” (1963)
At the heart of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous 1963 speech were four simple words: “I have a dream.” On August 28, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and against a backdrop of racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, King energized the crowd — and the world — with his dream of a better life for his family and all African Americans. “I have a dream,” King said, “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He employed the phrase again, several times, to great effect, throughout the speech. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” he said. “I have a dream today.” The urgent, eloquent delivery laid bare the need for change; “I have a dream” became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement, and remains not a relic of history, but a living aspiration to this day.King’s speech was televised by major broadcasters to a large live audience. At the time, he was a nationally known figure, but this was the first time many Americans — including, reportedly, President John F. Kennedy — had ever seen him deliver a full address. Less than a year later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the following year saw the Voting Rights Act of 1965 come into law. These pieces of legislation were the biggest civil rights advancements since the end of the Civil War.
“That’s One Small Step for Man” (1969)
On July 20, 1969, the first human walked on the moon. As astronaut Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder of Apollo 11’s lunar module and onto the moon’s surface, he encapsulated the profound moment with these words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He spoke through a muddled transmission to Earth, as some 650 million people watched on in awe.Armstrong later told his biographer that, while he had thought ahead about what to say, it wasn’t too rehearsed. “What can you say when you step off of something?” he told biographer James R. Hansen. “Well, something about a step. It just sort of evolved during the period that I was doing the procedures of the practice takeoff and… all the other activities that were on our flight schedule at that time.” Although the quote has endured, Armstrong himself says it has been misquoted all along, and that he actually said, or at least meant to say, “one small step for a man.” (After many years and multiple attempts to clean up the audio quality, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has concluded that the original quote is accurate.)
“Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You” (1961)
President John F. Kennedy assumed office during a tumultuous time in America’s history. But right from his inaugural address, he conveyed a spirit of hope and idealism in a resonant quote that went on to define his presidency. “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,” he famously said. JFK’s inauguration, the first to be broadcast in color, was watched by some 38 million people. The speech, although credited principally to Kennedy, was also written by Kennedy’s longtime aide (and later, principal speechwriter) Ted Sorensen. Kennedy wanted a speech that would “set a tone for the era about to begin,” and he got just that. America was on the precipice of great social change, and the inaugural address encapsulated the country’s need for unity and the civic engagement the moment would call for.
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“Do You Believe in Miracles?” (1980)
One of the most iconic moments in sports history happened during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. In the last few minutes of the men’s ice hockey medal round match between the United States and Soviet Union, the U.S. was, improbably, ahead by one goal. The Soviets were seasoned players known for their dominance in international hockey; they placed in the top three in every world championship and Olympic tournament they had played since 1954. The U.S. team, by comparison, was made up primarily of young college players who averaged 21 years old, making them the youngest players of any American Olympic hockey team in history. No one expected a U.S. victory. A New York Times columnist even wrote that “unless the ice melts,” the USSR would once again be victorious. As the clock counted down, with just five seconds left and the U.S. still up by one, ABC sportscaster Al Michaels remarked, “Do you believe in miracles?” before letting out an elated “Yes!” as the clock ran out and the U.S. won 4-3. The victory was soon dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.” Two days later, the U.S. went on to clinch the gold medal after defeating Finland. A TV documentary about the road to gold used Michaels’ quote for its title, and in 2016, Sports Illustrated called the victory the “greatest moment in sporting history,” proving that a good underdog story can be better than fiction.
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“Tear Down This Wall” (1987)
On June 12, 1987, during a ceremony at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate for the city’s 750th anniversary, U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered the now-famous line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” The Berlin Wall, which had divided East and West Berlin since 1961, was more than just an imposing physical barrier; it symbolized the ideological divide between communism and democracy across Europe during the Cold War.Reagan’s speech became a defining moment in his presidency — eventually. Although reactions were mixed at the time, the address gained favorable traction when the Berlin Wall finally fell two years later, on November 9, 1989. The line now stands as a pivotal moment in history, capturing an era of tense political dynamics — and, of course, solidifying Reagan’s legacy as “the great communicator.” The fall of the Berlin Wall was a historical turning point, signaling victory for democracy and peace. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in putting the Cold War to an end.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
There are more ways to shuffle a deck of cards than there are atoms on Earth.
The next time you thoroughly shuffle a deck of cards, you’ll almost certainly have landed on a combination that’s never been created before — and may never be created again. This may sound unlikely or even impossible, given that each deck contains just 52 cards, but there are actually more ways to shuffle a deck of cards than there are atoms on Earth. The exact number of possible card combinations is 8 x 10 to the 67th power, which is an 8 followed by 67 zeroes — an almost unfathomably large number. If you were to go back in time to the beginning of the universe and rearrange a deck of cards into a new permutation every second, the universe itself would come to an end before you were a billionth of a way to one of those arrangements repeating itself.
As for how many atoms there are on the planet, most estimates put the number at 1.3 x 10 to the 50th power or 130,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This is obviously a vast figure in its own right, but it’s still dwarfed by the potential groupings of a deck of cards. The good news for the math-averse among us is most of us will never have to deal with such impossibly immense figures in our day-to-day lives — or in our next poker game.
Richard Nixon was a skilled player during his time in the U.S. Navy and did indeed use his winnings to fund his successful 1946 congressional race
Numbers Don’t Lie
Atoms in a human being
7 x 10^27
Possible five-card poker hands
2,598,960
Subatomic particles in an atom (protons, neutrons, electrons)
3
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Cards in an Uno deck
108
Atoms are almost entirely empty.
If you were to expand an atom to the size of a sports arena, its nucleus — by far the densest part of an atom, where most of its mass is concentrated — would be roughly the size of a pea. The rest of the atom, about 99.9% of it, would be empty space. The electrons floating around the nucleus are quite small, even compared to protons and neutrons; one proton is 1,836 times larger than a single electron.
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This Day in U S Military History
October 21
1797 – The 44-gun 204-foot U.S. Navy frigate USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, was launched in Boston’s harbor. It was never defeated in 42 battles. 216 crew members set sail again in 1997 for its 200th birthday. Although her construction is almost halted by a 1796 peace treaty with Algiers, the CONSTITUTION is launched-christened by visiting Capt. James Sever using a bottle of Madeira. It is actually the third attempt to launch her; the first was a month earlier, when the ship sticks after moving only 27 feet. Two days later she moves another 31 feet before sticking once again. For the third attempt, workers make the launching ways steeper, which finally enables a successful event. The public, which includes several French aristocrats, is warned beforehand that the launch of such a large ship might cause a dangerously large wave, but none actually materializes during the event.
1837 – Under a flag of truce during peace talks, U.S. troops sieged the Indian Seminole Chief Osceola in Florida. Osceola, who was sick with malaria, knew the Indians could fight no more. He went to the General’s fort at St. Augustine with a white flag. When Osceola went to General Jesup the General had his men surround Osceola. They threw the white flag to the ground and put chains on his hands and feet. The Seminoles were so angry with Osceola’s capture that they continued to fight for the next five years.
1879 – Thomas Edison invents a workable electric light bulb at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. which was tested the next day and lasted 13.5 hours. This would be the invention of the first commercially practical incandescent light. Popular belief is that he invented the first light bulb, which he did not.
1917 – Members of the First Division of the U.S. Army training in Luneville, France, became the first Americans to see action on the front lines of World War I. The first U.S. troops entered the front lines at Sommervillier under French command. During the night, a battalion from each regiment and designated batteries of the division moved in beside corresponding units of the 18th French Division and began training in caring for themselves in the trenches, in patrolling, observation, and artillery procedures. The battalions and batteries were rotated at ten-day intervals until all had been at the front.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the Japanese forces, mainly 2nd Infantry Division, under General Maruyama now number 20,000. The plan for the attack on the main American position involves simultaneous attacks to be made northward in the area between the Lunga and Tenaru Rivers, while secondary attacks are made on the American western outposts along the Matanika River. The Japanese lack accurate intelligence concerning the numbers and dispositions of the American troops.
1983 – The United States sent a ten-ship task force to Grenada, one of the smallest independent nations in the Western Hemisphere and one of the southernmost Caribbean islands in the Windward chain. The Cuban government had decided to utilize the former British colony as a holding place for arms and military equipment, complete with a major airport. Eastern Caribbean nations fully understood the implication of the communist threat and called upon the United States for help. The response was Operation Urgent Fury, a multinational, multiservice effort. Commanding officers of the US Navy ships have not yet been told what the mission in Grenada–to evacuate U.S. citizens, neutralize any resistance, stabilize the situation and maintain the peace—will be.
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Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*MOON, HAROLD H., JR.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 34th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division. Place and date: Pawig, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 21 October 1944. Entered service at: Gardena, Calif. Birth: Albuquerque, N. Mex. G.O. No.: 104, 15 November 1945. Citation: He fought with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity when powerful Japanese counterblows were being struck in a desperate effort to annihilate a newly won beachhead. In a forward position, armed with a submachinegun, he met the brunt of a strong, well-supported night attack which quickly enveloped his platoon’s flanks. Many men in nearby positions were killed or injured, and Pvt. Moon was wounded as his foxhole became the immediate object of a concentration of mortar and machinegun fire. Nevertheless, he maintained his stand, poured deadly fire into the enemy, daringly exposed himself to hostile fire time after time to exhort and inspire what American troops were left in the immediate area. A Japanese officer, covered by machinegun fire and hidden by an embankment, attempted to knock out his position with grenades, but Pvt. Moon, after protracted and skillful maneuvering, killed him. When the enemy advanced a light machinegun to within 20 yards of the shattered perimeter and fired with telling effects on the remnants of the platoon, he stood up to locate the gun and remained exposed while calling back range corrections to friendly mortars which knocked out the weapon. A little later he killed 2 Japanese as they charged an aid man. By dawn his position, the focal point of the attack for more than 4 hours, was virtually surrounded. In a fanatical effort to reduce it and kill its defender, an entire platoon charged with fixed bayonets. Firing from a sitting position, Pvt. Moon calmly emptied his magazine into the advancing horde, killing 18 and repulsing the attack. In a final display of bravery, he stood up to throw a grenade at a machinegun which had opened fire on the right flank. He was hit and instantly killed, falling in the position from which he had not been driven by the fiercest enemy action. Nearly 200 dead Japanese were found within 100 yards of his foxhole. The continued tenacity, combat sagacity, and magnificent heroism with which Pvt. Moon fought on against overwhelming odds contributed in a large measure to breaking up a powerful enemy threat and did much to insure our initial successes during a most important operation.
*WILSON, RICHARD G.
When One Medic Ran Into a 300-Yard Kill Zone – This Man Made 10 Trips to Save Them
https://youtu.be/nkV-lvq4BU0?si=3lh8MFpwTBGVu64U
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Co. 1, Medical Company, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Opari, Korea, 21 October 1950. Entered service at: Cape Girardeau Mo. Born: 19 August 1931, Marion, Ill. G.O. No.: 64, 2 August 1951. Citation: Pfc. Wilson distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. As medical aid man attached to Company I, he accompanied the unit during a reconnaissance in force through the hilly country near Opari. The main body of the company was passing through a narrow valley flanked on 3 sides by high hills when the enemy laid down a barrage of mortar, automatic-weapons and small-arms fire. The company suffered a large number of casualties from the intense hostile fire while fighting its way out of the ambush. Pfc. Wilson proceeded at once to move among the wounded and administered aid to them oblivious of the danger to himself, constantly exposing himself to hostile fire. The company commander ordered a withdrawal as the enemy threatened to encircle and isolate the company. As his unit withdrew Private Wilson assisted wounded men to safety and assured himself that none were left behind. After the company had pulled back he learned that a comrade previously thought dead had been seen to be moving and attempting to crawl to safety. Despite the protests of his comrades, unarmed and facing a merciless enemy, Pfc. Wilson returned to the dangerous position in search of his comrade. Two days later a patrol found him lying beside the man he returned to aid. He had been shot several times while trying to shield and administer aid to the wounded man. Pfc. Wilson’s superb personal bravery, consummate courage and willing self-sacrifice for his comrades reflect untold glory upon himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the military service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
for October 21, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
21 October
1917: First flight test of the 12-cylinder Liberty engine in a Curtiss HS-1 Flying Boat completed at Buffalo. Later, both the engine and aircraft were adopted as standard service types.
1929: Colonial Flying Service and Scully Walton Ambulance Company, New York, organized an Air Ambulance Service. (24)
1936: Pan American Airways initiated regular weekly 6-day passenger service between San Francisco and Manila. (24)
1942: The India Air Task Force sent B-24s to bomb mines near Kuyeh in the first offensive mission north of the Yellow River. (24) The VIII Bomber Command sent 15 B-17s on the first raid on the U-boat pens at LorientKeroman. Eight bombers also hit the airfield at Cherbourg/Maupertus. The command lost three bombers in the missions. (4)
1947: The Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing made its first flight in a trip from the Hawthorne plant to Muroc AFB. (3)
1950: KOREAN WAR. In the first use of a helicopter in support of an airborne operation, the 3d Air Rescue Squadron sent H-5s to evacuate some 35 paratroopers and rescue 7 American POWs from the Sukchon and Sunchon area. A C-47 used loudspeakers to persuade some 500 enemy troops hiding in houses near Kunmori to surrender. Combat Cargo Command began aeromedical evacuations from Pyongyang. (28)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 30 October, the enemy flew sorties over N. Korea daily for the first time in the war. MiGs in numbers over one hundred, consistently outnumbered the F-86 formations, downing three at a cost of five enemy fighters lost to Sabres. (28)
1960: A Mace-B tactical missile, designed to carry a nuclear bomb 1,800 miles, launched from Cape Canaveral. (24)
1961: The USAF launched MIDAS IV, a heat-sensing satellite that could detect missile launches, from Point Arguello into a 2,100-mile circular orbit. Under Project West Force, the Midas IV then ejected millions of copper wires to form a reflecting belt in space to aid radio communications. The wires failed to disperse as planned.
1965: Gen Curtis E. LeMay, former CSAF, received the 1965 Collier Trophy, American aviation's highest honor.
1981: EURO-NATO JOINT JET PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM. Sheppard AFB started training pilots from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, and the UK under this program. (16) (26)
1987: The Japanese Defense Agency selected a modified F-16 (designated the SX-3) as its new close support/sea patrol aircraft to replace its Mitsubishi F-1s and F-4EJs. The AFLC ferried the first four F-16D Fighting Falcons to Murted AB, Turkey. (16)
1999: The USAF awarded the GATM equipment contract for the entire KC-135 fleet to Rockwell Collins. The $600 million contract covered 544 KC-135s, 20 flight simulators, and 43 other C-135- derived aircraft. (22)
2003: Through 4 November, six ANG C-130s and two AFRC C-130s, equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS), flew 48 missions to drop 129,600 gallons of fire retardant on fires in Southern California’s Simi Valley. Ten wild fires in Southern California consumed more than 745,000 acres and destroyed over 3,400 homes in this period. (32)
I remember this one well as we had to evacuate our home in Poway….but in 2007 it was much worse and we evacuated again almost lost the house which got singed a bit and full of smoke….skip
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