TheList 5340

The List 5340     TGB

To All

Good Sunday morning 24 May 2020

Remember Tomorrow is Memorial Day

Regards,

Skip

 

This day in Naval History May 24,

 

1917 The first U.S. convoy left Hampton Roads, Va. to cross the North Atlantic after entering World War I. During the 18 months of war while American vessels escort convoys through the war zone, 183 attacks are made by submarines, 24 submarines are damaged and two are destroyed.

1918 USS Olympia (C 6) is anchored at Kola Inlet, Murmansk, Russia, to protect refugees during the Russian Revolution.

1939 Vice Adm. Allan McCann's Rescue Chamber is first used to rescue 33 men from the sunken USS Squalus (SS 192). Four Navy divers receive the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions on May 24-25 to rescue the trapped men.

1945 Patrol bomber PBM aircraft sink Japanese Special Coast Defense Ship No.21 off the China coast, Task Force 58 attacks airfields on southern Kyushu. In return, the Japanese attack U.S. positions and ships at Okinawa and kamikazes strike USS William C. Cole (DE 641), USS Sims (APD 50), LCS (L) 121.

1961 USS Gurke (DD 783) notices signals from 12 men from Truk Island who are stranded for three months first at sea and then on an island. USS Southerland (DD 743) investigates the situation and notifies Truk Island, and provides provisions and supplies to repair their outrigger canoe. The men are picked up on June 7 by the motor launch Kaselehlia.

1962 Aurora 7 (Mercury 7) is launched and piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Malcolm Scott Carpenter. Aurora 7 completes three orbits in 4 hours, 56 minutes at an altitude up to 166.8 statute miles at 17,549 mph.

 

Thanks to CHINFO

There is no CHINFO on the weekend

 

Today in History May 24

1543		Nicolaus Copernicus publishes proof of a sun-centered solar system. He dies just after publication.
1607		Captain Christopher Newport and 105 followers found the colony of Jamestown at the mouth of the James River on the coast of Virginia.
1610		Sir Thomas Gates institutes "laws divine moral and marshal, " a harsh civil code for Jamestown.
1624		After years of unprofitable operation, Virginia's charter is revoked and it becomes a royal colony.
1689		The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration, protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are specifically excluded from exemption.
1738		The Methodist Church is established.
1764		Boston lawyer James Otis denounces "taxation without representation," calling for the colonies to unite in opposition to Britain's new tax measures.
1798		Believing that a French invasion of Ireland is imminent, Irish nationalists rise up against the British occupation.
1844		Samuel Morse taps out the first telegraph message.
1846		General Zachary Taylor captures Monterey.
1861		General Benjamin Butler declares slaves to be the contraband of war.
1863		Bushwackers led by Captain William Marchbanks attack a Federal militia party in Nevada, Missouri.
1878		The first American bicycle race is held in Boston.
1930		Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly from England to Australia.
1941		The British battleship Hood is sunk by the German battleship Bismarck. There are only three survivors.
1951		Willie Mays begins playing for the New York Giants.
1961		Civil rights activists are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi.

 

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See his attachment

Thanks to Shadow ...

 

Yes, It's Memorial Day again… and for the last few years I've sent this out as a reminder of a dear friend and the sacrifices that so many others made. Our generation had no "Welcome Home"… no... "Thank You for Your Service"… no one bought us a meal in appreciation or even a cup of coffee as far as that goes. When we came home, most of us sought anonymity in the crowd... or sought refuge within our Band of Brothers. For they could understand. Truly, things were different then.

 

As aviators, we tended to be optimistic… and enjoyed a good sense of ego. We viewed ourselves as professionals. But I was also a former Grunt (Infantry for you civilians)… I knew that those of us who served there; had a very different mindset. For myself and others in that arena… there wasn't much to be optimistic about. Ours had no exhilaration like the wonders of flight… instead we slogged up and down mountains in 100 degree heat… walked through tall elephant grass in those same temperatures… where it blocked the wind and created a living sauna. And when the combat came, it was up close and personal. The scenes, the sounds, the yells, the smells and screams… were both visceral and vivid... yet somehow surreal. In the aftermath; there were no celebrations, no back slapping, no high fives… instead there was introspection… deep thought and eventually a sort of decompression. And like with John, you'd quietly question your God and wonder… why him and not me?

 

Now I'm not inferring that it took more courage to be a Grunt as opposed to being an aviator; both endeavors required courage, self confidence, the ability to keep one's head when the world was going to hell in a hand basket all around you and the skill to complete the assigned task. Simply put… it was just different. However… the Grunt world was certainly a more miserable experience. But one thing that both shared in common… was the losses. Good men, snuffed out in the beginning of manhood. And "They"… are really what this Memorial Day is all about (notice I didn't say holiday). It is a day of remembrance and honor… for those who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow citizens. So when you are enjoying the time off… please take a minute and think about what a gift these men and women have given to you… for they have gifted you "Freedom" (even though some in this nation are hell bent on trying to take it away… as I write and you read this). Say a little prayer and thank your God for such men and women.

 

Had a little event yesterday that really frosted my chops… on the way home from golf I was listening to a local radio station. As they were going to a station break they made the obligatory reference to Memorial Day and as they faded out some idiot at the station starts playing in the background a sound track or gunfire, yells and screams followed by the voice of Robert Duval's  infamous quote in the worst, most hyperbolic and outrageously inaccurate, film ever made… of course I'm referring to… "I love the smell of napalm in the morning". That was an insult! That movie was so demeaning to our military it makes me want to puke! It was the creation of a cocaine fueled mind of a warped and bent Hollywood producer/director of what he assumed war was like… and the media and left in this country ate it up! They actually believed that such bullshit really happened. For those of you who are doubters…. I'll give you a hint… I've smelled napalm in the morning… and it sucks! Not a human being in this crazy world who has ever smelled it, would make a statement like that… and that comes from a guy who was never off put by the smell of a skunk (at an appropriate distance of course)! Obviously, whoever decided to put that sound bite together… never served a day in the military or in combat.

 

Well... got that off my chest… and now ask you to read the little attachment below, about a life lost far too soon… in service to his nation. This day is about him and so many others And keep in mind that this day is not for those of us who served and survived… we have a day for that too… it's called "Veteran's Day". Save the homilies for that day… This one is deeper and requires real thought and appreciation.

 

All the Best, Shadow

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Still relevant from last year

Thanks to Carl

The Meaning of Memorial Day, From the Civil War on

http://dailysignal.com/2017/05/26/meaning-memorial-day-civil-war/

 As we pause this Memorial Day to honor those who died so that we might enjoy the blessings of liberty, here are some facts to remember about the day and some inspiring words from a great president.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, set aside to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.

On the first Decoration Day in 1868, Gen. James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery where some 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were buried. Garfield said they "summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtue of men and citizens."

Red poppies are often worn on Memorial Day as a symbol of remembrance and to honor those who died in war.

Since the late 1950s, soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, have placed small American flags at each of the over 260,000 gravestones in Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, a practice that continues to this day.

For those who have flags at home, remember this Memorial Day custom: The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon, and then raised to the top of the staff.

Presidents have long honored Memorial Day with speeches, and President Ronald Reagan did so in 1982 while visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.

After placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Reagan spoke briefly about sacrifice and obligation, saying:

If words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and final sacrifice.

Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we—in a less final, less heroic way—be willing to give of ourselves.

How, then, will we respond to the challenge of this Memorial Day ?

Will we accept the burden of preserving the freedom for which so many died? Will we sacrifice ourselves for those who will come after us? Will we keep faith with those who gave their all for us?

 

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Thanks to Tam – attribution to a Vietnam Vet – doesn't matter by whom -

Some good rules of conduct for those of us who haven't been in combat

Tam

 

Written by Vietnam Vet. Here's some ground rules for the weekend:

1. Don't wish me a Happy Memorial day. There is nothing happy about brave men and women dying.

2. It's not a holiday. It's a remembrance.

3. If you want to know the true meaning, visit Arlington or your local VA, not freaking Disneyland.

4. Don't tell me how great any one political power is. Tell me about Chesty Puller, George Patton, John Basilone, Dakota Meyer, Kyle Carpenter, Mitchell Paige, Ira Hayes, Chris Kyle and any other heroes too numerous to name. Attend a Bell Ceremony and shed some tears.

5. Don't tell me I don't know what I am talking about. I have carried the burden all too many times for my warriors who now stand their post for God.

6. Say a prayer... and then another.

7. Remember the Fallen for all the Good they did while they were here.

8. Reach out and let a Vet know you're there, we're losing too many in "peace".

 

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Thanks to Doctor Rich

Did you know??  I didn't!!

Thanks to Black …

                                               Why Is the Flag At Half-Staff Until Noon on Memorial Day?
 
 For 142 years, Americans have taken the last Monday in May to remember those who have died in our wars. Like all deaths honored by the state, flags fly at half-staff. However, on Memorial Day, the U.S. Flag only flies at half-staff for the first half of the day, and then is raised to full height from noon to sundown. This unique custom honors the war dead for the morning, and living veterans for the rest of the day.

No one knows the exact date this tradition began, but an Army regulations book from 1906 carries instructions for the procedure, so it predates the 20th Century, said Clark Rogers, executive director of the National Flag Foundation. In 1924, Congress codified the tradition into U.S. Code Title 4, Section 6, with the proclamation, "For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination," explaining how the noon flag-raising symbolizes the persistence of the nation in the face of loss, Rogers told Life's Little Mysteries.

"The first part of the day honors those who sacrificed, and the second part of the day honors those who are still with us," Rogers said.
 
Gerald T. Pothier
Capt. USMC (Ret)
1951-1988

 

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A good Memorial Day read….Thanks to Laurel

 

http://www.stonekettle.com/2017/05/memorial-day-2018.html

 

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Thanks  to Super

 

This has been around before!  However, I would like you to know that I am thinking of you.  To those who served our county, I thank you on this coming Memorial Day!

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.  Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands.  He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

 One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said,                           ' You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down! 

'How in the world did you know that?' asked Plumb.

     'I packed your parachute,' the man replied. 

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.

      The man pumped his hand and said, 'I guess it worked!'

Plumb assured him, 'It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today.'

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man.  Plumb says, 'I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. 

 I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.' Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, 'Who's packing your parachute?' Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.  He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.  He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

                I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute.  And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours!

                Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it!  When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do - you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still cared for, guess what you get?  A forwarded joke.

                So, my friend, next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute.

 

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This Day In American Military History May 24

1844 – In a demonstration witnessed by members of Congress, American inventor Samuel F.B. Morse dispatches a telegraph message from the U.S. Capitol to Alfred Vail at a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. The message–"What Hath God Wrought?"–was telegraphed back to the Capitol a moment later by Vail. The question, taken from the Bible (Numbers 23:23), had been suggested to Morse by Annie Ellworth, the daughter of the commissioner of patents. Morse, an accomplished painter, learned of a French inventor's idea of an electric telegraph in 1832 and then spent the next 12 years attempting to perfect a working telegraph instrument. During this period, he composed the Morse code, a set of signals that could represent language in telegraph messages, and convinced Congress to finance a Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line. On May 24, 1844, he inaugurated the world's first commercial telegraph line with a message that was fitting given the invention's future effects on American life. Just a decade after the first line opened, more than 20,000 miles of telegraph cable crisscrossed the country. The rapid communication it enabled greatly aided American expansion, making railroad travel safer as it provided a boost to business conducted across the great distances of a growing United States.

 

1941 – The German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought HMS Hood in the North Atlantic. 1416 died with only three survivors. CGC Modoc sighted the German battleship SMS Bismarck while the cutter searched for survivors of a convoy southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland. British Swordfish torpedo planes from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Victorious circled Modoc as they flew towards the German battleship's position. The Modoc's crew then spotted the flashes caused by anti-aircraft fire from the Bismarck and then sighted British warships on the opposite horizon. The cutter then maneuvered to avoid contact with any of the warships and managed to steam out of the area unscathed.

 

1945 – On Kyushu, aircraft from US Task Force 58 raid several airfields used by the Kamikaze forces attacking American naval forces around Okinawa. Meanwhile about 520 US bombers strike Tokyo, dropping some 3646 tons of bombs.

1945 – On Okinawa, during the night, Japanese paratroopers on a suicide mission are landed on American held Yontan airfield and destroy a significant number of aircraft before being wiped out. Meanwhile, Japanese troops conduct vigorous counterattacks in the direction of Yonabaru and make a small penetration into the lines of the US 32nd Division.

 

Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

 

*ANTOLAK, SYLVESTER
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, 24 May 1944. Entered service at: St. Clairsville, Ohio. Birth: St. Clairsville, Ohio. G.O. No.: 89, 19 October 1945. Citation: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, he charged 200 yards over flat, coverless terrain to destroy an enemy machinegun nest during the second day of the offensive which broke through the German cordon of steel around the Anzio beachhead. Fully 30 yards in advance of his squad, he ran into withering enemy machinegun, machine-pistol and rifle fire. Three times he was struck by bullets and knocked to the ground, but each time he struggled to his feet to continue his relentless advance. With one shoulder deeply gashed and his right arm shattered, he continued to rush directly into the enemy fire concentration with his submachinegun wedged under his uninjured arm until within 15 yards of the enemy strong point, where he opened fire at deadly close range, killing 2 Germans and forcing the remaining 10 to surrender. He reorganized his men and, refusing to seek medical attention so badly needed, chose to lead the way toward another strong point 100 yards distant. Utterly disregarding the hail of bullets concentrated upon him, he had stormed ahead nearly three-fourths of the space between strong points when he was instantly killed by hostile enemy fire. Inspired by his example, his squad went on to overwhelm the enemy troops. By his supreme sacrifice, superb fighting courage, and heroic devotion to the attack, Sgt. Antolak was directly responsible for eliminating 20 Germans, capturing an enemy machinegun, and clearing the path for his company to advance.

MILLS, JAMES H.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company F, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, 24 May 1944. Entered service at: Fort Meade, Fla. Birth: Fort Meade, Fla. G.O. No.: 87, 14 November 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Pvt. Mills, undergoing his baptism of fire, preceded his platoon down a draw to reach a position from which an attack could be launched against a heavily fortified strongpoint. After advancing about 300 yards, Pvt. Mills was fired on by a machinegun only S yards distant. He killed the gunner with 1 shot and forced the surrender of the assistant gunner. Continuing his advance, he saw a German soldier in a camouflaged position behind a large bush pulling the pin of a potato-masher grenade. Covering the German with his rifle, Pvt. Mills forced him to drop the grenade and captured him. When another enemy soldier attempted to throw a hand grenade into the draw, Pvt. Mills killed him with 1 shot. Brought under fire by a machinegun, 2 machine pistols, and 3 rifles at a range of only 50 feet, he charged headlong into the furious chain of automatic fire shooting his M 1 from the hip. The enemy was completely demoralized by Pvt. Mills' daring charge, and when he reached a point within 10 feet of their position, all 6 surrendered. As he neared the end of the draw, Pvt. Mills was brought under fire by a machinegunner 20 yards distant. Despite the fact that he had absolutely no cover, Pvt. Mills killed the gunner with 1 shot. Two enemy soldiers near the machinegunner fired wildly at Pvt. Mills and then fled. Pvt. Mills fired twice, killing 1 of the enemy. Continuing on to the position, he captured a fourth soldier. When it became apparent that an assault on the strongpoint would in all probability cause heavy casualties on the platoon, Pvt. Mills volunteered to cover the advance down a shallow ditch to a point within 50 yards of the objective. Standing on the bank in full view of the enemy less than 100 yards away, he shouted and fired his rifle directly into the position. His ruse worked exactly as planned. The enemy centered his fire on Pvt. Mills. Tracers passed within inches of his body, rifle and machine pistol bullets ricocheted off the rocks at his feet. Yet he stood there firing until his rifle was empty. Intent on covering the movement of his platoon, Pvt. Mills jumped into the draw, reloaded his weapon, climbed out again, and continued to lay down a base of fire. Repeating this action 4 times, he enabled his platoon to reach the designated spot undiscovered, from which position it assaulted and overwhelmed the enemy, capturing 22 Germans and taking the objective without casualties.

SCHAUER, HENRY
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, 23-24 May 1944. Entered service at: Scobey, Mont. Born: 9 October 1918, Clinton, Okla. G.O. No.: 83, 27 October 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 23 May 1944, at 12 noon, Pfc. (now T/Sgt.) Schauer left the cover of a ditch to engage 4 German snipers who opened fire on the patrol from its rear. Standing erect he walked deliberately 30 yards toward the enemy, stopped amid the fire from 4 rifles centered on him, and with 4 bursts from his BAR, each at a different range, killed all of the snipers. Catching sight of a fifth sniper waiting for the patrol behind a house chimney, Pfc. Schauer brought him down with another burst. Shortly after, when a heavy enemy artillery concentration and 2 machineguns temporarily halted the patrol, Pfc. Schauer again left cover to engage the enemy weapons single-handed. While shells exploded within 15 yards, showering dirt over him, and strings of grazing German tracer bullets whipped past him at chest level, Pfc. Schauer knelt, killed the 2 gunners of the machinegun only 60 yards from him with a single burst from his BAR, and crumpled 2 other enemy soldiers who ran to man the gun. Inserting a fresh magazine in his BAR, Pfc. Schauer shifted his body to fire at the other weapon 500 yards distant and emptied his weapon into the enemy crew, killing all 4 Germans. Next morning, when shells from a German Mark VI tank and a machinegun only 100 yards distant again forced the patrol to seek cover, Pfc. Schauer crawled toward the enemy machinegun. stood upright only 80 yards from the weapon as its bullets cut the surrounding ground, and 4 tank shells fired directly at him burst within 20 yards. Raising his BAR to his shoulder, Pfc. Schauer killed the 4 members of the German machinegun crew with 1 burst of fire.

BONDSTEEL, JAMES LEROY
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: An Loc Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 May 1969. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Born: 18 July 1947, Jackson, Mich. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Bondsteel distinguished himself while serving as a platoon sergeant with Company A, near the village of Lang Sau. Company A was directed to assist a friendly unit which was endangered by intense fire from a North Vietnamese Battalion located in a heavily fortified base camp. S/Sgt. Bondsteel quickly organized the men of his platoon into effective combat teams and spearheaded the attack by destroying 4 enemy occupied bunkers. He then raced some 200 meters under heavy enemy fire to reach an adjoining platoon which had begun to falter. After rallying this unit and assisting their wounded, S/Sgt. Bondsteel returned to his own sector with critically needed munitions. Without pausing he moved to the forefront and destroyed 4 enemy occupied bunkers and a machine gun which had threatened his advancing platoon. Although painfully wounded by an enemy grenade, S/Sgt. Bondsteel refused medical attention and continued his assault by neutralizing 2 more enemy bunkers nearby. While searching one of these emplacements S/Sgt. Bondsteel narrowly escaped death when an enemy soldier detonated a grenade at close range. Shortly thereafter, he ran to the aid of a severely wounded officer and struck down an enemy soldier who was threatening the officer's life. S/Sgt. Bondsteel then continued to rally his men and led them through the entrenched enemy until his company was relieved. His exemplary leadership and great personal courage throughout the 4-hour battle ensured the success of his own and nearby units, and resulted in the saving of numerous lives of his fellow soldiers. By individual acts of bravery he destroyed 10 enemy bunkers and accounted for a large toll of the enemy, including 2 key enemy commanders. His extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

ROCCO, LOUIS R.
Rank and organization: Warrant Officer (then Sergeant First Class), U.S. Army, Advisory Team 162, U.S. Military Assistance Command. Place and date: Northeast of Katum, Republic of Vietnam, 24 May 1970. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 19 November 1938, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Citation: WO Rocco distinguished himself when he volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation team on an urgent mission to evacuate 8 critically wounded Army of the Republic of Vietnam personnel. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it became the target for intense enemy automatic weapons fire. Disregarding his own safety, WO Rocco identified and placed accurate suppressive fire on the enemy positions as the aircraft descended toward the landing zone. Sustaining major damage from the enemy fire, the aircraft was forced to crash land, causing WO Rocco to sustain a fractured wrist and hip and a severely bruised back. Ignoring his injuries, he extracted the survivors from the burning wreckage, sustaining burns to his own body. Despite intense enemy fire, WO Rocco carried each unconscious man across approximately 20 meters of exposed terrain to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam perimeter. On each trip, his severely burned hands and broken wrist caused excruciating pain, but the lives of the unconscious crash survivors were more important than his personal discomfort, and he continued his rescue efforts. Once inside the friendly position, WO Rocco helped administer first aid to his wounded comrades until his wounds and burns caused him to collapse and lose consciousness. His bravery under fire and intense devotion to duty were directly responsible for saving 3 of his fellow soldiers from certain death. His unparalleled bravery in the face of enemy fire, his complete disregard for his own pain and injuries, and his performance were far above and beyond the call of duty and were in keeping with the highest traditions of self-sacrifice and courage of the military service.

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS For May 24

FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 24

THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

 

1912: Paul Peck set a new unofficial American duration record of 4 hours 23 minutes 15 seconds in his airplane, Miss Columbia, at Mineola. (24) 1917: French Premier Ribot asked the US to furnish 5,000 pilots, 50,000 mechanics, and 4,500 planes for active service by mid-1918. (24)

 

1922: Routine operation of catapults aboard ship started when Lt Andrew C. McFall, with Lt D.C. Ramsey as passenger, successfully launched a VE-7 from the USS Maryland, off Yorktown, Va. They used a compressed air catapult. With the installation of catapults on other battleships and then cruisers, the Navy gained the ability to operate aircraft from existing capital ships. Techniques were thus developed to support conventional surface forces, particularly in spotting for ships guns. The Navy also experimented with aerial tactics that would be later developed by carrier aviation. Perhaps more importantly, aircraft capabilities and limitations were demonstrated to the officers and men throughout the Navy.

 

1927. Because of an attempted prison break at Folsom Prison, two aircraft from the California National Guard's 115th Observation Squadron, armed with machine guns, were sent to Sacramento to stand by for possible use. But, no prisoners escaped and the aircraft returned to their home station at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. (32)

 

1948: Jacqueline Cochran set a world speed record of 432 MPH for propeller-driven planes over a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) closed circuit course. (24)

 

1951: KOREAN WAR. Flying F-84Es belonging to the 27 FEW, pilots of the Air National Guard's 136 FBW saw their first combat action. (28) (32)

 

1954: Martin Viking XI, a single-stage rocket, set a 158-mile altitude record (834,240 feet) and attained 4,300 MPH at White Sands Proving Ground. (24)

 

1960: Midas II, an infrared scanning satellite for early warning of missile launches, launched on an Atlas-Agena A rocket into an orbit expected to last 40 months. On 26 May, its telemetry system failed.

 

1961: Lt Richard F. Gordon Jr. and Lt Bobbie R. Young (USN) flew an F4H-1 from Los Angeles to New York. They covered the 2,421.4 miles in 2 hours 47 minutes 19.75 seconds by flying 869.73 MPH. They won the Bendix Trophy Race. (9) (24)

 

1962: Lt Cmdr Scott Carpenter (USN) became the second American to orbit the earth in his Mercury spacecraft, Aurora 7. He made three successful orbits and landed in the Atlantic 300 miles east of the planned landing zone. (16) (24)

 

1963: A Titan II launched from Cape Canaveral made a 6,500-mile flight down the Atlantic Missile Range and dropped the largest nose cone ever carried within one mile of the target. The Air Force decided to phaseout Atlas D, Atlas E, and Titan I missiles between 1965 and 1968. (6) From Vandenberg AFB, the first successful Minuteman I (Model B) launch occurred. (6)

 

1968: First satellite telephone link between the US and Australia began with the opening of earth station at Moree, Australia. 1972: President Nixon and USSR Premier Aleksei N. Kosygin in Moscow signed an Agreement Concerning Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.

 

1994: The C-17 Globemaster flew across the Atlantic for the first time. (16)

 

1996: The Air Force decided to upgrade the original B-2 flight test vehicle (AV-1) to operational status and thus bring the operational B-2 fleet to 21 aircraft. The upgrade included new landing gear, a new avionics suite and modifications to the aircraft structure, fuel system and weapons bay doors. (AFNEWS Article 960500, May 96)

 

2007: A C-17 Globemaster III deployed to Southwest Asia made the first combat airdrop using the Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) with a screamer steerable GPS-guided container delivery system. The C-17 conducted airdrops in two locations, using two different delivery systems, to deliver food, water and ammunition to U.S. forces in two remote locations in Afghanistan. The aircraft first delivered 21,000 pounds of supplies using 14 of the JPADS steerable screamer chutes, and then it resupplied a different group of ground forces with 8,000 pounds of supplies using six Improved Container Delivery System bundles. (AFNEWS, "C-17 Employs Screamer in Combat Air Drop,".)

 

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Thanks to Barrel       Sobering statistics

 

https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM

 

If you tap on a tail number you'll see details of what happened in about 50% of the cases.

OH-6 is the Loach used for scouting at 10-20 feet and maybe 60kts or so.  AH-1G is the Cobra.  To the right of the crew names it lists KIA (killed in action) WIA (wounded in action) and BNR (body not returned).  Keep in mind this is only shoot downs/accidents where a pilot/crew member was killed or couldn't be found.  

 

5086 helicopters were destroyed out of the 11,827 that were in country.  No one really knows the total shoot down number.  Because a larger percentage were shot down recovered and repaired and returned to fly again.

 

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Thanks to Burt …and Dr. Rich

Here's every ship that's ever carried an astronaut into orbit...  Rutan critiques ...

Rich,

I posted a reply to this poorly-researched space.com article in a forum:

Still more errors in the list:

Orbital - you left out the upper stage of the lunar module. in 1969 it rocketed astronauts from the moon into lunar orbit..

Suborbital - SpaceShipTwo has never flown to space. It has come close, by exceeding 80 kilometers. But space starts at 100 km.

The USAF passed out "Astronaut badges" to eight X-15 pilots who flew above 50 statute miles, but only Joe Walker flew above 100 km - two consecutive X-15 flights in 1963. Joe was better known for running his F-104 fighter into the world's most expensive airplane at the time, the #2 XB-70, killing him and one of the B-70 pilots.
Only 2 spaceships have been piloted into space, the X-15 and SpaceShipOne. All other "pilots" sat and watched a computer do the task.

Burt Rutan

On May 24, 2020, at 6:33 AM, Rich Sugden MD <rsugden@tetondata.com> wrote:

Thanks to Michael ...

  The hundreds of people who have been to space have traveled on just a handful of vehicles, eight in all over nearly six decades of spaceflight. Soon, a ninth will take flight, as SpaceX's Crew Dragon …

https://www.space.com/every-crewed-spacecraft-human-spaceflight-history.html

 

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