To All
Good Tuesday morning 26 May 2020
The list will be sporadic for the next week. I am traveling to Idaho tomorrow to visit my son and his family. My other two granddaughters are there
Regards,
Skip
On This Day
1943
USS Saury (SS 189) attacks a Japanese convoy south of Kyushu and sinks transport Kagi Maru, about 10 miles north of the Nansei Shoto. Also on this date, USS Whale (SS 239) sinks Japanese gunboat Shoei Maru (which is transporting men of the Guam Base Detachment) about 17 miles north-northwest of Rota, Mariana Islands.
1944
USS England (DE 635) sinks its fifth Japanese submarine in a week, (RO 108), 110 miles northeast of Manus.
1952
The feasibility of the angled-deck concept is demonstrated in tests conducted on a simulated deck by Naval Air Test Center and Atlantic Fleet pilots using both jet and prop aircraft on board USS Midway (CVB 41).
1958
Medal of Honor recipient Hospitalman William R. Charette selects the World War II Unknown Serviceman onboard USS Canberra (CAG 2) off the Virginia Capes.
1990
USS Beaufort (ATS 2) rescues 24 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• In a Memorial Day op-ed, CNO Adm. Mike Gilday reflected on those who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom.
• In an interview with ABC News, USS Theodore Roosevelt commanding officer Capt. Carlos Sardiello stated he is confident that new procedures will help effectively contain new cases of COVID-19 aboard the carrier.
This Day in History May 26
0017 Germanicus of Rome celebrates his victory over the Germans.
1328 William of Ockham is forced to flee from Avignon by Pope John XXII.
1647 A new law bans Catholic priests from the colony of Massachusetts. The penalty is banishment or death for a second offense.
1670 Charles II and Louis XIV sign a secret treaty in Dover, England, ending hostilities between England and France.
1691 Jacob Leisler, leader of the popular uprising in support of William and Mary's succession to the throne, is executed for treason.
1736 British and Chickasaw forces defeat the French at the Battle of Ackia.
1831 The Russians defeat the Poles at the Battle of Ostroleka.
1835 A resolution is passed in the U.S. Congress stating that Congress has no authority over state slavery laws.
1864 The territory of Montana is organized.
1865 The last Confederate army surrenders in Shreveport, Louisiana.
1868 President Andrew Johnson is acquitted of all charges of impeachment.
1896 The last czar of Russia, Nicholas II, is crowned.
1938 The House Committee on Un-American Activities begins its work of searching for subversives in the United States.
1940 The evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk begins.
1946 A patent is filed in the United States for the H-bomb.
1958 Union Square, San Francisco, becomes a state historical landmark.
1961 A U.S. Air Force bomber flies across the Atlantic in a record of just over three hours.
1961 The civil rights activist group, Freedom Ride Coordinating Committee, is established in Atlanta.
1969 Apollo 10 returns to Earth.
1977 The movie Star Wars debuts.
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Rolling Thunder
And one of the rescued aircrew responds -
Bear,
You are incredible! Both of the Jolly Greens that picked up these brave gents, Jimmy Laing and me stopped for gas at Site 36 in Laos. I went over and thanked them for their incredible courage. Years later, before Google I guess, I tried to find them to further thank them with no luck. Well done on the research and the whole story!
Best to you and God Bless our Warriors,
Denny
On May 25, 2020, at 5:39 PM, THE Bear wrote:
GENTLEMEN... one for the rotary wing warriors... God bless them...
Bear
A new RTR post is published.
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #8…
COMMEMORATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973) and honoring the gutty Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, and aircrewmen who carried the war to the heartland of North Vietnam in the years of Operation Rolling Thunder. The 36-month bombing campaign of gradual escalation in intensity was designed to change...
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #8…
May 25, 2020Bear Taylor
COMMEMORATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973) and honoring the gutty Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, and aircrewmen who carried the war to the heartland of North Vietnam in the years of Operation Rolling Thunder. The 36-month bombing campaign of gradual escalation in intensity was designed to change the behavior of the North Vietnamese and force that beligerent nation to back-off and "talk peace."… The strategy of "gradualism" was proven to be ineffective…
GOOD EVENING. As the sunsets on this MEMORIAL DAY, the third Monday in May 2020, I have another tale of intrepid courage to tell. But first, a headline from 50 years ago this week… "The National League of POW/MIA Families was incorporated by a group of wives of American servicemen who were listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in the Vietnam War. The emblem of the organization, the POW/MIA flag, would continue to be flown at public locations nearly 50 years after the United States had withdrawn from the war…"(Wikipedia)… Today, that flag flys more broadly and determinedly than ever and the number of warriors unaccounted for from the Vietnam War has been reduced to 1,587, thanks to the Defense POW/MIA accounting Agency…
https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/2195709/memorial-day-2020/
DURING THE WEEK 25-31 May 1970 on the battlefields of South Vietnam and Cambodia another 100 American troops were kiilled-in-action to bring the war total to 42,415. Another 4,200 were wounded this week. President Nixon continued to withdraw thousands of our warfighters every month… The incursion into Cambodia was also being reduced but would continue until 30 June 1970 to the consternation of critics of the war and the President… AIR LOSSES… Eight fixed wing aircraft were lost and the downing of an Air Force F-4B took the lives of CAPTAIN GEORGE R. KELLER and 1LT GLENN HUNG NIN LEE. They rest in peace, buried together, at Arlington National Cemetery….
https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/
WHEN NAVAL AVIATION ROARED… #8… The Search-and-Rescue Mission flown by a fearless SH-3A crew from HELICOPTER ANTISUBMARINE SQUADRON TWO on 21 May 1967…
PROLOGUE… Chris Hobson writing in VIETNAM AIR LOSSES: "A (21 May 1967) strike on the Van Dien SAM and vehicle support depot…resulted in the loss of a single aircraft and the rescue of the crew. (LT DENNY WISELY, USN and ENSIGN JIM LAING, USN) The TARCAP flight was once more provided by the F-4s of VF-114 and one of the squadron's aircraft was hit as it was retiring from the target at low level. The TARCAP flight had evaded three SAMs but came down low and ran into intense flak. The aircraft was peppered with automatic weapons fire and suffered failures of the hydraulic and pneumatic systems. The pilot decided to make for Thailand rather than risk the guantlet of the intense air defences between Hanoi and the coast. The decision was a wise one: as the aircraft crossed the Laotian border it became uncontrollable forcing the crew to eject near Sai Koun, 85 miles southwest of Hanoi. JIM LAING's parachute started to open the instant his ejection seat fired with the result that he broke an arm and sprained his other limbs. Both men were picked up safely by a USAF HH-3E from Udorn after a Navy SH-3A from the carrier USS HORNET had to be abandoned in Laos after being hit by ground fire and running out of fuel during the first rescue attempt. LT WISELY had shot down an AN-2 Colt biplane on 20 December 1966 and a MiG-17 on 24 April 1967. This was the second ejection and rescue for ENSIGN LAING who had been shot down with LCDR C. SOUTHWICK on 24 April 1967… " For the full story on the WISELY/LAING tale a reading of Denny's great book– GREEN INK: Memoirs of a Fighter Pilot– is recommended. Available cheap on Kindle… Here is the critic's teaser: "It is a naval aviation equivalent of a literary 'box of choclates' from which the reader will enjoy excitement, danger, tragedy and triumph."…
THE REST OF THE STORY… The gallant action of an HS-2 SH-3A crew– LT DAVID RUSSELL GEORGIUS; LTJG SAMUEL WALLACE PAYNE; AX2 DALE BERT KOME; and AE3 TEDDY ROGER RAY– on 21 May 1967.
Source: USS HORNET msg dtg 290022Z May 67.
On 21 May 1967 while flying a SAR alert mission in the Gulf of Tonkin in an SH-3A armored helicopter, LT GEORGIUS and his crew were alerted that an F-4B was attempting to clear the hanoi area after being hit by enemy groundfire and was heading south. LT GEORGIUS monitored these transmissions and placed his helicopter in the most advantageous position for an attempt to penetrate the coast of North Vietnam south of Thanh Hoa. Upon receiving the word that the crew of the F-4B (WISELY and LAING) had ejected they proceeded to the rescue area south of Hanoi at max speed. From a point three miles off the beach the helicopter was fired upon by light automatic weapons from numerous junks in the area. Petty Officers KOME and RAY returned fire from their own exposed gun stations. Petty Officer KOME's gun suffered a mechanical failure which he quickly corrected by replacing the defective gun with the spare. At the beach line the helicopter came under accurate fire from enemy 37mm and 57mm antiaircraft batteries and suffered three direct hits. The first hit seriously injured the copilot LTJG PAYNE, rendering him unconscious and cutting his radio cords. Petty Officers KOME and RAY remained at their gun positions and continued to return fire. The second hit by flak was only two feet from PO RAY's positon.
The two crew quickly evaluated the damage and forwarded an accurate assessment of battle damage to the plane commander LT GEORGIUS. LTJG PAYNE regained consciousness and indicated by means of signals that he was capable and desired to proceed with the mission. LT GEORGIUS dropped to tree top level and proceeded without fighter cover as the accompanying A-1 RESCAP lost visual with the SH-3A. Due to his experience and knowledge of enemy antiaircraft gun positions, which he had memorized and charted, his aircraft sustained no further significant opposition or damage as they transited more than forty miles of enemy territory on the tree tops.
Petty Officer RAY was able to administer first aid to LTJG PAYNE before returning to his gun position. All four of the crew continued to perform as trained as they closed on the location of the downed F-4 crew. A search of the location was commenced and Petty Officer RAY quickly sighted the downed aviators. LT GEORGIUS commenced an approach for the pickup. PO RAY rechecked the hoist and discovered that it was inoperative, despite the fact that it had performed well on a test several minutes earlier. That information was relayed to the plane commander who advised the covering aircraft that he would probably be unable to effect a pick up. He requested that the back up SAR aircraft come in to effect the rescue. At this point, it became apparent that the aircraft's fuel tanks had been hit while crossing the beach and the self-sealing compound, which had effectively sealed the holes prior to this time failed. LT GEORGIUS was forced to break off the rescue attempt and proceed towards a safe landing site in Laos.
Unable to make the the safe landing area due to his damaged fuel tanks and unable to lower his landing gear, LT GEORGIUS executed a low hover and had his two crewmen and co-pilot evacuate the aircraft to prevent injury in case the helicopter rolled over on landing. LT GEORGIUS then daringly and skillfully landed the aircraft in an unsecured and unprepared site without further damage to the helicopter. Petty Officers KOME and RAY returned to the aircraft and proceeded to set up a defense perimeter.
Upon arrival of the Air Force rescue helicopters, LT GEORGIUS learned that the fuel he had requested could not be brought in by helicopter and would require an airdrop. LT GEORGIUS had his two Petty Officers promptly evacuated by Air Force SAR units and had his co-pilot proceed to the top of a hill for pick up. LT PAYNE, with complete disregard for the seriousness of his wounds, which required immediate medical evacuation, proceeded unaided to the designated pick up point. LT GEORGIUS, without regard for his personal safety remained with the aircraft awaiting the fuel drop. Shortly thereafter it was determined that a fuel drop would not be feasible. LT GEORGIUS destroyed the vital electronics equipment and as much of the aircraft as possible before proceeding to the pickup point where he was rescued by an Air Force helicopter….
Everybody made it out that day… Thanks to the extraordinary guts of the SAR guys, Navy and Air Force…
BITS OF RIBBON… Both LT GEORGIUS and LTJG PAYNE received awards of the SILVER STAR and the two indomitable crewmen, AX2 KOME and AE3 RAY receieved the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS…
HUMBLE HOST END NOTE. Snipped from COMBAT RESCUE OPERATIONAL REVIEW: A Summary of Combat Rescue Operations From Vietnam to Kosovo….Paragraph 2.1.4 … Read all 154 pages at:
https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/reports/images.php?img=/images/061/0610101003.pdf
Enemy Reaction to Isolating Incidents… "The North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong placed significant value on the capture of downed American aircrew. When the war began, their intention was to capture the aircrew for the goodwill that might be generated by the prisoners' release at a later date. Once they realized the political leverage gained by long term possession of American POWs, the strategy shifted accordingly. Regardless of their intention, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong wanted to capture downed aircrew before they could be rescued, and were willing to assign battlefield resources to that end. Once an S/E (Ssurvivor/Escapee) was captured, the enemy frequently used his survival radio to further confuse rescue efforts.
"Very early in the war, the North Vietnamese and their Pathet Lao allies became adept at setting up flak traps (sometimes called SAR traps). The flak traps, ambushes of SAR forces using S/E as bait, were the defining characteristic of enemy reaction to shootdowns in SEA. An excellent example is the case of Wolf 06, an F-4D flying out of Udorn Royal Thai Air Base. In the late afternoon of March 19, 1970, Wolf 06 was brought down by a direct hit from 57mm AAA during a visual reconnaissance mission over Laos. Separated from his backseater, the pilot hunkered down in a concealed area to await rescue. From that vantage point, he witnessed savvy and methodical enemy construction of a SAR trap that was typical in SEA.
"Wolf 06: 'Enemy activity was astonishing. The minute we were down the enemy started bringing in guns all around our position. They had 37mm, 23mm, ZPU, and small arms. It was obvious what they were doing and it made me furious. They had set their pattern in a crossfire, knowing that the SAR effort would begin in the morning. They fired about 1,200 rounds throughout the evening to make sure their crossfire pattern would cover the area where the Jolly Greens or Sandies would be coming in.'…."…
NEXT POST, Monday, 1 June 2020… NAVAL AVIATION ROARS… #9… USS ENTERPRISE (CVA(N)-65) and the VA-35 Black Panthers take on the Thai Nguyen steel mill on 25 March 1967…
Lest we forget… Bear
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 26
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 26
THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1920: The Boeing 5-ton GA-1 armored triplane with twin-Liberty engines, eight machine guns, and a 37MM GAX cannon tested at McCook Field. (24)
1923: Lt H. G. Crocker used a DH-4B Liberty 400 to make a nonstop transcontinental South-North flight from Ellington Field, Houston, Tex., to Gordon, Ontario, in 11 hours 55 minutes. (24)
1942: Vance Breese flew Northrop's prototype P-61 Black Widow, the first American-designed night fighter with radar guidance, for the first time at Hawthorne, Calif. (12)
1948: At the White Sands Proving Ground, the first Navaho research test vehicle (NATIV) launched successfully. (6) 1952: KOREAN WAR. The 315th Air Division received its first C-124 Globemaster as two squadrons began the conversion from C-54 to C-124 aircraft. Through 27 May, 10 B-29s from the 19th Bombardment Group attacked the Sinhung-dong rail bridge, destroying 1 locomotive, 16 boxcars, 350 linear feet of the bridge, and nearly 400 feet of track on the approaches. (28)
1956: A Pan American Airways DC-7C claimed the distance record for a nonstop commercial flight by flying from Miami to Paris, France in 13 hours 55 minutes. (24) First flight of Republic's F-105 Thunderchief. (12)
1959: Douglas Aircraft Company received a contract from the Air Force for advanced design studies of the Skybolt missile. (6)
1961: MACKAY TROPHY. Maj William R. Payne and Captains William L. Polhelmus and Raymond Wagener from the 43 BMW at Carswell AFB flew a B-58 Hustler 4,612 miles across the Atlantic from New York to Le Bourget Field, Paris, in FAI record time. They completed the trip in 3 hours 19 minutes 41 seconds by flying at 1,089.36 MPH (by comparison Lindbergh's flight took 33 1/2 hours) to earn the Mackay Trophy for the flight. On 3 June, however, the crew died when the B-58 crashed after take-off from LeBourget Field for the Paris Air Show. (1) (21)
1972: In Moscow, President Nixon and Communist Party Leader Leonid I. Brezhnev signed a treaty that limited anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems and an interim agreement on strategic offensive arms. The ABM treaty limited each country to two ABM deployment areas with a radius of 150 kilometers (93 miles) each and with no more than 100 missiles (ABMs) each. Under the strategic agreement, the Soviet Union could deploy 1,618 ICBM and 740 SLBM launchers, while the US could have 1,054 ICBM and 656 SLBM launchers. (26)
1973: SKYLAB 2. The lab launched from Kennedy Space Center on a Saturn IB with Astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Weitz, and Dr. Joseph Kerwin aboard. On 26 May, the astronauts met with Skylab 1 during the fifth orbit, where hey worked in space to repair the space station through 21 June. On 18 June, the astronauts surpassed the endurance record in space set by the Soyuz 11 crew. They returned on 22 June, landing 830 miles southwest of San Diego. (21)
1983: General Dynamics delivered the 500th F-16A aircraft to Hill AFB. (12) 1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE. The 104th Expeditionary Operations Group deployed a small contingent of Air Guardsmen and A-10s from Trapani AB to Tazar AB, Hungary, to perform combat search and rescue operations. (32)
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/
May 24, 1961
Three F4H-1 Phantom IIs competing for the Bendix Trophy bettered the existing record for transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to New York. The winning team of pilot Lt. Richard F. Gordon Jr. and radar intercept officer Lt. j.g. Bobbie R. Young averaged 870 mph on the 2,421.4-mile flight, and set a new record of 2 hours, 47 minutes.
May 25, 1927
Lt. James H. Doolittle performed the first outside loop in his Curtiss P-18 fighter at Wright Field, now Wright-Patterson AFB, in Dayton, Ohio. Doolittle was Daedalian Founder Member #107. Learn more about the feat HERE.
May 26, 1942
The prototype Northrup XP-61 performed its maiden flight over Hawthorne, California. This was the first American aircraft designed from the ground up as a night fighter. It entered service as the P-61 Black Widow.
May 27, 1939
The first Marine Aviator, Lt. Col. Alfred A. Cunningham, died at his home in Sarasota, Florida. Cunningham, Daedalian Founder Member #4134, had reported for flight training at Annapolis, Md., on May 22, 1912, a day subsequently celebrated as the birthday of Marine Corps aviation. During World War I, Cunningham organized and commanded the first Marine aviation command, was among the men who proposed operations, and was later assigned to the Northern Bombing Group to lead its Day Wing. During the postwar period he served as the first administrative head of Marine Corps aviation and then commanded the First Air Squadron in Santo Domingo.
May 28, 1940
Maj. Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, Daedalian Founder Member 2182, and Dr. Robert H. Goddard conferred as to the possible military application of rockets. Nothing material resulted, but Dr. Theodore von Karman was directed to pursue the possibility of rocket-powered assists for heavily laden bombers.
May 29, 1962
Retired Vice Adm. Patrick N. L. Bellinger (Naval Aviator No. 8), died in Clifton Forge, Virginia. On Nov. 26, 1912, Bellinger had reported for flight training to the Annapolis, Maryland, aviation camp and on Oct. 1, 1947, he retired while serving on the General Board. Bellinger was Daedalian Founder Member #2101.
May 30, 1931
Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois directed a massive aerial training exercise from May 21-30, 1931. It involved 667 aircraft and 1,400 crew members. Every manner of aerial operation, including pursuit, bombardment and observation, was successfully conducted. Foulois, Daedalian Founder Member #321, received the Mackay Trophy for directing these maneuvers.
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Some more memorial Day thoughts from Al
Every year, Americans come together on the last Monday in May to remember our fallen service members. But the timing, traditions and even what we call the holiday are all relatively new. For younger generations, Memorial Day is the official start of summer, kicked off with a large parade and a celebration of the men and women who gave their lives so we could have the freedom to enjoy our own.
As children get older, they begin to focus less on the three-day weekend and grilling burgers at a picnic and notice that their older relatives and neighbors aren't just headed to the pool or making lemonade—they spend the weekend visiting cemeteries.
Memorial Day, as we know, is far from a macabre or morbid tradition. For more than a century, the ritual of visiting cemeteries, memorials and gravesites was the real start of summer. It was an annual act of remembrance, clearing away the dirt and grime from those hallowed markers. It's a time to decorate those personal memorials.
The years following the end of the Civil War in 1865 saw American communities tending to the remains and graves of an unprecedented number of war dead. All of the previous wars and conflicts fought by the United States combined would still not add up to the body count produced by the Civil War.
On the first official Decoration Day—May 30, 1868—Ohio Rep. James A. Garfield, a former general and future U.S. president, addressed a crowd of 5,000 gathered at Arlington National Cemetery:
"Hither our children's children shall come to pay their tribute of grateful homage. For this are we met to-day. By the happy suggestion of a great society, assemblies like this are gathering at this hour in every State in the Union.
Thousands of soldiers are to-day turning aside in the march of life to visit the silent encampments of dead comrades who once fought by their side. From many thousand homes, whose light was put out when a soldier fell, there go forth to-day to join these solemn processions loving kindred and friends, from whose heart the shadow of grief will never be lifted till the light of the eternal world dawns upon them."
After Garfield spoke, the 5,000 visitors made their way into the cemetery to visit the tens of thousands of graves in the newly formed cemetery.
But Decoration Day was not an official holiday. May 30 was a day touted by the Grand Army of the Republic, an association of Union Civil War veterans, as an official day of remembrance for people across the country. The idea was to honor the war's dead by decorating the graves of Union soldiers. Local municipalities and states adopted resolutions over the following years to make Decoration Day an official holiday in their areas. Each of the former Union states had adopted a Decoration Day by 1890.
As time went on, "Memorial Day" began to supplant "Decoration Day" as the name of the holiday, and it soon became a day to honor all fallen American troops, not just those from the Civil War. After the two World Wars, Memorial Day was the term in more common usage, and the act of remembering all of the fallen took on a renewed importance.
In 1968, the U.S. government passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which put major holidays on specific Mondays to give federal employees three-day weekends. Memorial Day was one of these holidays, along with Washington's Birthday, Labor Day and Columbus Day. The act also codified the name "Memorial Day" into law.
It all went into effect in 1971 and, by then, there were no more Civil War veterans—but there were millions of vets from later wars.
The Moment of Silence—every Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time, whether you're at home, at a parade or in the middle of a speech, please take a moment to observe the National Moment of Remembrance. For just one full minute, Americans everywhere should pause to remember all the men and women who died in service to our country. The idea is to keep Memorial Day from becoming just another holiday, one that Americans use to get an extra day of swilling beer in the sun. Since 2000, Public Law 106-579 has mandated that you remain silent for 60 seconds and "pay tribute to individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States and their families."
It's Not Veterans Day—As much as I enjoy the extra attention afforded to vets on Veterans Day, this is not the time for that sort of thing. Memorial Day is about honoring the fallen men and women who died in service to their country -- not just anyone. A lot of people will confuse the day, conflate the day or, worse, forget the day. Most veterans will expect to be thanked for their service on Memorial Day. Instead of smiling and saying whatever it is you say when someone thanks you, take the time to explain the meaning of Memorial Day to them like you're Linus explaining the true meaning of Christmas.
When to Raise and Lower the Flag--The rules for where and when the American flag is raised and lowered are different for Memorial Day. We may collectively remember to render proper salutes while the flag is being raised and lowered. We might even remember to raise the flag "briskly" and lower it slowly and ceremoniously. But if you're the emcee of a Memorial Day event, you should be sure to observe the proper timing for where Old Glory should be throughout the day. The Stars and Stripes should of course be raised briskly first thing in the morning. But on Memorial Day, the flag is raised only to half-staff. At noon, the flag should be raised to full-staff until it's taken down at sunset. Memorial Day is the only day that observes both positions on the flagpole.
From: Capt Jerry Coffee, USN (ret) a Vietnam POW
We toast our hearty comrades
Who have fallen from the skies,
And were gently caught by God's own hands
To be with Him on high,
To dwell among the soaring clouds
They have known so well before,
From victory roll to tail chase
At heavens very door.
And as we fly among them there,
We're sure to hear their plea:
Take care, my friend,
Watch your six,
And do one more roll for me.
From a few years passed…
Eglin Joint Base Command located near Ft. Walton, Florida, is presently the largest military complex in the world and encompasses a large contingent of Air Force units, Naval Warfare units, and the 7th Army Special Forces and 6th Army Rangers. My home is exactly 5 miles outside the main gate of Eglin AFB.
Most folks in the USA don't live in a military town, with lots of guys in uniform walking the streets and jets overhead daily. They go on with their lives unaware of what a military town is all about. And that's OK…but I want to share with you what it's like to live in a military town. We see guys in uniform all the time, we have state of the art, high-performance aircraft in the air nearby all day long. We hear the sound of freedom when an F-22 or F-35 streaks over the house…and we read in the local paper, some times daily, but at least weekly, of the loss of one of our own in combat in the Middle East. And that is what brings me to the reason for this email.
Staff Sergeant Mark DeAlencar was 37 years old, had a family and was a Green Beret with the 7th Army Special Forces stationed here in the Fort Walton area. He was killed on April 8, 2007, while fighting Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan. When he was deployed for the second time to Afghanistan, he promised his adopted daughter, Octavia, that he would be home for her high school graduation. He didn't make it. But she went to graduation anyway. And in the audience were eighty (80) U.S. 7th Armed Special Forces soldiers from her dad's unit in full parade dress uniform. Additionally, they brought their families to be with them, as well.
And as Octavia ascended the steps to the stage to receive her diploma, they all silently stood up. And when she was presented her diploma they all cheered, clapped, whistled…and yes, cried. Everyone in attendance then stood up and cried and cheered. Octavia had graduated, and yes she had lost her Dad…but she had 80 other Dads to stand there with her and take his place.
I just wanted to share this moment with you…and remind you that this is what it's like to live in a military town. This is the real America we all love…and I'm proud to be part of it. May God bless our men in uniform and their families who give so much.
If you're following social distancing guidelines, your neighborhood cookouts and family reunions have been canceled. So what's left for us on the weekend that traditionally kicks off summer? Continuing today, Turner Classic Movies honors its own Memorial Day tradition and will air a 31-movie marathon of military-themed-movies that started Saturday and concludes today.
View "Taps History" by John Wayne at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usk81XVsE9o
View "A Soldier's Pledge" at https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKsW6c_CgFY?feature=player_detailpage
View "The Fallen Soldier" at https://www.prageru.com/video/the-fallen-soldier/?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=bc3a403986-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_09_06_29_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f90832343d-bc3a403986-172315785
Please remember to honor the fallen at 3:00 PM (local) in silence…perhaps, in prayer,
Al
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Thanks to Carl
I have met Royce a couple of times and He is a real gentleman.
Medal of Honor sought for Korean War pilot who flew top secret mission - Task & Purpose
Medal of Honor sought for Korean War pilot who flew top secret mission
DIANE BELL, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
MAY 24, 2020
E. Royce Williams is being called a forgotten hero in a forgotten war — a military pilot whose heroic action was never fully recognized because his mission was filed away as top secret.
Now members of American Legion Post 416 in Encinitas want to shed light on the retired Navy captain's distinguished service. They are campaigning to get him the Medal of Honor while he is still among us.
Williams, now 95, spent 37 years forging a highly regarded career in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1980. But it was one dog fight — about 35 minutes long, off the coast of North Korea on Nov. 18, 1952 — that made him a hero.
For 40 years, Williams was mum about that encounter. He didn't even tell his wife, Camilla — whom he met at age 11 in Sunday School — until 1992 or '93, he says, after dissolution of the Soviet Union in December of 1991. But the word didn't really get out until 50 years after the incident, after he was asked to address a military symposium in Pensacola, Fla.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams and three other Navy F9F-5 Panther pilots were dispatched from the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany to intercept seven Russian MiGs headed toward them from a Soviet base in Vladivostok.
Early that morning, Williams had taken part in an attack in western North Korea near the Soviet border. Based on U.S. intelligence reports, it was believed the MiGs were seeking revenge.
The fledgling National Security Agency (nicknamed No Such Agency because of its intelligence gathering role) had a unit aboard a nearby cruiser, the USS Helena, and was intercepting Soviet communications — a capability it did not want made public. This operation was reportedly the agency's first and was assigned the code name Canoe, according to recently released classified documents.
Williams recalls the harrowing mission in great detail. The four Panthers took off in a blustery snowstorm. It wasn't long before one of their jets developed a fuel pump problem and its pilot turned back toward the ship with his wingman as an escort. That left then-Lt. Williams and his wingman, pilot Dave Rowlands, to face seven much more sophisticated Soviet fighters. One of the downed MiG pilots was later reported to be a decorated war hero.
A MiG fired on Williams and the battle was on. He jockeyed for position and made a direct hit. As his wingman followed the wounded jet down into the clouds to document the kill, the other MiGs ganged up on Williams' plane. He shot another MiG as it flew alongside, then had to dodge the debris as the jet disintegrated.
Williams vividly recalls the dogfight. He alternated between evasive action and getting close enough to take a shot, as the aircraft weren't equipped with laser-guided weapons back then.
After downing the first MiG, Williams couldn't confirm his kills. "I was too busy to start counting. I would fire at a plane and then someone else would be on my tail and I had to maneuver and I couldn't tell what happened to the plane I shot," he says.
Call it a combination of skill, experience, instinct, sheer luck and true grit, but Nov. 18, 1952 was not Williams' day to die. Later it came out in military records that only two MiGs flew back toward Vladivostok that day. One, presumably damaged, was later said by a Russian military historian to have crashed en route to home.Williams was forced to return to his carrier after being hit by a shell that damaged his hydraulic and electrical systems. He lost his rudder and most of his turning ability but retained his elevators so he could still go up and down. So, down he flew, headed for cloud cover with a MiG on his tail. He recalls jerking his plane higher and lower to evade a barrage of shots.
But even then Williams' battle was not over. He briefly encountered friendly fire as he approached his carrier. He also discovered that his damaged plane couldn't fly below a speed of 170 knots (105 knots was his normal tailhook landing speed). He survived because, in an unusual move, the carrier captain changed the direction of the ship to align it with Williams' flight path.
Despite landing at breakneck speed, miraculously Williams' only injury was a bloody neck from the chafing of his extreme weather gear as he turned his head from side to side to engage the enemy.
His Panther was in far worse condition with 263 holes, including a gash nearly a foot long.
After a hastily written battle report, for which Williams says the pilots hadn't been debriefed, he and pilot John Middleton earned Silver Stars, and Rowlands was credited with damaging a plane and awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross.
The mission, which could have sparked an international incident and a major clash with the Soviet Union, was put under wraps. Williams was instructed by his commanding officer not to talk about it.
So he didn't. It wasn't until several years later that Rear Adm. Doniphan Shelton learned of Williams' heroics. Six years ago Shelton began a campaign to get the pilot the recognition Shelton insists he deserves. He compiled background information, filed a request for documents under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act and drafted a resolution requesting a Medal of Honor for heroism Shelton calls "unmatched either in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or since then."
"Four MiG-15s down over a period of time is one thing, quite another when those four are downed in one historic 35-to-38-minute aerial engagement of one F9F-5 against seven very superior MiG-15s," says Shelton, who lives in Del Mar. He concedes that the engagement was not well recorded and errors were made in reporting the details.
"Success in this case is an uphill battle," Shelton says. "The Navy likes to stick by its records even in instances when those records are in error, as in this instance."
Peter-Rolf Ohnstad Jr., with American Legion Post 416, has been helping with the quest. He says the Medal of Honor resolution was approved by the regional American Legion district, "enthusiastically endorsed" by the state American Legion and "overwhelmingly approved" at the group's national convention in 2017.
Williams has never sought this recognition," Ohnstad notes. "He is the quietest, humblest person I've ever met."
A replica of Williams' Panther sits on the USS Midway Museum flight deck bearing four MiG kill symbols, but the true story of that fateful afternoon 68 years ago may never be known.
Williams tells his version of the battle during an interview with San Diegan Philip Graham for a new syndicated radio show, "Our American Stories," reminiscent of Paul Harvey and produced by the nonprofit American Private Radio company.
Williams is taking the quest for a Medal of Honor in stride. It's in his past. He says he doesn't expect any additional recognition. What is currently on his mind is climbing aboard a World War II plane on Memorial Day in Riverside and flying with one of 18 vintage warbird pilots over Southern California to pay tribute to veterans of all conflicts.
©2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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