Good Saturday Morning
I hope that your Weekend has started well. A variety of items today
Regards,
skip
July 25
Today in Naval History
July 25
1898During the Spanish-American War, a landing party from the armed yacht, USS Gloucester, single-handedly captures Guanica, Puerto Rico.
1946 The second of two nuclear weapon tests - BAKER - is detonated during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. The first test was ABLE.
1943 The first Navy ship named for an African-American, USS Harmon (DE 678), is launched. USS Harmon is named in honor of Mess Attendant 1st Class Leonard Roy Harmon who posthumously receives the Navy Cross for heroic actions trying to save a shipmate on board USS San Francisco (CA 38) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13, 1942.
1956 USS Edward H. Allen (DE 531) and USNS Private H. Thomas (AP 185) rescue more than 200 passengers from Andrea Doria and transport them to New York after the Italian liner collides with Swedish cruiser Stockholm off Nantucket on the New England coast. Forty-six people died from the collision, but 1,600 passengers and crew are saved.
1998 USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) is commissioned at Norfolk Naval Base, Va. The eighth aircraft carrier of the Nimitz-class is the first to be named after the 33rd president of the United States.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• USS Antietam sailed through the Taiwan Strait Thursday as China warned that it would not rule out the use of force to block Taiwan from any move toward formal independence, reports CNN.
• North Korea launched two short range missiles yesterday as tensions continue to escalate amid stalled nuclear talks, reports the Wall Street Journal.
• The New York Times reports that Iranian president Hassan Rouhani suggested that Iran might release a British-flagged tanker in exchange for the return of the Iranian ship seized off the coast of Gibraltar.
Today in History July 25
326 | Emperor Constantine refuses to carry out traditional pagan sacrifices. | |
1394 | Charles VI of France issues a decree for the general expulsion of Jews from France. | |
1564 | Maximilian II becomes emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. | |
1587 | Hideyoshi bans Christianity in Japan and orders all Christians to leave. | |
1759 | British forces defeat a French army at Fort Niagara in Canada. | |
1799 | On his way back from Syria, Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Ottomans at Aboukir, Egypt. | |
1814 | British and American forces fight each other to a standoff at Lundy's Lane, Canada. | |
1845 | China grants Belgium equal trading rights with Britain, France and the United States. | |
1867 | President Andrew Johnson signs an act creating the territory of Wyoming. | |
1850 | Gold is discovered in the Rogue River in Oregon, extending the quest for gold up the Pacific coast. | |
1861 | The Crittenden Resolution, calling for the American Civil War to be fought to preserve the Union and not for slavery, is passed by Congress. | |
1894 | Japanese forces sink the British steamer Kowshing which was bringing Chinese reinforcements to Korea. | |
1909 | French aviator Louis Bleriot becomes the first man to fly across the English Channel in an airplane. | |
1914 | Russia declares that it will act to protect Serbian sovereignty. | |
1924 | Greece announces the deportation of 50,000 Armenians. | |
1934 | Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss is shot and killed by Nazis. | |
1941 | The U.S. government freezes Japanese and Chinese assets. | |
1943 | Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is overthrown in a coup. | |
1944 | Allied forces begin the breakthrough of German lines in Normandy. | |
1978 | The first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, is born in Oldham, England. | |
1984 | Svetlana Savitskaya becomes first woman to perform a space walk. |
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND WEEKLY REPORT
The history of the USS Indianapolis in the URL below is worth the read. Most folks never remembered or knew about it until the bit in the Movie "Jaws" see below
Director Cox and Dr. Hulver joined the survivors and families of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at the Columbia Club of Indianapolis. Learn what they had to say to the group (https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2018/honoring-the-sacrifice-of-those-who-served.html). The Sinking of USS Indianapolis is also this week's Webpage of the Week (https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/disasters-and-phenomena/indianapolis.html).
Jaws (1975) - The Indianapolis Speech Scene (7/10 ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S41Kplsbs
May 28, 2011 · Jaws (1975) - The Indianapolis Speech Scene (7/10) | Movieclips ... Edgar Harrell, USS Indianapolis Survivor - Duration: 13:46. Jeff Shrader 159,310 views.
Author: Movieclips
Views: 2M
The Indianapolis Speech By Robert Shaw In Jaws (1975 ...
https://neilchughes.com/2013/03/10/the-indianapolis-speech-by...
Robert Shaw is probably the main reason for Jaws being one of my favourite films of all time, mainly of course for a scene that is three and half minutes of near-perfection.
Robert Shaw was the Nasty villain who had the great fight scene on the train in the James Bond movie from Russia with Love
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
The book "Tinian"was a great read and was acknowledged as the best run invasion of the Island campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tinian
The Battle of Tinian was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands from 24 July until 1 August 1944. The 9,000-man Japanese garrison was eliminated, and the island joined Saipan and Guam as a base for the Twentieth Air Force.
Location: Tinian, Mariana Islands
Result: American victory
Date: 24 July – 1 August 1944
Battle ·
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Dr. Rich
Thanks to Gembeaux …
Touch down at the hanger door and stop before the back wall!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5htZw74UHms
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 25, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
25 July
1912: The Secretary of the Navy published the first general specifications for naval aircraft. (24)
1918: The Secretary of War approved a Joint Army and Navy Airship Board suggestion to assign rigid airship development to the Navy.
1927: Lt C. C Champion (USN) set a FAI altitude record of 38,419 feet in a Wright Apache, equipped with a Pratt & Whitney 425 HP engine. (9) (24)
1944: Operation COBRA. An effort to breakout US forces at Normandy began with 3,000 planes, including 1,500 Eighth Air Force bombers, attacking German posts at St. Lo near American lines for 3 hours. Although the operation succeeded, a few bombers hit the wrong target area and killed almost 500 US troops, including Lt Gen Lesley J. McNair, the US Ground Forces Commander. (4) (21)
1946: Operation CROSSROADS. Task Group 1.5, a 2,200-man US AAF element, conducted the second phase of this test to burst an A-bomb underwater off Bikini Island. This group provided aircraft and personnel to photograph and collect data on the explosion. (1)
1961: A Titan I completed its first full-range flight test with an all-inertial guidance system. It launched from Cape Canaveral and flew down the Atlantic Missile Range. (6)
1969: Mariner 7 shot its first pictures of Mars.
1981: A B-52 with an offensive avionics system (OAS) fired an ALCM for the first time. (6) (12)
1983: Through 15 September, MAC operated 29 C-141 missions to move 397 tons of equipment from the US and Europe to Chad as part of a security assistance program. (18)
2000: Through 23 September, in the worst fire season in decades fire consumed over 6.5 million acres in the American West, more than twice the annual average. For the fire suppression effort, AMC, the ANG, and the AFRC, and commercial carriers flew 48 missions between 1 August and 23 September to move 339 short tons of cargo and 5,967 Army and Marine troops to augment civilian firefighters in Montana and Idaho. Guard and Reserve C-130s equipped with modular airborne fire-fighting systems flew 774 sorties from 25 July to 6 September to drop 970,500 gallons of fire retardant on wildfires in California, Idaho, and Montana. (22) (32) The F-22 Raptor No. 02 successfully launched an AIM-9 missile at the China Lake test range to confirm its ability to launch an air-to-air missile from an internal weapons bay. (3)
2001: USTRANSCOM CINC and AMC Commander, Gen Charles T. Robertson, Jr., flew the first of three C-37A special airlift support aircraft, a military version of the Gulfstream V business jet, from the Gulfstream plant in Savannah to MacDill AFB for duty with the 6 AMW. The USAF purchased the C-37A to replace older EC-135 and CT-43 aircraft. Two other C-37As would be based at Andrews AFB, one at Chievres, Belgium, and a seventh at Hickam AFB. (22)
2005: The 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron from Dyess AFB, Tex., established a B-1B Lancer "first" at the White Sands Missile Range by having two B-1Bs auto-release a JASSM, a single warhead self-propelled missile, and three dissimilar weapons from the same launcher. The JASSMs struck their targets after traveling more than 170 nautical miles. (AFNEWS Article, "Dyess AFB Demonstrates B-1B's Upgrades, Combat Capabilities," 19 August 2005)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Tom
Senate and House Final Passage of 2021 NDAA's with Amendments for Cancer Study
To All,
Today the Senate passed its final version of the 2021 NDAA and the House passed its version earlier this week. Both contain Amendments calling for studies related to cancers in military aviation. The differences will be resolved in the Conference Committee , probably beginning sometime in Oct.
These are two significant steps forward – but there is still lots to do. A special thanks to Sen Feinstein and Congresswoman Luria, along with co-sponsors Sen Cornyn and Congressman Kinzinger, along with all the other co-sponsors, for pushing these Amendments through their respective branches of Congress. Next, we need to get the right version into the Final 2021 NDAA the President signs. While the House version is a start, the Senate version is really much better because it targets the right people (all those involved in military aviation, not just pilots/WSO's) and it also seeks to discover out what is causing these cancers. The House version proposes only identifying when cancer screening should begin. The Senate version will tell us "why" so preventive measures can be undertaken to protect our future Service members involved in military aviation are better protected. And then we have to ensure those effected receive the treatment required. The VA will need to step up to the plate and not delay or deny treatments like they have in the past with Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, K2, Burn Pits, the Atsugi Incinerator, contaminated soil and water at military bases, etc.
I am currently coordinating our next steps with Sen Feinstein's on the way ahead to ensure the Senate Amendment is included in the Final 2021 NDAA for the President's signature and I'll be providing with the recommendations they provide us for your consideration.
Here is a link to an article from Tara Copp and McClatchy news from ealier today regarding all this.
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article244444717.html
Best
Tom "Boot" Hill
"A nation that forgets its past has no future." Winston Churchill
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Frank…Dignity
All-
For me, very insightful and inspiring. And never too late for a personal reset.
R/Frank
Begin forwarded message
We few, we happy few, know how to demonstrate dignity.
Thank God.
Dan
Dignity in Our Time
July 23, 2020
I went once to the funeral of a friend, a soldier. He had died an ordinary death, a car crash that left his parents in agony. I remember his father standing stock-still with an expressionless face. I thought for a moment that he was indifferent, but upon further consideration I realized he chose to be dignified, and his stolid figure meant that he would not share that moment of agony with the rest of the world. It was his final salute to his son, and the only solace he had the right to call on.
Dignity is not the absence of feeling. It is the presence of feeling so profound that sharing it with the rest of the world would degrade it. It commends a person to privacy, to feel without indulging self-demonstration. It means that the most extreme moments of feeling, particularly of pain, should be experienced in the quiet of your own soul. Self-control is a gift we owe ourselves and a duty we have to each other. You can weep, but your tears are too precious to share.
It strikes me that our time is singularly lacking in dignity. I will not bore you with examples of the lack of dignity in modern politics. From the lowest citizen to the highest official, of all parties and of all ideologies, the desire to be dignified is gone. In America, no feeling is so squalid as to be hidden, no appetite too low not to be shown, and no ambition too embarrassing to reveal. We all have squalid feelings and appetites. Dignity is not an absence of these things; it's the will to keep them private.
Some simply cannot believe that reasonable people might disagree. Instead, disagreement is the result of the other's corrupt soul. This is nothing short of a form of rage. Dignified opponents will not reveal their rage, not because they are not angry, or because they like their opponents, but because self-control is something they owe themselves. The most powerful argument against a lout is to listen to their argument then leave, agreeing to disagree. It will usually enrage him. His raging against you, and the fact that he cannot draw you into a reciprocal rage, the fact that you appear untouched by his insults, leaves your opponent in agony. He will keep thinking of what he should have said for a week. Most important, in retaining your dignity, you have shown yourself the pleasure of being strong. Dignity is the highest manifestation of strength.
I think of the dignity of Martin Luther King Jr. who would not defile himself by raging at his enemies. He was able to assert his views and himself without engaging in public rage. What he felt privately, was private. But in public he sought reconciliation with those he opposed, and offered a hand of reconciliation. He wrote the Letter From Birmingham Jail, an act of profound dignity in an unjust world. He understood that how he waged his battle was as important as what the battle was about. He opposed but did not demean opponents. The way in which he carried himself may have hidden rage, but dignity is the art of hiding what should be hidden, and controlling passion. He is remembered not only for his eloquence and courage but also for his presentation of what a public person ought to be, especially when under attack. Dignity allows for dissent and confrontation, while allowing the world to see how such battles ought to be fought.
I remember when I was young that the highest imperative was to be true to yourself. That was interpreted as burdening everyone you met with your beliefs. It was a time when repression was a dirty word and did not apply to regimes. It applied to your feelings. Repressing your feelings would betray your belief and damage your liver. It was a time of what I call pseudo-Freudianism. Freud was believed to regard repressing feelings as self-destructive. He didn't but that didn't stop some from proclaiming that he did.
When we look at the howls of outrage in the world surrounding us, we see the sense that beliefs should be shouted at the top of your lungs, with your enemies disparaged and crushed if possible. The crisis of dignity today is the abandonment of the idea that there is a time and place for everything, and the refusal to believe that your own beliefs might be wrong. The indignity of self-certainty and celebration has been elevated above the dignity of public modesty and, with it, the profound and unbending love of one's own belief.
Dignity is a form of art. It is built on deep and complex passions that are controlled in spite of their power, and the will to craft a persona that has a place for passion and a place for courtesy. The ugliness of our time is those who have only passions, to be displayed at any time.
In the end, dignity is always reborn. People who love their own views and passions above all else are weak. Their self-absorption leads them to forget that this is a dangerous world. However much they proclaim it, they don't really believe it. Their self-righteousness leaves them little room to watch their backs. But dignified life allows you time to observe the world, and strike before you are struck. Yet there's always is a time and place for everything, even for enemies to share a drink and a moment to reflect. Understand that enemies may need to be destroyed, but not despised, for your own sake.
We have lost our dignity and must regain it. We need a society that regards a lack of dignity as a sign of weakness.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Lurch
Sit back and enjoy.
Subject: The Day That Music Died........American Pie takes on a new meaning 7:00 MIN
The Day That Music Died!!!!!
Whether you are old enough or not to remember this song or not,you
will be mesmerized by this video. I never knew American Pie had so many
references.
"American Pie" was the name of the plane that Buddy Holly went down in.
I have listened to the words to American Pie for many years and I
thought I understood everything that was being sung.
However, when the words are put together with pictures and film
clips the song takes on a new meaning.
It took a lot of thought to produce this. Sure brings back lots of
memories.
It makes the lyrics really come alive!!
See video here: http://youtu.be/VhX3b1h7GQw
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in US Military History
25 July
1864 – Boats from U.S.S. Hartford, Monongahela, and Sebago, commanded by Rear Admiral Farragut's flag lieutenant, J. C. Watson, reconnoitered the Mobile Bay area in an attempt to discover the type and number of water mines laid by Confederates off Fort Morgan. Watson and his men located and cut loose many of the torpedoes; they were aided by the fact that a number were inoperative. This hazardous work was indispensable to the success of the Navy's coming operations against Mobile. Several similar night operations were conducted.
1940 – The United States prohibits the export of oil and metal products in certain categories, unless under license, to countries outside the Americas generally and to Britain. This move is seen as an anti-Japanese measure, particularly because of Japan's needs for foreign oil. From this time Japanese fuel stocks begin to decline. There are similar problems with other raw materials. Japanese attention is, therefore, drawn south from China to the resources of the Netherlands East Indies and Malaysia.
1944 – The US 1st Army begins "Operation Cobra". The main attack is made west of St. Lo by the US 7th Corps with 8th Corps on the right flank and 13th Corps on the left flank. A massive bombardment precedes the assault. More than 3000 planes are involved, including 1500 heavy bombers of the US 8th Air Force. Some American casualties result from the bombers releasing their loads short of their target. Regardless, the American forces make good progress.
1944 – On Guam the American marine forces are still unable to link up the two beachheads. On the southern landing, there is also fighting on the Orote Peninsula. On Tinian, the forces of US 5th Amphibious Corps advance cautiously southward after repulsing Japanese counterattacks.
1944 – Two carrier groups from Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) attack Palau while a third attacks Yap, Ulithi, Ngulu, Tais and Sorol.
1945 – The Potsdam conference recesses for the British delegation to leave for the announcement of the election results. Churchill, Eden and Atlee fly home. Meanwhile, Truman orders the atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan as soon as possible after August 3rd.
1945 – American cruisers Pasadena, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre and Astoria bombard Japanese air bases in southern Honshu. Meanwhile, aircraft from the US 3rd Fleet attack Kure naval base and the airfields at Nagoya, Osaka and Miho for a second day. The battleships Hyuga, Ise, and Haruna, the escort carrier Kaiyo and the heavy cruisers Aoba and Iwate are all sunk. There is not noticeable Japanese resistance to the strikes.
1945 – On Mindanao, all organized Japanese resistance comes to an end in the Sarangani Bay area. American mopping up operations begin.
1946 – The United States detonated a 2nd atomic bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in the first underwater test of the device.
1964 – Following a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the deteriorating situation in Saigon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff draw up a memo proposing air strikes against North Vietnam. These missions were to be conducted in unmarked planes flown by South Vietnamese and Thai crews. There was no action taken on this recommendation. However, the situation changed in August 1964 when North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked U.S. destroyers off the coast of North Vietnam. What became known as the Tonkin Gulf incident led to the passage of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which passed 416 to 0 in the House and 88 to 2 in the Senate. The resolution gave the president approval to "take all necessary measures to repel an armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." Using the resolution, Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam by U.S. aircraft in retaliation for the Tonkin Gulf incident. In 1965, as the situation continued to deteriorate in South Vietnam, Johnson initiated a major commitment of U.S. troops to South Vietnam, which ultimately totaled more than 540,000 by 1968.
.Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
. *GUILLEN, AMBROSIO
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Near Songuch-on, Korea, 25 July 1953. Entered service at: El Paso, Tex. Born: 7 December 1929, La Junta, Colo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a platoon sergeant of Company F in action against enemy aggressor forces. Participating in the defense of an outpost forward of the main line of resistance, S/Sgt. Guillen maneuvered his platoon over unfamiliar terrain in the face of hostile fire and placed his men in fighting positions. With his unit pinned down when the outpost was attacked under cover of darkness by an estimated force of 2 enemy battalions supported by mortar and artillery fire, he deliberately exposed himself to the heavy barrage and attacks to direct his men in defending their positions and personally supervise the treatment and evacuation of the wounded. Inspired by his leadership, the platoon quickly rallied and engaged the enemy in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Although critically wounded during the course of the battle, S/Sgt. Guillen refused medical aid and continued to direct his men throughout the remainder of the engagement until the enemy was defeated and thrown into disorderly retreat. Succumbing to his wounds within a few hours, S/Sgt. Guillen, by his outstanding courage and indomitable fighting spirit, was directly responsible for the success of his platoon in repelling a numerically superior enemy force. His personal valor reflects the highest credit upon himself and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.