Good Tuesday Morning 24 November
I hope your week has started went.
Regards,
Skip
This Day in Naval History
Nov. 24
1862
During the Civil War, the screw steam gunboat Monticello destroys two Confederate salt works near Little River, N.C., while the screw steam gunboat Sagamore captures two British blockade runners, schooner Agnes and sloop Ellen, in Indian River, Fla.
1877
While en route to Cuba to collect scientific information, the screw steam gunboat Huron wrecks in a storm near Nag's Head, N.C. The crew attempts to free their ship but it soon heels over, killing 98 officers and men.
1943
Japanese submarine I-175 sinks USS Liscome Bay (CVE 56) southeast of Makin Island. Though 272 of her crew are rescued, she loses 55 officers and 591 enlisted men, including Navy Cross recipient Cook 3rd Class Doris Miller.
1943
USS Nautilus (SS 168) and USS Gansevoort (DD 608) shell Japanese positions on Abemama Atoll, Gilbert Islands.
1964
USS Princeton (LPH 5) completes seven days of humanitarian relief delivering 1,300 tons of supplies to the Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh provinces of South Vietnam which suffered damage from typhoon and floods.
1991
The United States returns Subic Bay Naval Base to the control of the Philippines. Subic Bay had been an important point for the resupply of Naval vessels.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• Russian defense ministry claimed to have expelled USS John S. McCain from the country's territorial waters.
• National news outlets reported that the GSA has informed President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump administration is ready to begin the formal transition process.
• USNI News reported on USS Donald Cook's arrival in the Black Sea Monday, and also the USS Makin Island ARG's deployment.
This Day in History November 24
1542 The English defeat the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss in England.
1859 Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. The first printing of 1,250 copies sells out in a single day.
1863 In the Battle Above the Clouds, Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's forces take Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1864 Kit Carson and his 1st Cavalry, New Mexico Volunteers, attack a camp of Kiowa Indians in the First Battle of Adobe Walls.
1874 Joseph Glidden receives a patent for barbed wire.
1902 The first Congress of Professional Photographers convenes in Paris.
1912 Austria denounces Serbian gains in the Balkans; Russia and France back Serbia while Italy and Germany back Austria.
1927 Federal officials battle 1,200 inmates after prisoners in Folsom Prison revolt.
1938 Mexico seizes oil land adjacent to Texas.
1939 In Czechoslovakia, the Gestapo execute 120 students who are accused of anti-Nazi plotting.
1944 American B-29s flying from Saipan bomb Tokyo.
1949 The Iron and Steel Act nationalizes the steel industry in Britain.
1950 UN troops begin an assault into the rest of North Korea, hoping to end the Korean War by Christmas.
1961 The United Nations adopts bans on nuclear arms over American protests.
1963 Jack Ruby fatally shoots the accused assassin of President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, in the garage of the Dallas Police Department.
1977 Greece announces the discovery of the tomb of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.
1979 The United States admits that thousands of troops in Vietnam were exposed to the toxic Agent Orange.
1992 US Congress passes the Brady Bill requiring a 5-day waiting period for handgun sales; the bill is named for Pres. Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was left partially paralyzed by a bullet during an assassination attempt on Reagan.
1995 Ireland votes 50.28% to 49.72% to end its 70-year-old ban on divorce.
2012 A fire at a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, kills over 110 people.
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Thankfulness
These are a few of my perennial favorites, I hope you enjoy them.
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."
He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words...
"Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes... I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.
Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me. "Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it" said Miller.
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble," Mr. Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store."
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the e casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size...they came to pay their debt. We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world, but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho..."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath. It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!
The final Thursday in November holiday is from 1863, when Lincoln, after listing many good reasons to give thanks said:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
Some may think Thanksgiving was to honor our Indian hosts at Plymouth. Others may think it not PC to celebrate Thanksgiving since we took that land the Indians occupied and made the USA. They're wrong. Lincoln recognized the gifts we had in America and, simply, wanted to celebrate these gifts from God.
I am thankful:
For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.
For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the streets.
For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.
And finally, for too much e-mail because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.
The atheist's most embarrassing moment: When he feels extremely thankful for something, but can't think who to thank for it.
Turn on your speakers and enjoy! http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1796513126
Excerpts from a book called "Then Some Other Things Happened", a collection of short pieces about history written by eighth graders and compiled by Bill Lawrence, a teacher and columnist. (Note that the spelling was not corrected.)
· The Pilgrams were a bunch of English wonderers who wanted to worship as they wanted to. They excaped the Church of England and came over here because they heard that American churches were different.
· The May Flower was the ship with which they came in. It didn't have a bathroom on board so there was quite an oder. Priscillia Mullins was the captain.
· First the Pilgrams had gone to Holland but left when their children started developing customs there. After a stopover at Williamsbug when a large storm blew them off course they landed on a big, slimey rock in Massatusetts. They spent the winter there.
· Before they got off the ship even they drew up an agreement for the people of Plymouth to agree on the voting for governors and congressmen. They kept this hid in the May Flower Compact. Lord Delaware was elected the first governor of Plymouth Rock.
· A friendly Indian named Rhone Oak showed the Pilgrams how to plant corn by putting it in the ground. Rhone Oak had been the first Indian to come to America and always wanted a beer. He traveled around with Miles Standy and translated language. He knew enough English to interupt.
· Another interupter for the white man was Squanto, who was called that because he was so short. Squanto drew up a declaration to give the settlers freedom of goverment in the new land. The Pilgrams gave the Indians thanks for all this and that's what started Thanksgiving.
· The Pilgrams then appointed Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Abraham Lincoln later pronounced it and gave it to them and it soon became a national holiday all around the world.
· These people always wore old shoes with a big buckel on the top of them. The men wore pants that only came a little ways past the knees and the girls wore funny bonets.
· But if these people wouldn't had of come to America the United States wouldn't be like it is today.
Something For Stevie (Author unknown)
I tried not to be biased in hiring a handicapped person, but his placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. I had never had a mentally handicapped employee, and I wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy, and had the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Down syndrome.
I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meat loaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.
The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ;" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with.
I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks. I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him.
He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was convincing him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus the dishes and glasses onto a cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag. If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie had missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Down syndrome often had heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, let out a war whoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of the 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.
He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed. "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said, "but I don't know how he and his mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is."
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand a funny look on her face.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup," She handed the napkin to me, and three twenty-dollar bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something for Stevie".
"Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him about Stevie and his mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply "truckers."
That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy.
I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot, and invited them both to celebrate his day back. Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.
"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms.
"Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate your coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me." I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins.
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern.
Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it.
I turned to his mother. "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving."
Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well. But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.
Best worker I ever hired.
Wishing you much for which to be thankful,
Al
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Thanks to Gordo
Good News for WESTPC SAILORS.
Thanks to Frito
Gordo,
That bridge nor the city are there anymore. Was in Subic with C7F in 2003 and 2006 with the first USN ships to visit there since 1992 and O'city was boarded up. The gate was only open to filipino nations. No Navy personal could leave. Believe it or not everything that use to be across that bridge is now, in some form or another, on the old subic base side. The Cubi Point o'club and pool are all overgrown with jungle etc. The cubs carrier pier is rusting away. And the ramp there has storage buildings etc on it now. I have the photos if you'd like to see them.
Frito
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Thanks to Bill. This is for just sitting around in Quarantine and reliving old MEMORIES.
Maybe you can add this for your friends.
Some of "This List" might be interested
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Thanks to Norm
Skip, If memory serves, Cumberland was edged 222 to O by Georgia Tech
in 1916.
No, I did not play, I was red-shirted.
Norm
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Thanks to Carl
Covid-19 Is a Hoax Leading to the Centralization of Control: 'The Great Reset' Is the Real Pandemic - LewRockwell
Covid-19 Is a Hoax Leading to the Centralization of Control: "The Great Reset" Is the Real Pandemic
November 24, 2020
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This Day in U S Military History
1943 – The USS Liscome Bay is torpedoed near Tarawa and sinks, killing 650 men.
1944– 111 U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers raid Tokyo for the first time since Capt. Jimmy Doolittle's raid in 1942. Their target: the Nakajima aircraft engine works. Fall 1944 saw the sustained strategic bombing of Japan. It began with a reconnaissance flight over Tokyo by Tokyo Rose, a Superfortress B-29 bomber piloted by Capt. Ralph D. Steakley, who grabbed over 700 photographs of the bomb sites in 35 minutes. Next, starting the first week of November, came a string of B-29 raids, dropping hundreds of tons of high explosives on Iwo Jima, in order to keep the Japanese fighters stationed there on the ground and useless for a counteroffensive. Then came Tokyo. The awesome raid, composed of 111 Superfortress four-engine bombers, was led by Gen. Emmett "Rosie" O'Donnell, piloting Dauntless Dotty. Press cameramen on site captured the takeoffs of the first mass raid on the Japanese capital ever for posterity. Unfortunately, even with the use of radar, overcast skies and bad weather proved an insurmountable obstacle at 30,000 feet: Despite the barrage of bombs that were dropped, fewer than 50 hit the main target, the Nakajima Aircraft Works, doing little damage. The upside was that at such a great height, the B-29s were protected from counter-attack; only one was shot down. One Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded as a result of the raid. It went to Captain Steakley.
1963 – At 12:20 p.m., in the basement of the Dallas police station, Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is shot to death by Jack Ruby, a Dallas strip club owner. On November 22, President Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in an open-car motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas. Less than an hour after the shooting, Lee Harvey Oswald killed a policeman who questioned him on the street. Thirty minutes after that, he was arrested in a movie theater by police. Oswald was formally arraigned on November 23 for the murders of President Kennedy and Officer J.D. Tippit. On November 24, Oswald was brought to the basement of the Dallas police headquarters on his way to a more secure county jail. A crowd of police and press with live television cameras rolling gathered to witness his departure. As Oswald came into the room, Jack Ruby emerged from the crowd and fatally wounded him with a single shot from a concealed .38 revolver. Ruby, who was immediately detained, claimed that rage at Kennedy's murder was the motive for his action. Some called him a hero, but he was nonetheless charged with first-degree murder. Jack Ruby, originally known as Jacob Rubenstein, operated strip joints and dance halls in Dallas and had minor connections to organized crime. He also had a relationship with a number of Dallas policemen, which amounted to various favors in exchange for leniency in their monitoring of his establishments. He features prominently in Kennedy-assassination theories, and many believe he killed Oswald to keep him from revealing a larger conspiracy. In his trial, Ruby denied the allegation and pleaded innocent on the grounds that his great grief over Kennedy's murder had caused him to suffer "psychomotor epilepsy" and shoot Oswald unconsciously. The jury found him guilty of the "murder with malice" of Oswald and sentenced him to die. In October 1966, the Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision on the grounds of improper admission of testimony and the fact that Ruby could not have received a fair trial in Dallas at the time. In January 1967, while awaiting a new trial, to be held in Wichita Falls, Ruby died of lung cancer in a Dallas hospital. The official Warren Commission report of 1964 concluded that neither Oswald nor Ruby were part of a larger conspiracy, either domestic or international, to assassinate President Kennedy. Despite its seemingly firm conclusions, the report failed to silence conspiracy theories surrounding the event, and in 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in a preliminary report that Kennedy was "probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy" that may have involved multiple shooters and organized crime. The committee's findings, as with those of the Warren Commission, continue to be widely disputed.
1965 – U.S. casualty statistics reflect the intensified fighting in the Ia Drang Valley and other parts of the Central Highlands. In their first significant contacts, U.S. forces and North Vietnamese regulars fought a series of major battles in the Highlands that led to high casualties for both sides. A record 240 American soldiers were killed and another 470 were wounded during the previous week. These figures were a portent of things to come–U.S. and North Vietnamese forces began to engage each other on a regular basis shortly thereafter.
1985– The hijacking of an EgyptAir jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently as Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers. Ali Rezaq of the Abu Nidal terrorist group was imprisoned in Malta for 7 years and then released. The US FBI apprehended him in Nigeria in 1993 and he was convicted by a US federal jury in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*KNIGHT, NOAH O.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kowang-San, Korea, 23 and 24 November 1951. Entered service at: Jefferson, S.C. Born: 27 October 1929, Chesterfield County, S.C. G.O. No.: 2, 7 January 1953. Citation: Pfc. Knight, a member of Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He occupied a key position in the defense perimeter when waves of enemy troops passed through their own artillery and mortar concentrations and charged the company position. Two direct hits from an enemy emplacement demolished his bunker and wounded him. Disregarding personal safety, he moved to a shallow depression for a better firing vantage. Unable to deliver effective fire from his defilade position, he left his shelter, moved through heavy fire in full view of the enemy and, firing into the ranks of the relentless assailants, inflicted numerous casualties, momentarily stemming the attack. Later during another vicious onslaught, he observed an enemy squad infiltrating the position and, counterattacking, killed or wounded the entire group. Expending the last of his ammunition, he discovered 3 enemy soldiers entering the friendly position with demolition charges. Realizing the explosives would enable the enemy to exploit the breach, he fearlessly rushed forward and disabled 2 assailants with the butt of his rifle when the third exploded a demolition charge killing the 3 enemy soldiers and mortally wounding Pfc. Knight. Pfc. Knight's supreme sacrifice and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 24, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
24 November
1930: Ruth Nichols left Mineola in a Lockheed Vega airplane and flew to California. Mechanical troubles, however, grounded her plane several times and kept her from reaching Burbank until 1 December. Still, her 16-hour, 59-minute, 30-second flight time set a new east-west, cross county record for women. (24)
1944: From the Marianas, 88 B-29s flew the first very heavy bomb strike from the Marianas Islands on Tokyo and the Japanese home islands. The XXI Bomber Command, under the leadership of Brig Gen Haywood S. Hansell, Jr., conducted this attack as its first mission. (21)
1947: White Sands Proving Ground launched the first live Aerobee rocket to 190,000 feet. (12) (26)
1950: KOREAN WAR. B-29s attacked N. Korean communications, supply centers, and bridges over the Yalu River, while Fifth Air Force fighters intensified its close air support missions. FEAF Combat Cargo Command aircraft dropped ammunition to front-line troops. (28)
1951: In night operations, the 98 BW bombed Taechon airfield, the marshalling yard at Tongchon and flew five close support sorties; 307 BW bombed marshalling yard at Hambusong-ji; and 19 BG bombed Namsi airfield, the Hoeyang highway bridge, and the marshalling yards at Munchon and Hambusong-ji. (28)
1956: Operation QUICK KICK. For 2 days, 4 B-52s from the 93 BMW at Castle AFB and 4 B-52s from the 42 BMW at Limestone AFB flew a nonstop flight around the North American perimeter. One 93 BMW bomber, flown by Lt Col Marcus L. Hill, Jr., covered the 13,500 miles from Castle to Baltimore in 31 hours 30 minutes with four KC-97 inflight refuelings. (1)
1959: The X-18 tiltwing airplane, a C-122 modified by Hiller Aircraft Corporation to investigate VTOL operations for cargo aircraft, completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1969: The USAF announced that the Arnold Engineering and Development Center had completed testing on the TF-39, 41,000-pound thrust turbofan engine, destined for the C-5A Galaxy.
1970: North American Rockwell pilot Edward A. Gillespie flew a modified T-2C with a supercritical wing configuration at Columbus. The wing promised to delay transonic separation, buffeting, and other undesirable aerodynamic phenomena to give aircraft greater flexibility at supersonic speeds.
1974: President Gerald R. Ford and General Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation accord. This agreement limited the deployment of strategic delivery vehicles and Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). (6)
1975: Operation DEEP FREEZE. A C-141 crew from Travis AFB airlifted 100 penguins from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to Miramar, Calif. (18)
1981: Boeing Aerospace Company held a rollout ceremony for its first full-scale production ALCM in Seattle. (12)
1987: A B-1B successfully launched an ALCM for the first time. (16) (26)
2004: The AFFTC supported Burt Rutan's Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, a unique aircraft built by Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., to make the first solo nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world. AFFTC provided personnel, airspace and runway use. The overloaded jet needed the entire length of the Edwards runway for a safe takeoff. (3)
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World News for 24 November thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Army Merges Europe, Africa Commands Africa Command | 11/24/2020 The U.S. Army has consolidated its European and Africa commands into a single command under a four-star general, reports U.S. Africa Command. The responsibilities of U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army Africa have been merged into U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREURAF), the command said on Monday. It will function as the service component command for both AFRICOM and U.S. European Command. USAREURAF will focus on strategic tasks and supporting missions across the interconnected theaters. The U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force has been redesignated U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and will focus on readiness and interoperability with allies and partners at the operational and tactical level. The newly activated V Corps in Poland will focus on the same missions in Europe. SETAF-AF chief Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling will also serve as the deputy commander of USAREURAF. SETAF-AF is based in Vicenza, Italy, and is responsible for all Army operations and assets in Africa and Italy and will maintain direct coordination with AFRICOM.
USA—Plans For Next Block Of Virginia-Class Subs To Inform Future Attack Sub Tech USNI News | 11/24/2020 The next block of Virginia-class attack submarines is expected to incorporate a number of new technologies that will serve as a bridge to a new class of follow-on boats, reports USNI News. Improvements in the works for the Block VI subs include enhanced stealth; a new conformal bow sonar array offering greater performance; and the ability to sense and interact with more of the water column and the seabed. These areas were chosen because would improve the capability of the existing Virginia-class subs in the near term and would help prove technologies that could be incorporated in the planned SSN(X) boats that will replace the Virginia class. Other features being considered for the Block VI boats include updated propulsors; improved payload and vehicle hosting; improved situational awareness; and additional payloads. The Block VI submarines are expected to be ordered under a multiyear contract running from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2028.
Turkey—Government Protests E.U. Search Of Cargo Vessel Headed To Libya Anadolu News Agency | 11/24/2020 The Turkish government has protested the search of one of its cargo vessels by the European Union mission enforcing an arms embargo on Libya, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). On Monday, the Turkish-flagged Roselina-A was sailing southwest of the Peloponnese islands when she was boarded by troops deployed from the German frigate Hamburg. The Roselina-A was headed to Misrata in Libya to deliver humanitarian aid, according to Ankara. Turkey accused the Hamburg of violating international law by not waiting for permission from Turkish authorities to board, reported Reuters. The German government said that after four hours passed without receiving a response to the request to board, it was standard practice to consider this tacit permission. "All procedures were followed correctly," said a foreign ministry spokeswoman. The boarding team had not found anything suspicious by the time it was ordered off the ship, the German Defense Ministry said. The Turkish government summoned the ambassadors of the European Union, Germany and Italy to file a formal protest.
Russia—Defense Ministry Criticizes U.S. FONOP In Sea Of Japan Tass | 11/24/2020 The Russian Defense Ministry says a U.S. Navy ship violated Russian waters in the Sea of Japan, reports the Tass news agency (Moscow). On Tuesday, the destroyer USS John S. McCain crossed about 1.5 miles (2 km) into Russian territorial waters in the Peter the Great Gulf, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov responded to the incursion and warned the McCain to return to international waters. Russian officials said that after leaving, the U.S. destroyer did not attempt to re-enter Russian waters. In a statement, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed the incident, which it said was a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) targeting excessive Russian claims in the area. The Soviet Union unilaterally claimed the Peter the Great Gulf in 1984. This was the first freedom of navigation operation in the area since December 2018.
Russia—Egyptian Ships Train With Navy In Black Sea Defence Web | 11/24/2020 Russia and Egypt have just concluded a joint naval exercise in the Black Sea region, reports Defence Web (South Africa). The Bridge of Friendship 2020 exercise began on Saturday and was scheduled to conclude on Tuesday. This was the first time the bilateral drills have been held in the Black Sea region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The at-sea phase of the exercise included firing at surface and air targets, resupply at sea, screening suspicious vessels and rescue operations, the ministry said. A coastal phase was also held at Novorossiysk, which included a sniping competition between sharpshooters from both nations. Egypt sent the frigate Alexandria, the corvette El Fateh and the missile boat M. Fahmi to the exercise. The Russian participants included the frigate Admiral Makarov, the small missile ship Orekhovo-Zuyevo, the patrol ship Dmitry Rogachev and the rescue tugboat Professor Nikolai Muru.
South Korea—Japan Expert Named As New Ambassador To Tokyo Yonhap | 11/24/2020 A former lawmaker has been appointed as South Korea's new ambassador to Japan, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Monday, President Moon Jae In named Kang Chang Il, a four-term legislator with the ruling Democratic Party and expert on Japan, to the post. Kang's final term ended earlier this year, reported the Japan Times. Kang earned a master's and doctorate degree from the University of Tokyo and was a professor at Pai Chai University in Daejeon before running for office in 2004. While in Parliament, he co-headed the South Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union. Kang is expected to help the Moon administration repair ties with Japan and build a new forward-looking relationship. Bilateral ties have suffered in recent years, particularly over disputes about restitution for Koreans subject to forced labor during World War II.
Taiwan—Tsai Launches Construction Of 1st Domestically Designed Sub South China Morning Post | 11/24/2020 Taiwan has formally begun construction on its first indigenously developed submarine, reports the South China Morning Post. On Tuesday, President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the ceremony at the CSBC Corp. shipyard in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. Construction is scheduled to take 78 months, concluding in the third quarter of 2024, with sea trials following in 2025, said the shipbuilder. The boats will be armed with Mk 48 Mod 6 torpedoes, UGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and other U.S. combat and sonar systems, said Taiwanese officials. Taiwan was forced to build the subs domestically following a Chinese campaign against potential foreign bidders for the work. The U.S. has been providing assistance. Plans call for eight new subs to be built to replace Taiwan's current fleet of four boats, two of which date from World War II.
Philippines—BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missiles Sought To Boost Coastal Defenses Nikkei Asian Review | 11/24/2020 The Philippines is evaluating a potential purchase of Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, reports the Nikkei Asian Review (Tokyo). India and Russia have begun seeking possible export customers for the system, starting with the Philippines, according to Russian diplomats. In December 2019, the Philippine government announced plans to buy two BrahMos missile batteries, but the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has delayed contract signature. A deal could be signed as soon as early 2021, officials said. A defense dept. spokesman told the newspaper that the procurement was still being evaluated. Any purchase would initially cover ground-launched systems. The naval variant could be acquired in the future. The BrahMos would be the first weapon in Philippine service to provide a deterrence capability, said experts.
India—Work Continues To Extend Range Of BrahMos Cruise Missile The Print | 11/24/2020 India is continuing to work on increasing the range of the BrahMos cruise missile, reports the Print (New Delhi). On Tuesday, India conducted a ground launch live-fire test of the BrahMos at its current maximum range of 180 miles (290 km) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Meanwhile, work is underway to increase the missile's range to 250 miles (400 km). This capability was demonstrated in a test-firing in September. Talks have begun with the Indian armed services for the fielding of the upgraded weapons, the news website said. There are also plans to develop a hypersonic variant, with a top speed of more than Mach 5, and extend the range of the BrahMos to 500 miles (800 km) and then 930 miles (1,500 km), said defense industry sources.
Saudi Arabia—Houthi Strike Hits Oil Tank Near Jeddah Al Jazeera | 11/24/2020 A Houthi missile attack has damaged an oil facility near the Red Sea city of Jeddah, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Monday, a projectile struck a Saudi Aramco distribution plant, resulting in a fire that burned for 40 minutes, reported the state-run Saudi Press Agency. There were no casualties, but the attack resulted in substantial damage to one of 13 tanks at the site, affecting about 10 percent of fuel at the facility. The projectile hit the top of the storage tank, tearing open a hole in the roof about 6 ft 7 in (2 m) square, said Saudi Aramco officials quoted by Reuters. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said used a Quds-2 missile. Such attacks will continue, said a spokesman. Few details have emerged regarding the Quds-2 cruise missile, reported the War Zone blog. Initial assessments indicate it has a range similar to the Quds-1, which was used in similar attacks on Aramco sites in Abqaiq and Khurais in September 2019. That missile was believed to be related to the Iranian Soumar missile, which was in turn derived from the Russian Kh-55.
Saudi Arabia—Netanyahu Meets Crown Prince Bin Salman In Neom Times of Israel | 11/24/2020 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a rare visit to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reports the Times of Israel. On Sunday, Netanyahu and intelligence chief Yossi Cohen met with bin Salman for several hours in the recently built Red Sea city of Neom in the first visit of its kind, reported Hebrew media. Israeli Education Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed the meeting in a statement on Monday. Saudi Arabia has publicly denied the meeting but two sources familiar with the talks confirmed it to the Wall Street Journal. Israel's Army Radio reported that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the talks, but a Saudi source told the Journal that the U.S. official had only arranged the meeting. The Kan public broadcaster in Israel reported that the meeting focused on Iran and the incoming Biden administration in the U.S.
Iraq—10 Killed In ISIS Ambush In Saladin Province New Arab | 11/24/2020 At least 10 people have been killed in an attack by Islamic State militants in Saladin province, reports the New Arab (London). On Saturday, a civilian car struck a roadside bomb approximately 120 miles (200 km) north of Baghdad, local officials said. ISIS militants then ambushed a team of police and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitaries who responded to the attack. Two police, four paramilitaries and four civilians were killed, reported Agence France-Presse. ISIS has stepped up attacks in the region of late in response to a new campaign against militants by Iraqi security forces.
Syria—14 Iran-Backed Militants Killed In Suspected Israeli Airstrike Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | 11/24/2020 Suspected Israeli aircraft have attacked Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria, reports the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. On Saturday, aircraft believed to be from Israel attacked new positions built by Iranian militias in the al-Bukamal countryside east of the city of Deir Ezzor. Fourteen militants from Afghanistan and Iraq were killed in the strikes, the observatory said. The death toll was expected to rise due to serious injuries to some of the fighters. Two positions and several vehicles were destroyed in the attacks.
Nigeria—5 Killed In Mosque Attack In Zamfara State Xinhua | 11/24/2020 At least five people have been killed and 18 abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria's northwestern Zamfara state, reports Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. On Nov. 20, gunmen disguised as congregants opened fire on members at the mosque in Dutsen Gari village during Friday prayers, killing two immediately, police said on Sunday. Three more later died of wounds sustained during the attack. Another 18 people, including the imam, were kidnapped by the attackers as they fled into the bush. Witnesses told Agence France-Presse that more than 30 people were taken away by the attackers, who were described as cattle thieves. Security forces have launched a search operation.
Democratic Republic of the Congo—Court Sentences Militia Commanders To Life In Prison For War Crimes Reuters | 11/24/2020 A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has handed down life sentences to two former Congolese warlords for war crimes, reports Reuters. On Monday, the court sentenced militia commander Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka to life after he was convicted of murder, sexual slavery and recruiting child soldiers. Another militia commander, Seraphin Zitonda, also received a life sentence at the trial in Goma for crimes committed in the eastern North Kivu province from 2010 to 2014. The sentence capped a two-year trial that included testimony from more than 300 victims of the violence. The militia leaders were found responsible for a series of raids in 2010 in the Walikale area, in which more than 380 people were raped and 287 killed. The NDC, the group led by Sheka, was believed to have recruited at least 154 child fighters, reported Agence France-Presse. Sheka turned himself in to authorities in July 2017, after being on the run for six years. Leila Zerrougui, head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, praised the ruling, saying that it proved that "impunity is not inevitable."
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