To All,
I hope that your Thanksgiving is going well. Here are some tidbits and History for this Day
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Thanks to Shadow
Jim Lucas and I were in the office one day near Thanksgiving and I told Jim about this Thanksgiving story I had experienced in Vietnam… Jim suggested I write about it. I did and this is what I wrote. A year following it was published in "Leatherneck" magazine, November issue. As luck would have it, Frank Kennedy an A-4 Bubba was stationed at HQMC… I told Frank to check it out… Two days later, Frank calls back and says. "I found him"! I asked who he had found? He replied, "Your Buddy, Cortez DeLeon Stephens"! I said, "No shit, where is he"? He said, "Sitting right across from my desk… wanna talk to him"? "Oh hell yes"!
Turned out they worked in the same office. Steve had stayed in the Marine Corps and was about to retire as LtCol. This led to a reunion at the Globe and Laurel restaurant in Quantico, Virginia… we we'd all gone through OCS. Steve and his wife, Me and mine, Frank and his and my Secretary and her husband. Couldn't help but shed a few tears… so happy he had survived and had been treated so well by our country and Corps. I try to share this every Thanksgiving… a reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for.
God Bless, Shadow
VIETNAM THANKSGIVING
His name was "Cortez DeLeon Stephens"… we called him Steve. Half a world away, we shared a life in three short months. There has not been a Thanksgiving Day, since 1966 that I haven't thought of him… I often wondered if he remembered me.
We met at a small outpost, called Joliet… between Hue and Phu Bai, Vietnam. I was
attached out from my normal unit and Steve was just back from the Hospital Ship
Repose… where he was recovering from having his right index (trigger) finger blown off during a firefight… An easy ticket home… which he refused.
We were two young warriors--- Marines. It is hard to describe how different we were…
yet how much in common we had. We were both college drop-outs. He, because of love gone bad… me because of youthful indifference. He was an Honor Student… I had made a habit of just getting by. I had graduated from a small rural high school in Mississippi… He was from the inner city of Philadelphia. Back then… Mississippi State and Temple University… were a galaxy apart. He played the French horn. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket… But we both loved Motown Music… and Rhythm and Blues… Neither of us could dance… He was black, I was white.
During the long nights, that could seem endless (a lot of bad things happened at night
over there), we talked constantly to each other. At that point in our young lives we both
seemed to have a compulsive desire to find some meaning to it all. We not only shared
our tent, we shared our lives. We talked of politics, romance, the war, religion and even
racism. We talked of our families, our loves and our dreams. We were so different… but so much alike.
As young warriors do, we discussed our leaders… and we both decided that the one Staff NCO we'd follow to hell and back… was Gunnery Sgt. Willie Brown. He reminded us of a great African Warrior Chief… A man of regal deportment… And with a voice as
authoritative and calm… as God's own. Our favorite officer was Capt. Dan McMahon…
a leader of unlimited courage and ferocity in combat. We were so much alike.
Steve taught me a great deal about the human condition… To this very day, I have never forgotten my utter shame… and the humiliation I felt… when I repeated a racist joke I'd heard, to some other Marines… only to discover Steve was sitting right outside our hooch. That night he told me how much it hurt… but he would forgive me… "You still have a lot to learn white bread", he said. I've often wondered if the roles had been
reversed… would I have been as gracious? So different---
On Thanksgiving Day we got word by radio that the Padre was being choppered out to
give Communion… If… we got a break in the weather. About an hour later we heard the
distinctive… whop-whop music… of inbound Hueys. Seconds later the radio squawked
out that, "Dead Lock 20" was inbound with our Sky Pilot (Chaplin) and that they would
return in exactly one hour to pick him up for the return to Phu Bai.
As the Padre and his assistant got out of the helo, we watched with knowledgeable
concern… as we knew that any arrival of helos at this place… often precipitated the
arrival of incoming mortar rounds. This time it didn't happen.
With what seemed like practiced efficiency… The Padre and his assistant selected a spot about 100 yards from our tent, to set up shop. An altar was quickly erected from empty 81mm ammo boxes. A crucifix and candles were set upon the holy drape. Then the word was passed that services were to begin shortly.
What followed was a scene so surreal and poignant… That it will haunt me the rest of my life.
Slowly, almost hesitantly they came… Young warriors in battle regalia of helmets and
flack jackets… their rifles in hand. I swear with the low ceiling and mist… it was like a
scene from some vague "B" movie… where the dead are awakened… and rise to walk
from the graveyard. As they arrived in this small, dirty, yet holy place… The Padre ordered that they should stack arms, which was something we never did in the field (a placing of rifles together in a circle to resemble small tee-pees). As we watched… I was enthralled by the ritual of the Catholic ceremony… that was alien to me.
Warriors kneeling, helmets in hand, reciting in unison the responses to the Padre's
incantations. The Padre was short, yet soothing… almost cryptic with his sermon. He
then raised the call to Holy Communion and did something I had never seen before or
sense. As the first communicant knelt in supplication… He raised his arms to this small
congregation of less than 15 or 20… and asked that all sing "America the Beautiful" in
honor of the day. As they began to sing… individuals would go forth and receive the
sacraments. After which they retrieved their rifles and stood, waiting for the others.
As they neared the end of the hymn (it was a hymn that day)… We heard the deep
muffled booms of artillery being fired from Phu Bai… followed by the unforgettable
sound of artillery rounds going through the clouds overhead. As they impacted with their familiar carumph… the voices sang louder and stronger… "And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shinning sea".
As Father O'Massey invoked the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit… We heard the faint sound of the Hueys returning… and it began to rain… IT BEGAN TO RAIN! It was
almost like the angels in heaven were crying for us all.
The vividness and power of what we were witnessing was like nothing I had experienced before. As my emotions started to welt up inside… I turned to look at Steve… and saw the tears… Quiet unabashed tears of fortitude… It will be forever… the Thanksgiving I
most remember--- Damn… We were so much alike.
Over all these years, I have wondered what happened to Cortez DeLeon Stephens. We
last saw one another in Dong Ha as I was going home. The last place I knew he was
based was Quantico, Virginia… so I know he made it back. Every Thanksgiving I
remember him in a small prayer and I hope… that this nation, this America… has been as kind and generous to him, as it has to me and so many others.
I wrote this on 2/28/93… I'd thought about it a million times before I sat down and wrote
it… Why it took so long, I'll never know… But as a result of it… I found Steve. We had
a joyful reunion and life has been good to him… He stayed in, got a commission and
retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Has wonderful kids and by the way… He went home and married that sweetheart… who had initially spurned him and had caused him to run away and join the Corps so many years before. He was and is… a better man than me.
Shortly after all this… We moved to Phu Bai, just long enough to pack, go on a quick
R&R and get ready to mount out for Okinawa…
More tomorrow… Shadow
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AnotherfromShadow
Dumb Ensigns asking dumb questions that required long explanations...
There came a time when your's truly got orders to go to the AMO School (Aviation Maintenance Officers School) at NAS Memphis… it came as a result of an IG Inspection that pointed out that neither myself or our AMO, were school trained… regulations required that either the AMO or AAMO had to be school trained… even though both of us had been working in the Maintenance Department for years. I was the newly designated AAMO. One of us had to go to the school… since I was the junior, RHIP prevailed. Typically, even though my primary MOS was F-4 pilot, my secondary job took up 95% of my work time. Wasn't unusual to spend 12 hours a day at the squadron. I would also acquire the secondary AMO, MOS upon graduation from the school.
Soon as I got my orders, I made a call to the school and asked if I needed any special items to bring and was told that no… everything you'll need will be provided. The Navy Chief on the other end then cautioned me… "Captain, don't think this school is a cake walk… it's one of the toughest schools around". And then he noted that I was to have "company"… seems there would be two other Marines in the class. One was Mike Taggert from 223 at MCAS Yuma (I knew Mike, we'd been neighbors in Base Housing at Yuma)… the other was Tony Swears… from HMX-1 at Quantico. One of the President's helicopter pilots.
I called Mike and he had checked with some other guys he knew that had been to the school and he clued me in that we should check in on a weekend… that way the BOQ would be full with Reservists and they'd have to extend us BAQ allowance so we could live off base while attending the school (gaming the system)l. He's also talked to Swears and the three of us could share a pad and make a little extra money while at the school. We all arrived as planned and sure enough, there was no room at the inn and we checked into a motel for the weekend. Only to be foiled by a bean counter at 3rd MAW who had contacted Memphis to confirm full occupancy. In the process, this nerd discovered that even though there were no single rooms available… there was a Flag Officer's suite, that could easily accommodate three Marines. Our plan was short lived… the three of us were forced to stay at the BOQ.
Now Mike was a pretty savvy guy and had looked into things and talked to guys who'd been there, done that. He had all the gouge on how things worked and told us it was a typical Navy School… "It is a three week school… they've crammed into three months"! We got settled in the BOQ and discovered we all played tennis and racquetball… so we at least had that in common. In addition, each of us had been working in Maintenance for years and were thoroughly familiar with the Navy's 3M Maintenance system.
The first day of class we find there are us three Marines, a half dozen new Navy Ensigns, fresh out of OCS and one Navy Lieutenant, A-7 driver. Our proctor was to be a salty old Navy Chief, who promptly warned us, it was a tough school. The routine was they'd introduce new material in the morning session and then after the lunch break, class would reconvene and we'd discuss the morning lecture and he'd answer any questions. And then the salty old fart opines that he could tell us how the class standings would end up… he asked how long the Ensigns had been out of college and predicted they would be the class strength, based on current study habits, followed by the A-7 Driver and then us three Marines would bring up the rear of the class… we'd be the bottom dwellers! Now the Ensigns thought that was neat, got a good laugh out of it… but frankly, it pissed us off. And something the old Chief didn't know was; we were not typical Marines that other services made fun of. And even I was impressed at my fellow jarheads backgrounds.
What neither I or the Chief knew at the time… was that Mike Taggert was a National Merit Scholarship finalist and one of only three human beings I've ever known that had what I call a "Photographic Memory"! You wouldn't know it by his looks or demeanor… but the son of a gun was a genius. Had a mind like a computer. Tony Swears was an even greater enigma… now Mike and I were average sized human beings… Tony on the other hand was a big Dude… and to the casual observer… a picture perfect image of a Marine. Size 18 inch neck, size three hat… and could pivot on his knuckles turning corners. Big square jaw and bulging with muscles. But what none of us knew was that Tony had gone to Michigan State on a full academic scholarship. Never judge a book by its' cover. Now I was not in their class academically, but I wasn't a slouch either.
Once class started, it immediately became apparent that the Ensign's were gonna be a problem. After the morning session where new material was introduced… the afternoon sessions were full of the most bizarre and inane questions you could imagine. I mean these guys were so into minutia, they would argue the nit on the nut of a gnat! Trouble was… the Chief ate it up and seemed to enjoy the interchanges… Remember the old axiom of never wrestle with a pig in the mud… 'cause the pig likes it. Well the Chief was the pig… and loved to display his incredible knowledge of the system. Meanwhile, it was driving us crazy.
After the first week… two things came about that would make our life easier. Turned out Mike was the senior officer in the class and was designated the class leader… the second thing was on about the third day in the afternoon session, after about an hour, the Ensigns had run out of stupid questions for the day and the old Chief dismissed us at about 1400. As we walked back to the BOQ… Swears opines that if we could get the Ensigns to shut up… we'd have a lot more spare time to indulge in racquetball, take a nap and have dinner followed by tennis. Over the next two nights we plotted.
After the first blitz test at the end of the week… Taggert calls a class meeting. He then instructs the class, that hence forth; if any of them had any questions about the new material… instead of asking the Chief to explain things… they were instead to seek out one of us three and we would explain it… after hours at the BOQ! In addition… every Thursday evening,,, we would hold a "School Circle" in our Flag suite at the BOQ to prep them for the Friday blitz. His reasoning as told to them bluntly… "Your dumb ass questions are cutting into our physical fitness program"!
Come Monday morning, we got the first test results back and voila! Mike and Tony set the bar and I was right behind them… even the Ensigns did fairly well. The Chief congratulates us and gives the morning lecture and after lunch opens things up to "Q&A"... but reminded us that the first week had been a short week and everything would get tougher as we went on. Now we only had three Ensigns show up Thursday night for tutoring… and Monday after lunch we learned that even though Mike had issued a strong warning about asking questions… a few of the Ensigns didn't seem to take him seriously… immediately, they started asking stupid questions again. We tried to stare them down, but they persisted, especially one nerd in the front row. He asked one dumb ass question after another. The longer it went, the more pissed we got. Mike calls another class meeting after class was over and reaffirmed his mandate that instead of taking up class time, they should come by the BOQ after hours. That night, Tony was particularly angry about the nerd.
The next morning… Tony goes into the classroom and orders the guy sitting next to the nerd to find another seat (we had two man desks we sat at)… and Tony plops down next to the nerd. After lunch, the Chief goes over a couple of points and then asks if anyone had any questions. Immediately, the nerds hand starts up! Before it got to head level, Tony elbows the nerd in the ribs so hard, he let out a huge gasp! I was worried he might have broken a couple of ribs! Message sent. The nerd couldn't talk for a minute and when the Chief asked him what his question was… he faintly said he had forgotten. This time… "Message sent… message received"! He showed up at the BOQ that night and we walked him through the days material. It went like that for the rest of the week. The Ensigns had gotten the message and all the stupid questions in class ceased… and miraculously, our class scores were setting records for a class average. And we were out of there by 1400 every day. The three of us were losing weight and getting lots of cardio exercise in the sauna called the racquetball court.
Well, for about a month things went swimmingly… but after the fourth week, the Chief asked the three of us to stay behind after class on the next Monday. He starts off by saying… "I have spies… and I know what you guys are up to… you're intimidating but I'm warning you, if any of those Ensigns fails a test… there's gonna be hell to pay. Even the old man is talking about it". Long story short… every Thursday evening, all six would show up at the Flag suite and our class grades went higher and higher. In the end… Taggert and Swears, both broke the individual academic record for the school… I was third a bit behind.
Along the way, an amazing thing happened. Mike's wife Judith was far along in a pregnancy and Mike and I had jumped on a C-130 that left Cherry Point, stopped at Memphis, then went on to Yuma and ended at El Toro… they did a reverse flight on Sunday. Mike and I decided to go home for the weekend, we caught the C-130 and flew west. Mike got off in Yuma and I went on to El Toro. Sunday I catch the return flight and when we landed at Yuma to pick up passengers… Taggart was no where to be found. I became concerned and went into Base Ops and called his quarters… no answer! Finally, we had to board up and I was real concerned about Mike's future. Missing a movement was a big deal for a Marine Officer. After the long flight, I go into the BOQ and told Tony about Mike missing the flight. We both hoped he had enough sense to call and explain. But we didn't hear from him that night or that next day and he was considered U.A. by the school; since he'd had not contacted with them either. Finally he calls Monday night and informs us that Judith had dropped the kid on Saturday and there had been some initial complications, but he would be in on a commercial flight Tuesday evening. We filled in the Chief the next morning. Now Mike had missed two days of class and the Chief told us the C.O. was so pissed, that if Mike failed the Friday blitz, he was gonna kick him out of the school! Tony and I worked with him to bring him up to speed. We needn't have worried… on Monday when the test scores were posted… Mike had blacked out the test… 100% right! It was all downhill from there. Even the nerd was getting incredibly high marks and his wife started making lumpia for our Thursday night school circles.
In the end… our class set the new standard for Academic Class Average… Mike and Tony both broke the individual Academic record by a large margin (less than a tenth of a point separating them) and I ended up third in the class. The last day of class before graduating… even the Chief was complimentary… and said he owed an apology to us Marines. We were to get our diplomas the next day on that Friday.
What we didn't know was that the Commander of the Navy Schools was so impressed, he called someone high up in the Marine Corps and told them about these three crazy Marines and what they'd done with their class. Next thing you know (but we didn't), they had a Marine Corps Two Star fly in to give us a speech and our diploma's. Now since they hadn't told us… Mike and I decided they could mail the damn diplomas to us… we'd been away from our squadrons and homes for far too long. By the time they had the graduation ceremony… Taggart and I were on the C-130 heading west and Tony was in Memphis catching a commercial flight back to Virginia. When it became obvious we were no shows, they called the BOQ looking for us and found we'd checked out… the BOQ manager told them that two had summoned a van to the airfield to meet the C-130 and one guy took a cab to the Memphis Airport. Later, the old Chief called each of us on autovaughn and told us when the General was informed we Marines were MIA; the General gets up and says he had come just to give our Marines our diploma's and congratulate the class on a job well done… but he should have known we Marines were so dedicated... we couldn't wait to get back to work and put to good use all the neat things we'd learned. He got a big laugh out of that one!
That's my story of our Marine influence on Ensigns. Wanna straighten an Ensign out… let the Marines handle them (a little physical intimidation works). Of course all you AOCS guys already know that!
Shadow
P.S.
What prompted this was in the latest "Hook"… Boom Powell had a little blurb about Ensigns and dumb questions in the "Catwalk" section. Two notes… The BOQ Mess at Memphis had the best soups I have ever tasted… gourmet stuff every day! And we set up the best "Three Man Lift" scam in the O'Club bar when Pensacola had a "Hurr-Evac" fly away to Memphis as a hurricane approached Pensacola. Those SNA's were grapes for Tony Swears as he climbed on a chair and proclaimed he could lift any three men in the hoses at one time… it was a hoot!
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Thanks to Richard in response to Shadow's piece above
Whoever said "There's no such thing as a stupid question" had never attended or instructed at OCS. There's not only myriad stupid questions, there are stark examples of when not to ask them.
Bulldog OCS is a six week program for NROTC candidates. They covered everything that the ten week course did, they just didn't need to study on us as much as we'd already been in the program for three years.
As you well remember, it was massive fun at summer camp. In 1970 the 4th of July fell on a weekend and there was a strong rumor afoot that we would be allowed our first and only Liberty commencing at noon and ending Sunday evening.
We were all in a classroom that Saturday morning and the instructor wrapped up his class with, "If there are no further questions, Liberty will commence at 1200."
Up went the hand of Candidate Spring Butt, "Sir! Concerning the order of 'To the Rear, March' does the command of execution come on the right or left foot?"
It was an excellent question that all of us were anxious to hear the answer to. As I recall, it is the right foot. With that out of the way, we were all poised to race out of there to pursue sunburns, drunkenness, and women!
We just needed to be released. Not so fast my friend, as Coach Lee Corso would caution us. The Instructor reminded us of what he had actually said (here's a lesson in attention to detail): "As you may recall what I said, 'IF there are no further questions, Liberty will commence at 1200. There was a question, therefor Liberty is cancelled. Return to your squad bays and prepare for PT!"
We all fell in for PT minus Candidate Spring Butt who was at the infirmary suffering from multiple contusions, bruises, black eyes and who knows what all! We enjoyed a vigorous PT session and the Company Commander, Capt, OK Steele, the MOI at Dartmouth College announced, "If there are no questions, Liberty commences immediately!" There were not any questions!
We crammed an amazing amount of fun into that twenty four hours and we returned all sunburned, hung over and tired of chasing girls that wanted nothing to do with insane skin heads!
The training schedule for Monday AM included an early "admin move by foot" with full pack and gear all the way out to TA 6! Seemed like one hundred miles of the Bataan Death March! The instructors knew exactly what they were doing! More than once I heard, "Hope you boys had a good time this weekend!"
Indeed we did. And as an added benefit, we never heard from Candidate Spring Butt again. Oh he was there, but he'd run out of stupid questions to ask. I think his platoon mates physically removed the Springs from his butt!
"If there are no further questions....
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Thanks to Dutch and the Bear
May I add my own "Happy Thanksgiving!!" to this great message , thanks to THE Bear
Dutch... The author of this message, addressed to the scores of retired American flag and general officers she shepherded on visits to Israel (her "military list"), is Shoshana Bryen. Her message is too appropriate to leave unshared by the Windmill brotherhood on this Thanksgiving 2020... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
Begin forwarded message:
From: Shoshana
Subject: Happy, healthy...
To All -
This may not be exactly the Thanksgiving we thought we'd have, or the one we wanted to have, but we are still blessed to live in this great country. The prayer below was written for Thanksgiving 2001, when we were still in shock from the World Trade Center bombings. I think it captured our mood then, and does now.
This is my military list - so I want to tell you, if I haven't said it enough over the years, one of the things I am most thankful for every day is that I had an opportunity to spend most of my career in the company of and learning from American military officers. Traveling to Israel with you was an amazing experience, but there were so many other times that I asked questions and you were my encyclopedia. Thank you.
Wishing you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving of comfort.
Shoshana
PS - the Lincoln proclamation is an "extra" in case we need a reminder that our country has seen very, very dark days - and we are still here.
Abe Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863
"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us!"
A Thanksgiving Prayer
Michelle Malkin
As we (don't have the option to) gather for this Thanksgiving dinner, we (still) count our blessings, one by one, and as the list of good things which You have given us grows longer and longer, we realize how little appreciation we have expressed.
For redwoods, white plains, and the wild blue yonder, for Yellowstone and brownstones, for evergreen trees and orange groves, for little pink houses and purple mountain majesties, for every divinely planted acre of this sweet land of liberty, we praise You.
For Idaho potatoes and Texas toast, for Washington apples and Hawaiian pineapples, for Iowa corn and Maryland crab cakes, for Ohio cherries and Florida strawberries, for Philly cheese steaks and New York cheesecakes, for Maine lobster and Mississippi mud pie, for every home-cooked meal and home grown harvest, we praise You.
O G-d, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, we thank You this day for Northern Lights and Southern Hospitality, for weekends in New England, for moonlight over Miami, for California dreaming, for a New York state of mind, for Okies and Aggies, for Motown and O-town, for Silicon Valley and the Shenandoah Valley, for the San Fernando Valley and Valley Forge, for Bunker Hill and the Black Hills, for the Grand Canyon and the Rio Grande, for Pebble Beach and the Jersey shore.
For American ingenuity and American enterprise, for American-made and American-born, for Americans abroad and Americans at heart, we praise You.
For the NYPD and the NYFD, for the MDs and EMTs, for Army rangers, for Navy Seals, for Air Force cadets, for Marine Corps reserves, and for all who serve, we thank them, and we thank You, O G-d, our creator and redeemer.
For "Let's Roll," for "We're going up," for "What should I tell the children?" for "You're going to be all right, brother," for "Take care of the kids," for "I love you, honey," for "We will not fail," for "United we stand," and for "Never Forget," we offer eternal thanks.
For "E Pluribus Unum" and "Semper Fidelis," for "G-d Bless America" and "In G-d we Trust," for "We the People," and "Of the people, by the people, for the people," for "Don't Tread on Me," for "Give me liberty or give me death," for "These are the times that try men's souls," for "The land of the free and the home of the brave," we praise You.
For iron will, for steely resolve, for mettle tested and time-worn, for uncommon valor that never sleeps, for steady hands, sturdy legs, broad shoulders, and level heads, for still upper lips, for blood, sweat and tears, for conquering our fears, and for unbending courage in the face of the unknown, we praise You.
We come to You on this national day to join with heart and voice all the people of our blessed land to honor and thank You. We ask You, as our forefathers did in times of strife, "to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty G-d, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings: peace."
For precious life itself in this great nation – under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all – we thank You.
--
Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director
Jewish Policy Center
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Thanks to Carl
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/11/american_stasi.html
November 26, 2020
American Stasi
History. It's a curious thing. We learn from it, or at least we should, and we try to use it as a guide for the present and the future. Of course, we all interpret it a bit differently.
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This Day in U S Military History November 26
1789 – George Washington proclaimed this a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new Constitution. He made it clear that the day should be one of prayer and giving thanks to God, to be celebrated by all the religious denominations. This date was later used to set the date for Thanksgiving.
1863 – The first of our modern annual Thanksgivings was held following the Oct 3 proclamation of Pres. Lincoln to assign the last Thursday in Nov for this purpose.
1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. The tradition of celebrating the holiday on Thursday dates back to the early history of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, when post-harvest holidays were celebrated on the weekday regularly set aside as "Lecture Day," a midweek church meeting where topical sermons were presented. A famous Thanksgiving observance occurred in the autumn of 1621, when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited local Indians to join the Pilgrims in a three-day festival held in gratitude for the bounty of the season. Thanksgiving became an annual custom throughout New England in the 17th century, and in 1777 the Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga. In 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a Thanksgiving holiday, when, at the request of Congress, he proclaimed November 26, a Tuesday, as a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution. However, it was not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to fall on the last Thursday of November, that the modern holiday was celebrated nationally. With a few deviations, Lincoln's precedent was followed annually by every subsequent president–until 1939. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt departed from tradition by declaring November 23, the next to last Thursday that year, as Thanksgiving Day. Considerable controversy surrounded this deviation, and some Americans refused to honor Roosevelt's declaration. For the next two years, Roosevelt repeated the unpopular proclamation, but on November 26, 1941, he admitted his mistake and signed a bill into law officially making the last Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day
1941 – Adm. Chuichi Nagumo leads the Japanese First Air Fleet, an aircraft carrier strike force, toward Pearl Harbor, with the understanding that should "negotiations with the United States reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland." Negotiations had been ongoing for months. Japan wanted an end to U.S. economic sanctions. The Americans wanted Japan out of China and Southeast Asia-and to repudiate the Tripartite "Axis" Pact with Germany and Italy as conditions to be met before those sanctions could be lifted. Neither side was budging. President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull were anticipating a Japanese strike as retaliation-they just didn't know where. The Philippines, Wake Island, Midway-all were possibilities. American intelligence reports had sighted the Japanese fleet movement out from Formosa (Taiwan), apparently headed for Indochina. As a result of this "bad faith" action, President Roosevelt ordered that a conciliatory gesture of resuming monthly oil supplies for Japanese civilian needs canceled. Hull also rejected Tokyo's "Plan B," a temporary relaxation of the crisis, and of sanctions, but without any concessions on Japan's part. Prime Minister Tojo considered this an ultimatum, and more or less gave up on diplomatic channels as the means of resolving the impasse. Nagumo had no experience with naval aviation, having never commanded a fleet of aircraft carriers in his life. This role was a reward for a lifetime of faithful service. Nagumo, while a man of action, did not like taking unnecessary risks-which he considered an attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor to be. But Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Isoruku Yamamoto thought differently; while also opposing war with the United States, he believed the only hope for a Japanese victory was a swift surprise attack, via carrier warfare, against the U.S. fleet. And as far as the Roosevelt War Department was concerned, if war was inevitable, it desired "that Japan commit the first overt act."
1943 – During World War II, the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying American soldiers, was hit by a German missile off Algeria; 1,138 men were killed, including 1,015 American troops.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
SHERIDAN, CARL V.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company K, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Frenzenberg Castle, Weisweiler, Germany, 26 November 1944. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Baltimore, Md. G.O. No.: 43, 30 May 1445. Citation: Attached to the 2d Battalion of the 47th Infantry on 26 November 1944, for the attack on Frenzenberg Castle, in the vicinity of Weisweiler, Germany, Company K, after an advance of 1,000 yards through a shattering barrage of enemy artillery and mortar fire, had captured 2 buildings in the courtyard of the castle but was left with an effective fighting strength of only 35 men. During the advance, Pfc. Sheridan, acting as a bazooka gunner, had braved the enemy fire to stop and procure the additional rockets carried by his ammunition bearer who was wounded. Upon rejoining his company in the captured buildings, he found it in a furious fight with approximately 70 enemy paratroopers occupying the castle gate house. This was a solidly built stone structure surrounded by a deep water-filled moat 20 feet wide. The only approach to the heavily defended position was across the courtyard and over a drawbridge leading to a barricaded oaken door. Pfc. Sheridan, realizing that his bazooka was the only available weapon with sufficient power to penetrate the heavy oak planking, with complete disregard for his own safety left the protection of the buildings and in the face of heavy and intense small-arms and grenade fire, crossed the courtyard to the drawbridge entrance where he could bring direct fire to bear against the door. Although handicapped by the lack of an assistant, and a constant target for the enemy fire that burst around him, he skillfully and effectively handled his awkward weapon to place two well-aimed rockets into the structure. Observing that the door was only weakened, and realizing that a gap must be made for a successful assault, he loaded his last rocket, took careful aim, and blasted a hole through the heavy planks. Turning to his company he shouted, "Come on, let's get them!" With his .45 pistol blazing, he charged into the gaping entrance and was killed by the withering fire that met him. The final assault on Frezenberg Castle was made through the gap which Pfc. Sheridan gave his life to create.
*MITCHELL, FRANK N.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Near Hansan-ni, Korea, 26 November 1950. Entered service at: Roaring Springs, Tex. Born: 18 August 1921, Indian Gap, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a rifle platoon of Company A, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Leading his platoon in point position during a patrol by his company through a thickly wooded and snow-covered area in the vicinity of Hansan-ni, 1st Lt. Mitchell acted immediately when the enemy suddenly opened fire at pointblank range, pinning down his forward elements and inflicting numerous casualties in his ranks. Boldly dashing to the front under blistering fire from automatic weapons and small arms, he seized an automatic rifle from one of the wounded men and effectively trained it against the attackers and, when his ammunition was expended, picked up and hurled grenades with deadly accuracy, at the same time directing and encouraging his men in driving the outnumbering enemy from his position. Maneuvering to set up a defense when the enemy furiously counterattacked to the front and left flank, 1st Lt. Mitchell, despite wounds sustained early in the action, reorganized his platoon under the devastating fire, and spearheaded a fierce hand-to-hand struggle to repulse the onslaught. Asking for volunteers to assist in searching for and evacuating the wounded, he personally led a party of litter bearers through the hostile lines in growing darkness and, although suffering intense pain from multiple wounds, stormed ahead and waged a single-handed battle against the enemy, successfully covering the withdrawal of his men before he was fatally struck down by a burst of small-arms fire. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of tremendous odds, 1st Lt. Mitchell, by his fortitude, great personal valor and extraordinary heroism, saved the lives of several marines and inflicted heavy casualties among the aggressors. His unyielding courage throughout reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
PITTMAN, JOHN A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kujangdong, Korea, 26 November 1950. Entered service at: Carrolton, Miss. Born: 15 October 1928, Carrolton, Miss. G.O. No.: 39, 4 June 1951. Citation: Sgt. Pittman, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He volunteered to lead his squad in a counterattack to regain commanding terrain lost in an earlier engagement. Moving aggressively forward in the face of intense artillery, mortar, and small-arms fire he was wounded by mortar fragments. Disregarding his wounds he continued to lead and direct his men in a bold advance against the hostile standpoint. During this daring action, an enemy grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad endangering the lives of his comrades. Without hesitation, Sgt. Pittman threw himself on the grenade and absorbed its burst with his body. When a medical aid man reached him, his first request was to be informed as to how many of his men were hurt. This intrepid and selfless act saved several of his men from death or serious injury and was an inspiration to the entire command. Sgt. Pittman's extraordinary heroism reflects the highest credit upon himself and is in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.
FLEMING, JAMES P.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 20th Special Operations Squadron. Place and date: Near Duc Co, Republic of Vietnam, 26 November 1968. Entered service at: Pullman, Wash. Born: 12 March 1943, Sedalia, Mo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Fleming (then 1st Lt.) distinguished himself as the Aircraft Commander of a UH-1F transport Helicopter. Capt. Fleming went to the aid of a 6-man special forces long range reconnaissance patrol that was in danger of being overrun by a large, heavily armed hostile force. Despite the knowledge that 1 helicopter had been downed by intense hostile fire, Capt. Fleming descended, and balanced his helicopter on a river bank with the tail boom hanging over open water. The patrol could not penetrate to the landing site and he was forced to withdraw. Dangerously low on fuel, Capt. Fleming repeated his original landing maneuver. Disregarding his own safety, he remained in this exposed position. Hostile fire crashed through his windscreen as the patrol boarded his helicopter. Capt. Fleming made a successful takeoff through a barrage of hostile fire and recovered safely at a forward base. Capt. Fleming's profound concern for his fellowmen, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 26, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 November
1943: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. When a B-17 suffered an engine failure on the way to the target in Germany, enemy fighters repeatedly attacked the aircraft. TSgt Maurice V. Henry manned his guns, destroying one and damaging another. Then an incendiary shell hit the aircraft, and Henry put out the fire. Later, when the B-17 crashed in the English Channel, Henry helped the other crewmen from the sinking craft with utter disregard for his own safety. When he was last seen, he was still grasping the emergency radio, calling for rescue. For his courage, Henry received the DFC posthumously. (4)
1945: A TWA Lockheed Constellation set a west-east transatlantic commercial record by flying 2,000 miles from Gander, Newfoundland, to Rineanna, Ireland, in 6 hours 45 minutes. (24)
1950: KOREAN WAR. B-26s flew their first close air support night missions under Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) direction. The 3 BG flew 67 B-26 missions along the Eighth Army's bomb line in 5 hours. Nevertheless, Chinese forces pushed the Eighth Army and the X Corps southward. (28)
1952: A Northrop B-62 Snark, a turbojet-powered subsonic missile with 5,500 nautical-mile range, launched from Cape Canaveral for the first time on a zero-length launcher. (6) (24)
1955: An N-69D-configured Snark flew its first flight test at Cape Canaveral. It was the first to use a stellar inertial guidance system. (6)
1956: SECDEF Charles E. Wilson issued a "Roles and Mission" memo to the Armed Forces Policy Council to fix jurisdiction over missile development. This gave the USAF control of surface-to surface missiles with ranges over 200 miles and surface-to-air missiles with ranges over 100 miles, while the Army controlled missiles with ranges less than 200 and 100 miles, respectively. (1) (6)
1958: From Cape Canaveral, an operational Thor missile completed its first successful launch. (6)
1959: At El Paso, Max Conrad completed a 6,911-mile nonstop flight from Casablanca, Morocco, in a Piper Comanche airplane. (24)
1964: Four college students completed an experiment in which they lived for 28 days in a spacecraft-type capsule and for 14 days in a hospital isolation ward on a diet designed for consumption by astronauts during space flight.
1968: MEDAL OF HONOR. While flying a UH-1F helicopter, 1Lt James P. Fleming twice exposed his aircraft to intense hostile fire while rescuing a special forces reconnaissance patrol near Due Co, Vietnam. He later received the Medal of Honor for his heroic action. (21)
1975: The X-24B research craft flew its last flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1976: Through 29 November, after an earthquake in Turkey, MAC launched one C-5, 14 C-141s, and 15 C-130s with 486 tons of supplies and equipment from Ramstein AB and Rhein-Main AB; RAF Mildenhall; Pisa AB, Italy; and Cigli AB, Turkey. C-130s also moved nearly 520 tons of supplies and airlift control element members fom Incirlik to Van Air Field, Turkey. (18)
1980: Through 2 December, MAC C-130s flew 18 missions to airlift 1,000 tents from Germany to Naples to help people made homeless by an earthquake in Italy. Commercial aircraft under MAC contract also moved relief supplies from the US to the disaster area, while USAFE provided blankets, tents, and C-rations. Air Force communications personnel from Monte Vergine gave intensive aid to local communities. (2) (4)
1985: Through December 3, the Space Shuttle Atlantis conducted its second space mission. Following the shuttle's liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, Lt Col Brewster Shaw led a seven-man crew through the deployment of three satellites and rehearsals of space station construction techniques. (8: Nov 90)
1986: The Navy launched its first Tomahawk SLCM in a capsule launch from a submerged submarine. In the test, the attack sub Pittsburgh launched an anti-ship SLCM over the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility Sea Test Range. The SLCM passed within lethal distance of its target before recovery.
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Thanks to Mike
Battleship Nevada
Some Really Cool History For this Warrior! I have visited the Officers Silver Dining Silver at the NV Museum in Carson City many times. As I recall, it was made from silver from the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, donated by the mines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io038KRcw1I
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Thanks to Carl
Lots of memories here
(Many photos with descriptions!)
Rare Vintage Photos of What Life Was Like in the '50s
Life in the 1950s was very different from what it is today. Lacking the technology of the 21st century, it was a much simpler time. People weren't distracted by personal devices and spent more time face to face and outside enjoying nature.
While it's often considered an idyllic generation, there were also some issues, particularly for women and minorities who lacked some of the freedoms others enjoyed. These vintage photos are sure to take you back in time.
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From the List archives
WOW!!
How to drywall like a boss
This throwback video is all over social media at the moment. Watch how this master craftsman scores the board to curve around an arch and how he exactly cuts the drywall to fit around outlets.
It's amazingly satisfying to watch.
Old school drywall master - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=4uarkKxJkZs&feature=emb_logo (0:56)
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