Good Monday Morning March 29.
I hope that you all had a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip.
This Day In Naval History – March 28
1844
Uriah P. Levy, the Navys first Jewish flag officer, is promoted to the rank of captain. He also becomes the first of the Jewish faith promoted to commodore and is instrumental in persuading Congress to abolish flogging in the Navy.
1863
Union troops brought ashore by USS Norwich to Jacksonville, Fla., ransack and loot the residents before evacuating the city. Also on this date, USS South Carolina, captures the schooner Nellie off Port Royal, S.C.
1944
USS Haddo (SS 255) torpedoes and sinks Japanese army cargo ship Nichian Maru in South China Sea. Also on this date, USS Tunny (SS 282) torpedoes the Japanese battleship Musashi off Palau, necessitating for her to be repaired in Japan.
1944
USS Ericsson (DD 440) and USS Kearny (DD 432), along with three submarine chasers, sink German U 223, which had sunk five Allied merchant vessels, including U.S. Army transport ship SS Dorchester of Four Chaplains fame on Feb. 3, 1943.
1960
The first fully integrated Fleet Ballistic Missile system test, an A1X test vehicle, is launched from USS Observation Island (EAG 154).
1985
The Navy awards a contract to the McDonnell Douglas Corporation for development of night attack capabilities for the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.
1991
USS Francis Hammond (FF 1067), USS Shasta (AE 33), USS Niagara Falls (AFS-33) assist a Sri Lankan merchant vessel burning in the Arabian Gulf.
1973 - Under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords signed on Jan. 27, 1973, the last U.S. combat troops departed South Vietnam, ending nearly 10 years of U.S. military presence. Only a Defense Attache Office and a few Marine guards at the Saigon American Embassy remained, although roughly 8,500 U.S. civilians stayed on as technical advisers to the South Vietnamese.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• International and national press reported the container ship blocking the Suez Canal has been partially refloated.
• Regional press reported on CNO Adm. Mike Gilday's meeting with India's Ambassador to the U.S.
• NBC Nightly News aired an interview with the first four women of color to command U.S. warships at the same time.
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The URL s below get you access to the NHHC web sites. The last one the Directors's Corner gets you into all 43 H-GRAMs a treasure trove of Naval History Including H-Gram 28 which is today's subject
t NHHC's website (history.o.mil), your
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Director's Corner: H-grams and Blogs »
Today in History: march 29
March 291461 The armies of two kings, Henry VI and Edward IV, collide at Towton.
1638 A permanent European colony is established in present-day Delaware.
1827 Composer Ludwig van Beethoven is buried in Vienna amidst a crowd of over 10,000 mourners.
1847 U.S. troops under General Winfield Scott take possession of the Mexican stronghold at Vera Cruz.
1867 The United States purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.
1879 British troops of the 90th Light Infantry Regiment repulse a major attack by Zulu tribesmen in northwest Zululand.
1886 Coca-Cola goes on sale for the first time at a drugstore in Atlanta. Its inventor, Dr. John Pemberton, claims it can cure anything from hysteria to the common cold.
1903 A regular news service begins between New York and London on Marconi's wireless.
1913 The German government announces a raise in taxes in order to finance the new military budget.
1916 The Italians call off the fifth attack on Isonzo.
1936 Italy firebombs the Ethiopian city of Harar.
1941 The British sink five Italian warships off the Peloponnesus coast in the Mediterranean.
1951 The Chinese reject Gen. Douglas MacArthur's offer for a truce in Korea.
1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The King and I opens on Broadway starring Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner.
1952 President Harry Truman removes himself from the presidential race.
1961 The 23rd amendment, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to vote for president, is ratified.
1962 Cuba opens the trial of the Bay of Pigs invaders.
1966 Leonid Brezhenev becomes First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. He denounces the American policy in Vietnam and calls it one of aggression.
1967 France launches its first nuclear submarine.
1971 Lt. William L. Calley Jr. is found guilty for his actions in the My Lai massacre.
1973 The last U.S. troops withdraw from South Vietnam.
975 Egyptian president Anwar Sadat declares that he will reopen the Suez Canal on June 5, 1975.
1976 Eight Ohio National Guardsmen are indicted for shooting four Kent State students during an anti-war protest on May 4, 1970.
1986 A court in Rome acquits six men in a plot to kill the Pope.
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Declaration of March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day
H028.2
UNCLASSIFIED//ROUTINER 142020Z MAR 19
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS//
TO NAVADMININFO CNO WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS
NAVADMIN 064/19
PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS//
SUBJ/NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMEMORATION - VIETNAM WAR//
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/DNS/MAR//
RMKS/1. The U.S. Navy performed a wide array of missions during the Vietnam
War. In the air, the Navy was a key partner with the U.S. Air Force during
the Rolling Thunder and Linebacker air campaigns against North Vietnam, and
in other air operations in Laos and Cambodia. On the coast, it developed a
highly effective blockade to prevent the resupply of enemy forces by sea,
engaged in naval gunfire support missions against enemy targets in the
littoral areas of Vietnam, and provided amphibious transport for Marines
operating in I Corps. On the rivers, Navy task forces protected commercial
traffic, assisted allied ground forces in pacifying these areas, and
interdicted enemy troops and supplies moving on these inland waterways. The
U.S. Navy also supported the war effort with a massive sea and riverine
logistics operation, built and managed shore facilities throughout South
Vietnam, and provided extensive medical support for the allied military
operation. A total of 1.8 million Sailors served in Southeast Asia. The
Navy provided the allied effort with many unique capabilities, the most
significant being the projection of U.S. combat power ashore and control of
the seas to support a land war in Asia far from the United States. Overall,
the Navy suffered the loss of 1,631 men killed and 4,178 wounded during the
course of the war.
2. To ensure the sacrifices of the 9 million who served during this
difficult chapter of our country's history are remembered for generations to
come, President Donald Trump signed into law the Vietnam War Veterans
Recognition Act of 2017, designating March 29 of each year as National
Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day. On March 29 we honor all those who
answered our Nation's call to duty in Vietnam. With conviction, our Nation
pledges our enduring respect, our continuing care, and our everlasting
commitment to all Vietnam Veterans.
3. Mission. Meet the President's direction by honoring and recognizing
Vietnam Veterans for their service to the Nation and Navy.
4. Commander's Intent
a. Purpose. Commemorate National Vietnam War Veterans Day throughout
the Navy on 29 March .
b. Method. Command-centric execution of a coordinated Navy-wide
National Vietnam War Veterans Day commemoration.
(1) Use available Navy outreach assets to maximum extent possible.
(2) Be guided by, and supportive of, the Navy's strategic messaging.
c. End State: The National Vietnam War Veterans Day commemoration
becomes an institutionalized community outreach and Navy pride event for all
Sailors, past and present, observed globally through the end of the
commemoration in 2025.
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Thanks again to Admiral Cox and The Naval Historical and Heritage Command.
H-28 Gram
From: "Cox, Samuel J SES USN NHHC WASHINGTON DC (US)" <samuel.cox@navy.mil>
Sam Cox <sjcox80@verizon.net>
Subject: H028R U.S. Navy Valor in Vietnam 1969
From: Director of Naval History
To: Senior Navy Leadership
Subj: H-gram 028 U.S. Navy Valor in Vietnam: 1969
This H-gram marks National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Today, all U.S. Navy Museums hosted commemoration events, which included presenting pins provided by the Vietnam War Commemoration Commission to all Vietnam War veterans in attendance as a gesture of appreciation and respect for their service and sacrifice. Veterans returning from the Vietnam War in the 1960's and 1970's did not receive the gratitude from our nation that has become the norm today. Today's commemoration at the National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington DC also focused on the significant contribution of our sister service, the U.S. Coast Guard, to Operation Market Time (the interdiction of Vietnamese Communist seaborne supply routes) that cost the lives of eight Coastguardsmen. The NAVADMIN from CNO directing U.S. Navy participation in National Vietnam War Veterans Day can be found at attachment H028.2.
50th Anniversary; Vietnam War
The character of the Vietnam War changed dramatically in 1969, however intense combat continued, as well as acts of heroism. I don't have overall numbers for 1969, but during 1968, crews on board the river patrol boats (PBR's) alone earned one Medal of Honor, six Navy Crosses, four Legions of Merit, 24 Silver Stars, 290 Bronze Stars, 363 Navy Commendation Medals, and more than 500 purple hearts, with one out of every three being wounded. The numbers would have been comparable in 1969, for although there were no Tet-scale offensives, and bombing had been halted over North Vietnam, the pace of riverine and coastal operations by the U.S. Navy continued largely unabated, although they began to slow somewhat toward the end of 1969 as the new Nixon Administration's "Vietnamization" Policy increasingly took effect, and as the South Vietnamese Navy took on more combat operations. Nevertheless, three U.S. Navy personnel would be awarded the Medal of Honor for combat action in 1969;
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Joseph R. Kerry, USNR was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 14 March 1969 while serving as a SEAL Team Leader on a mission to capture key Viet Cong leaders that turned into a major firefight. Despite his severe wounds, Kerry continued to lead his men in the successful accomplishment of their mission, resulting in the acquisition of critical intelligence. Kerry went on to serve as Senator from Nebraska.
Hospital Corpsman Second Class David R. Ray was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for action on 19 March 1969 while serving as corpsman with Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division when a battalion-sized Viet Cong assault penetrated the perimeter. Despite serious wounds, Ray repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire to aid wounded Marines, and was forced to defend himself from direct attack by two enemy soldiers, until he finally sacrificed his life to shield a wounded Marine from an enemy grenade explosion.
Lieutenant Thomas G. Kelley was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 15 June 1969, while serving as Commander River Assault Division 152, when his column of eight river assault craft came under intense Viet Cong fire. Despite his own severe wounds, Kelley continued to lead and inspire the other boats until they were out of harm's way.
For complete Medal of Honor Citations please see attachment H028.1.
The "Tet Offensive" in early 1968 represented a psychological turning point in American political support for the war effort in Vietnam despite the fact that the surprise Tet Offensive was beaten back with catastrophic losses to the Viet Cong in South Vietnam from which they never really recovered. (In the end, South Vietnam would fall in 1975 to a conventional attack by the North Vietnamese Army not due to the Viet Cong insurgency.) However, the size, surprise and casualties of the Tet Offensive shocked and disillusioned much of the American public who had been led to believe that victory was just around the corner by optimistic pronouncements by senior military and political leaders. President Lyndon Johnson had halted the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam in order to induce the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table, which worked, although I would argue that the severe Vietnamese Communist losses in the Tet (and several "mini - Tet") offensives, as well as severe damage to North Vietnamese infrastructure caused by the bombing, had a lot to do with it.
President Richard M. Nixon won the 1968 U.S. Presidential election in part because he claimed to have a plan to end the Vietnam War, the details of which were not revealed before the election. In a speech at the end of December 1968, President Nixon gave a name to the new strategy, "Vietnamization." Under this strategy, U.S. forces would increasingly focus on training and equipping the South Vietnamese Army so that they could pick up an ever-increasing share of the burden of fighting, which would allow the U.S. forces to gradually draw down and get out of Vietnam. The North Vietnamese responded with a strategy of their own; "Talk While Fighting, Fight While Talking" (probably sounds better in Vietnamese). As a result, nearly as many Americans died during months of negotiating for the shape of the table for the Peace Talks as died during the same number of months of combat in 1968.
The North Vietnamese viewed negotiations, as well as declining U.S. domestic support for the war, as a signal of weakness of U.S. political will; their strategy thus became to both protract the fighting and protract the negotiations, while using the cessation of bombing to build up their conventional fighting power (with large quantities of Soviet and Communist Chinese military equipment that came into North Vietnam with no hindrance,) with the intent to wait out the U.S. before attempting to invade South Vietnam (they did this prematurely in 1972, and were beaten back by U.S. naval and air power, but were successful in 1975 when the U.S. did not intervene except to assist with limited evacuations.)
The negotiations and political machinations had little effect on U.S. Navy operations in the early part of 1969, other than that aircraft operating from aircraft carriers in the South China Sea bombed enemy targets in South Vietnam rather than North Vietnam itself. The U.S. Navy did fly reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam, which were occasionally shot at, despite the "truce," and the U.S. would respond with limited retaliatory strikes in the southern part of North Vietnam, which did little to curb the North Vietnamese build-up. However, the war in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam (Operation Game Warden) and a couple rivers south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) (Operation Clearwater) continued unabated for months, and in fact increased with the advent of Operation SEALORDS which pushed U.S. riverine activity right up to the Cambodian Border.
Very respectfully,
Sam
Samuel J. Cox
RADM, USN (retired)
Director of Naval History
Curator for the Navy
Director, Naval History and Heritage Command
202-433-2210 samuel.cox@navy.mil
H028.1 Medal of Honor Citations; U.S. Navy, Vietnam, 1969
29 Mar 2019
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Joseph R. Kerrey, United States Naval Reserve
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 14 March 1969 while serving as a SEAL Team Leader during action against enemy aggressor (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. Acting in response to reliable intelligence Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his SEAL Team on a mission to capture important members of the enemy's area political cadre known to be located an island in the bay of Nha Trang. In order to surprise the enemy, he and his team scaled a 350-foot sheer cliff to place themselves above the ledge on which the enemy was located. Splitting his team in two elements, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey led his men in a treacherous downward descent to the enemy's camp. Just as they neared the end of their descent, intense enemy fire was directed at them, and Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey received massive injuries from a grenade which exploded at his feet and threw him backward onto the jagged rocks. Although bleeding profusely and suffering great pain, he displayed outstanding courage and presence of mind in immediately directing his element's fire into the heart of the enemy camp. Utilizing his radioman, Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey called in the second element's fire support which caught the Viet Cong in a devastating cross fire. After successfully suppressing the enemy's fire, and although immobilized by his multiple wounds, he continued to maintain calm, superlative control as he ordered his team to secure and defend an extraction site. Lieutenant (jg) Kerrey resolutely directed his men, despite his near unconscious state, until he was eventually evacuated by helicopter. The havoc brought to the enemy by this very successful mission cannot be overestimated. The enemy who were captured provided critical intelligence to the allied effort. Lieutenant (jg) Kerry's courageous and inspiring leadership, valiant fighting spirit, and tenacious devotion to duty in the face of almost overwhelming opposition, sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Hospital Corpsman Second Class David R. Ray, United States Navy
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call f duty while serving as a corpsman with Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, at Phu Loc 6, near An Hoa, Quang Nam Province, in the Republic of Vietnam, on 19 March 1969. During the early morning hours, an estimated battalion-sized enemy force launched a determined assault against the batteries position, and succeeded in effecting a penetration of the barbed-wire perimeter. The initial burst of enemy fire caused numerous casualties among the Marines who had immediately manned their howitzers during the rocket and mortar attack. Undaunted by the intense hostile fire, Petty Officer Ray moved from parapet to parapet, rendering emergency medical treatment to the wounded. Although seriously wounded himself while rendering first aide to a Marine casualty, he refused medical treatment and continued his life saving efforts. While he was bandaging and attempting to comfort another wounded Marine, Petty Officer Ray was forced to battle two enemy soldiers who attacked his position, personally killing one and wounding another. Rapidly losing his strength as a result of his own severe wounds, he nonetheless managed to move through the hail of enemy fire to other casualties. Once again, he was faced with the intense fire of oncoming enemy troops, and despite the grave danger and insurmountable odds, succeeded in treating the wounded and holding off the enemy until he ran out of ammunition, at which time he sustained fatal wounds. Petty Officer Ray's final act of heroism was to protect the patient he was treating. He threw himself upon the wounded Marine, thus saving the man's life when an enemy grenade exploded nearby. By his determined and persevering actions, courageous spirit, and selfless devotion to his Marine comrades, Petty Officer Ray served to inspire the men of Battery D to heroic efforts in defeating the enemy. His conduct throughout was in keeping of the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
(The Spruance-class destroyer USS DAVID R. RAY (DD-971) was named in his honor, commissioned on 19 Nov 1977 and decommissioned on 28 February 2002, until it was sunk as a target in July 2008. The ship still remains protected under the Sunken Military Craft Act.)
Lieutenant Thomas G. Kelley, United States Navy
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on the afternoon of 15 June 1969 while serving as Commander River Assault Division 152 during combat operations against enemy aggressor forces in the Republic of Vietnam. Lieutenant Kelley was in charge of a column of eight river assault craft which were evacuating one company of United States Army infantry troops on the east bank of the Ong Muang Canal in Kien Hoa Province, when one of the armored troop carriers reported a mechanical failure of a loading ramp. At approximately the same time, Viet Cong forced opened fire from the opposite bank of the canal. After issuing orders for the crippled troop carrier to raise its ramp manually, and for the remaining boats to form a protective cordon around the disabled craft, Lieutenant Kelly, realizing the extreme danger to his column and its inability to clear the ambush site until the crippled unit was repaired, boldly maneuvered the monitor in which he was embarked to the exposed side of the protective cordon in direct line with the enemy's fire and ordered the monitor to commence firing. Suddenly an enemy rocket scored a direct hit on the coxswain's flat, the shell penetrating the thick armor plate, and the explosion spraying shrapnel in all directions. Sustaining serious head wounds from the blast, which hurled him to the deck of the monitor, Lieutenant Kelley disregarded his own severe injuries and attempted to continue directing the other boats. Although unable to move from the deck or speak clearly into the radio, he succeeded in relaying his commands through one of his men until the enemy attack was silenced and the boats were able to move to an area of safety. Lieutenant Kelley's brilliant leadership, bold initiative, and resolute determination served to inspire his men and provided the impetus needed to carry out the mission after he was medically evacuated by helicopter. His extraordinary courage under fire, and his selfless devotion to duty sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
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ROLLING THUUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
29 March there are two items today
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/today-29-march-is-national-vietnam-war-veterans-day/
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/
This is NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY... A day set aside by Presidential Proclamation to honor the more than 4-million Americans who served in the military during the years of the Vietnam War (1961-1975), including the 2.7-million who served in Southeast Asia, 880,000 of whom are still alive. It is also a day to remember the 1,253 warriors who remain missing-in-action in SEAsia; the 304,000 wounded in battle there; and, the 57,000 fallen warriors who came home on their shields and whose names are forever memorialized on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington. Take a minute to read President Obama's March 2012 Proclamation included at the bottom of the linked Rolling Thunder Remembered post.
ROLLING THUNDER this day 55-years ago: from the archives of http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com posted on 29 March 1966...
James Webb id's a "...conscious, continuing travesty..."
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/subject-rolling-thunder-remembered-29-march-1966/
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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This Day in U S Military History March 29
1945 – Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army captures Frankfurt, as "Old Blood and Guts" continues his march east. Frankfurt am Main, literally "On the Main" River, in western Germany, was the mid-19th century capital of Germany (it was annexed by Prussia in 1866, ending its status as a free city). Once integrated into a united German nation, it developed into a significant industrial city-and hence a prime target for Allied bombing during the war. That bombing began as early as July 1941, during a series of British air raids against the Nazis. In March 1944, Frankfurt suffered extraordinary damage during a raid that saw 27,000 tons of bombs dropped on Germany in a single month. Consequently, Frankfurt's medieval Old Town was virtually destroyed (although it would be rebuilt in the postwar period-replete with modern office buildings). In late December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, General Patton broke through the German lines of the besieged Belgian city of Bastogne, relieving its valiant defenders. Patton then pushed the Germans east. Patton's goal was to cross the Rhine, even if not a single bridge was left standing over which to do it. As Patton reached the banks of the river on March 22, 1945, he found that one bridge — the Ludendorff Bridge, located in the little town of Remagen — had not been destroyed. American troops had already made a crossing on March 7 — a signal moment in the war and in history, as an enemy army had not crossed the Rhine since Napoleon accomplished the feat in 1805. Patton grandly made his crossing, and from the bridgehead created there, Old Blood and Guts and his 3rd Army headed east and captured Frankfurt on the 29th. Patton then crossed through southern Germany and into Czechoslovakia, only to encounter an order not to take the capital, Prague, as it had been reserved for the Soviets. Patton was, not unexpectedly, livid.
1945 – There are American landings in the northwest of the island Negros near Bacolod. The landing force, part of the US 185th Infantry Regiment, encounters heavy Japanese resistance on the island.
1945 – US naval forces, including TF58 and TF52, continue air strikes on Okinawa while TF54 continues bombarding the island. Japanese Kamikaze and submarine attacks continue.
1971 – Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering at least 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre. Calley ended up spending three years under house arrest.
1974 – The unmanned U.S. space probe Mariner 10, launched by NASA in November 1973, becomes the first spacecraft to visit the planet Mercury, sending back close-up images of a celestial body usually obscured because of its proximity to the sun. Mariner 10 had visited the planet Venus eight weeks before but only for the purpose of using Venus' gravity to whip it toward the closest planet to the sun. In three flybys of Mercury between 1974 and 1975, the NASA spacecraft took detailed images of the planet and succeeded in mapping about 35 percent of its heavily cratered, moonlike surface. Mercury is the second smallest planet in the solar system and completes its solar orbit in only 88 earth days. Data sent back by Mariner 10 discounted a previously held theory that the planet does not spin on its axis; in fact, the planet has a very slow rotational period that stretches over 58 earth days. Mercury is a waterless, airless world that alternately bakes and freezes as it slowly rotates. Highly inhospitable, Mercury's surface temperature varies from 800 degrees Fahrenheit when facing the sun to -279 degrees when facing away. The planet has no known satellites. Mariner 10 is the only human-created spacecraft to have visited Mercury to date.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HIGBY, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox Campaign, Va., 29 March to 9 April 1865. Entered service at: New Brighton, Pa. Birth: Pittsburgh, Pa. Date of issue: 3 May 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
PEARSON, ALFRED L.
Rank and organization: Colonel, 155th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Lewis' Farm, Va., 29 March 1865. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Birth: Pittsburgh, Pa. Date of issue: 17 September 1897. Citation: Seeing a brigade forced back by the enemy, he seized his regimental color, called on his men to follow him, and advanced upon the enemy under a severe fire. The whole brigade took up the advance, the lost ground was regained, and the enemy was repulsed.
SOVA., JOSEPH E.
Rank and organization: Saddler, Company H, 8th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox Campaign, Va., 29 March to 9 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Chili, N.Y. Date of issue: 3 May 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
TOBIE, EDWARD P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 1st Maine Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox Campaign, Va., 29 March to 9 April 1865. Entered service at: Lewiston, Maine. Birth: Lewiston, Maine. Date of issue: 1 April 1898. Citation: Though severely wounded at Sailors Creek, 6 April, and at Farmville, 7 April, refused to go to the hospital, but remained with his regiment, performed the full duties of adjutant upon the wounding of that officer, and was present for duty at Appomattox.
*DIETZ, ROBERT H .
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division. Place and date: Kirchain, Germany, 29 March 1945. Entered service at: Kingston, N.Y. Birth: Kingston, N.Y. G.O. No.: 119, 17 December 1945. Citation: He was a squad leader when the task force to which his unit was attached encountered resistance in its advance on Kirchain, Germany. Between the town's outlying buildings 300 yards distant, and the stalled armored column were a minefield and 2 bridges defended by German rocket-launching teams and riflemen. From the town itself came heavy small-arms fire. Moving forward with his men to protect engineers while they removed the minefield and the demolition charges attached to the bridges, S/Sgt. Dietz came under intense fire. On his own initiative he advanced alone, scorning the bullets which struck all around him, until he was able to kill the bazooka team defending the first bridge. He continued ahead and had killed another bazooka team, bayoneted an enemy soldier armed with a panzerfaust and shot 2 Germans when he was knocked to the ground by another blast of another panzerfaust. He quickly recovered, killed the man who had fired at him and then jumped into waist-deep water under the second bridge to disconnect the demolition charges. His work was completed; but as he stood up to signal that the route was clear, he was killed by another enemy volley from the left flank. S/Sgt. Dietz by his intrepidity and valiant effort on his self-imposed mission, single-handedly opened the road for the capture of Kirchain and left with his comrades an inspiring example of gallantry in the face of formidable odds.
GARMAN, HAROLD A.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company B, 5th Medical Battalion, 5th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Montereau, France, 25 August 1944. Entered service at: Albion, Ill. Born: 26 February 1918, Fairfield, Ill. G.O. No.: 20, 29 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 August 1944, in the vicinity of Montereau, France, the enemy was sharply contesting any enlargement of the bridgehead which our forces had established on the northern bank of the Seine River in this sector. Casualties were being evacuated to the southern shore in assault boats paddled by litter bearers from a medical battalion. Pvt. Garman, also a litter bearer in this battalion, was working on the friendly shore carrying the wounded from the boats to waiting ambulances. As 1 boatload of wounded reached midstream, a German machinegun suddenly opened fire upon it from a commanding position on the northern bank 100 yards away. All of the men in the boat immediately took to the water except 1 man who was so badly wounded he could not rise from his litter. Two other patients who were unable to swim because of their wounds clung to the sides of the boat. Seeing the extreme danger of these patients, Pvt. Garman without a moment's hesitation plunged into the Seine. Swimming directly into a hail of machinegun bullets, he rapidly reached the assault boat and then while still under accurately aimed fire towed the boat with great effort to the southern shore. This soldier's moving heroism not only saved the lives of the three patients but so inspired his comrades that additional assault boats were immediately procured and the evacuation of the wounded resumed. Pvt. Garman's great courage and his heroic devotion to the highest tenets of the Medical Corps may be written with great pride in the annals of the corps.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 29, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
29 March
1923: At Dayton, three FAI records were established. First, Lt A. Pearson flew a Verville Sperry R-3 at 167.77 MPH over 500 kilometers for one speed record. Next, Lts Harold R. Harris and Ralph Lockwood flew a DH-4L with a Liberty 400 HP engine at 127.42 MPH for the 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) record. And third, Lt Russell L. Maughan flew a Curtiss R-6 at 236.587 MPH for a record over a straightaway course. (24) (9)
1946: North American Aviation received a contract to study a 175 to 500-mile range surface-tosurface missile. After many revisions, this program became the Navaho jet-powered cruise missile. (6)
1949: Joe DeBona set a new cross-country record for piston aircraft by flying his North American P-51 from Burbank to La Guardia in 5 hours. (9) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. With fighter escorts, B-29s returned to the Yalu River to bomb bridges, which had become important targets again as the river ice thawed. Fifth Air Force light bombers and fighters, which had handled interdiction in the area during the winter, could not destroy the larger Yalu River bridges. (28)
1954: An American DC-7 set a 6 hour 10 minute commercial transport record from Los Angeles to New York. (5)
1955: The Navaho jet-powered cruise missile completed its 15th and final test flight at Edwards AFB. (5)
1960: The Naval Weapons Station Annex at Charleston, S.C., opened. This facility gave the Navy a final assembly and loading capability for the UGM-27 Polaris sea-launched ballistic missile. (8: Mar 90)
1961: The USAF issued the Minuteman I (A and B model) requirement. (6)
1972: At St. Paul, Minn., Matt A. Wiederkehr used a Raven S50A balloon to set FAI distance records of 196.71 miles for subclass AX-6 through AX-10 (1,200 to 4,000 cubic meters capacity) hot air balloons. (9) North Vietnam began a massive invasion of the South with 12 divisions, supported by armor and artillery. With the invasion, the US discarded the previous rules of engagement, which treated the conflict as a civil war, and the restrictions on US air power ended. This policy change led to Operation Linebacker I and II with bombing attacks on Hanoi and Haiphong. The massive US air strikes persuaded North Vietnam to conclude the Paris peace negotiations. (17)
1973: With the departure of 219 passengers aboard a DC-8, the US ended its military involvement in South Vietnam. The US disestablished the Military Assistance Command, ending its 11 years of operations from Saigon. (18)
1975: The USAF began an emergency airlift of supplies and equipment to Saigon, Vietnam. (16) (26)
1995: Operation PROVIDE PROMISE. The operation passed the 1,000-day mark. (16)
1996: The Tier III Minus Dark Star, a stealthy drone designed for high altitude, long-duration reconnaissance missions over hostile territory completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (26) The US opened the GPS System to full commercial access. (26)
2001: Boeing's lead short-takeoff and vertical-landing (STOVL) test pilot, Dennis O'Donohue, flew the X-32B Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator on its first flight from Palmdale to Edwards AFB. The 50-minute flight included initial airworthiness tests. The USMC wanted to use the STOVL variant. (3)
2003: OPERATIONAL SUPPORT. By this date, to support the Global War on Terrorism, the ANG flew 72 percent of the fighter sorties, 52 percent of the tanker sorties, and 35 percent of the airlift sorties for NOBLE EAGLE, and 24 percent of the fighter sorties, 21 percent of the tanker sorties, and 6 percent of the airlift sorties for ENDURING FREEDOM.
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World News for 29 March thanks to Military Periscope
USA—CYBERCOM Conducted 2 Dozen Ops Launched To Protect 2020 Elections C4ISRNet | 03/29/2021 U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) conducted more than two dozen cyber operations to prevent foreign interference in the 2020 elections, reports C4ISRNet. On March 25, Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of CYBERCOM, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the figure included 11 "hunt forward" operations in nine different countries, reported CBS News. These operations typically involve partnering with allies to proactively work against malicious cyber activity, including offensive operations. Defending election integrity has emerged as a key mission for the command, in light of sustained efforts by foreign actors to influence voting. Nakasone said that the 2020 elections demonstrated the need for the command to maintain a nimble posture and the importance of its partnership with the National Security Agency.
USA—Defense Dept. Linguist Pleads Guilty To Passing Info To Hezbollah Dept. Of Justice | 03/29/2021 A Defense Dept. linguist has pleaded guilty to providing aid to Hezbollah, reports the Dept. of Justice. Mariam Taha Thompson, 63, who was arrested in February 2020, worked as a contract linguist at an overseas U.S. military facility, according to a Justice release on Friday. In 2017, she began communicating with an unindicted coconspirator, who claimed to have a family member in the Lebanese Interior Ministry and a gift from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. In 2019, Thompson was assigned to a special operations task force facility in Iraq, during a period in which the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes against Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq. The operations culminated in the Jan. 3, 2020, airstrike outside Baghdad that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani. Thompson's unindicted coconspirator then asked her for information on the human assets who had provided information to the U.S. in support of that operation. She accessed dozens of files relating to the sources in question, including names, photos and identifying information. Ultimately, Thompson passed information on eight human-intelligence assets to her suspected Hezbollah handler, reported Justice. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Ukraine—Possible Rafale Buy On Agenda For Upcoming Visit By Macron Defence-Blog | 03/29/2021 French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to discuss a potential sale of fighter jets during an upcoming visit to Ukraine, reports Defence Blog. The Ukrainian government has quietly indicated that it is seeking to replace its aging MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets. France will reportedly offer a mix of used and new Rafale jets, similar to a recent deal reached with Greece, during Macron's visit, which was scheduled for the end of March but may be pushed back. The French Finance Ministry has already set aside funding to help finance the potential sale, reported the Asia Times last week. Kyiv has not yet decided whether it wants a single-engine fighter, likely the U.S. F-16, or a twin-engine jet, which would likely lead to a competition between the Rafale and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Kyrgyzstan—Agreement Reached On Border Dispute With Uzbekistan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 03/29/2021 Kyrgyz officials say that a border dispute with Uzbekistan has been resolved after talks last week, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Kamchybek Tashiev, chief of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security, met with an Uzbek delegation led by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, on March 24-25. During the talks, the parties signed protocols that fully resolved their longstanding border dispute, Tashiev told RFE/RL on Friday. The prime ministers in both countries subsequently approved the agreement, Tashiev told Eurasianet. Parts of the agreement pertain to the settlement of Sokh, an ethnic Uzbek exclave of some 85,000 people inside Kyrgyz territory. The accord is expected to establish a series of checkpoints for entry and exit. It is also expected to involve certain territorial exchanges, though the details of these have not been made public. Some features, including the Orto-Tokoi reservoir and the Gavasai tract, will be recognized as Kyrgyz but Uzbeks in the area will continue to have access to them, officials said.
China—Amphib Ambulance Makes Public Debut During Exercise China Military Online | 03/29/2021 A combined arms regiment under the People's Liberation Army Xinjiang Military Command has showed off a new amphibious armored ambulance for the first time, reports the official China Military Online. The unnamed system was demonstrated during a field training event on a plateau at an elevation of around 14,100 feet (4,300 m). The armored 8 x 8 vehicle can travel up to 60 miles (100 km) at a speed of 25 mph (45 kph) with punctured tires, officials said. It can carry up to four soldiers with severe injuries or eight with lighter injuries. A variety of medical equipment is carried onboard. The vehicle is armored against 7.62-mm rounds and shrapnel on the front and sides and equipped with a nuclear, biological and chemical protection system.
Taiwan—20 Chinese Aircraft Intrude On Air Defense Zone Taiwan News | 03/29/2021 More than 20 Chinese aircraft have entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) amid growing tensions in the region, reports the Taiwan News. On Friday, 10 J-16 fighter jets, four H-6K bombers, two J-10 fighters, two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, a Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft and a KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft entered the southwestern part of the air defense zone, said the ministry of defense. In response, the military issued radio warnings, scrambled jets and readied air defense systems to monitor the aircraft. Some of the aircraft flew through the airspace south of Taiwan and passed through the Bashi Channel, said a Taiwanese Defense Ministry statement cited by Reuters. A source familiar with the Taiwanese military said that China was simulating a potential engagement with U.S. naval assets in the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan and the Philippines. On Monday, senior officials said that Taiwan is no longer scrambling jets to meet every Chinese incursion and is instead monitoring the aircraft with air defense radars.
Japan—New Bill Would Strengthen Regulations On Real Estate Sales Near SDF Bases Japan Times | 03/29/2021 The Japanese Cabinet has approved a bill that would increase regulations and monitoring of land sales near critical infrastructure, reports the Japan Times. The measure approved on Friday applies to land adjacent to Japan Self-Defense Force (SDF) and coast guard bases, U.S. military facilities, critical infrastructure sites and border islands. In such cases, the government would need to receive notice of a proposed sale and could impose certain restrictions, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato. Proposed sales in urban areas may be exempt if they impede economic activity, reported Reuters. The legislation calls for a buffer zone around protected sites, which would be designated as either a monitored or specially monitored district. If land use near a monitored district was found to impede the function of the facilities, the government could order the suspension of its use and levy fines. For specially monitored districts, buyers and sellers near such areas would be required to notify the government and such sales would be closely regulated. The measure must still be approved by Parliament. Some opposition lawmakers have already expressed concern that it could violate privacy rights. There have been growing concerns about land purchases by Chinese and South Korean firms near SDF facilities. Japan currently has no laws restricting such sales.
Philippines—Military Jets Monitor Chinese Vessels At Whitsun Reef Reuters | 03/29/2021 The Philippines has been sending military aircraft to monitor suspected Chinese maritime militia vessels in its exclusive economic zone, reports Reuters. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that light fighter aircraft were being sent to monitor the standoff near the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls Juan Felipe Reef, where more than 200 Chinese vessels have congregated. The Philippine government believes the ships are crewed by maritime militia. The reef is within Manila's 200-nm (370-km) exclusive economic zone. In an interview with CNN Philippines on Monday, Lorenzana said that the coast guard will maintain a sustained presence of up to three ships in the area. The deployment could also involve naval assets, he said. Since March 7, more than 200 Chinese vessels have been moored around the small reef, according to Philippine government accounts.
Indonesia—19 Wounded In Suicide Attack At Church In Sulawesi Antara News Agency | 03/29/2021 At least 14 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a church on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, reports Antara, Indonesia's national news agency. On Sunday, two suicide bombers detonated explosive devices outside Cathedral Church in Makassar, South Sulawesi, following the Palm Sunday service, said police. Both attackers were killed. Of the 19 injured, four had been released from the hospital, a police spokesman said on Monday. Footage from security cameras near the site suggest that the perpetrators arrived on motorcycles and did not enter the church, reported the Jakarta Globe. An initial investigation indicated that the perpetrators were a young couple married six months ago. They were linked to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a group that Indonesian authorities believe to be affiliated with the Islamic State. At least one of the attackers was said to be connected to a 2019 attack on a cathedral in Jolo in the southern Philippines, reported Reuters.
Burma—100 Killed As Bloody Crackdown On Protests Continues Irrawaddy | 03/29/2021 More than 100 people have been killed in another weekend of violence as Burmese security forces continue their violent crackdown on protesters, reports the Irrawaddy (Burma). On Saturday and Sunday, police cracked down on demonstrations in Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing, Pathein, Bago, Karen and Kachin, among other areas. Witnesses said that the police used live rounds and grenades to disperse protesters. In some cases, security forces attacked funerals for people previously killed in the crackdown. In one incident in Mandalay, a neighborhood watch member was shot by police and then burned alive. Some ethnic armed groups have also stepped up attacks against government forces. On Saturday, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) seized an army outpost in Thi Mu Hta. The military responded with airstrikes, killing three civilians. In Hpakant on Sunday, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked a police station, reported Reuters. The military again launched another air attack, according to Kachinwaves. In an open letter, the main group representing protesters, the General Strike Committee of Nationalities, urged Burma's various ethnic armed groups to help stand against the "unfair oppression" of the military. At least 460 Burmese have been killed since the Feb. 1 military coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
Bangladesh—13 Killed In Anti-Modi Protests Reuters | 03/29/2021 At least 13 Bangladeshis have been killed in demonstrations surrounding a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports Reuters. Protests began on Friday, with clashes between demonstrators and police across the country resulting in five fatalities. Another six died in violence on Saturday. On Sunday, at least two people were killed when police opened fire on demonstrators in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, reported Agence France-Presse. A police spokesman told the media that the protesters had set fire to a police station, injuring at least 35 officers and necessitating a strong response. The protesters accuse Modi of discriminating against Muslims in India. Modi arrived in Dhaka on Friday for a two-day visit marking the 50th anniversary of Bangladeshi independence. Many of the demonstrators come from the hardline Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam. Members of the group attacked a passenger train on its way from Dhaka to Chittagong, injuring 10 people, as the protests expanded into wider demonstrations against police violence.
Pakistan—Shaheen-IA Ballistic Missile Passes Test Dawn | 03/29/2021 The Pakistani military says it has successfully test-launched the Shaheen-IA ballistic missile, reports the Dawn (Karachi). The test-firing on March 26 was designed to revalidate certain elements of the design and technical parameters, including its advanced navigation system, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing. The launch was overseen by senior officials from the Strategic Plans Division. The Shaheen-IA is an upgrade of the Shaheen-I missile with an increased range of 560 miles (900 km).
Syria—Artillery Forces Get New Commander The Syrian Observer | 03/29/2021 Syria has a new commander of its artillery forces, reports the Syrian Observer, citing opposition media. President Bashar Assad has appointed Maj. Gen. Tayseer Ibrahim Salem as the new chief of the artillery and missile forces, a military source told the Zaman Al Wasl news website. Salem succeeds Maj. Gen. Akram Tajour, who retired at the beginning in March. The general was appointed to the role on a temporary basis until Assad formally appointed him on March 24. Separately, Russia denied a request by Assad to appoint Maj. Gen Salih Hilal Al Ali as the new army chief of staff, sources said. The general is currently serving as the deputy chief of staff. The top post has been vacant for three years. Russia rejected the request, arguing that the Joint Operations Room, a combined force formed following Russia's intervention in 2015, is serving in the chief of staff role and that filling the post might lead to contradictory orders, said an unnamed source.
Nigeria—1st JF-17 Fighter Jet Arrives In Makurdi Defence Web | 03/29/2021 Nigeria has taken delivery of its first JF-17 Thunder fighter jet from Pakistan, reports Defence Web (South Africa). Video from March 21 appeared to show a JF-17 fuselage being unloaded from a Pakistani Il-76 transport. The footage is believed to be from a Nigerian air force hangar in Makurdi in the southeastern Benue state. Nigeria has ordered three of the fighter jets from Pakistan, which have been manufactured, the website said. It is not clear how many JF-17s Nigeria intends to buy. It has only made small payments toward the jets over the last several years. Analysts anticipate further purchases to replace or supplement the air force's F-7Ni fleet. A third of its 15 F-7Nis have been lost in crashes to date.
Mozambique—Dozens Missing As Militants Overrun Palma Cable News Network | 03/29/2021 Dozens of people are missing after their convoy was attacked by militants while attempting to flee the town of Palma in northern Mozambique, reports CNN. On Wednesday, militants launched a coordinated attack on the town in northern Cabo Delgado province from three directions, according to Human Rights Watch. Palma is near a major energy project overseen by French firm Total. On Friday, a convoy of about 17 vehicles left the Amaarula Hotel, in an attempt to escape the militants, reported the New York Times. The convoy was attacked and only seven vehicles arrived at the rendezvous point. Many of the occupants, including foreign workers and Mozambicans, were injured. At least 50 people and eight vehicles were unaccounted for. Separately, attempts to bring rescue boats to the shore to rescue survivors had been unsuccessful after they came under militant fire. About 1,400 people were evacuated in one boat that arrived in Pemba from the Afungi peninsula on Saturday, reported Agence France-Presse. Witnesses also told Human Rights Watch that the attackers killed residents in the surrounding areas of Palma as they asserted control. By Saturday, much of the area was believed to be under militant control. The attackers are believed to be members of Ansar Al Sunna, which is reportedly affiliated with ISIS.
Colombia—Military Steps Up Presence Along Venezuelan Border Colombia Reports | 03/29/2021 The Colombian military has increased its strength along the border with Venezuela following clashes between militants and Venezuelan troops, reports Colombia Reports. Gen. Maricio Jose Zabala, the head of Colombia's 8th Army Division, announced on March 25 that more troops were being sent to the border on the orders of Defense Minister Diego Molano. The move came after the Venezuelan Defense Ministry announced on March 22 that two soldiers had been killed in recent fighting with militants in the southwestern Apure state, Reuters reported at the time. More than 3,000 Venezuelans fled to Colombia's northeastern Arauca department over the last week due to fighting between government forces and militants, the governor said. There have been growing clashes between dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Venezuelan military along the border. Illegal armed groups have also been fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes and extorting migrants fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
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