Good Tuesday Morning March 9 .
I hope that your week has started well. Early reminder on the time change this weekend
Regards,
Skip.
Today in Naval History
March 9
1847
An Army-Navy force begins the siege of Veracruz, Mexico. Approximately 12,000 U.S. troops land on the beaches, along with their horses, mules, artillery, and supplies. Veracruz surrenders March 29, and the forces make their way to Mexico City.
1862
In the first battle between ironclads, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia engage in close combat in Hampton Roads, Va. Neither side could claim victory, but it eventually ends the era of wooden ships.
1919
The first flight from a battleship platform is made by Lt. Cmdr. Edward O. McDonnell in a Sopwith Camel from turret No. 2 of USS Texas (BB 35) while anchored at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
1944
USS Lapon (SS 260), while pursuing a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sank two freighters and survived a counterattack by Japanese gunboat.
1952
USS Samuel N. Moore (DD 747) and HMS Morecambe Bay silence enemy shore batteries firing at USS Merganser (AMS-26) near Songjin, Korea.
1991
USS Cowpens (CG 63) is commissioned in Charleston, S.C. The 17th of her 27-ship Ticonderoga-class of guided-missile cruisers, Cowpens.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• USNI News reported the IKE CSG entered the Mediterranean Sea following exercises with Morocco.
• The Daily Press interviewed Sailors from USS Gerald R. Ford and reported about the progress of EMALS.
• The Capital Gazette reported Midshipmen at USNA will begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as early as Thursday
Today in History: March 9
1617 The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the occupation of Northern Russia by Swedish troops.
1734 The Russians take Danzig (Gdansk) in Poland.
1788 Connecticut becomes the 5th state.
1796 Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais in Paris, France.
1812 Swedish Pomerania is seized by Napoleon.
1820 Congress passes the Land Act, paving the way for westward expansion.
1839 The French Academy of Science announces the Daguerreotype photo process.
1841 The rebel slaves who seized a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, in 1839 are freed by the Supreme Court despite Spanish demands for extradition.
1862 The first and last battle between the ironclads U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia ends in a draw.
1864 General Ulysses Grant is appointed commander-in-chief of the Union forces.
1911 The funding for five new battleships is added to the British military defense budget.
1915 The Germans take Grodno on the Eastern Front.
1916 Mexican bandit Pancho Villa leads 1,500 horsemen on a raid of Columbus, N.M. killing 17 U.S. soldiers and citizens.
1932 Eamon De Valera is elected president of the Irish Free State and pledges to abolish all loyalty to the British Crown.
1936 The German press warns that all Jews who vote in the upcoming elections will be arrested.
1939 Czech President Emil Hacha ousts pro-German Joseph Tiso as the Premier of Slovakia in order to preserve Czech unity.
1940 Britain frees captured Italian coal ships on the eve of German Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop's visit to Rome.
1956 British authorities arrest and deport Archbishop Makarios from Cyprus. He is accused of supporting terrorists.
1957 Egyptian leader Nasser bars U.N. plans to share the tolls for the use of the Suez Canal.
1959 The Barbie doll is unveiled at a toy fair in New York City.
1964 The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.
1967 Svetlana Alliluyeva, Josef Stalin's daughter defects to the United States.
1968 General William Westmoreland asks for 206,000 more troops in Vietnam.
1975 Iraq launches an offensive against the rebellious Kurds.
1986 Navy divers find the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger along with the remains of the astronauts.
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Quotes
Submitted by Mike Bolier:
Moments of Clarity
· As I sat, strapped in my seat waiting during the countdown, one thought kept crossing my mind…every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.--John Glenn
· America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.--David Letterman
· I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. I'm a billionaire.--Howard Hughes
· After the game, the King and the Pawn go into the same box.--Italian proverb
· The only reason they say 'Women and children first' is to test the strength of the lifeboats.--Jean Kerr
· I've been married to a communist and a fascist, and neither would take out the garbage.--Zsa Zsa Gabor
· When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife.--Prince Philip
· A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing.--Emo Philips.
· Wood burns faster when you have to cut and chop it yourself.--Harrison Ford
· The best cure for sea sickness, is to sit under a tree.--Spike Milligan
· Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke.--Robin Hall
· Kill one man and you're a murderer, kill a million and you're a conqueror.--Jean Rostand.
· Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.--Arnold Schwarzenegger.
· We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea.--W. H. Auden
· If life were fair Elvis would still be alive today and all the impersonators would be dead.--Johnny Carson
· I don't believe in astrology. I am a Sagittarius and we're very skeptical.--Arthur C Clarke
· Hollywood must be the only place on earth where you can be fired by a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a baseball cap.--Steve Martin
· Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is.--Jimmy Durante
· America is so advanced that even the chairs are electric.--Doug Hamwell
· The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone.--George Roberts
· If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport.--Jonathan Winters
· I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.--Robert Benchley
· The weather person is the only person that I know, that can be wrong 99.9 % of the time and still have a job the next day.--Johnny Carson
Submitted by Mark Logan:
Best Comebacks in History
· Philip of Macedonia in a message to Sparta: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into you land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city."
Sparta's reply: "If."
· Abraham Lincoln after being called 'two-faced': "If I had two faces, do you think I'd be wearing this one?"
· Mark Twain: "I've never killed a man, but I've read many an obituary with a great deal of satisfaction."
· Reporter: "How many people work at the Vatican?"
Pope John XXIII: "About half."
· Reverend Edward Everett Hale when asked if he prayed for the Senators: "No. I look at the Senators and pray for the country."
· Opera audience member: "What do you think of the singer's execution?"
Calvin Coolidge: "I'm all for it."
· Playwright Noel Coward: "Edna, you almost look like a man."
Novelist Edna Ferber: "So do you."
· Bessie Braddock: "Winston, you are drunk, and what's more you are a disgusting drunk."
Winston Churchill: "Bessie, my dear, you are ugly, and what's more, you re disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be disgustingly ugly."
· Henry Clay: "I would rather be right than be President."
Thomas Reed: "The gentleman need not trouble himself. He'll never be either."
· A House member, after rubbing Speaker Nicholas Longworth's bald head: "Nice and smooth, feels just like my wife's bottom."
Longworth, running his own hand over his head: "Indeed, it does."
· Actress: "I enjoyed reading your book. Who wrote it for you?"
Author Ilka Chase: "Darling, I'm so glad that you liked it. Who read it to you?"
· Dorothy Parker: "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you."
President Calvin Coolidge: "You lose."
· Shaw: Have reserved two tickets for opening night. Come and bring a friend, if you have one."
Churchill: "Impossible to come to first night. Will come to second night, if you have one."
· Drunk man: "I can't bear fools."
Dorothy Parker: "Apparently your mother could."
· Groucho Marx: "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."
· NY Mayor Ed Koch to Andrew Kirtzman: "I can explain this to you; I can't comprehend it for you."
· Frank Sinatra on Robert Redford: "Well at least he has found his true love—what a pity he can't marry himself."
· Senator Fritz Hollings when challenged by his Republican opponent, Henry Mcmastor: "I'll take a drug test, if you'll take an IQ test."
· Member of British Parliament: "Mr. Churchill, must you fall asleep while I'm speaking?"
Winston Churchill: "No, it's purely voluntary."
· Reporter: "What do you think of Western civilization?"
Mahatma Gandhi: "I think it would be a good idea."
Submitted by Al Schlegel:
Phyllis Diller Quotes
· Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance?
· Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
· A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.
· The reason women don't play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public.
· Best way to get rid of kitchen odors: Eat out.
· A bachelor is a guy who never made the same mistake once.
· I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them.
· Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.
· Aim high, and you won't shoot your foot off.
· Any time three New Yorkers get into a cab without an argument, a bank has just been robbed.
· We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.
· Burt Reynolds once asked me out. I was in his room.
· You know you're old if your walker has an airbag.
· I'm eighteen years behind in my ironing.
· What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.
· The only time I ever enjoyed ironing was the day I accidentally put gin in the steam iron.
· I've been asked to say a couple of words about my husband, Fang. How about short and cheap?
· His finest hour lasted a minute and a half.
· Old age is when the liver spots show through your gloves.
· My photographs don't do me justice – they just look like me.
· There's so little money in my bank account, my scenic checks show a ghetto.
· I admit, I have a tremendous sex drive. My boyfriend lives forty miles away.
· My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor.
· Tranquilizers work only if you follow the advice on the bottle – keep away from children.
· I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'
· The reason the golf pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing.
· You know you're old if your blood type has been discontinued.
Submitted by Lauren Roesner:
When Insults Had Class...
· A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."
· "He had delusions of adequacy."--Walter Kerr
· "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."---Winston Churchill
· "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."--William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
· "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."--Moses Hadas
· "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."--Mark Twain
· "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."--Oscar Wilde
· "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."--Stephen Bishop
· "He is a self-made man and worships his creator."--John Bright
· "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."--Irvin S. Cobb
· "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."--Samuel Johnson
· "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."---Paul Keating
· "In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily."--Charles, Count Talleyrand
· "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."--Forrest Tucker
· "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"--Mark Twain
· "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."--Mae West
· "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."--Oscar Wilde
· "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination."--Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
· "He has Van Gogh's ear for music."--Billy Wilder
· "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it."--Groucho Marx
Have a great week,
Al
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Thanks to Mud
Navy Blue Angels, Air Force Thunderbirds form first ever 'Super Delta' formation | American Military News
Super Delta' formation | American Military News
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Thanks to Barrel
What a great piece of work by this gentleman putting this little B-17 together.
Not a model - it flies!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/E-1_JwlHO-8
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED
Thanks to the Bear
Tuesday, 9 March 2021... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🤩
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War—9 March 1966...
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com...
"Tempo of AirOps Intensifies" and Roy Cash has a tale to tell....
And Tom Brown goes to Washington...
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-9-march-1966-2/
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 9
1938 – Comedian Bob Hope makes his first film appearance, singing "Thanks for the Memories" in The Big Broadcast of 1938. Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England, in 1903 and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, at age four. The son of a stonemason and a former concert singer, Hope worked as a newsboy, a soda jerk, a shoe salesman, and a boxer (under the name "Packy East") in his teens. Later, he joined the vaudeville circuit with a song-and-dance routine, making his debut in 1924 in a Fatty Arbuckle revue. Hope began appearing in comedy shorts in the 1930s. He appeared on Broadway for the first time in 1933 and made his radio debut in 1935 as a cast member of The Intimate Revue. In 1938, he was picked to star in The Big Broadcast. Since he had already committed to a radio contract in New York at the same time, he moved to Hollywood to film the movie, and delivered his radio monologues via a long-distance wire hook-up to the New York studio. Hope's popularity grew in 1939 with the film Cat and the Canary. In 1940, he co-starred with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in the Road to Singapore, the first of seven Road movies he made with Crosby and Lamour. In most of the years between 1941 and 1953, Hope ranked among Hollywood's Top 10 moneymaking stars. He regularly appeared on television shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. From 1953 to 1994, he hosted a Christmas television special that was broadcast internationally. Hope also tirelessly entertained American troops stationed throughout the world during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. He made more than 700 trips to American military bases and hospitals around the world, entertaining some 10,000 troops. These efforts earned him five special Academy Awards and the nickname "Mr. Humanitarian." President John F. Kennedy once called him "America's most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the world," and the United States Congress made him an "honorary veteran" in 1997-an unprecedented gesture. Hope has won more than 2,000 awards and citations, including 54 honorary doctorates, an honorary knighthood, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1985, he was awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Achievement. His accolades earned him the title "Most Decorated and Honored Entertainer" in the Guinness Book of Records.
1945 – U.S. warplanes launch a new bombing offensive against Japan, dropping 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo. Almost 16 square miles in and around the Japanese capital were incinerated, and between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history. Early on March 9, Air Force crews met on the Mariana Islands of Tinian and Saipan for a military briefing. They were planning a low-level bombing attack on Tokyo that would begin that evening, but with a twist: Their planes would be stripped of all guns except for the tail turret. The decrease in weight would increase the speed of each Superfortress bomber-and would also increase its bomb load capacity by 65 percent, making each plane able to carry more than seven tons. Speed would be crucial, and the crews were warned that if they were shot down, all haste was to be made for the water, which would increase their chances of being picked up by American rescue crews. Should they land within Japanese territory, they could only expect the very worst treatment by civilians, as the mission that night was going to entail the deaths of tens of thousands of those very same civilians. "You're going to deliver the biggest firecracker the Japanese have ever seen," said U.S. Gen. Curtis LeMay. The cluster bombing of the downtown Tokyo suburb of Shitamachi had been approved only a few hours earlier. Shitamachi was composed of roughly 750,000 people living in cramped quarters in wooden-frame buildings. Setting ablaze this "paper city" was a kind of experiment in the effects of firebombing; it would also destroy the light industries, called "shadow factories," that produced prefabricated war materials destined for Japanese aircraft factories. The denizens of Shitamachi never had a chance of defending themselves. Their fire brigades were hopelessly undermanned, poorly trained, and poorly equipped. At 5:34 p.m., Superfortress B-29 bombers took off from Saipan and Tinian, reaching their target at 12:15 a.m. on March 10. Three hundred and thirty-four bombers, flying at a mere 500 feet, dropped their loads, creating a giant bonfire fanned by 30-knot winds that helped raze Shitamachi and spread the flames throughout Tokyo. Masses of panicked and terrified Japanese civilians scrambled to escape the inferno, most unsuccessfully. The human carnage was so great that the blood-red mists and stench of burning flesh that wafted up sickened the bomber pilots, forcing them to grab oxygen masks to keep from vomiting. The raid lasted slightly longer than three hours. "In the black Sumida River, countless bodies were floating, clothed bodies, naked bodies, all black as charcoal. It was unreal," recorded one doctor at the scene. Only 243 American airmen were lost-considered acceptable losses.
1953 – Responding to press reports that U.S. pilots routinely pursued communist jets across the Manchurian border, Commander in Chief Far East asserted that UN pilots broke off engagements at the Yalu River boundary, enabling many damaged MiGs to escape, although some border violations might have occurred in the heat of combat. Informing the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff that air operations in Korea were conducted strictly within limitations established by appropriate authority, he also directed Far East Air Forces to comply with directives concerning violation of the Manchurian border.
1970 – The U.S. Marines turn over control of the five northernmost provinces in South Vietnam to the U.S. Army. The Marines had been responsible for this area since they first arrived in South Vietnam in 1965. The change in responsibility for this area was part of President Richard Nixon's initiative to reduce U.S. troop levels as the South Vietnamese accepted more responsibility for the fighting. After the departure of the 3rd Marine Division from Vietnam in late 1969, the 1st Marine Division was the only marine division left operating in South Vietnam.
1974 – Last Japanese soldier, a guerrilla operating in Philippines, surrendered, 29 years after World War II ended.
2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights and 149 million miles. NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process, as part of the national collection. Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Discovery was transported to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17, 2012, and was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy on April 19 where a welcome ceremony was held. Afterwards, at around 5: 30 pm, Discovery was rolled to its "final wheels stop" in the Udvar Hazy Center
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CLUTE, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 14th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Bentonville, N.C., 19 March 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Marathon, Mich. Date of issue: 26 August 1898. Citation: In a charge, captured the flag of the 40th North Carolina (C.S.A.), the flag being taken in a personal encounter with an officer who carried and defended it.
WILLIAMS, PETER
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1831, Norway, Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor, Hampton Roads, 9 March 1862. During the engagement between the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Merrimack, Williams gallantly served throughout the engagement as quartermaster, piloting the Monitor throughout the battle in which the Merrimack, after being damaged, retired from the scene of the battle.
*JULIAN, JOSEPH RODOLPH
Rank and organization: Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 3 April 1918, Sturbridge, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a P/Sgt. serving with the 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 9 March 1945. Determined to force a breakthrough when Japanese troops occupying trenches and fortified positions on the left front laid down a terrific machinegun and mortar barrage in a desperate effort to halt his company's advance, P/Sgt. Julian quickly established his platoon's guns in strategic supporting positions, andthen, acting on his own initiative, fearlessly moved forward to execute a 1-man assault on the nearest pillbox. Advancing alone, he hurled deadly demolition and white phosphorus grenades into the emplacement, killing 2 of the enemy and driving the remaining 5 out into the adjoining trench system. Seizing a discarded rifle, he jumped into the trench and dispatched the 5 before they could make an escape. Intent on wiping out all resistance, he obtained more explosives and, accompanied by another marine, again charged the hostile fortifications and knocked out 2 more cave positions. Immediately thereafter, he launched a bazooka attack unassisted, firing 4 rounds into the 1 remaining pillbox and completely destroying it before he fell, mortally wounded by a vicious burst of enemy fire. Stouthearted and indomitable, P/Sgt. Julian consistently disregarded all personal danger and, by his bold decision, daring tactics, and relentless fighting spirit during a critical phase of the battle, contributed materially to the continued advance of his company and to the success of his division's operations in the sustained drive toward the conquest of this fiercely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His outstanding valor and unfaltering spirit of self-sacrifice throughout the bitter conflict sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
HARVEY, RAYMOND
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company C, 17th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Taemi-Dong, Korea, 9 March 1951. Entered service at: Pasadena, Calif. Born: 1 March 1920 Ford City, Pa. G.O. No.: 67, 2 August 1951. Citation: Capt. Harvey Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. When his company was pinned down by a barrage of automatic weapons fire from numerous well-entrenched emplacements, imperiling accomplishment of its mission, Capt. Harvey braved a hail of fire and exploding grenades to advance to the first enemy machine gun nest, killing its crew with grenades. Rushing to the edge of the next emplacement, he killed its crew with carbine fire. He then moved the 1st Platoon forward until it was again halted by a curtain of automatic fire from well fortified hostile positions. Disregarding the hail of fire, he personally charged and neutralized a third emplacement. Miraculously escaping death from intense crossfire, Capt. Harvey continued to lead the assault. Spotting an enemy pillbox well camouflaged by logs, he moved close enough to sweep the emplacement with carbine fire and throw grenades through the openings, annihilating its 5 occupants. Though wounded he then turned to order the company forward, and, suffering agonizing pain, he continued to direct the reduction of the remaining hostile positions, refusing evacuation until assured that the mission would be accomplished. Capt. Harvey's valorous and intrepid actions served as an inspiration to his company, reflecting the utmost glory upon himself and upholding the heroic traditions of the military service.
JACOBS, JACK H.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Element, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Kien Phong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9 March 1968. Entered service at: Trenton, N.J. Born: 2 August 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Jacobs (then 1st Lt.), Infantry, distinguished himself while serving as assistant battalion advisor, 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The 2d Battalion was advancing to contact when it came under intense heavy machine gun and mortar fire from a Viet Cong battalion positioned in well fortified bunkers. As the 2d Battalion deployed into attack formation its advance was halted by devastating fire. Capt. Jacobs, with the command element of the lead company, called for and directed air strikes on the enemy positions to facilitate a renewed attack. Due to the intensity of the enemy fire and heavy casualties to the command group, including the company commander, the attack stopped and the friendly troops became disorganized. Although wounded by mortar fragments, Capt. Jacobs assumed command of the allied company, ordered a withdrawal from the exposed position and established a defensive perimeter. Despite profuse bleeding from head wounds which impaired his vision, Capt. Jacobs, with complete disregard for his safety, returned under intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to the safety of a wooded area where he administered lifesaving first aid. He then returned through heavy automatic weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company commander. Capt. Jacobs made repeated trips across the fire-swept open rice paddies evacuating wounded and their weapons. On 3 separate occasions, Capt. Jacobs contacted and drove off Viet Cong squads who were searching for allied wounded and weapons, single-handedly killing 3 and wounding several others. His gallant actions and extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 1 U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers. Through his effort the allied company was restored to an effective fighting unit and prevented defeat of the friendly forces by a strong and determined enemy. Capt. Jacobs, by his gallantry and bravery in action in the highest traditions of the military service, has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
ADKINS, BENNIE G.
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class. U.S. Army, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and Date: Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, March 9-12, 1966. Entered Service At: Waurika, Oklahoma. Born: 1 February 1934, Waurika, Okla. Departed: No. G.O. Number:. Date of Issue: 09/15/2014. Accredited To:. Citation: Sergeant First Class Adkins distinguished himself during the period 9 March 1966 to 12 March 1966 during combat operations at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam. When the camp was attacked by a large Viet Cong force, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense hostile fire and manned a mortar position. Although he was wounded, he ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several of his comrades to safety. When the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. During the evacuation of a seriously wounded American, Sergeant First Class Adkins maneuvered outside the camp walls to draw fire and successfully covered the rescue. During the early morning hours of 10 March 1966, a Viet Cong regiment launched their main attack. Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. Although he was painfully wounded and most of his crew was killed or wounded, he fought off the fanatical waves of attacking Viet Cong. After withdrawing to a communications bunker where several Americans were attempting to fight off a company of Viet Cong, Sergeant First Class Adkins killed numerous insurgents with his suppressive fire. Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered the vital ammunition, and ran through intense fire back to the communications bunker. After being ordered to evacuate the camp, all signal equipment and classified documents were destroyed. Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of men fought their way out of the camp and evaded the Viet Cong for two days until they were rescued by a helicopter. Sergeant First Class Adkins' extraordinary heroism in close combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 9, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 March
1927: The Navy bought its first transport, the JR-1 trimotor, from the Ford Motor Company. (24) Capt Hawthorne C. Gray set an FAI altitude record of 28,510 feet for subclass A-8 (2,200 to 3,000 cubic meters capacity and A-9 balloons (3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters). (9)
1940: TSgt T. A. Petra (USMC) piloted an AD-17A Beechcraft biplane to 21,050 feet in altitude--a probable record altitude above Antarctica--to measure cosmic rays for the US Antarctic Expedition. (5)
1945: Changing tactics to low-altitude flights to double the bombload, the XXI Bomber Command dispatched more than 300 B-29s on an incendiary night raid from the Marianas Islands against Tokyo. They destroyed about 25 percent of the city. Previously, the bombers conducted high altitude daylight attacks against specific targets. (21)
1955: In a F-84F Thunderstreak, Lt Col Robert R. Scott set a 3-hour, 44-minute, 53-second record for the 2,446-mile flight from Los Angeles to New York. (9) (24)
1956: The Boeing B-52C Stratofortress first flew. (5) Hollywood filmed "Toward the Unknown" at Edwards AFB. (5)
1959: F-102 CONVERSION. The 16 FIS at Naha AB, Okinawa, became the first squadron in PACAF to convert to Convair's F-102 Delta Dagger. The unit, previously equipped with F-86D Sabres, became operationally ready later in September. (17)
1971: Thomas C. McMurtry, a NASA engineer and pilot, flew an F-8 fighter with a supercritical wing for the first time. (5)
1976: The Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council approved the M-X concept, the system validation plans, and the preference for the buried trench basing. (6) After a coal mine disaster in Whitesburg, Ky., two 314 TAW C-130s from Little Rock AFB airlifted rescue teams and equipment. (18)
1977: The 354 TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB received the first A-10 for hands-on training. (11)
1979: Cadet Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, graduated from undergraduate pilot training at Reese AFB, Texas. (16) Operation FLYING STAR. Two E-3 AWACS deployed to Saudi Arabia to respond to a threat to that country's southern border. (21)
1993: A Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird came out of retirement to fly a scientific flight for NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB. The aircraft, outfitted with an ultraviolet video camera, flew to nearly 83,000 feet to collect 140,000 images of stars and comets (20)
1998: Through 9 April, Air Mobility Command performed 104 airlift and 110 air refueling missions for a 6-nation tour of Africa. On 22 March, President Clinton--with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, and a large official party on Air Force One-- left Andrews AFB on a 12-day journey through sub-Saharan Africa. It was the first time a sitting American president had visited Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana, and Senegal. (22)
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World News for 9 March thanks to Military Periscope
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