Good Easter Sunday Morning April 4.
I hope you are all enjoying a great weekend
Regards,
Skip.
This Day In Naval History – April 4
1776
Continental Navy Frigate Columbus captures the British schooner HMS Hawk, making the first American capture of a British armed vessel. Columbus later captures the British brig Bolton.
1854
American and British naval brigades of 90 and 150 men engage Chinese Imperial troops at Shanghai after acts of aggression against American and British citizens. The American party fell under the command of Cmdr. J. Kelly, the commanding officer of USS Plymouth.
1933
USS Akron (ZRS-4)crashes tail-first into the sea due to a violent storm coming off the New Jersey coast, killing Rear Adm. William A. Moffett, Medal of Honor recipient and the first Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, along with 75 others. Only three survive.
1943
USS Porpoise (SS 172) sinks the Japanese whaling ship Koa Maru near Eniwetok.
1949
The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The treaty promotes peace, stability, and well-being in the North Atlantic area with a collective defense effort.
1981
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) is launched and commissioned the following year. She is named in honor of Ensign Groves for "fearlessly plunging into aerial combat against large formations of enemy aircraft threatening the American carriers in the Battle of Midway."
Thanks to CHINFO
No CHINFO on the weekends
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This Day in World History
April 4
527 | In Constantinople, Justin, seriously ill, crowns his nephew Justinian as his co-emperor. | |
1581 | Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world. | |
1812 | The territory of Orleans becomes the 18th state and will become known as Louisiana. | |
1818 | The United States flag is declared to have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars. | |
1841 | President William Henry Harrison, aged 68, becomes the first president to die in office, just a month after being sworn in. | |
1862 | The Battle of Yorktown begins as Union gen. George B. McClellan closes in on Richmond, Va. | |
1917 | The U.S. Senate votes 90-6 to enter World War I on Allied side. | |
1918 | The Battle of the Somme ends. | |
1941 | Field Marshal Erwin Rommel captures the British held town of Benghazi in North Africa. | |
1949 | The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty is signed. | |
1968 | Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. | |
1974 | Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record. | |
1979 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the president of Pakistan is executed. | |
1985 | A coup in Sudan ousts President Nimeiry and replaces him with General Dahab. |
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Thanks to Carl
The People Behind the Way We Live [Infographic]
Do you know how most of the inventions you use every day really came to be? Check out the following infographic for some interesting facts about many "technologies" that we now take for granted.
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Lest we forget thanks to Clint
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
If a person lives long enough they realize they can learn new things every day. It's part of America's history and this video is really awesome.
Too bad this video can't be shown before all events to remind everyone why The National Anthem is played. Younger generations have yet to
understand what this country is all about. Next time you see hats on, people not standing at attention with their hand over their heart while our
National Anthem is played, remember this video. Also remember, we have some misguided persons who want to change our National Anthem
because they feel the Star Spangled Banner is just too combative and portrays violence. It is from violence that we, as Americans, became a
"free nation." Lest we forget!
Click below for a great video and perhaps a much greater understanding of the history of America and our National Anthem.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ YaxGNQE5ZLA
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Thanks to Brown Bear
HE IS RISEN!
Christ, The Son of our Almighty God: Betrayed by one of us, tortured and killed by his enemies, He died for our sins. However, as promised in the Scriptures: "The stone was rolled away and He has risen to join Our Father in heaven." The really great news is He is inviting us to join him there!
Can there really be a better place to live than what He provided us in our beautiful America?
When God created earth, He created a special fortress on the opposite side of the world from where his Son Jesus would be born. He surrounded that fortress with mighty oceans, and blessed It with every possible human need, in abundance. It was at first occupied by simple God-fearing people whose name for him was Great Spirit. Isolated within the fortress, they lived separate but equal lives, sharing the abundance God had created for them. When the religion which God had initially bestowed upon people on the other side of His world became threatened by the followers of Satan, our Savior provided them with safe passage to his Fortress America. That's where we came in, and where we all found the freedom to live together in peace and prosperity, as we thanked God every day for our existence.
Now, forces of evil defy the blessings of Our God, and utilize the inventions and technology that made all our lives easier and more fulfilling, into weapons to destroy us. Over the last 275 years, God-fearing Christian Americans have ventured from our fortress to defend those unable to defend themselves. Through His Grace, we prevailed! Millions of us sacrificed, many of us died, that all God's children might live free to worship Him.
Almost unbelievably, a generation of Americans has now failed our once proud Godly nation! We let our guard down, our fortress has been penetrated, and we are now on the eve of annihilation. As our loving God defended our fortress with His life we must now be willing to sacrifice our own.
Christ died and rose to Heaven to save us, let us now rise to save and preserve the Fortress He gave us!
Respectfully Submitted,
Captain Richard Schaffert, United States Navy, God Fearing Christian
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From the List a year ago when toilet paper was hard to get
Thanks to Dr.Rich
Thanks to Michael ...
Sue would say "TMI"...
The History of Toilet Paper
With the run on toilet paper that we've had, it's nice to learn about its origin.
This is a bit of history that will truly make us thankful. We definitely need to thank the Chinese. Sometimes it's good to read something that makes you smile! I know that you have always been curious, so now you'll know.
1. The first recorded use of toilet paper was in 6th Century China.
2. By the 14th Century, the Chinese government was mass-producing it.
3. Packaged toilet paper wasn't sold in the United States until 1857.
4. Joseph Gayety, the man who introduced packaged TP to the U.S., had his name printed on every sheet.
5. Global toilet paper demand uses nearly 30,000 trees every day - that's 10 million trees a year.
6. It wasn't until 1935 that a manufacturer was able to promise Splinter-Free Toilet Paper.
7. Seven percent of Americans admit to stealing rolls of toilet paper from hotels.
8. Americans use an average of 8.6 sheets of toilet paper per trip to the bathroom.
9. The average roll has 333 sheets.
10. Historically, what you use to wipe depended on your income level.
11. In the Middle Ages, they used something called a gompf stick, which was just an actual stick used to scrape.
12. Wealthy Romans used wool soaked in rose water, and French royalty used lace.
13. Other things that were used before toilet paper include hay, corn cobs, sticks, stones, sand, moss, hemp, wool, husks, fruit peels, ferns, sponges, seashells, knotted ropes, and broken pottery (ouch!).
14. Seventy-to-75% of the world still doesn't use toilet paper because it is too expensive or there is not sufficient plumbing.
15. In many Western European countries, bidets are seen as more effective and preferable to toilet paper.
16. Colored toilet paper was popular in the U.S. until the 1940s.
17. The reason toilet paper disintegrates so quickly when wet is that the fibers used to make it are very short.
18. On the International Space Station, they still use regular toilet paper, but it has to be sealed in special containers and compressed.
19. During Desert Storm, the U.S. Army used toilet paper to camouflage their tanks.
20. In 1973, Johnny Carson caused a toilet paper shortage. He said as a joke that there was a shortage, when there wasn't, until everyone believed him and ran out to buy up the supply. It took three weeks for some stores to get more stock.
21. There is a contest sponsored by Charmin to design and make wedding dresses out of toilet paper. The winner gets $2,000.
22. There was a toilet paper museum in Wisconsin--the Madison Museum of Bathroom Tissue--but it closed in 2000.
23. The museum once had over 3,000 rolls of TP from places all over the world, including The Guggenheim, Ellis Island, and Graceland.
24. There is still a virtual toilet paper museum called Nobody's Perfect.
25. In 1996, President Clinton passed a Toilet Paper Tax of 6 cents per roll, a tax that is still in effect today.
26. The Pentagon uses, on average, 666 rolls of toilet paper a day.
27. The most expensive toilet paper in the world is the Portuguese brand, Renova.
28. Renova is a three-ply, perfumed paper, costs $3 per roll, and comes in several colors including black, red, blue, and green.
29. The CEO of Renova came up with the idea for black toilet paper while he was at a Cirque du Soleil show.
30. Beyoncé uses only red Renova toilet paper.
31. Kris Jenner uses only the black Renova toilet paper.
32. If you hang your toilet paper so you can pull it from the bottom, you're considered more intelligent than someone who pulls it from the top. (Wonder how this was determined?)
33. Koji Suzuki, a Japanese horror novelist best known for writing The Ring, had an entire novel printed on a single roll of toilet paper.
34. The novel takes place in a public bathroom, and the entire story runs approximately three-feet long.
35. When asked what necessity they would bring to a desert island, 49% of people said toilet paper before food.
36. Queen Elizabeth II wipes her royal bottom with silk handkerchiefs. Wonder if the royal chambermaid gets to wash those?? Yeah, sure wouldn't want that job!
37. Muslims wipe their bums with their bare hand---always the left hand. They eat with their right hand. If you are caught shop-lifting, your right hand is cut off, forcing you to eat with your poopy left hand. Yeeeechdt!
Relax! This history was sent to you using my right hand.
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Thanks to Dutch
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Thanks to Carl
Ray Stevens - Come to the USA
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WgOHOHKBEqE?feature=player_detailpage
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Thanks to Barrel …………if I saved a lot maybe I could afford a windshield wiper
How much is it to maintain your Bugatti?
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Thanks to Dick
This man owned and drove the same car for 82 years.
This person had a great start in life, an early exotic present.
Mr. Allen Swift: Born - 1908 - Died 2010
This man owned and drove the same car for 82 years.
Can you imagine even having the same car for 82 years?
Mr. Allen Swift (Springfield, Massachusetts) received this
1928 Rolls-Royce Piccadilly-P1 Roadster
from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in 1928.
He drove it up until his death... At the age of 102.
He was the oldest living owner of a car that was purchased
new.
Rolls Royce Phantom I 1928
It was donated to a Springfield museum after his death.
It has 1,070,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch,
dead silent at any speed and is in perfect cosmetic
condition.
82 years - That's approximately 13,048 miles per year
(1087 per month). 1,070,000 that's miles not kilometres.
That's British engineering of a bygone era.
Don't think they make them like this anymore.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED thanks to the Bear
Sunday, 4 April 2021... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
ROLLING THUNDER JOURNAL post for 4 April 1966 From the archives of http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com
"Rolling Thunder 50...a turf fight"
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-4-april-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…April 4
1776 – The first Columbus, a 24-gun armed ship, was built at Philadelphia in
1774 as Sally; purchased for the Continental Navy in November 1775, Captain Abraham Whipple in command. Between 17 February and 8 April 1776, in company with the other ships of Commodore Esek Hopkins' squadron, Columbus took part in the expedition to New Providence, Bahamas, where the first Navy-Marine amphibious operation seized essential military supplies. On the return passage, the squadron captured the British schooner, Hawk.
1918 – During World War I, the Second Battle of the Somme, the first major German offensive in more than a year, ends on the western front. On March 21, 1918, a major offensive against Allied positions in the Somme River region of France began with five hours of bombardment from more than 9,000 pieces of German artillery. The poorly prepared British Fifth Army was rapidly overwhelmed and forced into retreat. For a week, the Germans pushed toward Paris, shelling the city from a distance of 80 miles with their "Big Bertha" cannons. However, the poorly supplied German troops soon became exhausted, and the Allies halted the German advance as French artillery knocked out the German guns besieging Paris. On April 2, U.S. General John J. Pershing sent American troops down into the trenches to help defend Paris and repulse the German offensive. It was the first major deployment of U.S. troops in World War I. Several thousand American troops fought alongside the British and French in the Second Battle of Somme. By the time the Somme offensive ended on April 4, the Germans had advanced almost 40 miles, inflicted some 200,000 casualties, and captured 70,000 prisoners and more than 1,000 Allied guns. However, the Germans suffered nearly as many casualties as their enemies and lacked the fresh reserves and supply boost the Allies enjoyed following the American entrance into the fighting.
1945 – On Okinawa, the forces of US 10th Army begin to meet the first real Japanese resistance on the ground. Troops of US 24th Corps are brought to a halt on a line just south of Kuba while the forces of 3rd Amphibious Corps have reached the Ishikawa Isthmus. A storm damages many landing craft and hampers further reinforcement.
1973 – A Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, makes the last flight of Operation Homecoming. Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and now in a museum. From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 C-141 missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POWs home. Each plane brought back 40 POWs. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war. After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered. These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees well being. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them.
1975 – The first group of boat people from Vietnam began arriving in Malaysia. More than 1 million people fled from the close of the war to the early 1980s.
1975 – A major U.S. airlift of South Vietnamese orphans begins with disaster when an Air Force cargo jet crashes shortly after departing from Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon. More than 138 passengers, mostly children, were killed. Operation Baby Lift was designed to bring 2,000 South Vietnamese orphans to the United States for adoption by American parents. Baby Lift lasted for 10 days and was carried out during the final, desperate phase of the war, as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon. Although this first flight ended in tragedy, all subsequent flights were completed safely, and Baby Lift aircraft brought orphans across the Pacific until the mission's conclusion on April 14, only 16 days before the fall of Saigon and the end of the war.
1983 – The space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage and the first US female into space was Sally Ride. Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was the second orbiter of NASA's space shuttle program to be put into service following Columbia. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California. It launched and landed nine times before breaking apart 73 seconds into its tenth mission, STS-51-L, on January 28, 1986, resulting in the death of all seven crew members. It was the first of two shuttles to be destroyed. The accident led to a two-and-a-half year grounding of the shuttle fleet; flights resumed in 1988 with STS-26 flown by Discovery. Challenger itself was replaced by Endeavour which was built using structural spares ordered by NASA as part of the construction contracts for Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour launched for the first time in May 1992.
2001 – Chinese President Jiang Zemin demanded the United States apologize for the collision between a U.S. Navy spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet; the Bush administration offered a chorus of regrets, but no apology.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BREWER, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 2d New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox campaign, Va., 4 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Putnam County, N.Y. Date of issue: 3 May 1865. Citation: Capture of engineer flag, Army of Northern Virginia.
RILEY, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 1st Louisiana Cavalry. Place and date: At Fort Blakely, Ala., 4 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 8 June 1865. Citation: Captured the flag of the 6th Alabama Cavalry.
BUCKLEY, HOWARD MAJOR
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 23 January 1868, Croton Falls, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: For distinguished conduct in the presence of the Enemy in battle while with the Eighth Army Corps on 25, 27, 29 March, and 4 April 1899.
LEONARD, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. (Enlisted as Joseph Melvin). Born: 28 August 1876, Cohoes, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy in battles, while with the Eighth Army Corps on 25, 27, and 29 March, and on 4 April 1899.
CONDE-FALCON, FELIX M.
Rank and Organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 82d Division. Place and Date: April 4, 1969, Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam. Born: February 24, 1938, Juncos, Puerto Rico. Departed: Yes (04/04/1969). Entered Service At: Chicago, IL. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 03/18/2014. Accredited To: . Citation: Conde-Falcon distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions, April 4, 1969, while serving as platoon leader during a sweep operation in the vicinity of Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam. Entering a heavily wooded section on the route of advance, the company encountered an extensive enemy bunker complex, later identified as a battalion command post. Following tactical artillery and air strikes on the heavily secured communist position, the platoon of Conde-Falcon was selected to assault and clear the bunker fortifications. Moving out ahead of his platoon, he charged the first bunker, heaving grenades as he went. As the hostile fire increased, he crawled to the blind side of an entrenchment position, jumped to the roof, and tossed a lethal grenade into the bunker aperture. Without hesitating, he proceeded to two additional bunkers, both of which he destroyed in the same manner as the first. Rejoined with his platoon, he advanced about one hundred meters through the trees, only to come under intense hostile fire. Selecting three men to accompany him, he maneuvered toward the enemy's flank position. Carrying a machine-gun, he single-handedly assaulted the nearest fortification, killing the enemy inside before running out of ammunition. After returning to the three men with his empty weapon and taking up an M-16 rifle, he concentrated on the next bunker. Within ten meters of his goal, he was shot by an unseen assailant and soon died of his wounds. His great courage, his ability to act appropriately and decisively in accomplishing his mission, his dedication to the welfare of his men mark him as an outstanding leader Conde-Falcon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
SMITH, PAUL RAY
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, 2nd Platoon, B Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and Date: At Baghdad, Iraq, 4 April 2003. Citation: Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 4, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
4 April
1933: The Navy dirigible Akron crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast, killing 73 people. Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, was one of the casualties. (21)
1944: Fifteenth Air Force conducted the first American bombing raid on Bucharest, Rumania. (24)
1957: The USAF announced that Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation would study the use of ions as a power source for spaceships and missiles. (16) (24)
1963: In a fourth successful system trial, a Kwajalein-based Nike-Zeus anti-ICBM missile intercepted a Titan I ICBM launched from Vandenberg AFB. AMERICAN
1964: After an earthquake hit Anchorage and Seward, Alaska, C-124s airlifted 235,000 pounds of supplies from McChord AFB to the area. The Air Rescue Service flew medical supplies, reconnaissance, and evacuated injured or homeless people. (2)
1966: NASA selected eight new astronauts: Capt Joe H. Engle, Maj William R. Pogue, Capt Charles M. Duke, Jr., Capt Alfred M. Worden, Capt Stuart A. Roosa, Navy Lt Cmdr Edgar D Mitchell and Lt Thomas K. Mattingly, and Mr. Fred W. Haise, Jr.
1969: The X-24 Lifting Body completed its first captive flight with test pilot Maj Jerauld R. Gentry at the controls. (3) MACKAY TROPHY. Through 10 April, from Spangdahlem AB the 49 TFW redeployed its 72 F-4Ds to Holloman AFB, using 504 refuelings. The unit earned the Mackay Trophy for this event. (21)
1972: The USAF renamed the Advanced ICBM as Missile-X. (6)
1974: Northrop's YF-17 prototype lightweight fighter rolled out at Hawthorne, Calif. (3)
1975: Operation NEW LIFE. To evacuate Cambodia and Vietnam, SAC flew tanker and reconnaissance sorties to support the US withdrawal. Through 30 April, MAC C-141s and C-130s, under PACAF's operational control, flew 375 missions to carry 50,493 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees from Indochina to Pacific staging areas. From 12 April to 16 August, Andersen AFB became a temporary haven for some 110,000 refugees who traveled to the US. (1) (18) Operation BABYLIFT/AIR FORCE CROSS: A MAC C-5 crashed in an emergency landing near Saigon, while flying the first mission in this operation. It carried South Vietnamese children and their escorts from Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon to Clark AB. Of the 314 passengers, 176 survived the crash. 1Lt Regina C. Aune, a flight nurse aboard the C-5, ignored broken leg and other injuries to help evacuate nearly 80 children from the plane's wreckage. She received the 1975 Cheney Award for her efforts. The pilot and copilot, Captains Dennis W. Traynor III and Tilford W. Harp, also received the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism. Despite this tragedy, the operation succeeded as C-141s and commercial planes moved 1,794 orphans from South Vietnam and Thailand to the US West Coast through 9 May. (2) (18)
1983: From 4-9 April, in the Space Shuttle Challenger's first mission the crew completed the first American spacewalk in nine years and launched NASA's first tracking and data relay satellite, which failed to reach its proper orbit due to a rocket malfunction. The shuttle landed on 9 April at Edwards AFB. This landing, however, represented the first time a shuttle had to be diverted into Edwards. (3)
1990: McDonnell Douglas provided the last of 60 KC-10A Extenders to the USAF. (16) (26)
1991: SAC assigned KC-10s to TAC's 4th Wing, the first composite wing. SAC remained the single air refueling manager. (18)
1999: Operation SUSTAIN HOPE or SHINING HOPE. A C-17 Globemaster III started this operation by airlifting relief supplies from Dover AFB to Tirana, Albania. By the 8 July end of the humanitarian airlift component of Operation ALLIED FORCE, Air Mobility Command had used C-5s, C-17s, and C-130s to airlift 913 passengers and 5,939 short tons of food and supplies to refugee camps in Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro. (21) (22)
2003: At Edwards AFB, the CV-22 Osprey completed a milestone by successfully flying a terrain following radar sortie. (3)
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SOBERING STATISTICS FROM THE VIETNAM WAR
Thanks to YP ... and Dr. Rich
Got this from a Doggie friend, VN Combat vet. I haven't tried to verify the stats.
Makes me glad to still be gimping around.
And, roger the HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE.
YP
Yes, this is very sobering information. I definitely agree with the statement that the veterans feel that the war wasn't lost by them but those who were in charge and making the decisions.
In case you haven't been paying attention these past few decades after you returned from Vietnam, the clock has been ticking. The following are some statistics that are at once depressing yet in a larger sense should give you a HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE.
"Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served on the ground in Vietnam, Less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest Vietnam veteran's age approximated to be 68 years old."
So, if you're alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last 1/3rd of all the U.S. Vets who served in Vietnam? I don't know about you guys, but it kinda gives me the chills, considering this is the kind of information I'm used to reading about WWII and Korean War vets.
The last 14 years we are dying too fast, only a few will survive by 2028...if any. If true, in 6-10 years you'll be lucky to be a living Vietnam veteran!
These statistics were taken from a variety of sources to include: The VFW Magazine, the Public Information Office, and the HQ CP Forward Observer - 1st Recon .
*STATISTICS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN UNIFORM AND IN COUNTRY VIETNAM VETERANS: *
9,087,000 military personnel served "on active duty" during the Vietnam Era (August 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975).
8,744,000 GIs were "on active duty" during the war (Aug 5, 1964-March 28, 1973).
2,709,918 Americans served on the ground in Vietnam, this number represents 9.7% of their generation.
3,403,100 (Including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the broader Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand, and sailors in adjacent South China Sea waters).
2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of Vietnam (Jan.1, 1965 - March 28, 1973). Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.
Of the 2.6 million, between 1-1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack.
7,484 women (6,250 or 83.5% were nurses) served in Vietnam.
Peak troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1968).
Agent Orange is taking a huge toll on Vietnam Veterans with most deaths somehow related to Agent Orange exposure. No one officially dies of Agent Orange, they die from the exposure which causes ischemic Heart Disease and failure, Lung Cancer, Kidney failure or COPD related disorders.
CASUALTIES:
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him.
Hostile deaths: 47,378
Non-hostile deaths: 10,800
Total: 58,202 (Includes men formerly classified as MIA and Mayaguez casualties). Men who have subsequently died of wounds account for the changing total.
8 nurses died -- 1 was KIA.
61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
Of those killed, 17,539 were married.
Average age of men killed: 23.1 years
Average Age of total Deaths: 23.11 years
Enlisted: 50,274; 22.37 years
Officers: 6,598; 28.43 years
Warrants: 1,276; 24.73 years
E1: 525; 20.34 years
Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
The oldest man killed was 62 years old.
Highest state death rate: West Virginia - 84.1 per 100,000 male population (national average 58.9 for every 100,000 males in 1970).
Wounded: 303,704 -- 153,329 hospitalized + 150,375 injured requiring no hospital care.
Severely disabled: 75,000, -- 23,214: 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
Amputation or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300% higher than in WWII and 70% higher than Korea.
Multiple amputations occurred at the rate of 18.4% compared to 5.7% in WWII
Missing in Action: 2,338
POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity)
As of January 15, 2014, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for, from the Vietnam War.
DRAFTEES VS. VOLUNTEERS :
25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees. (66% of U.S. armed forces members were drafted during WWII).
Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.
Reservists killed: 5,977
National Guard: 6,140 served: 101 died.
Total draftees (1965 - 73): 1,728,344.
Draftees who actually served in Vietnam: 38% Marine Corps Draft: 42,633.
Last man drafted: June 30, 1973.
RACE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND:
88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian; 10.6% (275,000) were black; 1% belonged to other races.
86.3% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasian (includes Hispanics);
12.5% (7,241) were black;
1.2% belonged to other races.
170,000 Hispanics served in Vietnam; 3,070 (5.2% of total) died there.
70% of enlisted men killed were of North-west European descent.
86.8% of the men who were killed as a result of hostile action were Caucasian; 12.1% (5,711) were black; 1.1% belonged to other races.
14.6% (1,530) of non-combat deaths were among blacks.
34% of blacks who enlisted volunteered for the combat arms.
Overall, blacks suffered 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam at a time when the percentage of blacks of military age was 13.5% of the total population.
Religion of Dead: Protestant -- 64.4%; Catholic -- 28.9%; other/none -- 6.7%
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS:
Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds.
Three-fourths had family incomes above the poverty level; 50% were from middle income backgrounds.
Some 23% of Vietnam vets had fathers with professional, managerial or technical occupations.
79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they entered the military service.
63% of Korean War vets and only 45% of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation.
Deaths by region per 100,000 of population: South -- 31, West--29.9; Midwest -- 28.4; Northeast -- 23.5.
DRUG USAGE & CRIME
There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group. (Source: Veterans Administration Study)
Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.
85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.
WINNING & LOSING:
82% of veterans who saw heavy combat strongly believe the war was lost because of lack of political will.
Nearly 75% of the public agrees it was a failure of political will, not of arms.
HONORABLE SERVICE:
97% of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged.
91% of actual Vietnam War veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are proud to have served their country.
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
87% of the public now holds Vietnam veterans in high esteem.
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