TheList 5717

The List 5717     TGB

Good Wednesday Morning May 19

A bit of history and some tidbits.

A bit long today but there is no test at the end and you can pick and choose what you want to read.

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This day in Naval History May 19

 

1813 During the War of 1812, the frigate Congress, commanded by John Smith, captures and burns the British merchant brig, Jean, in the Atlantic.

 

1855 The screw ship Powhatan lands her Marine guard at Shanghai, China, to protect the lives and property of Americans during a period of unrest.

 

1882 Commodore Robert W. Shufeldt, onboard USS Swatara, arrives in Korea to negotiate the first commerce treaty between Korea and a Western power. The treaty is signed on May 22, opening Korea to United States trade.

 

1944 USS England (DE 635) sinks Japanese submarine I 16, the first of five submarines the destroyer sinks in a weeks time.

 

CHINFO

Executive Summary:

•           Forbes published an article following an earlier interview with PTDO UNDERSECNAV Geurts, and highlights his thoughts on importance of innovation, relationships, and diversity in the Navy.

•           Trade press reported on CMC Gen. Berger's comments during a virtual forum hosted by Brookings Institution.

•           Media reported on USS Curtis Wilbur's routine transit of the Taiwan Strait.

 

 

Today in History: May 19

 

0715 St. Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope.

 

1535 French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail for North America.

 

1536 Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, is beheaded on Tower Green.

 

1568 Defeated by the Protestants, Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England where Queen Elizabeth imprisons her.

 

1588 The Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal.

 

1608 The Protestant states form the Evangelical Union of Lutherans and Calvinists.

 

1635 Cardinal Richelieu of France intervenes in the great conflict in Europe by declaring war on the Hapsburgs in Spain.

 

1643 The French army defeats a Spanish army at Rocroi, France.

 

1780 Near total darkness descends on New England at noon. No explanation is found.

 

1856 Senator Charles Sumner speaks out against slavery.

 

1858 A pro-slavery band led by Charles Hamilton executes unarmed Free State men near Marais des Cygnes on the Kansas-Missouri border.

 

1863 Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first attack on Vicksburg is repulsed.

 

1864 The Union and Confederate armies launch their last attacks against each other at Spotsylvania, Virginia.

 

1921 Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system.

 

1935 The National Football League adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.

 

1964 U.S. diplomats find at least 40 microphones planted in the American embassy in Moscow.

 

1967 U.S. planes bomb Hanoi for the first time.

 

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thanks to tam and Dutch

 

This is a good review of what really happened that most folks do not know or remember.



Agreed 👇🏾

Tam

 

Palestine Shouldn't Exist

By refusing to accept Palestinians into the neighboring land, Arabs were able to make them a permanently aggrieved class.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2021/05/18/palestine-shouldnt-exist/

 

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thanks to Doctor Rich 

 

Mostly logical ...

 

Thanks to Sue ...

 

Very usefull information.  Send this on to friends and family to they can start doing the right things before it's too late!!  Plan to include as much of it as I can (if not too late) ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  UCLA on   Alzheimer's 

"The idea that Alzheimer's is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the greatest misconception about the disease," says Gary Small, M.D., director of the UCLA Center on Aging.    Researchers now know that Alzheimer's like heart disease and cancer, develops over decades and can be influenced by lifestyle factors including cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, depression, education, nutrition, sleep and mental, physical and social activity.

The big news:
Mountains of research reveals that simple things you do every day might cut your odds of losing your mind to Alzheimer's.   In search of scientific ways to delay and outlive Alzheimer's and other dementias, I tracked down thousands of studies and interviewed dozens of experts.   The results in a new book: 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss (Little, Brown; $19.99).

Here are 10 strategies I found most surprising. 
1. Have coffee.
In an amazing flip-flop, coffee is the new brain tonic.   A large European study showed that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day in midlife cut Alzheimer's risk 65% in late life.   University of South Florida researcher Gary Arendash credits caffeine: He says it reduces dementia-causing amyloid in animal brains. Others credit coffee's antioxidants.   So drink up, Arendash advises, unless your doctor says you shouldn't. 

 

2. Floss.  Oddly, the health of your teeth and gums can help predict dementia.   University of Southern California research found that having periodontal disease before age 35 quadrupled the odds of dementia years later.   Older people with tooth and gum disease score lower on memory and cognition tests, other studies show.   Experts speculate that inflammation in diseased mouths migrates to the brain. 

3. Be a "Googler".   Doing an online search can stimulate your aging brain even more than reading a book, says UCLA's Gary Small, who used brain MRIs to prove it.   The biggest surprise: Novice Internet surfers, ages 55 to 78, activated key memory and learning centers in the brain after only a week of Web surfing for an hour a day. 

4. Grow new brain cells.   Impossible, scientists used to say.   Now it's believed that thousands of brain cells are born daily.   The trick is to keep the newborns alive.   What works: aerobic exercise (such as a brisk 30-minute walk every day), strenuous mental activity, eating salmon and other fatty fish, and avoiding obesity, chronic stress, sleep deprivation, heavy drinking and vitamin B deficiency. 

5. Drink apple juice.   Apple juice can push production of the "memory chemical" acetylcholine; that's the way the popular Alzheimer's drug Aricept works, says Thomas Shea, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts.   He was surprised that old mice given apple juice did better on learning and memory tests than mice that received water.   A dose for humans: 16 ounces, or two to three apples a day. 

6. Protect your head.   Blows to the head, even mild ones early in life, increase odds of dementia years later.   Pro football players have 19 times the typical rate of memory-related diseases.   Alzheimer's is four times more common in elderly who suffer a head injury, ColumbiaUniversity finds. Accidental falls doubled an older person's odds of dementia five years later in another study.   Wear seat belts and helmets, fall-proof your house, and don't take risks. 

7. Meditate.   Brain scans show that people who meditate regularly have less cognitive decline and brain shrinkage - a classic sign of Alzheimer's - as they age.   Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine says yoga meditation of 12 minutes a day for two months improved blood flow and cognitive functioning in seniors with memory problems.

8. Take D. A "severe deficiency" of vitamin D boosts older Americans' risk of cognitive impairment 394%, an alarming study by England 's University of Exeter finds.   And most Americans lack vitamin D. Experts recommend a daily dose of 800 IU to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3.

9. Fill your brain.   It's called "cognitive reserve."   A rich accumulation of life experiences - education, marriage, socializing, a stimulating job, language skills, having a purpose in life, physical activity and mentally demanding leisure activities - makes your brain better able to tolerate plaques and tangles.   You can even have significant Alzheimer's pathology and no symptoms of dementia if you have high cognitive reserve, says David Bennett, M.D., of Chicago 's Rush University Medical Center.

10. Avoid infection.   Astonishing new evidence ties Alzheimer's to cold sores, gastric ulcers, Lyme disease, pneumonia and the flu.   Ruth Itzhaki, Ph.D., of the University of Manchester in England estimates the cold-sore herpes simplex virus is incriminated in 60% of Alzheimer's cases.   The theory:  Infections trigger excessive beta amyloid "gunk" that kills brain cells.   Proof is still lacking, but why not avoid common infections and take appropriate vaccines, antibiotics and antiviral agents?

 

*What to Drink for Good Memory* 
A great way to keep your aging memory sharp and avoid Alzheimer's is to drink the right stuff.   

 

a. Tops:  Juice.   A glass of any fruit or vegetable juice three times a week slashed Alzheimer's odds 76% in Vanderbilt University research.   Especially protective: blueberry, grape and apple juice, say other studies. 

b. Tea:   Only a cup of black or green tea a week cut rates of cognitive decline in older people by 37%, reports the Alzheimer's Association.   Only brewed tea works.   Skip bottled tea, which is devoid of antioxidants. 

c. Caffeine beverages.   Surprisingly, caffeine fights memory loss and Alzheimer's, suggest dozens of studies.   Best sources: coffee (one Alzheimer's researcher drinks five cups a day), tea and chocolate.   Beware caffeine if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure, insomnia or anxiety.
d. Red wine:  If you drink alcohol, a little red wine is most apt to benefit your aging brain.   It's high in antioxidants.   Limit it to one daily glass for women, two for men.   Excessive alcohol, notably binge drinking, brings on Alzheimer's. 

e. Try to avoid:   Sugary soft drinks, Especially those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.   They make lab animals dumb.   Water with high copper content also can up your odds of Alzheimer's.   Use a water filter that removes excess minerals.  

*5 Ways to Save Your Kids from Alzheimer's Now* 
Alzheimer's isn't just a disease that starts in old age.   What happens to your child's brain seems to have a dramatic impact on his or her likelihood of Alzheimer's many decades later.   Here are five things you can do now to help save your child from Alzheimer's and memory loss later in life, according to the latest research. 

1. Prevent head blows:  Insist your child wear a helmet during biking, skating, skiing, baseball, football, hockey, and all contact sports.   A major blow as well as tiny repetitive unnoticed concussions can cause damage, leading to memory loss and Alzheimer's years later. 

2 Encourage language skills:  A teenage girl who is a superior writer is eight times more likely to escape Alzheimer's in late life than a teen with poor linguistic skills.   Teaching young children to be fluent in two or more languages makes them less vulnerable to Alzheimer's.

3. Insist your child go to college:  Education is a powerful Alzheimer's deterrent.   The more years of formal schooling, the lower the odds.   Most Alzheimer's prone: teenage drop outs.   For each year of education, your risk of dementia drops 11%, says a recent University of Cambridge study.

4. Provide stimulation:  Keep your child's brain busy with physical, mental and social activities and novel experiences.   All these contribute to a bigger, better functioning brain with more so-called 'cognitive reserve.'   High cognitive reserve protects against memory decline and Alzheimer's.

5. Spare the junk food:   Lab animals raised on berries, spinach and high omega-3 fish have great memories in old age.    Those overfed sugar, especially high fructose in soft drinks, saturated fat and trans fats become overweight and diabetic, with smaller brains and impaired memories as they age, a prelude to Alzheimer's.

 

*Excerpted from Jean Carper's newest book: "100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's" 

 

 

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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear

LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War—For The List for Wednesday, 19 May 2021... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻

 

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)...

From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 19 May 1966...

"A short history of dive bombing and Close Air Support"

 

https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-19-may-1966-dive-or-glide/

 

 

This work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip

 

Vietnam Air Losses

Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at:  https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.

 

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Thanks to Shadow

 

I started to write to Bear yesterday… this and his last missive fall into what I wanted to talk about.

 

Every Monday morning when possible, I get together with my best Bud, Mike Collins. We first met when Mike headed up the Joint Terrorism Task Force Team for the FBI in our area. We have been friends ever since and that was decades ago. Mike is a bit more cerebral than I am and takes a long approach to things. I on the other hand have relied on instinct, experience and common sense. Yesterday morning we were discussing the very essence of what Bear is referring to. It started with how in the hell had things degraded in this country to the extent that we actually have overt Communists either calling the shots for an empty suit… or directly influencing his decision making process. We both are astounded as to how much damage to this nation they have wrought in just four short months! We've gone from cheap energy independence to sky rocketing energy costs… which of course drives up the cost of everything; and I do mean everything. Cost of food, clothing, anything manufactured or transported goes up with it. We were finally getting a hand on illegal immigration to having open borders again… I could go on; yada, yada, yada… all of us on this blog are aware of of the litany of mistakes and missteps. And if that were not enough, in conjunction with a corrupt media we've entered into a new culture war that basically contends that any of us who have considered ourselves as patriots are now portrayed as "Extremists".YGTBSM! What started out as harebrained PC culture bullshit, has become full blown "Woke" insanity! It seems with every new decree or scheme put forth by the Biden Administration and their fellow Travelers in the House and Senate are designed to totally destabilize and destroy this country as we know it. I'd even go so far as to believe they are the ones who want to create a new "Race War" in America (more on that later.

 

We both agreed as The Bear has put forward… if we don't get a handle on things in the next election cycle, this country is toast! It will be a bridge too far to recoup, if we fail. I took the time to lament as to how I'd personally been confronted with the current mindset, going back to my college days in the 60's. As crazy as I felt of them back then, I'm even more amazed that their stupid ideas and agendas has actually taken hold this far down the line. And that is where Mike stopped me! "Shadow, You've just made a classic mistake… you don't understand that they are not stupid… it's all a part of the plan".

 

He went on to enlighten me about a book written by two Red Chinese leaders, where they put forth a plan on how to defeat western culture; not by direct warfare… but through manipulation and agents provocateurs within our society itself. Which is where we are today. They actually predicted that Communism would eventually prevail in America, without ever having to fire a shot. The dumbing down of our education system, the race baiting that exacerbates and confounds race relations, the increasing of the unemployed, the corruption of the national media and the Democratic Party… are all part of the game plan… and then he threw in this kicker; they've already managed to kill almost 600,000 Americans by releasing the dreaded Covid virus that has run amok in our country and the western world. And they have also corrupted our national media and Democrats to act as apologists to deflect any direct blame on the CCP for unleashing this pandemic… "Don't you dare call it the China Virus"! We've ended up in a position where our national media and political leadership has not called on the world to condemn the origin of this plague where it belongs… instead they portray any criticism of the CCP as just another example of "Right Wing Xenophobia"… once again playing the race game to defeat criticism. And along the way have also corrupted The "WHO" and our own "CDC" in the process as they too became apologists. Man did that get me to thinking?

 

I think it is obvious to all of us what the problem is… but then we shifted over to how to solve it? Who, or what entity, has enough moxie, juice or intellect to confront this cabal and win the day? Sorry to say, we ain't figured that one out yet. Where do we find another Reagan? At this point, God only knows and I'm praying he shows us the way and soon! At this point, don't see a shining star in the Republican Party right now, save possibly DeSantis in Florida, that has enough gravitas to carry the day. I've always liked Cruz, but I think I'd rather have him as the Crown Prince in waiting as a VP candidate. I think DeSantis/Cruz would be a winner. I do not think it should be Trump… Too much blood in the water already, plus he'd be a lame duck the day he was elected… not enough time to create the change needed. But before we get to that, we have to retake the House and the Senate to stop some of the insanity before it goes too far to recover. I'll defer to The Bear for more ideas (or anyone else that thinks they have some).

 

Gonna shift gears for a second and say something that may get me in hot water… in light of the BLM, Cancel Culture, Critical Race Theory and ANTIFA movements and the outrageous lies being told about "White Privilege", Police Brutality, etc. I'd like to suggest the following… my friend Burt Rutan sent out a synopsis recently with the actual figures of unarmed blacks being killed by police… and conversely the number of cops killed by blacks over the last two decades… and more importantly the number of blacks killed by other blacks. Compared to the blacks on blacks number… our cops are pikers. Blacks kill more blacks in a bad month nation wide; than cops have killed in over three decades of interaction…. And the overwhelming number of those have been justified. Oh, this is gonna get me in a heap of trouble… but it's time to call a spade a spade. It is my personal belief, that the number one factor in inhibiting the miscegenation and assimilation of blacks in our society at large is… Black Culture and where it's at today. Like most men of my generation, especially those of us with a military background… we've all had near and dear black friends. People we looked up to, folks we embraced and respected. We have witnessed their courage, their professionalism, their values, their families… but not a damn one of them were punks, gang bangers, dopers, pushers, thugs, rioters, looters, vile or rude or communists. But you know what? None of my white, brown or yellow friends fit any of those categories either. And the irony is my black friends are probably just as uncomfortable in the company of miscreants as I am. Yes, my friends are solid citizens, no matter what race.

 

I think back to my days in Vietnam… of Gunny (later SgtMaj.) Willie Brown. A man of regal deportment; a black Adonis, with a voice as deep and calm... as God's own… fearless and a leader. When Vietnam was over, every year he would take leave and go on marches and hikes of hundreds of miles... to raise funds for the March of Dimes and other Charities. He not only led, he gave back.

 

Then there was Cortez DeLeon Stephens; that I shared the most memorable Thanksgiving of my life, on a remote outpost as we witnessed other Marines take the sacraments from a Catholic Chaplain that was delivered to us by helicopter… as our warriors went forth to receive the sacraments, the Priest held up his arms and asked that the others sing "America the Beautiful" in honor of the day. And they went forth, kneeled and then moved off to the side and waited for the others as they retrieved their arms and continued to sing.... I was overwhelmed and turned to look at Steve... and saw the tears… for he, like me was overcome with the emotion of it all. It was surreal. My friend retired as a LtCol. from our beloved Corps and we had a grand reunion decades later. Talk about respect!

 

I flew with black Aviators in my back seat or on my wing, that were a hell of a lot smarter than me… and as solid and reliable as anyone. I play golf with a young Black doctor (we go to the same church) and I've told him many times, if I'd ever have had a son… I would be blessed if he turned out to be half the man that Chris is. I've worked for, with and have had black friends and employees all my life. I have never demanded more of them than I have my other bosses, friends or employees… I didn't have to, for their values mirrored my own. I have always had the same approach with white people… treat me with respect and I'll return the same. I have never run in the company of thugs, crooks, thieves, looters, gang bangers, arsonists, women abusers or just plain human debris… no matter what race they are. Mama raised me better than that. But I also have a common sense side… no way in hell would you find me in certain areas of our formerly great cities that are predominately black, due to the crime and corruption that is pandemic… for a large segment of our black folk have been brainwashed into thinking this is their only path in life. They are preached to from day one, they have no chance, "The Man" will not allow it… and it is a bald faced lie! If only they would look beyond the professional athletes, rappers and entertainers and realize their easiest way out is hard work and a good education (emphasis on education). It is the same formula that lower class whites have used to get up and out, since this country was founded. A pox on the house of those who have convinced them otherwise. All they have to do is look at America today and see example after example of those who came from the same beginnings, that have lived the American dream. I predict, until black culture learns to adopt those basic principles… there will forever be a chasm in race relations. They need to reject the culture of violence and bad behavior. And it is no less a requirement for whites. If you're white, adopt a culture of crime and vulgarity… you end up in the same place. The pits of life.

 

I'm tired of being called a racist when I have the same expectations and respect for friends and others, no matter what color they are. This whole racism movement is designed to upset society… and trust me, I'm old enough to remember what real racism looks like and the harm that was done back then. It ain't the same today… we are all free to pursue success in life. 

 

Well… that's the end of my rant for today.

 

Take it for what it is… I believe if you go through life with just a little chip on your shoulder, instead of a tree… your chances of success are a hell of a lot better. So ends the  rant of an idiot for today... or provoking thoughts of a little guy with more than a little common sense.

 

 

 

Shadow

On May 18, 2021, at 8:15 AM, Dutch R <flyboy@helndutch.com> wrote:

 

thanks to THE Bear - 

 

Gentlemen... Our beloved country has a malignant and spreading cancer. Communism is thriving in America. That reality is plainly and brilliantly spelled out in this piece by Roger Simon, one of the editors of Epoch Times... Unfortunately, the author offers little advice on how to treat this national catastrophe except for a suggestion that the red states take the fight to the entrenched Biden Administration and the New Democrat party of pinkos. He suggests the Republicans must hold the line and lean forward until the 2022 elections and wage an all-out last-chance campaign to gain control of both houses of Congress. It is clear that the next 18-months of history will be one of the most interesting chapters of the American experience... Buckle up, this will be nasty and for "all the marbles".... Bear

American Communism Has Found Its Brezhnev in Biden:
https://link.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/american-communism-has-found-its-brezhnev-in-biden_3812085.html

Download our app to read more at https://ept.ms/DownloadApp

 

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This Day in American Military History

 

1864 – A dozen days of fighting around Spotsylvania ends with a Confederate attack against the Union forces. The epic campaign between the Army of the Potomac, under the effective direction of Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia began at the beginning of May when Union forces crossed the Rapidan River. After a bloody two-day battle in the Wilderness forest, Grant moved his army further south toward Spotsylvania Court House. This move was a departure from the tactics of the previous three years in the eastern theater of the Civil War. Since 1861, the Army of the Potomac had been coming down to Virginia under different commanders only to be defeated by the Army of Northern Virginia, usually under Lee's direction, and had always returned northward. But Grant was different than the other Union generals. He knew that by this time Lee could not sustain constant combat. The numerical superiority of the Yankees would eventually wear Lee down. When Grant ordered his troops to move south, a surge of enthusiasm swept the Union veterans; they knew that in Grant they had an aggressive leader who would not allow the Confederates time to breathe. Nevertheless, the next stop proved to be more costly than the first. After the battle in the Wilderness, Grant and Lee waged a footrace for the strategic crossroads at Spotsylvania. Lee won the race, and his men dug in. On May 8, Grant attacked Lee, initiating a battle that raged for 12 awful days. The climax came on May 12, when the two armies struggled for nearly 20 hours over an area that became known as the Bloody Angle. The fighting continued sporadically for the next week as the Yankees tried to eject the Rebels from their breastworks. Finally, when the Confederates attacked on May 19, Grant prepared to pull out of Spotsylvania. Convinced he could never dislodge the Confederates from their positions, he elected to try to circumvent Lee's army to the south. The Army of the Potomac moved, leaving behind 18,000 casualties at Spotsylvania to the Confederates' 12,000. In less than three weeks Grant had lost 33,000 men, with some of the worst fighting yet to come.

 

1918 – Raoul Lufbery, one of the top-scoring US fighter pilots of the war with 17 victories, is killed during air combat. He had served with other American volunteers in the French Escadrille Lafayette (originally the Escadrille Americaine and credited with 38 air victories) before the United States' entry into the war. Lufbery was the commander of the famed 94th "Hat in the Ring" Aero Squadron at the time of his death.

 

1927 – The 11th Marine Regiment arrived at Esteli, Nicaragua, for garrison duty.

1941 – Viet Minh, a communist coalition, formed at Cao Bằng Province, Vietnam.

1942 – In the aftermath of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Task Force 16 heads to Pearl Harbor.

1943 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Monday, May 1, 1944 as the date for the Normandy landings ("D-Day"). It would later be delayed over a month due to bad weather.

1943 – On Attu, American forces advance along Clevesy Pass toward Chicagof.

1944 – Allied forces of US 5th Army continue to make advances. The US 2nd Corps captures Gasta Itri and Monte Grande. The French Expeditionary Corps nearly reaches Pico and battle for Campodimele. Meanwhile, British armor and infantry overrun the Aquino airfield, in the Liri Valley but German antitank guns repulse an attempt to seize the town.

1944 – American aircraft the carriers of Task Group 58.2 (Admiral Montgomery) conduct a raid on Marcus Island.

1945 – On Luzon, in the Ipoh dam area north of Manila, where the US 43rd Division of US 11th Corps is operating, Japanese resistance ends. The US 152nd Division is holding its positions near Woodpecker Ridge. The US 25th Division, part of US 1st Corps, begins mopping up in the area north and west of Santa Fe.

1945 – On Okinawa, the US 77th Division suffers heavy casualties while fighting for the Ishimmi ridge and withdraws.

1945 – Some 272 American B-29 Superfortress bombers strike Hamamatsu, 120 miles (192 km) from Tokyo. Bombs are dropped through the clouds from medium altitude.

 

1972 – Units of South Vietnam's 9th and 21st Divisions, along with several South Vietnamese airborne battalions, open new stretches of road south of An Loc and come within two miles of the besieged city. In the Central Highlands, North Vietnamese troops, preceded by heavy shelling, tried to break through the lines of South Vietnam's 23rd Division defending Kontum, but the South Vietnamese troops held firm. These actions were part of the North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive (later called the "Easter Offensive"), a massive invasion by North Vietnamese forces on March 30 to strike the blow that would win them the war. The attacking force included 14 infantry divisions and 26 separate regiments, with more than 120,000 troops and approximately 1,200 tanks and other armored vehicles. The main North Vietnamese objectives, in addition to Quang Tri in the north and Kontum in the Central Highlands, included An Loc farther to the south. Initially, the South Vietnamese defenders were almost overwhelmed, particularly in the northernmost provinces, where they abandoned their positions in Quang Tri and fled south in the face of the enemy onslaught. At Kontum and An Loc, the South Vietnamese were more successful in defending against the attacks, but only after weeks of bitter fighting. Although the defenders suffered heavy casualties, they managed to hold their own with the aid of U.S. advisors and American airpower. Fighting continued all over South Vietnam into the summer months, but eventually the South Vietnamese forces prevailed against the invaders and retook Quang Tri in September. With the communist invasion blunted, President Nixon declared that the South Vietnamese victory proved the viability of his Vietnamization program, which he had instituted in 1969 to increase the combat capability of the South Vietnamese armed forces.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

 

BROWN, JOHN H.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company A, 47th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 19 May 1863. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Boston, Mass. Date of issue: 24 August 1896. Citation: Voluntarily carried a verbal message from Col. A. C. Parry to Gen. Hugh Ewing through a terrific fire and in plain view of the enemy.

 

HOWE, ORION P.
Rank and organization: Musician, Company C, 55th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 19 May 1863. Entered service at: Woken, Ill. Birth: Portage County, Ohio. Date of issue: 2 3 April 1896. Citation: A drummer boy, 14 years of age, and severely wounded and exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy, he persistently remained upon the field of battle until he had reported to Gen. W. T. Sherman the necessity of supplying cartridges for the use of troops under command of Colonel Malmborg.

 

KEPHART, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 13th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 19 May 1863. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Venango County, Pa. Date of issue: 13 May 1899. Citation: Voluntarily and at the risk of his life, under a severe fire of the enemy, aided and assisted to the rear an officer who had been severely wounded and left on the field.

 

 

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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.

 

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 19, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

1908: Lt Thomas E. Selfridge, the first US Army officer to fly an airplane, flew the White Wing at Hammondsport. It was Dr. Alexander Graham Bell's second Aerial Experiment Associationplane, and it had hinged ailerons. (20) (21)

 

1917: A General Order described a distinguished insignia for all US government aircraft and directed it be placed on all naval aircraft. The insignia was a red disc within a white star on a blue circular field, and would be placed on the wings with red, white, and blue vertical bands on the rudder, with the blue forward.

 

1918: Raoul G. Lufbery, who posted 17 aerial victories with Lafayette Escadrille before joining the American Expeditionary forces, died in aerial combat. (21)

 

1919: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. MSgt Ralph W. Bottriell became the first American military person to jump from an aircraft using a manually-operated backpack parachute. He later received the DFC for this feat. (4)

 

1949: The Navy's flying boat, the JRM-1 Marshall Mars, broke the record for number of people carried on a single flight when 301 passengers and a crew of seven were flown from Alameda to San Diego. (24)

 

1951: KOREAN WAR. An H-5 helicopter rescued a downed F-51 pilot southwest of Chorwon, sustaining damage from small arms fire during the pickup. (28)

 

 

1961: First Titan I arrived at Lowry AFB. (6)

 

1963: On a nonstop Washington DC to Moscow flight, the US presidential aircraft, a Boeing 707-320B (VC-137C), with Col James B. Swindal at the controls, set 15 nonstop FAI records in flying the 5,004-mile route in 8 hours 39 minutes 2 seconds. On the 20-21 May return flight, Colonel Swindal and his crew set another 15 FAI records on the Moscow to Washington trip, flying the distance in 9 hours 54 minutes 48.5 seconds, or an average speed of 490.96 MPH. (9)

 

1965: The USAF used a single Thor-Agena rocket to launch simultaneously eight separate satellite vehicles from Vandenberg AFB. This was the greatest number of satellites the US had ever launched on a single vehicle.

 

1966: Pioneer VI, launched on 16 December

 

1965, reached its perihelion, some 75.7 millions miles from the sun. During 154 days in solar orbit, the spacecraft transmitted 340 million readings of 3,000 separate scientific measurements and 3 million readings of 100 individual engineering measurements to earth.

 

1967: Douglas Aircraft Company received a contract to design and build the MOL. (16)

 

1970: HARMON TROPHY. The Apollo XI crew (Astronauts Michael Collins, Neil A. Armstrong, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr.) received the trophy for outstanding scientific and technological accomplishment in achieving the first landing of man on the moon. (16)

 

1977: MACKAY TROPHY. Capt James W. Yule, a B-52 instructor pilot, received the Mackay Trophy for gallantry and unusual presence of mind during an in-flight emergency. (21)

 

1980: The Air Force launched its first Tomahawk GLCM at the Utah Test and Training Range. (3)

 

1987: Exercise HAMMER 87-1. USAFE units participated in the largest multiwing, multinational, composite force exercise conducted in Europe since World War II to date. (16)

 

2000: After one test flight at the White Sands Missile Range, the USAF delivered the Boeing X-40A to the Dryden Flight Research Facility. It was an 80 percent scale version of the proposed X-37 Space Maneuver Vehicle (SMV), an unmanned autonomous spacecraft able to deliver small satellites into orbit, conduct on-orbit reconnaissance, and perform other space chores. (3)

 

2001: The Boeing X-40A completed its seventh and last flight. Released from a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter from 15,000 feet, the X-40A attained 304 mph in its unpowered two-minute descent to a safe landing on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB. (3)

 

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World News for 19 May thanks to Military Periscope

 

  USA—Major Arms Sale To Israel Approved Prior To Latest Fighting In Gaza Cable News Network | 05/19/2021 A proposed $735 million arms sale to Israel was approved by the Biden administration earlier this month before the outbreak of fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, reports CNN. Congress was notified of the US$735 million sale of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) on May 5. Under an expedited review program, lawmakers have 15 days to stop the potential sale, instead of the normal 30-day period. An objection would come in the form of a nonbinding resolution of disapproval, reported the Washington Post. With four days left in the review process and a requirement for the committees of jurisdiction to act to block the sale, there is almost no chance of that happening, an unnamed source said. Congress has never successfully blocked an arms sale through a joint resolution. Three resolutions passed in 2019 objecting to sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were vetoed by then-President Trump. The sale mostly consists of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits to convert bombs into precision-guided munitions and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. Boeing would supply the weapons. 

 

USA—Navy Set To Decommission Oldest Littoral Ships USNI News | 05/19/2021 The Navy has decided to withdraw its first two littoral combat ships from service, reports USNI News. The Independence (LCS-2) is scheduled to decommission on July 31, while the Freedom (LCS-1) will leave service on Sept. 30, according to a decommissioning memo obtained by the news site. Both will be assigned to the reserve fleet after leaving active service. The Navy first indicated plans to retire the first four littoral combat ships in its fiscal 2021 budget submission. The decision was driven by the need to spend $2.5 billion to upgrade the first four LCS to bring them to the same configuration as the rest of the class. Navy officials argued that the funds could be better spent elsewhere. The Freedom will retire after 13 years of service and the Independence after 11 years, well before the end of their planned 25-year service lives. 

 

USA—Navy Aircrews Survive Midair Collision Over Texas The War Zone | 05/19/2021 A pair of Navy training jets has collided over Texas, reports the War Zone website. On Monday, the T-45 Goshawks from Training Squadron 22 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, collided while flying over Ricardo, about 9 miles (14 km) south of the air station, reported USNI News. The student and instructor pilot on one aircraft safely ejected, while the crew of the other Goshawk recovered control and landed safely at NAS Kingsville. One pilot was taken to a hospital for minor injuries. This is the second accident resulting in the loss of a T-45 this year. The instructor and student pilot ejected safely in that incident.

 

Spain—Troops Sent To Ceuta As Migrant Crossings Jump New York Times | 05/19/2021 Spain has deployed troops to its North African enclave of Ceuta following a massive influx of migrants from Morocco, reports the New York Times. On Monday and Tuesday, about 8,000 migrants, including 2,000 minors, arrived in Ceuta, which has a population of about 85,000 people and borders Morocco. Most arrived by swimming or on inflatable boats, according to Spanish authorities. Around 4,000 had already been sent back. Spanish military trucks and helicopters were deployed to Ceuta on Tuesday to help cope with the arrivals. Logistics units have installed beds to accommodate the migrants. On Tuesday, Spanish television broadcast footage that it said showed Moroccan border guards opening fences that separate the enclave from Morocco. About 200 additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed to strengthen border controls. Tensions between Spain and Morocco have been on the rise since April when Spanish officials permitted the founder of the Polisario Front to receive medical treatment in Spain. Morocco regards the Polisario Front as an illegal separatist organization. 

 

Turkey—Syrian Kurdish Militant Killed In Iraqi Kurdistan, Erdogan Says Hurriyet | 05/19/2021 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish troops have killed a senior Syrian Kurdish militant during operations in Iraq, reports the Hurriyet Daily News (Istanbul). On Monday, Erdogan said that the Kurdish commander, known as Sofi Nurettin, who was responsible for the Syrian operations of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was killed during an operation in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that since the Syrian Kurd Nurettin was killed in Kurdish territory in northern Iraq. it validated Ankara's position that Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria are indistinguishable from the PKK. In April, Turkey launched Operation Claw Lightning, its latest air and ground offensive against Kurdish militants in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, noted Agence France-Presse. 

 

Turkey—TAI Obtains Approval To Export Attack Helicopters To Philippines Middle East Eye | 05/19/2021 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) says it has received U.S. approval to export attack helicopters to the Philippines, reports the Middle East Eye (London). The U.S. State Dept. issued the necessary licenses to export six T129 helicopters to the Philippines, TAI officials said on Monday. U.S. law requires foreign firms to obtain approval to export U.S. military equipment to a third party. The T129 is powered by LHTEC T800-4A turboshaft engines produced by a joint venture between U.S. firm Honeywell and British company Rolls-Royce. The official noted that the value of the sale was less than the US$25 million threshold required for congressional approval. Congress has opposed military deals with Turkey amid concerns about growing authoritarianism and Ankara's decision to acquire S-400 air defense systems from Russia. 

 

Belarus—Authorities Raid Independent News Website Euronews | 05/19/2021 As part of a continuing crackdown on opposition, Belarusian authorities have raided the offices of independent news organization Tut.by and blocked its website, reports Euronews. On Tuesday, the website's editors reported that the Belarusian Financial Investigation Dept. (DFR) had searched their offices. Editor Marina Zolotova's home was also raided, reported BBC News. The website's domain was subsequently blocked. Tut.by is one of the main independent news sources in Belarus and extensively covered the protests and subsequent crackdown following the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in voting widely considered rigged. Belarusian officials claimed the raids were related to an investigation into large-scale tax evasion. The Belarusian Ministry of Information said that it had restricted access to the website following an order from the country's general prosecutor. The prosecutor's office alleged that Tut.by had posted prohibited information in several publications on the website.  

 

Russia—Conscript Killed In Accident At Training Site Near Moscow Moscow Times | 05/19/2021 A Russian soldier has been killed at a training facility near Moscow, reports the Moscow Times. The incident took place on Monday at the Alabino military training site. State media REN-TV broadcast security camera footage showing the young conscript being struck by a truck after opening the gate to the facility. A source in the Western Military District said that the driver lost control of the Ural 6 x 6 truck as he passed through the checkpoint. The conscript died after being taken to the hospital. Investigators are questioning the driver. 

 

Georgia—Defense Minister Announces Plans To Produce Drones, M4 Carbines JAM News | 05/19/2021 The Georgian Defense Ministry has announced plans to produce uncrewed aerial vehicles and small arms domestically, reports JAM News (Tbilisi). An agreement to produce drones locally is anticipated before the end of the year, with production to begin in 2022, said Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. Georgia is currently in talks with Israeli, Polish and South African companies and NATO member states to finalize details of its Defense Forces 2030 program, the minister said. Production of M4 carbines is expected to launch by the end of the year as part of a joint project with Israel, said Burchuladze. Georgia is also working to reform its conscription system and reduce the term of mandatory military service, he said. The goal is to maintain necessary support and increase reserve capabilities.  

 

Australia—New Space Division To Be Stood Up Under Air Force Australian Dept. Of Defense | 05/19/2021 The Australian Dept. of Defense is standing up a new space division as part of its air force. The Space Division is scheduled to be activated in early 2022, according to a departmental release on Wednesday. The headquarters of the new unit will be in Canberra, and staffed with personnel from across the department. Australia plans to invest about US$5.42 billion (Aus$7 billion) over the next decade in military space capabilities. Air Vice Marshal Cath Roberts has been named as the commander of the new division. 

 

Malaysia—Police Kill 5 Suspected ASG Members In Borneo Borneo Post | 05/19/2021 Malaysian police say they killed five suspected terrorists in a shootout on the island of Borneo, reports the Borneo Post. Police were conducting an operation in the Taman Sri Arjuna area of the Beaufort district of Sabah state when the suspected Abu Sayyaf Group militants opened fire, said Saba Police Commissioner Hazani Ghazali. Others attacked the officers with machetes. Five militants were killed in the fighting, including Mabar Binda, a sub-commander wanted by the Philippine government, reported Reuters. Security forces recovered two pistols, 20 rounds of ammunition and three machetes from the scene. The suspects were believed to be part of a group of ASG militants detained earlier this month. Police have stepped up their efforts against the ISIS-affiliated group since an ISIS attack in Kuala Lumpur in 2016. 

 

Burma—Military Government Hit With More Sanctions Cable Network News | 05/19/2021 Canada, the U.K. and U.S. have implemented new sanctions against the State Administrative Council (SAC) military government in Burma, reports CNN. On Monday, the three countries announced the measures on key SAC figures. The U.S. sanctions cover 13 members of the military regime, including four members of the SAC, seven ministers, the governor of the Central Bank and the chair of the Union Election Commission, the Dept. of Treasury said in a press release. Three adult children of previously designated Burmese officials were also sanctioned. In addition, the SAC was designated as a political subdivision, agency or instrumentality of the government of Burma. Under the sanctions, the property and interests owned by the sanctioned individuals in the U.S. were frozen. This is the third round of sanctions against Burmese officials in recent months. 

 

Afghanistan—Senior Taliban Fighters Die In Airstrike Khaama Press | 05/19/2021 The Afghan military says that at least four top Taliban commanders have been killed in an air force operation, reports the Khaama Press (Afghanistan). On Monday evening, the air force attacked a Taliban base in the Khwaja Namusi area of the Pashtun Kot district of the northern Faryab province, Afghanistan's 209th Shaheen Corps said on Tuesday. At least 19 Taliban fighters were killed, including four leaders and three Pakistani nationals. The Taliban leaders were reported to be Zainullah, the Taliban shadow governor for the Almar district; the designated Taliban governor of Bala-Murghab district, Noorul-Haw; Mullah Asadullah Turkman, the Taliban military commission chief for Andkhoi district; and Taliban leader Mullah Raihan. Mullah Shoaib, the Taliban's military chief for Faryab province, and 14 others were wounded in the strikes, the military said. Seventeen Taliban vehicles were also destroyed. 

 

United Arab Emirates—Deal Inked With ADSB For New OPVs Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding | 05/19/2021 The United Arab Emirates has awarded Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) a contract to build four offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), reports the Emirati shipbuilder. The US$952 million contract announced on Tuesday covers four Falaj 3-class OPVs for the Emirati navy. It is the largest order to date received by the company. Construction will take place at the Mussafah shipyard in Abu Dhabi, ADSB CEO David Massey told Defense News. Abu Dhabi Ship Building will handle hull construction and manage systems integration, said Massey. The ship is designed in partnership with the marine division of Singapore' ST Engineering. Details of the final design, including armament and sensors, have not been disclosed. Work is expected to begin by the end of the year, with final deliveries anticipated by 2026. 

 

Israel—Drone Approaching From Jordan Shot Down Times of Israel | 05/19/2021 The Israel Defense Forces downed an uncrewed aerial vehicle that was heading toward northeastern Israel from Jordan, reports the Times of Israel. Early Tuesday morning, the UAV was identified flying toward the northern town of Beit She'an and was shot down. Although the drone was approaching from Jordanian airspace, it was not clear if that's where it originated. An armed Iranian UAV entered a similar area of Israeli airspace in 2018 after taking off from the T-4 Air Base in Syria. An IDF attack helicopter shot down that aircraft. 

 

Central African Republic—Another Batch Of Donated Weapons Arrives From Russia Moscow Times | 05/19/2021 The Russian government has handed over a tranche of military equipment to the Central African Republic, reports the Moscow Times. The ceremony marking the transfer of the small arms took place at the Bangui airport in the C.A.R., Russian Ambassador to the C.A.R. Vladimir Titorenko said on Monday. The shipment included a total of 5,000 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades as well as ammunition, said Titorenko, as cited by RIA Novosti (Russia). This is the third arms shipment Russia has delivered to the C.A.R. over the last three years. Previous military aid included hundreds of weapons in 2019 and 10 BRDM-2 armored personnel carriers last year.