Good Friday Morning July 30
I hope that your week has been a good one.
Regards
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
July 30
1918 Headquarters Company and Squadrons A, B, and C of the First Marine Aviation Force arrive at Brest, France, on board USS DeKalb (ID #3010), as U.S. enters European Theater of World War I.
1919 During an inspection by a six-man maintenance crew, the submarine USS G-2 suddenly floods and sinks at her moorings in Two Tree Channel near Niantic Bay off the Connecticut coast. She goes down in 13 1/2 fathoms, drowning three of the inspection crew.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the act establishing WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). During World War II, more than 80,000 officers and enlisted women serve in the WAVES.
1943 PV 1 aircraft from (VB 127) sinks German submarine (U 591) off Pernambuco, Brazil. Also on this date, TBFs and F4Fs (VC 29) from USS Santee (CVE 29) sink German submarine (U 43) in the mid-Atlantic, while (PC 624) sinks German submarine (U 375) off Tunisia.
1945 A Japanese submarine sinks USS Indianapolis (CA 35), northeast of Leyte. Only 316 of her 1,199 crew survive. Due to communications and other errors, her loss goes unnoticed until survivors are seen from a passing aircraft on Aug. 2. Four days earlier, she had delivered atomic bomb components used on Japan in August.
2005 USS Halsey (DDG 97) is commissioned at Naval Station North Island in San Diego, Calif. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is named after U.S. Naval Academy graduate Fleet Adm. William Bull Halsey Jr., who commanded the U. S. 3rd Fleet during much of the Pacific War against Japan.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
•There was widespread coverage of 3rd Fleet's announcement that charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice were brought forth against a Sailor in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire started on USS Bonhomme Richard on July 12, 2020.
•National and regional press report that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has restored the VFA following a meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
•Trade press highlighted Talisman Sabre 2021.
•Washington Times reported on SWO training and highlighted the Navigation Seamanship and Shiphandling Trainer in Norfolk.
Today in History July 30
1619 | The House of Burgesses convenes for the first time at Jamestown, Va. | ||
1787 | The French parliament refuses to approve a more equitable land tax. | ||
1799 | The French garrison at Mantua, Italy, surrenders to the Austrians. | ||
1864 | In an effort to penetrate the Confederate lines around Petersburg, Va. Union troops explode a mine underneath the Confederate trenches but fail to break through. The ensuing action is known as the Battle of the Crater. | ||
1919 | Federal troops are called out to put down Chicago race riots. | ||
1938 | George Eastman demonstrates his color motion picture process. | ||
1940 | A bombing lull ends the first phase of the Battle of Britain. | ||
1960 | Over 60,000 Buddhists march in protest against the Diem government in South Vietnam. | ||
1965 | President Lyndon Johnson signs the Medicare Bill into law. | ||
1967 | General William Westmoreland claims that he is winning the war in Vietnam, but needs more men. | ||
1975 | Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa disappears, last seen coming out of a restaurant in Bloomingfield Hills, Michigan. | ||
1988 | King Hussein dissolves Jordan's Parliament, surrenders Jordan's claims to the West Bank to the Palestinian Liberation Organization. | ||
1990 | Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent forces George Steinbrenner to resign as principal partner of the New York Yankees. | ||
2003 | The last of the uniquely shaped "old style" Volkswagen Beetles rolls off the assembly line in Mexico. | ||
2012 | Blackout in India as power grid failure leaves 300 million+ without power. | ||
21st CENTURY | |||
2003 | |||
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Thanks to Mel
: Is the Sun Setting?
Author Unknown...
"Men, like nations, think they're eternal. What man in his 20s or 30s doesn't believe, at least subconsciously, that he'll live forever? In the springtime of youth, an endless summer beckons. As you pass 70, it's harder to hide from reality.
Nations also have seasons: Imagine a Roman of the 2nd century contemplating an empire that stretched from Britain to the Near East, thinking: This will endure forever…. Forever was about 500 years, give or take.
France was pivotal in the 17th and 18th centuries; now the land of Charles Martel is on its way to becoming part of the Muslim ummah.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the sun never set on the British empire; now Albion exists in perpetual twilight. It's 95-year-old sovereign is a fitting symbol for a nation in terminal decline.
In the 1980s, Japan seemed poised to buy the world. Business schools taught Japanese management techniques. Today, its birth rate is so low and its population aging so rapidly that an industry has sprung up to remove the remains of elderly Japanese who die alone.
I was born in 1942, almost at the midpoint of the 20th century – the American century. America's prestige and influence were never greater. Thanks to the 'Greatest Generation,' we won a World War fought throughout most of Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. We reduced Germany to rubble and put the rising sun to bed. It set the stage for almost half a century of unprecedented prosperity.
We stopped the spread of communism in Europe and Asia, and fought international terrorism. We rebuilt our enemies and lavished foreign aid on much of the world. We built skyscrapers and rockets to the moon. We conquered Polio. We explored the mysteries of the Universe and the wonders of DNA…the blueprint of life.
But where is the glory that once was Rome? America has moved from a relatively free economy to socialism – which has worked so well NOWHERE in the world.
We've gone from a republican government guided by a constitution to a regime of revolving elites. We have less freedom with each passing year. Like a signpost to the coming reign of terror, the cancel culture is everywhere. We've traded the American Revolution for the Cultural Revolution.
The pathetic creature in the White House is an empty vessel filled by his handlers. At the G-7 Summit, 'Dr. Jill' had to lead him like a child. In 1961, when we were young and vigorous, our leader was too. Now a feeble nation is technically led by the oldest man to ever serve in the presidency.
We can't defend our borders, our history (including monuments to past greatness), or our streets. Our cities have become anarchist playgrounds. We are a nation of dependents, mendicants, and misplaced charity. Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.
The president of the United States can't even quote the beginning of the Declaration of Independence ('You know — The Thing') correctly. Ivy League graduates routinely fail history tests that 5th graders could pass a generation ago. Crime rates soar and we blame the 2nd Amendment and slash police budgets.
Our culture is certifiably insane Men who think they're women. People who fight racism by seeking to convince members of one race that they're inherently evil, and others that they are perpetual victims. A psychiatrist lecturing at Yale said she fantasizes about 'unloading a revolver into the head of any white person.'
We slaughter the unborn in the name of freedom, while our birth rate dips lower year by year. Our national debt is so high that we can no longer even pretend that we will repay it one day. It's a $28-trillion monument to our improvidence and refusal to confront reality. Our 'entertainment' is sadistic, nihilistic, and as enduring as a candy bar wrapper thrown in the trash. Our music is the noise that spans the spectrum from annoying to repulsive.
Patriotism is called an insurrection, treason celebrated, and perversion sanctified. A man in blue gets less respect than a man in a dress. We're asking soldiers to fight for a nation our leaders no longer believe in.
How meekly most of us submitted to Fauci-ism (the regime of face masks, lockdowns and hand sanitizers) shows the impending death of the American spirit.
How do nations slip from greatness to obscurity?
Fighting endless wars they can't or won't win • Accumulating massive debt far beyond their ability to repay • Refusing to guard their borders, allowing the nation to be inundated by an alien horde • Surrendering control of their cities to mob rule • Allowing indoctrination of the young • Moving from a republican form of government to an oligarchy • Losing national identity • Indulging indolence • Abandoning faith and family – the bulwarks of social order.
In America, every one of these symptoms is pronounced, indicating an advanced stage of the disease.
Even if the cause seems hopeless, do we not have an obligation to those who sacrificed so much to give us what we had? I'm surrounded by ghosts urging me on: the Union soldiers who held Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg, the battered bastards of Bastogne, those who served in the cold hell of Korea, the guys who went to the jungles of Southeast Asia and came home to be reviled or neglected.
This is the nation that took in my immigrant grandparents, whose uniform my father and most of my uncles wore in the Second World War. I don't want to imagine a world without America, even though it becomes increasingly likely.
During Britain's darkest hour, when its professional army was trapped at Dunkirk and a German invasion seemed imminent, Churchill reminded his countrymen, 'Nations that go down fighting rise again, and those that surrender tamely are finished'
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Thanks to Micro…..This is an eye opener and for sure a thought provoker
Newest MATH+ Protocol (COVID-19)
I'm always leery about propagating medical information. I apply common sense and an engineering mindset and try to see through the fog. I also have a healthy skepticism of scientists, borne of my decade of overseeing research programs at a bunch of mostly Federal laboratories as a contractor. I found the approach to research greatly flawed, in that a theory is imagined, then protocols are contrived to prove that theory. Along the way, if the data don't behave, the protocols are changed, rather than investigating the reasons for the data not following the theory. One of my beliefs was that "All the future great discoveries have already been made and thrown away as bad data." I also said many times, "The probability of great discovery is inversely proportional to the time since you got your PhD" since a career in science is dependent on conforming to the "norm" which is nothing more than an accepted analogy of how things work (until new, disruptive technology disproves that norm). So, if you want to be published, you have to believe what your peer reviewers believe, and that hog ties scientific progress. Thus, no cure for cancer or diabetes or a thousand other things.
Having said all that, I ran into this quote: "Had there been an existing known, safe and effective treatment for COVID-19, Emergency Use Authorization of a vaccine for the virus would be prohibited by law. Could that have been part of the motivation for the strange censorship of certain COVID-19 treatments that we witnessed over the past year at news and social media corporations?"
That is the bottom line of this article:
Even though I got the vaccine (my wife will not), it bothers me that with hundreds of millions of vaccinated people, perhaps the largest clinical trial in history, there is still no approved vaccine for COVID. What does that tell us?
Micro
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War— … For The List for Friday, 30 July 2021… Bear 🐻⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 30 July 1966… Nothwang and Feldhaus do Haiphong at 600-knots…
This following 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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This Day in U S Military History…….July 30
1916 – German saboteurs blew up a munitions pier on Black Tom Island, Jersey City, NJ. 7 people were killed. Damages totaled about $20-25 million. Now a section of Liberty State Park (along Morris Pesin road including the park office and Flag Plaza), Black Tom was originally a small island in New York Harbor not far from Liberty Island. Between 1860 and 1880, Black Tom was connected to the mainland by a causeway and rail lines terminating at a freight facility with docks. The area between the island and the mainland was filled in sometime between 1905 and 1916 by the Lehigh Valley Railroad as part of its Jersey City facility. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Black Tom was serving as a major munitions depot. Before the United States entered the First World War, American businessmen would sell their supplies to any buyer. However, by 1915, the British Navy had established a blockade effectively keeping the Germans from being able to buy from the American merchants. The German government, on July 30, 1916, orchestrated the sabotage of freight cars at Black Tom, which were loaded with munitions for the Allies in Europe. According to a recent study, the resulting explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter Scale. Windows within a 25-mile radius were broken, the outside wall of Jersey City's City Hall was cracked and pieces of metal damaged the skirt of the Statue of Liberty (it is because of this explosion that the Lady's torch has been closed off to visitors). Most of the immigrants on Ellis Island were temporarily evacuated. Losses were estimate at $20 million and seven people were killed. After the war, a commission appointed to resolve American claims against Germany was established. It took years before a decision was made, finally in June of 1939, the commission ruled that the German Government had authorized the sabotage. However, World War II interrupted any chances of arranging for restitution. In 1953 the two governments finally settled on terms that the German government would pay a total of $95 million for a number of claims including Black Tom. The final payment was received in 1979.
1942 – The US passenger-freighter Robert E. Lee with 268 passengers was sunk by the German U-166 submarine. 15 crew members and 10 passengers died. In 2001 wreckage of the U-166 was found in the Gulf of Mexico and it appeared that it was sunk by Coast Guard PC-566 right after the attack. U-166 had 52 crew members.
1945 – Japanese warships sink the American cruiser Indianapolis, killing 883 seamen in the worst loss in the history of the U.S. navy. As a prelude to a proposed invasion of the Japanese mainland, scheduled for November 1, U.S. forces bombed the Japanese home islands from sea and air, as well as blowing Japanese warships out of the water. The end was near for Imperial Japan, but it was determined to go down fighting. Just before midnight of the 29th, the Indianapolis, an American cruiser that was the flagship of the Fifth Fleet, was on its way, unescorted, to Guam, then Okinawa. It never made it. It was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Interestingly, the sub was commanded by a lieutenant who had also participated in the Pearl Harbor invasion. There were 1,196 crewmen onboard the Indianapolis; over 350 died upon impact of the torpedo or went down with the ship. More than 800 fell into the Pacific. Of those, approximately 50 died that first night in the water from injuries suffered in the torpedo explosion; the remaining seamen were left to flounder in the Pacific, fend off sharks, drink sea water (which drove some insane), and wait to be rescued. Because there was no time for a distress signal before the Indianapolis went down, it was 84 hours before help arrived. This was despite the fact that American naval headquarters had intercepted a message on July 30 from the Japanese sub commander responsible for sinking the Indianapolis, describing the type of ship sunk and its location. (The Americans assumed it was an exaggerated boast and didn't bother to follow up.) Only 318 survived; the rest were eaten by sharks or drowned. The Indianapolis's commander, Captain Charles McVay, was the only officer ever to be court-martialed for the loss of a ship during wartime in the history of the U.S. Navy. Had the attack happened only three days earlier, the Indianapolis would have been sunk carrying special cargo-the atom bomb, which it delivered to Tinian Island, northeast of Guam, for scientists to assemble.
1956 – US motto "In God We Trust" was authorized.
1971 – US Apollo 15 with astronauts Scott and Irwin landed at Mare Imbrium on the Moon.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HOMAN, CONRAD
Rank and organization: Color Sergeant, Company A, 29th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: Near Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Roxbury, Mass. Date of issue: 3 June 1869. Citation: Fought his way through the enemy's lines with the regimental colors, the rest of the color guard being killed or captured.
HOUGHTON, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Captain, Company L, 14th New York Artillery. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864; 25 March 1865. Entered service at: Ogdensburg, N.Y. Born: 30 April 1842, Macomb, St. Lawrence County, N.Y. Date of issue: 5 April 1898. Citation: In the Union assault at the Crater (30 July 1864), and in the Confederate assault repelled at Fort Haskell, displayed most conspicuous gallantry and repeatedly exposed himself voluntarily to great danger, was 3 times wounded, and suffered loss of a leg.
JAMIESON, WALTER
Rank and organization: 1st Sergeant, Company B, 139th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864; At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: France. Date of issue: 5 April 1898. Citation: Voluntarily went between the lines under a heavy fire at Petersburg, Va., to the assistance of a wounded and helpless officer, whom he carried within the Union lines. At Fort Harrison, Va., seized the regimental color, the color bearer and guard having been shot down, and, rushing forward, planted it upon the fort in full view of the entire brigade.
KNIGHT, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 9th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at Keene, N.H. Birth: Keene, N.H. Date of issue: 27 July 1896. Citation. In company with a sergeant, was the first to enter the exploded mine; was wounded but took several prisoners to the Federal lines.
MATHEWS, WILLIAM H.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company E, 2d Maryland Veteran Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: England. Date of issue: 10 July 1892. Citation: Finding himself among a squad of Confederates, he fired into them, killing 1, and was himself wounded, but succeeded in bringing in a sergeant and 2 men of the 17th South Carolina Regiment (C.S.A.) as prisoners.
(Enlisted in 1861 at Baltimore, Md., under the name Henry Sivel, and original Medal of Honor issued under that name. A new medal was issued in 1900 under true name, William H Mathew.)
McALWEE, BENJAMIN F.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 3d Maryland Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Washington, D.C. Date of issue: 4 April 1898. Citation: Picked up a shell with burning fuse and threw it over the parapet into the ditch, where it exploded; by this act he probably saved the lives of comrades at the great peril of his own.
SIMONS, CHARLES J.
Rank and organization. Sergeant, Company A, 9th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: Exeter, N.H. Birth: India. Date of issue: 27 July 1896. Citation: Was one of the first in the exploded mine, captured a number of prisoners. and was himself captured, but escaped.
SWIFT, HARLAN J.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company H, 2d Mew York Militia Regiment. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: New York. Birth: New Hudson, N.Y. Date of issue: 20 July 1897. Citation: Having advanced with his regiment and captured the enemy's line, saw 4 of the enemy retiring toward their second line of works. He advanced upon them alone, compelled their surrender and regained his regiment with the 4 prisoners.
WILKINS, LEANDER A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 9th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Lancaster, N.H. Date of issue: 1 December 1864. Citation: Recaptured the colors of 21st Massachusetts Infantry in a hand_to_hand encounter.
WRIGHT, ALBERT D.
Rank and organization: Captain, Company G, 43d U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at:——. Born: 10 December 1844, Elkland, Tioga County, Pa. Date of issue: 1 May 1893. Citation: Advanced beyond the enemy's lines, capturing a stand of colors and its color guard; was severely wounded.
O'NEIL, RICHARD W.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: On the Ourcq River, France, 30 July 1918. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 30, W.D., 1921. Citation: In advance of an assaulting line, he attacked a detachment of about 25 of the enemy. In the ensuing hand-to-hand encounter he sustained pistol wounds, but heroically continued in the advance, during which he received additional wounds: but, with great physical effort, he remained in active command of his detachment. Being again wounded, he was forced by weakness and loss of blood to be evacuated, but insisted upon being taken first to the battalion commander in order to transmit to him valuable information relative to enemy positions and the disposition of our men.
*OZBOURN, JOSEPH WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 24 October 1919, Herrin, Ill. Accredited to: Illinois. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Browning Automatic Rifleman serving with the 1st Battalion, 23d Marines, 4th Marine Division, during the battle for enemy Japanese-held Tinian Island, Marianas Islands, 30 July 1944. As a member of a platoon assigned the mission of clearing the remaining Japanese troops from dugouts and pillboxes along a tree line, Pvt. Ozbourn, flanked by 2 men on either side, was moving forward to throw an armed handgrenade into a dugout when a terrific blast from the entrance severely wounded the 4 men and himself. Unable to throw the grenade into the dugout and with no place to hurl it without endangering the other men, Pvt. Ozbourn unhesitatingly grasped it close to his body and fell upon it, sacrificing his own life to absorb the full impact of the explosion, but saving his comrades. His great personal valor and unwavering loyalty reflect the highest credit upon Pvt. Ozbourn and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 30, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
30 July
1909: The Wright plane completed its second test with a 10-mile flight from Fort Myer to Alexandria and back at 42.583 MPH. The speed gave the Wrights a $5,000 bonus (10 percent of a $25,000 base price for each MPH over 40) and made the purchase price $30,000. (4) (12)
1935: Lt Frank Akers (USN) flew an OJ-2 from NAS San Diego and made the first blind landing aboard the carrier USS Langley. He later received the DFC. (24)
1939: The US regained the world payload carrying record when Maj Caleb V. Haynes and Capt W. D. Old flew the Boeing XB-15 to 8,200 feet with a payload of 15 1/2 tons at Wright Field. (24)
1944: VOGELKOP OPERATION. FEAF aircraft supported an amphibious operation, the landings on the Vogelkop Peninsula on the western end of New Guinea. Troops of the 6th Infantry Division met no opposition and began work immediately on airfields at March and Sansapor. Middleburg and Amsterdam Islands, just offshore, were secured, and an airfield on Middleburg was ready for fighters on 17 August.
1948: North American Aviation delivered the first operational jet bomber, the B-45A Tornado, to the Air Force. (21)
1950: KOREAN WAR. 47 B-29s bombed the Chosen Nitrogen Explosives Factory at Hungnam on North Korea's east coast. (28)
1951: KOREAN WAR/ATTACK ON PYONGYANG. Fighters participated in a coordinated attack on selected targets in Pyongyang. The 91 F-80s performing flak suppression, although hampered by cloud cover over the target, were successful as no UN aircraft were lost to flak at Pyongyang during the day. The 354 USAF and USMC fighter-bombers attacking targets around Pyongyang reported fair results. (17) (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Following extended heavy rains, 3d Air Rescue Squadron helicopters carried approximately 650 flood-stranded U.S. military members and Koreans to safety. Flying over 100 sorties, five large H-19s transported some 600 evacuees, while two H-5s carried the rest. In the I Corps sector, two H-5s flew over 30 sorties to rescue 60 flood-stranded Koreans and U.S. soldiers. (28) KOREAN WAR. Through 31 July, in one of the largest medium bomber raids against a single target, 60 B-29s destroyed 90 percent of the Oriental Light Metals Company facility, only four miles from the Yalu River. The B-29s achieved the unusally extensive destruction of the target in spite of encountering the largest nighttime counter-air effort to date by the enemy. The attacking bombers suffered no losses. (28)
1959: The Norair N-156F (later modified into the F-5) twin jet tactical fighter completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1965: The 7-year Saturn I program ended with the launch of Pegasus III, the tenth success in as many attempts for this booster.
1969: Mariner 6 flew by Mars.
1971: The last C-133 Cargomaster retired from Travis AFB to aircraft graveyard at Davis-Monthan AFB to end a chapter in military airlift history. It fell victim to the jet age and the jumbo airlift capability of the C-5A Galaxy. This event ushered in the modern all-jet airlift fleet. (5) (18) The last F-100 left Vietnam for the CONUS. Its departure ended a combat employment, which began in 1964 and produced 360,283 combat sorties with 243 aircraft losses. (17)
1981: Through 9 August, MAC supported the Gambia evacuation. When Gambia's president attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in London, leftist guerrillas attempted a coup. When loyal Gambian troops and their Senegalese allies were unable to rescue rebel-held hostages and quell rioting in Bangul, MAC sent two C-141s to Dakar, Senegal. On 8 August, the rebel force surrendered and released its hostages. One C-141 evacuated 95 civilians from Bangul to Dakar. (2)
1984: Modified B-1A number four, avionics flight test aircraft, completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (12)
1985: The USAF Bomarc aerial target drone program ended. (16) (26)
1993: The VISTA NF-16 employed its multi-axis thrust-vectoring system for the first time in a flight over Edwards AFB. That system enabled the aircraft to achieve a 110-degree transient angle-ofattack and a sustained angle-of-attack by September. (20)
1997: Captain Dewey Gay flew a F-16C Fighting Falcon (Tail No. 83-1164) from the 62d Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB to history when he touched down after a 1.3-hour sortie that pushed the F-16 over 4,000 hours. It was the first C-model to reach the 4,000-hour mark. The feat took 14 years. (AFNEWS Article 970991, 13 Aug 97)
1997: The X-38 atmospheric test vehicle made its first captive-carry flight aboard a B-52. The subscale, unmanned X-38 shape was joint NASA Dryden Center and Johnson Space Center project to validate concept for a future International Space Station emergency Crew Return Vehicle. The space "lifeboat" relied on Lifting Body technology. (3)
1998: At Edwards AFB, testing on the C-141A Electric Starlifter came to an end. The joint Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate and Lockheed-Martin/Lucas Aerospace testing program outfitted a large military cargo aircraft with electrically operated Fly-By-Wire, PowerBy-Wire flight controls for the first time in aviation history. The C-141A aircraft, assigned to the 418th Flight Test Squadron, flew over 1,000 hours in the program. It was the last C-141A in operational service. With the completion of the test program, the Air Force retired the aircraft to Davis-Monthan AFB. (AFNEWS Article 981113, 30 Jul 98)
2001: The DoD awarded Boeing a $485 million contract to engineer and manufacture an Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) and a separate $1 billion contract for aircraft modifications, support, and other services to complement the AMP enhancements for 519 C-130s. The program would equip the C-130 cockpits with flat panels, digital displays, multi-functional radar, and a state-of-the-art communications system. (22) AETC's C-141 aircrew training school at Altus AFB officially closed to end more than 25 years of C-141 training there. The closure came with the phased retirement of more than 265 C-141Bs. The Air Force, however, modified 56 C-141Bs with state-of-the-art glass cockpits and redesignated them as C-141Cs. (22) A crew from Minot AFB delivered a B-52H to the AFFTC for transfer to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. It would be converted into an air launch platform to replace Dryden's venerable B-52B Tail No. 52-0008. (3)
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World News for 30 July thanks to Military Periscope
USA—1st Group Of Afghan Evacuees Arrive In Va. Washington Post | 07/30/2021 An initial wave of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces have arrived in Virginia as the U.S. rushes to save thousands who worked with American forces in Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post. About 200 Afghans arrived at Fort Lee on Friday after departing from Kabul. The first group is among some 2,500 who have completed most of the process to obtain special immigrant visas. They will finish the final rounds of processing over the next several days before being resettled across the country. The remainder of this batch, including about 700 Afghans who worked with U.S. forces and 1,800 family members, will soon be flown to the U.S., reported the Army Times. About 20,000 Afghans have applied for the visas, which are meant for people who worked with U.S. forces and their families. When including family members, that figure could grow to 100,000, said one U.S. official. On Thursday, the Senate approved about $1 billion for the effort. About 74,000 Afghans have come to the U.S. under the program since 2008.
USA—Lawmakers Hold Up Arms Sale To Nigeria Foreign Policy | 07/30/2021 Top U.S. senators have placed holds on a proposed sale of attack helicopters to Nigeria, reports Foreign Policy. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and ranking member Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) have paused the proposed $875 million deal, raising concerns about the Nigerian government's human-rights record. The possible sale covers 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters and associated systems, including 28 GE engines, 14 Honeywell military-grade navigation systems and 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets, reported the Premium Times (Abuja). Top lawmakers have argued that the Biden administration should rethink relations with Nigeria as it appears to be sliding toward authoritarianism amid various security challenges, including the fight against Boko Haram.
USA—Navy Charges Sailor In Connection To Bonhomme Richard Blaze Task and Purpose | 07/30/2021 The U.S. Navy has charged a sailor in the July 2020 fire that destroyed an amphibious assault ship in San Diego, Calif., reports Task and Purpose. On Thursday, the service announced that it was charging a sailor with improper hazarding of a vessel and aggravated arson in connection with the fire aboard Bonhomme Richard. The suspect is a seaman apprentice and was a crewmember on the ship at the time, reported the Navy Times. Officials declined to name the suspect, who will face an Article 32 preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to a court martial. On July 12, 2020, a fire started in the lower vehicle storage area of the ship, which was undergoing modernization at the time. The fire was not fully extinguished until four days later, with 11 of the ship's 14 decks damaged. The damage was so severe that it was determined to be more economical to scrap the ship than repair it.
USA—New Sanctions Planned Against Iranian Cruise Missile, Drone Programs Wall Street Journal | 07/30/2021 Washington is planning new sanctions against Iran's growing domestic weapons capacity, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Biden administration is considering measures to hinder Iran's capabilities to develop and build precision-weapon capabilities, including missiles and drones. The new sanctions might target Iran's ability to acquire key components needed to make such weapons. The decision reflects a growing emphasis on the threat posed by guided missile and drones to the U.S. and its partners in the Middle East. The White House is also reportedly studying ways to tighten the enforcement of oil sanctions on Iran in an effort to jumpstart stalled talks over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Officials emphasized that the sanctions on Iranian weapon programs are separate from efforts to return to the nuclear pact.
USA—Rocket Lab Launches Space Force Payload Space News | 07/30/2021 California-based small satellite launch provider Rocket Lab has successfully launched a Space Force payload, reports Space News. On Thursday, the Monolith satellite was launched on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The spacecraft was placed in a 370-mile (600-km) orbit with an inclination of 37 degrees. The Monolith small satellite, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and built by the Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory, will be used to evaluate how a large deployable sensor that makes up a "substantial portion" of a vehicle effects a satellite's dynamic properties and attitude control. It will also "provide a platform to test future space protection capabilities," the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) said without providing further details.
Germany—Syrian Doctor Charged With Crimes Against Humanity Deutsche Welle | 07/30/2021 German prosecutors have charged a Syrian national living in Germany with crimes against humanity, including torture and murder, from his time as a doctor at a military hospital in Syria, reports Deutsche Welle. On Wednesday, the prosecutors charged the doctor, identified only as Alaa M., with committing state-sponsored atrocities. The suspect is likely Alaa Mousa, reported the Washington Post. German authorities arrested Moussa in June 2020. He was initially charged with two counts of torturing detainees at a hospital in Homs in 2011. He was subsequently hit with additional charges, including 18 counts of torture at the hospitals in Homs and Damascus. According to the allegations, Moussa beat one prisoner, poured an inflammable liquid on his wounds and ignited it and kicked him in the face, breaking several teeth; administered a lethal injection to a prisoner who tried to resist a beating; set fire to the genitals of a teenager; and punched a prisoner suffering from an epileptic seizure after their detention as well as hitting them with a pipe and kicking them in the head. Two victims of the torture died, said prosecutors. Moussa fled to Germany in 2015, where he practiced medicine prior to his arrest. He is the third Syrian national living in Germany to be charged in local courts with committing atrocities on behalf of the Assad regime. The first, Eyad al-Gharib, was found guilty and sentenced in February.
Russia—Initial Batch Of S-500 Air Defense Systems Ordered Tass | 07/30/2021 The Russian government has finalized a contract for an initial batch of advanced air defense systems, reports Russia's Tass news agency. The deal with Almaz-Antey covers more than 10 S-500 Prometey air defense systems for delivery to the aerospace forces beginning in the first half of 2022, said an unnamed defense industry source. The value of the contract was not made public. The S-500 is undergoing state trials in southern Russia that are scheduled to conclude by the end of the year.
Japan—Okinawa OKs Coral Relocation Project After Court Ruling Asahi Shimbun | 07/30/2021 The Okinawa government has granted a permit for a coral relocation project that is part of work to shift U.S. forces on the island to a new base, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo). On July 28, the prefecture issued the conditional permit to the Japanese Defense Ministry for the project to move 40,000 coral colonies from waters near the planned facility in the Henoko district of Nago city. The U.S. is building the new air base to accommodate forces currently assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan. The coral relocation is necessary to begin a landfill project as part of the construction of the new base. The prefecture government and Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki opposed the project as part of their general opposition to the construction of the base and refused to respond to the ministry's request for a permit, which was originally issued in 2019. The central government ordered Tamaki to approve it. The prefecture subsequently sued, arguing the order was illegal. The Japanese Supreme Court rejected that argument on July 6.
South Korea—U.S. To Return 25 Percent Of Seoul Garrison Yonhap | 07/30/2021 The U.S. and South Korea have reached an agreement on the return of a large section of an American garrison located in the middle of Seoul, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Thursday, the parties agreed to the return of around one quarter of the Yongsan garrison site, said the South Korean Foreign Ministry. The transfer of some 5.4 million square feet (500,000 square m) of land is expected to take place by early next year. The territory primarily consists of the South Post section of the garrison and includes schools, sports fields and officer quarters. The northern Main Post section continues to be occupied by the joint Combined Forces Command (CFC) and other facilities that are still in use. South Korea and the U.S. plan to relocate the command to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek by the end of 2022. The allies signed an agreement on the transfer of the Yongsan garrison to Seoul in 2019. Since then, more than 90 percent of its facilities and personnel have been relocated to Camp Humphreys. Once the transfer is complete, the site is to be transformed into a national park.
Philippines—Duterte Fully Restores Visiting Forces Agreement With U.S. Rappler | 07/30/2021 President Rodrigo Duterte has restored an agreement with the U.S. that provides a legal framework for American troops in the Philippines, reports the Rappler (Manila). On Friday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the U.S. had been restored following a meeting between Duterte and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is visiting the Philippines. Lorenzana said that a termination letter first issued in January 2020 had been fully retracted, restoring all elements of the bilateral defense relationship. No changes were made to the original document, but a side agreement is being negotiated. That deal is expected to cover some controversial aspects of the agreement, including the custody of troops accused of crimes, reported the South China Morning Post. Duterte abruptly announced the end of the VFA following a diplomatic dispute that arose from human-rights concerns under his government. A formal withdrawal was postponed several times before Duterte's decision on Friday.
Pakistan—Officer Killed In Peshawar Grenade Attack Dawn | 07/30/2021 A police officer has been killed in an explosion in northwestern Pakistan, reports the Dawn (Karachi). On Friday, an attacker threw a grenade at a police vehicle in Karkhano Market in Peshawar, said city police officials. An initial statement indicated that the slain officer was part of a team enforcing COVID-19-related restrictions when the attack occurred. Officials later said that the officer was on a routine patrol. One account said that the police were working with polio vaccination teams. The later report said that the type of explosive had not been confirmed, but that the explosion had taken place within the vehicle. A civilian passerby was also injured in the blast. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Oman—2 Killed In Attack On Japanese-Owned Ship In N. Indian Ocean Jerusalem Post | 07/30/2021 A Japanese-owned, Israeli-managed cargo ship has come under attack in the northern Indian Ocean, reports the Jerusalem Post. On Thursday, the Liberian-flagged M/T Mercer Street was attacked near the island of Masirah, about 185 miles (300 km) south of Muscat, the capital of Oman. The vessel was sailing from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, carrying no cargo at the time. Two sailors, a Romanian and a British national, were killed in the incident, according to Zodiac Maritime, which manages the vessel. The company initially said that piracy was suspected. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations subsequently issued an advisory categorizing the incident as a "non-piracy" attack. Details of the attack remain unconfirmed. Some analysts speculated that Iranian proxies may have been behind the attack.
Syria—2 Dozen Killed In Government Op In Daraa New Arab | 07/30/2021 At least 25 people have been killed in fierce fighting in Daraa province in southwestern Syria, reports the New Arab (London). Violence flared across the province on Thursday, killing at least eight civilians, reported the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Fighting began when the government launched an operation to retake rebel-held Daraa Al Balad, spurring opposition forces to launch counterattacks in the countryside. Artillery was reportedly used by both sides. Syrian media accused the rebels in the area of violating a cease-fire. At least eight government soldiers and seven opposition fighters were killed. Another 40 members of the government forces were captured. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency accused rebels of killing two civilians in mortar attacks in regime-held parts Daraa. Government troops also shelled the town of Al Yadudah, killing five civilians. Other regime attacks in the province killed three.
Tunisia—Saied Dismisses More Government Officials Al Jazeera | 07/30/2021 President Kais Saied has dismissed more senior Tunisian government officials days after suspending Parliament and assuming executive power, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Tuesday, Saied ordered the firing of a long list of government officials, including the army's chief prosecutor. He also removed the CEO of the national broadcaster, Wataniya, on Wednesday. Saied dismissed Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, suspended Parliament and lifted the immunity of legislators on July 25. The following day, he sacked the defense and justice ministers. Saied argues that the moves are justified under a measure in the Tunisian constitution allowing the president to take "exceptional measures" in the event of an imminent threat. On Wednesday, the Tunisian prosecutor's office announced that it had launched an investigation into three parties, including the Ennahdha party that was previously the largest in Parliament, on allegations of accepting foreign money prior to the 2019 election. The probe began on July 14, a spokesman said.
Niger—19 Die In Latest Militant Attack In Banibangou Agence France-Presse | 07/30/2021 At least 19 civilians have been killed in a militant attack in western Niger, reports Agence France-Presse. Gunmen opened fire on the village of Deye Koukou in the Banibangou region on Wednesday, said the government. Three other civilians were wounded and at least one was missing following the attack. This was the second attack in the area, in the volatile three-borders region between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, this week. On Sunday, 14 people were killed in an attack on the village of Wiye. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Jihadist groups aligned with ISIS and Al-Qaida are known to be active in the area. South
Africa—Ramaphosa Authorizes Combat Mission In Mozambique South African Government News Agency | 07/30/2021 President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved the deployment of nearly 1,500 South African troops to Mozambique, reports the South African Government News Agency. On Tuesday, the order authorizing the deployment of 1,495 troops to Mozambique was published in the Parliament's Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports. The order, originally issued on July 23, indicated that the deployment will run from July 15 to Oct. 15. The troops will deploy in support of the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique. South Africa deployed an initial contingent of special operations personnel to Mozambique earlier this month, reported Defence Web (South Africa) at the time.
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