Good Sunday Morning October 31
I hope that your weekend is going well
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Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
31 October
1803 The frigate Philadelphia runs aground near Tripoli while pursuing an enemy vessel in shallow water. As a result, the Tripolitans send a large gunboat force and attack Philadelphia. Stuck fast and listing, she is defenseless and Capt. William Bainbridge surrenders. Under Commodore Edward Prebles orders, Lt. Stephen Decatur leads a mission to burn Philadelphia early the following year.
1941 German submarine U-562 sinks USS Reuben James (DD 245) as she escorted Convoy HX 156, killing 115 of her crew. Reuben James is the first U.S. ship lost to enemy action in World War II.
1956 The U.S. Navy lands seven men in an R4D Skytrain on the ice at the South Pole. They are the first men to stand on the South Pole since Capt. Robert F. Scott in 1912.
1966 While serving as boat captain and patrol officer on board River Patrol Boat (PBR) 105 in Vietnam, Boatswains Mate 1st Class James E. Williams and his crew are taken under fire, facing a superior number of enemy vessels. Williams leads his men to sink 65 enemy craft and inflict numerous casualties among the enemy. He is awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) is named in his honor.
1972 While participating in a daring operation against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam, Engineman 1st Class Michael E. Thornton and Lt. Thomas R. Norris come under fire from a numerically superior force. Calling in for support and engaging the enemy, Norris is wounded by enemy fire. Learning that his lieutenant is down, Thornton bravely rushes through a hail of fire, fights off two enemy soldiers, and succeeds in removing Norris. Inflating Norris lifejacket, Thornton then tows him seaward for approximately two hours until they are picked up by support craft. Thornton is later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
No CHINFO on the weekend
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Today in History October 31
1517 | Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg in Germany. Luther's theories and writings inaugurate Protestantism, shattering the external structure of the medieval church and at the same time reviving the religious consciousness of Europe. | |
1803 | Congress ratifies the purchase of the entire Louisiana area in North America, adding territory to the U.S. which will eventually become 13 more states. | |
1838 | A mob of about 200 attacks a Mormon camp in Missouri, killing 20 men, women and children. | |
1864 | Nevada becomes the 36th state. | |
1941 | After 14 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial is completed. | |
1952 | The United States explodes the first hydrogen bomb at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific. | |
1968 | The bombing of North Vietnam is halted by the United States. | |
1971 | Saigon begins the release of 1,938 Hanoi POW's. | |
1984 | Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated in New Delhi by two Sikh members of her bodyguard. | |
1998 | Iraq announces it will no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors. | |
1999 | EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into Atlantic Ocean killing all 217 people on board. | |
2000 | Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. | |
2002 | Former Enron Corp. CEO Andrew Fastow convicted on 78 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, obstruction of justice and wire fraud; the Enron collapse cost investors millions and led to new oversight legislation. |
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Thanks to Admiral Cox and the folks at The Naval Historical and Heritage Command (NHHC)
Read the "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" for a more in depth look.
There is a great Memorial at the USS Midway pier in San Diego to these brave men
H-Gram 036: Special Edition—"No Higher Honor"—The Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944
"In no engagement in its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry,
guts and gumption than in the two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar."
—Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison
Download a PDF of H-Gram 036 (2.5 MB).
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Featured snippet from the web
There's a better way to put a band-aid at the tip of your finger. Instead of just wrapping it around, first cut the side tabs lengthwise. That way, they can overlap and stay more firmly on your finger. The lifehack was laid out by 5-Minute Craft and went viral when Reddit user adeptopeth212 posted it to the site.Jul 16, 2018
This band-aid hack is so smart we're mad we didn't think of it first
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Thanks to Dr.Rich
Great Dog Story ...
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/10/travel/dog-istanbul-boji-cnnphotos/
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Thanks to Carl
(Caviezel was outstanding in the "Person of Interest" series on CBS a few years ago! He is a very principled actor. He was chosen to star in the popular "Seal Team" series but turned it down because they would not change part of the script about the lead role! Have read that he has turned down several movie offers because the sex scenes! He would have been much more popular if he had not been so ethical.)
Jim Caviezel calls on 'Christian warriors' to fight for freedom, 'be saints' in rousing speech
He exhorted the audience to fight for freedom in a speech drawing from Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Mel Gibson's 1995 'Braveheart' movie.
Thu Oct 28, 2021 - 3:44 pm EDT
LAS VEGAS (LifeSiteNews) — The Passion of the Christ actor Jim Caviezel topped headlines this week when he gave an impassioned address at a Las Vegas "patriot" convention urging listeners to fight for freedom, "set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation," and "be saints."
Speaking at the "Patriot Double Down" convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured a lineup of speakers including Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe and former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, Caviezel recited Ronald Reagan's stirring 1964 "A Time for Choosing" speech, swapping out several references to pointedly compare the Cold War threat of Russian communism to modern crises of cultural decay, legalized abortion, and increasingly top-down government power.
After speaking about the tremendous challenges and blessings he experienced playing the role of Jesus Christ in The Passion, Mel Gibson's 2004 cinematic re-telling of Christ's passion and crucifixion, the devout Catholic actor spoke about the challenges facing the United States.
"In our country today, we are only too happy to go with the flow," Caviezel said. "We want to avoid the hard choices. We have enshrined the freedom now where all choices are equal no matter what the consequences are. But is that true freedom? Pope John Paul II in 1995, during a visit to Baltimore, said, 'Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.'"
Caviezel then proceeded to deliver an impassioned recitation of Ronald Reagan's October 27, 1964, "This is a Time for Choosing" speech with "a few amendments" to make the speech more applicable to the challenges facing Americans today.
Caviezel began by quoting Reagan in urging Americans to recognize "that we're in a war that must be won."
"Those of us who would trade our freedoms for the soup kitchen of the welfare state have told us that they have a utopian solution of peace without victory. They call their policy accommodation and they say if we only avoid any direct confrontation with this enemy, he'll forget his evil ways and learn to love us. All those who oppose them are indicted as warmongers," he continued, directly quoting the former president who was speaking at the time of the threat posed by the Soviet Union.
Caviezel, an outspoken pro-life advocate who has called abortion "America's great sin," then took aim at proponents of abortion, paraphrasing the words of the famous speech to add, "They say we offer simple answers to complex problems, and yet they have the nerve to call it 'choice.'"
"Well, perhaps there is a simple answer, not an easy answer, but a simple one," the actor recited: "[That] you and I would have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based on what we know in our hearts is morally right."
Using the framework of the Cold War-era speech to decry the evils of human trafficking and abortion, Caviezel went on: "Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot buy our security of one nation under God, our freedoms in Christ our Savior, from the threat of the devil any longer by committing an act of immorality so great as saying to millions and millions of little children now caught behind the Iron Curtain of sex trafficking and abortion: 'Give up your dreams of freedom now because in order to save our own skins, we're just too willing to make a deal with your slave masters.'"
Continuing to quote Reagan in observing that "surrender" is the only "guaranteed way you can have peace" and that "every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement," the actor described the battle now faced by Christians who find themselves in the midst of a spiritual and political struggle between following God and yielding to a culture in which even prominent faith leaders have failed to champion fundamental moral values.
Caviezel argued that "our priests, our pastors … sadly, even our Pope," have given conservatives what Reagan called "no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender."
Caviezel warned that failure to stand up for what is right will have serious consequences, leading to voluntarily surrender to evil.
"Our surrender will be voluntary because you see, by then we will have been so weakened from within spiritually, morally, economically," Caviezel recited, paraphrasing Reagan's words by saying that "[Satan] believes this because from our side, he's heard voices pleading for peace at any price."
Caviezel then took a swipe at the current public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which many conservatives argue has deprived millions of their essential rights to work, to breathe freely, and to make their own medical decisions about which drugs to take or refuse, rewording the speech to say, "as one commentator put it, he'd rather live on his knees with his mask on than die on his feet."
The actor continued to use the words of Reagan to finally urge listeners to refuse to appease evil and to have "the courage to tell our enemies there is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which evil must not advance."
"If we lose this war and in so doing, lose this great way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those of us that had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening," Caviezel quoted.
Caviezel then asked the audience, "Do we even believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?"
"You know, there's no coincidence why it's in that order, because without your life, you have no liberty and without your life, you have no happiness," he said, pointing out that "all men are created equal, ladies and gentlemen, not born equal."
Again quoting Reagan, Caviezel argued "it's high time now to ask ourselves if we still even know the freedoms that were intended for us by our founding fathers."
The Catholic actor again referred to Pope John Paul II's definition of freedom, which accords with a traditional understanding of moral liberty.
"Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom exists not to do what you like, but having the right to do what you ought," he said. "My fellow Christian warriors, set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation: be saints."
(Tweet by Bishop Strickland)
"And that is the freedom that I wish for you, freedom from sin, freedom from our weaknesses. Freedom from the slavery that sin makes out of all of us. Yeah, that is the freedom that is worth dying for," he said.
Caviezel wound up his address by quoting a famous speech from Mel Gibson's Academy Award-winning 1995 film "Braveheart."
"I see before me a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?" he asked.
Making distinctly Catholic additions to the inspiring Braveheart battle cry, Caviezel concluded, "We must fight for that authentic freedom and live, my friends. By God, we must live. And with the Holy Spirit as your shield and Christ as your sword, may you join St. Michael and all the angels in defending God. He's sending Lucifer and his henchmen straight right back down where they belong. We are headed into the storm of all storms. Yes. This storm is upon us. But not without Jesus, our rudder. And in the words of Reagan, 'evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.' God bless you."
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Thanks to Richard
Subject: The U.S. Army's Lift-Anything, Go-Anywhere Helicopter |
airspacemag.com | Air & Space Magazine
https://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/move-it-180972952/ [1]
NOBODY FORGETS A RIDE ON THE CH-47 CHINOOK.
Ed Darack [2]
The CH-47 is the U.S. Army's only heavy-lifter. The newest model, the F,
can carry up to 25,000 pounds of people, supplies, or equipment. (US Army
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
… … … For The List for Sunday, 31 October 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 31 October 1966… The Rotary Wing Warriors… among the bravest of the brave…
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-31-october-1966-low-level-hell/
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
1918 – In the worst global epidemic of the century, influenza (an acute, contagious respiratory viral infection) had been spreading around the world since May. Before it ended in 1919 some 20 million people were killed worldwide, about twice as many as World War I, with about 500-600,000 of them in the US. October was the deadliest month and about 195,000 died with 21,000 dead the 1st week. It was estimated that 20-40 million people died worldwide.
1918 – Pershing's troops break through the third and final German defensive line. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive is to be renewed after a brief period of rest and reinforcement.
1941 – The U.S. Navy destroyer "Reuben James" was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Iceland, killing 115, even though the United States had not yet entered World War II.
1943 – LT Hugh D. O'Neill of VF(N)-75 destroys a Japanese aircraft during night attack off Vella Lavella in first kill by a radar-equipped night fighter of the Pacific Fleet.
1950 – The Chinese launched a strong attack on Eighth Army at Unsan.
1951 – Eighteen of the 67 Air Guard squadrons mobilized in 1950-1951 during the Korean War are returned to state control on this date. Only one of the 18, the 116th Fighter Squadron from Moses Lake Air Force Base, WA, served overseas during this period. Issued new F-86A Sabre jets the 116th was stationed at the Royal Air Force base at Manston, England as part of the reinforcement of NATO forces put in place to discourage a Soviet attack in Europe. The six squadrons that actually deployed and fought in Korea were released in July 1952. The last flying units of the Air Guard serving on active duty during this period were finally released on December 31, 1952.
1952 – The United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific. The first H-bomb ever 'Mike' was exploded at 7.15 am local time on November 1st 1952. The mushroom cloud was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised. Mike was the first ever megaton yeild explosion.
1968 – President Johnson announces bombing halt. In a televised address to the nation five days before the presidential election, President Lyndon Johnson announces that on the basis of developments in the Paris peace negotiations, he has ordered the complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam." Accordingly, effective November 1, the U.S. Air Force called a halt to the air raids on North Vietnam known as Operation Rolling Thunder. The President further disclosed that Hanoi had finally agreed to allow the South Vietnamese government to participate in the peace talks. Johnson said that the United States would consent to a role for the National Liberation Front, though he stated that the latter concession "in no way involves recognition of the National Liberation Front in any form." The National Liberation Front (or Viet Cong, as it was more popularly known) was the classic Communist front organization that included both Communists and non-Communists who had banded together in opposition against the Saigon regime. Domestically, President Johnson's action drew widespread acclaim; both major presidential candidates expressed their full support. The reaction in Saigon, however, was much more subdued; President Thieu issued a communiqué declaring that the United States had acted unilaterally in its decision to halt the bombing.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BRUTSCHE, HENRY
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1846, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Tacony during the taking of Plymouth, N.C., 31 October 1864. Carrying out his duties faithfully during the capture of Plymouth, Brutsche distinguished himself by a display of coolness when he participated in landing and spiking a 9-inch gun while under a devastating fire from enemy musketry.
COLBERT, PATRICK
Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1840, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Commodore Hull at the capture of Plymouth, 31 October 1864. Painfully wounded by a shell which killed the man at his side, Colbert, as captain of the forward pivot gun, remained at his post until the end of the action, braving the heavy enemy fire and appearing as cool as if at mere target practice.
GRAHAM, ROBERT
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1841, England. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.. 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Tacony during the taking of Plymouth, N.C., 31 October 1864. Carrying out his duties faithfully during the capture of Plymouth, Graham distinguished himself by a display of coolness when he participated in landing and spiking a 9-inch gun while under a devastating fire from enemy musketry.
HOWARD, MARTIN
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1843, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Tacony during the taking of Plymouth, N.C., 31 October 1864. Carrying out his duties faithfully during the capture of Plymouth, Howard distinguished himself by a display of coolness when he participated in landing and spiking a 9-inch gun while under a devastating fire from enemy musketry.
*TALLENTlNE, JAMES
Rank and organization: Quarter Gunner, U.S. Navy. Born: 1840, England. Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as quarter gunner on board the U.S.S. Tacony during the taking of Plymouth, N.C., 31 October 1864. Carrying out his duties faithfully during the capture of Plymouth, Tallentine distinguished himself by a display of coolness when he participated in landing and spiking a 9_inch gun while under devastating fire from enemy musketry. Tallentine later gave his life while courageously engaged in storming Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865.
MILLMORE, JOHN
Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1860, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Essex, Millmore rescued from drowning John W. Powers, ordinary seaman, serving on the same vessel with him, at Monrovia, Liberia, 31 October 1877.
SIMPSON, HENRY
Rank and organization: First Class Fireman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1859, London, England. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For rescuing from drowning John W. Powers, ordinary seaman on board the U.S.S. Essex, at Monrovia, Liberia, 31 October 1877.
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BARGER, CHARLES D.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Bois-deBantheville, France, 31 October 1918. Entered service at: Stotts City, Mo. Birth: Mount Vernon, Mo. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man's Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Barger and another stretcher bearer upon their own initiative made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.
FUNK, JESSE N.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Bois-deBantheville, France, 31 October 1918. Entered service at. Calhan, Colo. Born: 20 August 1888, New Hampton, Mo. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man's Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.
BUTTON, WILLIAM ROBERT
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 3 December 1895, St. Louis, Mo. G.O. No.: 536, 10 June 1920. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in actual conflict with the enemy near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, on the night of 31 October_l November 1919, resulting in the death of Charlemagne Peralte, the supreme bandit chief in the Republic of Haiti, and the killing, capture and dispersal of about 1,200 of his outlaw followers. Cpl. William R. Button not only distinguished himself by his excellent judgment and leadership but also unhesitatingly exposed himself to great personal danger when the slightest error would have forfeited not only his life but the lives of the detachments of Gendarmerie under his command. The successful termination of his mission will undoubtedly prove of untold value to the Republic of Haiti.
HANNEKEN, HERMAN HENRY
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Place and date: Near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, 31 October-1 November 1919. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 23 June 1893, St. Louis, Mo. G.O. No.: 536, 10 June 1920. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross with 1 gold star, Silver Star, Legion of Merit. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in actual conflict with the enemy near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, on the night of 31 October-1 November 1919, resulting in the death of Charlemagne Peralte, the supreme bandit chief in the Republic of Haiti, and the killing, capture, and dispersal of about 1,200 of his outlaw followers. 2d Lt. Hanneken not only distinguished himself by his excellent judgment and leadership but also unhesitatingly exposed himself to great personal danger when the slightest error would have forfeited not only his life but the lives of the detachments of gendarmerie under his command. The successful termination of his mission will undoubtedly prove of untold value to the Republic of Haiti.
. *PITTS, RILEY L.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Ap Dong, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1967. Entered service at: Wichita, Kans. Born: 15 October 1937, Fallis, Okla. Citation: Distinguishing himself by exceptional heroism while serving as company commander during an airmobile assault. Immediately after his company landed in the area, several Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons. Despite the enemy fire, Capt. Pitts forcefully led an assault which overran the enemy positions. Shortly thereafter, Capt. Pitts was ordered to move his unit to the north to reinforce another company heavily engaged against a strong enemy force. As Capt. Pitts' company moved forward to engage the enemy, intense fire was received from 3 directions, including fire from 4 enemy bunkers, 2 of which were within 15 meters of Capt. Pitts' position. The severity of the incoming fire prevented Capt. Pitts from maneuvering his company. His rifle fire proving ineffective against the enemy due to the dense jungle foliage, he picked up an M-79 grenade launcher and began pinpointing the targets. Seizing a Chinese Communist grenade which had been taken from a captured Viet Cong's web gear, Capt. Pitts lobbed the grenade at a bunker to his front, but it hit the dense jungle foliage and rebounded. Without hesitation, Capt. Pitts threw himself on top of the grenade which, fortunately, failed to explode. Capt. Pitts then directed the repositioning of the company to permit friendly artillery to be fired. Upon completion of the artillery fire mission, Capt. Pitts again led his men toward the enemy positions, personally killing at least 1 more Viet Cong. The jungle growth still prevented effective fire to be placed on the enemy bunkers. Capt. Pitts, displaying complete disregard for his life and personal safety, quickly moved to a position which permitted him to place effective fire on the enemy. He maintained a continuous fire, pinpointing the enemy's fortified positions, while at the same time directing and urging his men forward, until he was mortally wounded. Capt. Pitts' conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the Armed Forces of his country.
THORNTON, MICHAEL EDWIN
Rank and organization: Petty Officer, U.S. Navy, Navy Advisory Group. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1972. Entered service at: Spartanburg, S.C. Born: 23 March 1949, Greenville, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a daring operation against enemy forces. PO Thornton, as Assistant U.S. Navy Advisor, along with a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a 3-man Vietnamese Navy SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval river base. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and was continuing on foot toward its objective when it suddenly came under heavy fire from a numerically superior force. The patrol called in naval gunfire support and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement. Upon learning that the Senior Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, PO Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant's last position; quickly disposed of 2 enemy soldiers about to overrun the position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Naval Advisor to the water's edge. He then inflated the lieutenant's lifejacket and towed him seaward for approximately 2 hours until picked up by support craft. By his extraordinary courage and perseverance, PO Thornton was directly responsible for saving the life of his superior officer and enabling the safe extraction of all patrol members, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
WILLIAMS, JAMES E.
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate First Class (PO1c.), U.S. Navy, River Section 531, My Tho, RVN, Place and date: Mekong River, Republic of Vietnam, 31 October 1966. Entered service at: Columbia, S.C. Born: 13 June 1930, Rock Hill, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. PO1c. Williams was serving as Boat Captain and Patrol Officer aboard River Patrol Boat (PBR) 105 accompanied by another patrol boat when the patrol was suddenly taken under fire by 2 enemy sampans. PO1c. Williams immediately ordered the fire returned, killing the crew of 1 enemy boat and causing the other sampan to take refuge in a nearby river inlet. Pursuing the fleeing sampan, the U.S. patrol encountered a heavy volume of small-arms fire from enemy forces, at close range, occupying well-concealed positions along the river bank. Maneuvering through this fire, the patrol confronted a numerically superior enemy force aboard 2 enemy junks and 8 sampans augmented by heavy automatic weapons fire from ashore. In the savage battle that ensued, PO1c. Williams, with utter disregard for his safety exposed himself to the withering hail of enemy fire to direct counter-fire and inspire the actions of his patrol. Recognizing the overwhelming strength of the enemy force, PO1c. Williams deployed his patrol to await the arrival of armed helicopters. In the course of his movement his discovered an even larger concentration of enemy boats. Not waiting for the arrival of the armed helicopters, he displayed great initiative and boldly led the patrol through the intense enemy fire and damaged or destroyed 50 enemy sampans and 7 junks. This phase of the action completed, and with the arrival of the armed helicopters, PO1c. Williams directed the attack on the remaining enemy force. Now virtually dark, and although PO1c. Williams was aware that his boats would become even better targets, he ordered the patrol boats' search lights turned on to better illuminate the area and moved the patrol perilously close to shore to press the attack. Despite a waning supply of ammunition the patrol successfully engaged the enemy ashore and completed the rout of the enemy force. Under the leadership of PO 1 c. Williams, who demonstrated unusual professional skill and indomitable courage throughout the 3 hour battle, the patrol accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and inflicted numerous casualties on the enemy personnel. His extraordinary heroism and exemplary fighting spirit in the face of grave risks inspired the efforts of his men to defeat a larger enemy force, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 31, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
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31 October
1910: Ralph Johnstone flew his Wright Biplane to a new world altitude record of 9,714 feet at the Belmont Park International Meet (See 22 October). (9) (24)
1942: After 10 days of bombing operations against German submarine pens in France, Gen Carl Spaatz informed Gen H.H. Arnold that the operations were too costly for the results obtained because the pens were too well protected from normal high-altitude bombing. General Spaatz planned to operate as low as 4,000 feet and accept the high casualty rates. (4)
1943: Near New Georgia, Solomon Islands, a Chance Vought F4U-2 Corsair pilot completed the Navy's first successful radar-guided interception. (20) For the first time from the Mediterranean Theater, 38 B-17s from Twelfth Air Force bombed France, striking Antheor Viaduct near Cannes. (24)
1948: The USAF revealed that ramjet engines were used for the first time on piloted aircraft, a modified F-80. (12)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A service-test C-124A departed for the US, after successfully completing its test in the Far East. The results convinced the 315th Air Division of the need for a Globemaster squadron. Additionally, the 315th Air Division transported 3,200 passengers, including over 1,500 troops on "rest and recuperation" leave. Intelligence representatives from the Fifth Air Force, U.S. Eighth Army, and U.S. Navy decided to expand intelligence activities on the island of Cho-do, a prime location for infiltration/exfiltration of UN agents and refugee interrogation. (28)
1953: Mr. Trevor Gardner, Special Assistant to the SECAF for R&D, formed the Strategic Missiles Evaluation Committee to review and evaluate Air Force missile programs. (6)
1956: Lt Cmdr Gus Shinn landed a ski-equipped R4D-5 (a Navy version of the DC-3), named "Que Sera Sera," at the South Pole. Shinn kept the engines running while RAdm George Dufek stepped out of the plane to stand at the Pole. Dufek and six other Navy crewmen became the first to stand on the spot since January 1912. (AFNEWS Article, "109th Airlift Wing Commemorates First South Pole Landing," 3 Nov 2006)
1957: A Snark missile launched at Cape Canaveral completed its first full range flight test. It flew 5,000 miles to the target area near Ascension Island. (6)
1959: The first Atlas equipped with a nuclear warhead went on alert at Vandenberg AFB. (6)
1962: The first US geodetic survey satellite, Anna, launched from Cape Canaveral.
1965: SAC accepted the first flight of 10 Minuteman IIs at the 447 SMS, Grand Forks AFB. (6)
1966: The USAF selected Boeing Company to produce the AGM-069A SRAM for FB-111s and late model B-52s. (6) (12)
1972: The USAF inactivated the last BOMARC surface-to-air missile squadron, the 22d Air Defense Missile Squadron, at Langley AFB. (16) (21)
1976: The first USAF E-3A AWACS aircraft, with its full complement of surveillance and command and control avionics, made its first test flight.
1985: The Challenger's ninth mission carried Spacelab D-1. West Germany bought the entire seven-day mission that returned to earth on 5 November.
1994: Through 1 November, two B-1 Lancers from Ellsworth AFB flew a nonstop mission to a bombing range in Kuwait and back. The 25-hour mission was the first time for the B-1s in the Gulf Region. (16)
1997: In the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center flew the X-33's linear aerospike engine mounted on an SR-71 from Edwards AFB. The sortie determined the unfueled engine's aerodynamic characteristics. Ultimately, the engine was not ignited in flight. (3)
2000: Mission Commander Bill Shepherd and two Russian cosmonauts launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan into space to become the first residents of the International Space Station. (21)
2001: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. A pair of C-17s flew over Afghanistan to deliver some 35,000 humanitarian rations. The loadmaster aboard one C-17 tossed out a single plasticenclosed meal to symbolically represent the millionth meal airdropped. That act occurred on the 61st C-17 humanitarian flight to help feed Afghan refugees. (22)
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