Good Friday Morning 26 November
I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families.
A bit late this morning I had a yearly physical at the VA early this morning since I was unable to make the one earlier in the week because of the trash can but I am doing fine.
Regards,
Skip
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History
Nov. 26
1776—During the American Revolution, the Continental sloop Independence, commanded by Capt. John Young, captures the British merchant ship Sam with $20,000 in coin aboard.
1847—Lt. William Lynch, in the ship-rigged sailing vessel Supply, sails from New York to Haifa for an expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.
1863—The side-wheel steamship James Adger, commanded by Cmdr. F.H. Patterson, seizes British blockade runner Ella off Masonboro.
1864—The Sassacus class "double-ender" steam gunboat Metacomet, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. J.E. Jouett, captures Confederate blockade runner steamer Susanna in the Gulf of Mexico off Campeche Banks. Half her cargo of cotton is thrown overboard in the chase.
1941—Under the greatest secrecy, the Japanese armada, commanded by Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo, leaves Japan to attack the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. The armada includes all six of Japan's first-line aircraft carriers.
1941—USS Bonhomme Richard (CV 31) is commissioned.
1951—During the Korean War, Rear Adm. R.E. Libby relieves Rear Adm. Arleigh Burke as the United Nations delegate to the Panmunjom Peace Talks.
1941 |
Today in History
November 26 |
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1688 | Louis XIV declares war on the Netherlands. | ||
1774 | A congress of colonial leaders criticizes British influence in the colonies and affirms their right to "Life, liberty and property." | ||
1789 | George Washington proclaims this a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new Constitution. This date was later used to set the date for Thanksgiving. | ||
1812 | Napoleon Bonaparte's army begins crossing the Berezina River over two hastily constructed bridges. | ||
1825 | The Kappa Alpha Society, the second American college Greek-letter fraternity, is founded. | ||
1863 | The first National Thanksgiving is celebrated. | ||
1901 | The Hope diamond is brought to New York. | ||
1907 | The Duma lends its support to the Czar in St. Petersburg, who claims he has renounced autocracy. | ||
1917 | The Bolsheviks offer an armistice between Russian and the Central Powers. | ||
1922 | Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, archeologists, open King Tut's tomb, undisturbed for 3,000 years. | ||
1938 | Poland renews its nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union to protect against a German invasion. | ||
1939 | The Soviet Union charges Finland with an artillery attack on its border. | ||
1941 | The Japanese fleet departs from the Kuril Islands en route to its attack on Pearl Harbor. | ||
1947 | France expels 19 Soviet citizens, charging them with intervention in internal affairs. | ||
1949 | India becomes a sovereign democratic republic. | ||
1950 | North Korean and Chinese troops halt a UN offensive. | ||
1957 | President Dwight Eisenhower suffers a minor stroke. | ||
1975 | Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is found guilty of an attempt on President Gerald Ford's life. | ||
1979 | Oil deposits equaling OPEC reserves are found in Venezuela. | ||
1982 | Yasuhiro Nakasone is elected the 71st Japanese prime minister. | ||
1983 | At London's Heathrow Airport, almost 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are stolen from a Brinks-MAT vault. | ||
1998 | Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland's parliament. | ||
2000 | Republican candidate George W. Bush is certified the winner of Florida's electoral votes, giving him enough electoral votes to defeat Democrat Al Gore Jr. for the US presidency, despite losing the popular vote. | ||
2011 | NATO forces in Afghanistan attack a Pakistani checkpost in a friendly fire incident, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others. | ||
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … For The List for Thursday, 25 November 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
November is National U.S.Aircraft Carrier Month… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)… From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 25 November 1966… USS CORAL SEA combat deployments 4-7… and a Grizzly One rant for recognition…
For The List for Friday, 26 November 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
National U.S. Aircraft Carrier Month (cont.)… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)… From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 26 November 1966… USS INDEPENDENCE takes a turn — 100 days of combat ops…
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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Another superb H-Gram from Admiral Cox and his team from The Naval Historical and Heritage Command. To get a more in-depth and interesting view be sure to select the two attachments at the end of the piece.
H-Gram 038: Battle of Leyte Gulf
25 November 2019
Loading drop tanks on SB2C Helldivers aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) before a TF 38 search mission on the day after the Battle of Cape Engano, 25 October 1944 (80-G-284381).
This H-gram covers:
"CRIPDIV 1"—U.S. Carrier Attacks on Okinawa and Formosa, 10–16 October 1944
Battle of Leyte Gulf, 23–26 October 1944: U.S. and Japanese Forces
The Invasion of Leyte: Honolulu (CL-48) and HMAS Australia Damaged, 20 October 1944
The Battle of Palawan Passage: U.S. Submarines Sink Two Japanese Cruisers, 23–24 October 1944.
Tang (SS-306) Sunk by Own Torpedo, 23–24 October 1944
Greatest U.S. Navy Ace: Commander David McCampbell, 24 October 1944
Princeton (CVL-23) Lost to Japanese Air Attack, 24 October 1944
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea and Loss of Musashi, 24 October 1944
Air Strikes in the Sulu Sea, 24 October 1944
Sinking of "Hell Ship" Arisan Maru—Greatest Loss of U.S. Life at Sea, 24 October 1944
The Battle of Surigao Strait: Last Battleship Versus Battleship Action, 24–25 October 1944
The Battle of Cape Engano: Four Japanese Carriers Sunk, 25 October 1944
First Kamikaze Attacks, 25 October 1944
The Battle off Samar: Taffy 3, 25 October 1944
Halsey's Response to Taffy 3's Plight, 25 October 1944
In H-Gram 036, I described the incredibly heroic action of "Taffy 3" during the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944 and its relation to the theme "No Higher Honor" that former CNO Admiral Richardson chose for this year's Navy Birthday. I had hoped to get a more complete treatment of the overarching Battle of Leyte Gulf (of which the Battle off Samar was a part) on the wire before the anniversary of the battle, but I got sidetracked by the Battle of Midway movie H-gram and way too many Flag Officer Passing Notes (and the fact I actually have a day job). H-Gram 036 may be reviewed here.
As an update to the H-gram on Samar, the private research vessel Petrel (with which Naval History and Heritage Command has a strong collaborative relationship) announced late last month that they found the wreck of USS Johnston (DD-557) off Samar. Earlier this year, when I was aboard Petrel on the search for USS Wasp (CV-7), Petrel's mission director, Rob Kraft, asked me what ship I would want to find the most. My answer was Johnston, and the rest of Taffy 3, because in my view the actions of Commander Ernest Evans and the crew of Johnston were arguably the most heroic in the history of the U.S. Navy (although there are numerous worthy contenders).
I believe Petrel is probably correct in the identification as Johnston, but the ship essentially disintegrated on the way to the bottom (at 20,400 feet, the deepest shipwreck ever found), and distinguishing between Fletcher-class destroyers Johnston and Hoel (DD-533) is extremely difficult. By position, the wreck is a better match for Johnston, but there are some features in the debris that were known to be on Hoel and only possibly on Johnston. So, NHHC's underwater archaeologists aren't prepared to make a definitive identification quite yet. In a way, I find the ambiguity fitting, as the valor displayed by the crew of Hoel in this action met the definition of "above and beyond the call of duty," too. Also, based on Petrel's search off Samar, Gambier Bay (CVE-73), Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), and one of the two Fletchers (Johnston or Hoel) are in even deeper water, which exceeds even Petrel's capability.
In this H-gram, I feature the work of one of NHHC's great professional historians, Martin Waldman, who provides an excellent overview of the battle (which, given its scope and complexity, still comes in at 26 pages when printed out.) Please see Marty's work here.
My piece will focus more on valor and command decisions, with intent to be relatively short, although I will probably fail in that, too. I also include two items generally not mentioned in histories of Leyte Gulf, but that are related. One is the loss of USS Tang (SS-306) near Formosa while attacking a Japanese Leyte-bound convoy on the night of 23–24 October 1944. Tang was by some measures the most successful U.S. submarine of the war, and her skipper, the legendary Dick O'Kane, who as commanding officer of Tang and executive officer of Wahoo (SS-238—under the legendary "Mush" Morton), had a hand in sinking more ships than any other U.S. submarine officer. Ironically and tragically, Tang was sunk by her own circular-running torpedo (the last of 24 fired in a war patrol that earned O'Kane the Medal of Honor). Only nine of her crew, including O'Kane, survived to be captured by the Japanese. Five of the survivors made the only known successful ascent from a sunken submarine using the Momsen Lung (several others from Tang made a successful ascent, but were not rescued).
The other item is the great tragedy of Arisan Maru, which was torpedoed and sunk by a U.S. submarine (probably Shark—SS-314), which resulted in the loss of 1,781 prisoners of war (almost all American), who were being transported in hellish conditions from POW camps in the Philippines to Formosa and then to Japan and Japanese-occupied China. Almost all the U.S. POWs survived the sinking, but none was rescued by the Japanese (who did rescue most of Arisan Maru's crew.) Ultimately, only nine U.S. POWs survived. This was the greatest U.S. loss of life at sea (exceeding that of MT Rohna—see H-Gram 022—to which I should have caveated "due to enemy action"; I originally noted that Rohna was the greatest loss of U.S. military life at sea). Shark was sunk by the convoy's escorts and lost with all hands shortly thereafter.
Both Vice Admiral Kurita and Admiral Halsey would come in for intense criticism over the years for their actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. As a former flag officer myself, I may have more sympathy than historians, knowing what it is like to make rapid decisions with incomplete (or even deceptive) information and then be second-guessed by omniscient after-the-fact knowledge. Whatever Halsey's faults during the battle (and even then he only did what decades of doctrine and training expected: aggressive attack on the enemy fleet), he deserves a great deal of credit for the success of the battle. His recommendation to accelerate the invasion of Leyte caught the Japanese before they were ready, and his brilliantly executed attacks on Okinawa and Formosa cost the Japanese critical air assets that might have made the Leyte landings far more costly.
For his part, Kurita has gone down in history as having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, thanks to the heroic fight put up by Taffy 3. In reality, had he gotten into Leyte Gulf, he might have sunk 20 or so transports (since most of the 200 that had been there at the start of the landings were already gone). It would have been ugly, but would not have changed the outcome of the battle or the war, and his force would have been annihilated by Halsey's aircraft before they could have escaped. Although he later blamed exhaustion for his decision, it is almost certain that Kurita knew from the outset that his mission was doomed. His decision to withdraw ultimately probably saved over 10,000 Japanese lives, for which he was never given any credit.
For a relatively short synopsis of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, please see attachment H-038-1. For a more complete discussion of the battle, please see attachment H-038-2
As always select the Director's corner below to see all the H-Grams. If you are a student of History or are just interested then these H-Grams are superb and bring to life items that have never been discussed before. We learn about the heroics of men we never heard about and it keeps their acts alive for us to marvel at their heroics and sacrifice. Additionally, The Bear's (Admiral Taylor) Rolling Thunder and Commando Hunt series provides day by day and week by week history of the air war in Vietnam. With our thanks to THE BEAR at www.rollingthunderremembered.com
Visit NHHC
Director's Corner: H-grams and Blogs »
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Thanks to Carl
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/11/american_stasi.html
November 26, 2020
American Stasi
History. It's a curious thing. We learn from it, or at least we should, and we try to use it as a guide for the present and the future. Of course, we all interpret it a bit differently.
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Thanks to Shadow
Jim Lucas and I were in the office one day near Thanksgiving and I told Jim about this Thanksgiving story I had experienced in Vietnam… Jim suggested I write about it. I did and this is what I wrote. A year following it was published in "Leatherneck" magazine, November issue. As luck would have it, Frank Kennedy an A-4 Bubba was stationed at HQMC… I told Frank to check it out… Two days later, Frank calls back and says. "I found him"! I asked who he had found? He replied, "Your Buddy, Cortez DeLeon Stephens"! I said, "No shit, where is he"? He said, "Sitting right across from my desk… wanna talk to him"? "Oh hell yes"!
Turned out they worked in the same office. Steve had stayed in the Marine Corps and was about to retire as LtCol. This led to a reunion at the Globe and Laurel restaurant in Quantico, Virginia… we we'd all gone through OCS. Steve and his wife, Me and mine, Frank and his and my Secretary and her husband. Couldn't help but shed a few tears… so happy he had survived and had been treated so well by our country and Corps. I try to share this every Thanksgiving… a reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for.
God Bless, Shadow
VIETNAM THANKSGIVING
His name was "Cortez DeLeon Stephens"… we called him Steve. Half a world away, we shared a life in three short months. There has not been a Thanksgiving Day, since 1966 that I haven't thought of him… I often wondered if he remembered me.
We met at a small outpost, called Joliet… between Hue and Phu Bai, Vietnam. I was
attached out from my normal unit and Steve was just back from the Hospital Ship
Repose… where he was recovering from having his right index (trigger) finger blown off during a firefight… An easy ticket home… which he refused.
We were two young warriors--- Marines. It is hard to describe how different we were…
yet how much in common we had. We were both college drop-outs. He, because of love gone bad… me because of youthful indifference. He was an Honor Student… I had made a habit of just getting by. I had graduated from a small rural high school in Mississippi… He was from the inner city of Philadelphia. Back then… Mississippi State and Temple University… were a galaxy apart. He played the French horn. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket… But we both loved Motown Music… and Rhythm and Blues… Neither of us could dance… He was black, I was white.
During the long nights, that could seem endless (a lot of bad things happened at night
over there), we talked constantly to each other. At that point in our young lives we both
seemed to have a compulsive desire to find some meaning to it all. We not only shared
our tent, we shared our lives. We talked of politics, romance, the war, religion and even
racism. We talked of our families, our loves and our dreams. We were so different… but so much alike.
As young warriors do, we discussed our leaders… and we both decided that the one Staff NCO we'd follow to hell and back… was Gunnery Sgt. Willie Brown. He reminded us of a great African Warrior Chief… A man of regal deportment… And with a voice as
authoritative and calm… as God's own. Our favorite officer was Capt. Dan McMahon…
a leader of unlimited courage and ferocity in combat. We were so much alike.
Steve taught me a great deal about the human condition… To this very day, I have never forgotten my utter shame… and the humiliation I felt… when I repeated a racist joke I'd heard, to some other Marines… only to discover Steve was sitting right outside our hooch. That night he told me how much it hurt… but he would forgive me… "You still have a lot to learn white bread", he said. I've often wondered if the roles had been
reversed… would I have been as gracious? So different---
On Thanksgiving Day we got word by radio that the Padre was being choppered out to
give Communion… If… we got a break in the weather. About an hour later we heard the
distinctive… whop-whop music… of inbound Hueys. Seconds later the radio squawked
out that, "Dead Lock 20" was inbound with our Sky Pilot (Chaplin) and that they would
return in exactly one hour to pick him up for the return to Phu Bai.
As the Padre and his assistant got out of the helo, we watched with knowledgeable
concern… as we knew that any arrival of helos at this place… often precipitated the
arrival of incoming mortar rounds. This time it didn't happen.
With what seemed like practiced efficiency… The Padre and his assistant selected a spot about 100 yards from our tent, to set up shop. An altar was quickly erected from empty 81mm ammo boxes. A crucifix and candles were set upon the holy drape. Then the word was passed that services were to begin shortly.
What followed was a scene so surreal and poignant… That it will haunt me the rest of my life.
Slowly, almost hesitantly they came… Young warriors in battle regalia of helmets and
flack jackets… their rifles in hand. I swear with the low ceiling and mist… it was like a
scene from some vague "B" movie… where the dead are awakened… and rise to walk
from the graveyard. As they arrived in this small, dirty, yet holy place… The Padre ordered that they should stack arms, which was something we never did in the field (a placing of rifles together in a circle to resemble small tee-pees). As we watched… I was enthralled by the ritual of the Catholic ceremony… that was alien to me.
Warriors kneeling, helmets in hand, reciting in unison the responses to the Padre's
incantations. The Padre was short, yet soothing… almost cryptic with his sermon. He
then raised the call to Holy Communion and did something I had never seen before or
sense. As the first communicant knelt in supplication… He raised his arms to this small
congregation of less than 15 or 20… and asked that all sing "America the Beautiful" in
honor of the day. As they began to sing… individuals would go forth and receive the
sacraments. After which they retrieved their rifles and stood, waiting for the others.
As they neared the end of the hymn (it was a hymn that day)… We heard the deep
muffled booms of artillery being fired from Phu Bai… followed by the unforgettable
sound of artillery rounds going through the clouds overhead. As they impacted with their familiar carumph… the voices sang louder and stronger… "And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shinning sea".
As Father O'Massey invoked the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit… We heard the faint sound of the Hueys returning… and it began to rain… IT BEGAN TO RAIN! It was
almost like the angels in heaven were crying for us all.
The vividness and power of what we were witnessing was like nothing I had experienced before. As my emotions started to welt up inside… I turned to look at Steve… and saw the tears… Quiet unabashed tears of fortitude… It will be forever… the Thanksgiving I
most remember--- Damn… We were so much alike.
Over all these years, I have wondered what happened to Cortez DeLeon Stephens. We
last saw one another in Dong Ha as I was going home. The last place I knew he was
based was Quantico, Virginia… so I know he made it back. Every Thanksgiving I
remember him in a small prayer and I hope… that this nation, this America… has been as kind and generous to him, as it has to me and so many others.
I wrote this on 2/28/93… I'd thought about it a million times before I sat down and wrote
it… Why it took so long, I'll never know… But as a result of it… I found Steve. We had
a joyful reunion and life has been good to him… He stayed in, got a commission and
retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Has wonderful kids and by the way… He went home and married that sweetheart… who had initially spurned him and had caused him to run away and join the Corps so many years before. He was and is… a better man than me.
Shortly after all this… We moved to Phu Bai, just long enough to pack, go on a quick
R&R and get ready to mount out for Okinawa…
.… Shadow
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This Day in U S Military History November 26
1789 – George Washington proclaimed this a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new Constitution. He made it clear that the day should be one of prayer and giving thanks to God, to be celebrated by all the religious denominations. This date was later used to set the date for Thanksgiving.
1863 – The first of our modern annual Thanksgivings was held following the Oct 3 proclamation of Pres. Lincoln to assign the last Thursday in Nov for this purpose.
1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. The tradition of celebrating the holiday on Thursday dates back to the early history of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, when post-harvest holidays were celebrated on the weekday regularly set aside as "Lecture Day," a midweek church meeting where topical sermons were presented. A famous Thanksgiving observance occurred in the autumn of 1621, when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited local Indians to join the Pilgrims in a three-day festival held in gratitude for the bounty of the season. Thanksgiving became an annual custom throughout New England in the 17th century, and in 1777 the Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga. In 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a Thanksgiving holiday, when, at the request of Congress, he proclaimed November 26, a Tuesday, as a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution. However, it was not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to fall on the last Thursday of November, that the modern holiday was celebrated nationally. With a few deviations, Lincoln's precedent was followed annually by every subsequent president–until 1939. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt departed from tradition by declaring November 23, the next to last Thursday that year, as Thanksgiving Day. Considerable controversy surrounded this deviation, and some Americans refused to honor Roosevelt's declaration. For the next two years, Roosevelt repeated the unpopular proclamation, but on November 26, 1941, he admitted his mistake and signed a bill into law officially making the last Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day
1941 – Adm. Chuichi Nagumo leads the Japanese First Air Fleet, an aircraft carrier strike force, toward Pearl Harbor, with the understanding that should "negotiations with the United States reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland." Negotiations had been ongoing for months. Japan wanted an end to U.S. economic sanctions. The Americans wanted Japan out of China and Southeast Asia-and to repudiate the Tripartite "Axis" Pact with Germany and Italy as conditions to be met before those sanctions could be lifted. Neither side was budging. President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull were anticipating a Japanese strike as retaliation-they just didn't know where. The Philippines, Wake Island, Midway-all were possibilities. American intelligence reports had sighted the Japanese fleet movement out from Formosa (Taiwan), apparently headed for Indochina. As a result of this "bad faith" action, President Roosevelt ordered that a conciliatory gesture of resuming monthly oil supplies for Japanese civilian needs canceled. Hull also rejected Tokyo's "Plan B," a temporary relaxation of the crisis, and of sanctions, but without any concessions on Japan's part. Prime Minister Tojo considered this an ultimatum, and more or less gave up on diplomatic channels as the means of resolving the impasse. Nagumo had no experience with naval aviation, having never commanded a fleet of aircraft carriers in his life. This role was a reward for a lifetime of faithful service. Nagumo, while a man of action, did not like taking unnecessary risks-which he considered an attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor to be. But Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Isoruku Yamamoto thought differently; while also opposing war with the United States, he believed the only hope for a Japanese victory was a swift surprise attack, via carrier warfare, against the U.S. fleet. And as far as the Roosevelt War Department was concerned, if war was inevitable, it desired "that Japan commit the first overt act."
1943 – During World War II, the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying American soldiers, was hit by a German missile off Algeria; 1,138 men were killed, including 1,015 American troops.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
SHERIDAN, CARL V.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company K, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Frenzenberg Castle, Weisweiler, Germany, 26 November 1944. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Baltimore, Md. G.O. No.: 43, 30 May 1445. Citation: Attached to the 2d Battalion of the 47th Infantry on 26 November 1944, for the attack on Frenzenberg Castle, in the vicinity of Weisweiler, Germany, Company K, after an advance of 1,000 yards through a shattering barrage of enemy artillery and mortar fire, had captured 2 buildings in the courtyard of the castle but was left with an effective fighting strength of only 35 men. During the advance, Pfc. Sheridan, acting as a bazooka gunner, had braved the enemy fire to stop and procure the additional rockets carried by his ammunition bearer who was wounded. Upon rejoining his company in the captured buildings, he found it in a furious fight with approximately 70 enemy paratroopers occupying the castle gate house. This was a solidly built stone structure surrounded by a deep water-filled moat 20 feet wide. The only approach to the heavily defended position was across the courtyard and over a drawbridge leading to a barricaded oaken door. Pfc. Sheridan, realizing that his bazooka was the only available weapon with sufficient power to penetrate the heavy oak planking, with complete disregard for his own safety left the protection of the buildings and in the face of heavy and intense small-arms and grenade fire, crossed the courtyard to the drawbridge entrance where he could bring direct fire to bear against the door. Although handicapped by the lack of an assistant, and a constant target for the enemy fire that burst around him, he skillfully and effectively handled his awkward weapon to place two well-aimed rockets into the structure. Observing that the door was only weakened, and realizing that a gap must be made for a successful assault, he loaded his last rocket, took careful aim, and blasted a hole through the heavy planks. Turning to his company he shouted, "Come on, let's get them!" With his .45 pistol blazing, he charged into the gaping entrance and was killed by the withering fire that met him. The final assault on Frezenberg Castle was made through the gap which Pfc. Sheridan gave his life to create.
*MITCHELL, FRANK N.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Near Hansan-ni, Korea, 26 November 1950. Entered service at: Roaring Springs, Tex. Born: 18 August 1921, Indian Gap, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a rifle platoon of Company A, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Leading his platoon in point position during a patrol by his company through a thickly wooded and snow-covered area in the vicinity of Hansan-ni, 1st Lt. Mitchell acted immediately when the enemy suddenly opened fire at pointblank range, pinning down his forward elements and inflicting numerous casualties in his ranks. Boldly dashing to the front under blistering fire from automatic weapons and small arms, he seized an automatic rifle from one of the wounded men and effectively trained it against the attackers and, when his ammunition was expended, picked up and hurled grenades with deadly accuracy, at the same time directing and encouraging his men in driving the outnumbering enemy from his position. Maneuvering to set up a defense when the enemy furiously counterattacked to the front and left flank, 1st Lt. Mitchell, despite wounds sustained early in the action, reorganized his platoon under the devastating fire, and spearheaded a fierce hand-to-hand struggle to repulse the onslaught. Asking for volunteers to assist in searching for and evacuating the wounded, he personally led a party of litter bearers through the hostile lines in growing darkness and, although suffering intense pain from multiple wounds, stormed ahead and waged a single-handed battle against the enemy, successfully covering the withdrawal of his men before he was fatally struck down by a burst of small-arms fire. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of tremendous odds, 1st Lt. Mitchell, by his fortitude, great personal valor and extraordinary heroism, saved the lives of several marines and inflicted heavy casualties among the aggressors. His unyielding courage throughout reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
PITTMAN, JOHN A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kujangdong, Korea, 26 November 1950. Entered service at: Carrolton, Miss. Born: 15 October 1928, Carrolton, Miss. G.O. No.: 39, 4 June 1951. Citation: Sgt. Pittman, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He volunteered to lead his squad in a counterattack to regain commanding terrain lost in an earlier engagement. Moving aggressively forward in the face of intense artillery, mortar, and small-arms fire he was wounded by mortar fragments. Disregarding his wounds he continued to lead and direct his men in a bold advance against the hostile standpoint. During this daring action, an enemy grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad endangering the lives of his comrades. Without hesitation, Sgt. Pittman threw himself on the grenade and absorbed its burst with his body. When a medical aid man reached him, his first request was to be informed as to how many of his men were hurt. This intrepid and selfless act saved several of his men from death or serious injury and was an inspiration to the entire command. Sgt. Pittman's extraordinary heroism reflects the highest credit upon himself and is in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.
FLEMING, JAMES P.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 20th Special Operations Squadron. Place and date: Near Duc Co, Republic of Vietnam, 26 November 1968. Entered service at: Pullman, Wash. Born: 12 March 1943, Sedalia, Mo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Fleming (then 1st Lt.) distinguished himself as the Aircraft Commander of a UH-1F transport Helicopter. Capt. Fleming went to the aid of a 6-man special forces long range reconnaissance patrol that was in danger of being overrun by a large, heavily armed hostile force. Despite the knowledge that 1 helicopter had been downed by intense hostile fire, Capt. Fleming descended, and balanced his helicopter on a river bank with the tail boom hanging over open water. The patrol could not penetrate to the landing site and he was forced to withdraw. Dangerously low on fuel, Capt. Fleming repeated his original landing maneuver. Disregarding his own safety, he remained in this exposed position. Hostile fire crashed through his windscreen as the patrol boarded his helicopter. Capt. Fleming made a successful takeoff through a barrage of hostile fire and recovered safely at a forward base. Capt. Fleming's profound concern for his fellowmen, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 26, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 November
1943: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. When a B-17 suffered an engine failure on the way to the target in Germany, enemy fighters repeatedly attacked the aircraft. TSgt Maurice V. Henry manned his guns, destroying one and damaging another. Then an incendiary shell hit the aircraft, and Henry put out the fire. Later, when the B-17 crashed in the English Channel, Henry helped the other crewmen from the sinking craft with utter disregard for his own safety. When he was last seen, he was still grasping the emergency radio, calling for rescue. For his courage, Henry received the DFC posthumously. (4)
1945: A TWA Lockheed Constellation set a west-east transatlantic commercial record by flying 2,000 miles from Gander, Newfoundland, to Rineanna, Ireland, in 6 hours 45 minutes. (24)
1950: KOREAN WAR. B-26s flew their first close air support night missions under Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) direction. The 3 BG flew 67 B-26 missions along the Eighth Army's bomb line in 5 hours. Nevertheless, Chinese forces pushed the Eighth Army and the X Corps southward. (28)
1952: A Northrop B-62 Snark, a turbojet-powered subsonic missile with 5,500 nautical-mile range, launched from Cape Canaveral for the first time on a zero-length launcher. (6) (24)
1955: An N-69D-configured Snark flew its first flight test at Cape Canaveral. It was the first to use a stellar inertial guidance system. (6)
1956: SECDEF Charles E. Wilson issued a "Roles and Mission" memo to the Armed Forces Policy Council to fix jurisdiction over missile development. This gave the USAF control of surface-to surface missiles with ranges over 200 miles and surface-to-air missiles with ranges over 100 miles, while the Army controlled missiles with ranges less than 200 and 100 miles, respectively. (1) (6)
1958: From Cape Canaveral, an operational Thor missile completed its first successful launch. (6)
1959: At El Paso, Max Conrad completed a 6,911-mile nonstop flight from Casablanca, Morocco, in a Piper Comanche airplane. (24)
1964: Four college students completed an experiment in which they lived for 28 days in a spacecraft-type capsule and for 14 days in a hospital isolation ward on a diet designed for consumption by astronauts during space flight.
1968: MEDAL OF HONOR. While flying a UH-1F helicopter, 1Lt James P. Fleming twice exposed his aircraft to intense hostile fire while rescuing a special forces reconnaissance patrol near Due Co, Vietnam. He later received the Medal of Honor for his heroic action. (21)
1975: The X-24B research craft flew its last flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1976: Through 29 November, after an earthquake in Turkey, MAC launched one C-5, 14 C-141s, and 15 C-130s with 486 tons of supplies and equipment from Ramstein AB and Rhein-Main AB; RAF Mildenhall; Pisa AB, Italy; and Cigli AB, Turkey. C-130s also moved nearly 520 tons of supplies and airlift control element members fom Incirlik to Van Air Field, Turkey. (18)
1980: Through 2 December, MAC C-130s flew 18 missions to airlift 1,000 tents from Germany to Naples to help people made homeless by an earthquake in Italy. Commercial aircraft under MAC contract also moved relief supplies from the US to the disaster area, while USAFE provided blankets, tents, and C-rations. Air Force communications personnel from Monte Vergine gave intensive aid to local communities. (2) (4)
1985: Through December 3, the Space Shuttle Atlantis conducted its second space mission. Following the shuttle's liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, Lt Col Brewster Shaw led a seven-man crew through the deployment of three satellites and rehearsals of space station construction techniques. (8: Nov 90)
1986: The Navy launched its first Tomahawk SLCM in a capsule launch from a submerged submarine. In the test, the attack sub Pittsburgh launched an anti-ship SLCM over the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility Sea Test Range. The SLCM passed within lethal distance of its target before recovery.
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Thanks to Mike
Battleship Nevada
Some Really Cool History For this Warrior! I have visited the Officers Silver Dining Silver at the NV Museum in Carson City many times. As I recall, it was made from silver from the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, donated by the mines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io038KRcw1I
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Thanks to Carl
Lots of memories here
(Many photos with descriptions!)
Rare Vintage Photos of What Life Was Like in the '50s
Life in the 1950s was very different from what it is today. Lacking the technology of the 21st century, it was a much simpler time. People weren't distracted by personal devices and spent more time face to face and outside enjoying nature.
While it's often considered an idyllic generation, there were also some issues, particularly for women and minorities who lacked some of the freedoms others enjoyed. These vintage photos are sure to take you back in time.
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From the List archives
WOW!!
How to drywall like a boss
This throwback video is all over social media at the moment. Watch how this master craftsman scores the board to curve around an arch and how he exactly cuts the drywall to fit around outlets.
It's amazingly satisfying to watch.
Old school drywall master - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=4uarkKxJkZs&feature=emb_logo (0:56)
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