The List 6005
Good Tuesday Morning February 15
I hope that your week has started well.
Regards,
Skip
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
February 15
1856—The stores-ship, Supply, commanded by Lt. David Dixon Porter, sails from Smyrna, Syria, bound for Indianola, TX, with a load of 21 camels intended for experimental use in the American desert west of the Rockies.
1898—The battleship Maine explodes in Havana Harbor and nearly three-quarters of the battleship's crew die as a result of the blast. Popular opinion blames Spain, and the Spanish-American war starts soon after.
1943—USS Gato (SS 212) sinks Japanese stores ship Suruga Maru in Bougainville Strait and USS Pickerel (SS 177) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks cargo vessel Tateyama Maru off the east coast of Honshu.
1944—While serving as commander of a Catalina patrol plane, Lt. Nathan Gordon responds to a report of U.S. Army Fifth Air Force personnel shot down over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea. Risking his life and under Japanese fire, he makes a daring rescue mission, saving 15 service members from certain death or capture by the enemy. For his "extraordinary heroism," Gordon is awarded the Medal of Honor.
1960—Icebreakers USS Burton Island (AGB 1) and USS Glacier (AGB 4) become the first U.S. Navy vessels to reach Thurston Peninsula in the Antarctic.
This Day in World History
15 February
1798 The first serious fist fight occurs in Congress.
1804 New Jersey becomes the last northern state to abolish slavery.
1862 Union General Ulysses S. Grant launches a major assault on Fort Donelson, Tenn.1869 Charges of treason against Jefferson Davis are dropped.
1898 The U.S. battleship Maine blows up in Havana Harbor, killing 268 sailors and bringing hordes of Western cowboys and gunfighters rushing to enlist in the Spanish-American War.
1900 The British threaten to use natives in the Boer War fight.
1925 The London Zoo announces it will install lights to cheer up fogged-in animals.
1934 U.S. Congress passes the Civil Works Emergency Relief Act, allotting new funds for Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
1940 Hitler orders that all British merchant ships will be considered warships.
1942 British forces in Singapore surrender to Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
1943 The Germans break the American Army's lines at the Fanid-Sened Sector in Tunisia, North Africa.
1944 American bombers attack the Abbey of Monte Cassino in an effort to neutralize it as a German observation post in central Italy.
1946 Royal Canadian mounted police arrest 22 as Soviet spies.
1950 Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse-tung sign a mutual defense treaty in Moscow.
1957 Andrei Gromyko replaces Dmitri T. Shepilov as the Soviet Foreign Minister.
1961 Eighteen members of the U.S. figure skating team are lost in an airplane crash in Belgium.
1965 Canada's maple leaf flag is raised for the first time.
1967 Thirteen U.S. helicopters are shot down in one day in Vietnam
1974 U.S. gas stations threaten to close because of federal fuel policies.
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What is happening just north of us is worth watching on many levels
LifeSite on Canada
This is an important LifeSite message this morning!
Dear readers,
This is the most important Daily News note that I have ever written. Read on and you will understand why.
Today was a wild, roller coaster day for Canadians and the Convoy 2022 movement that has attracted strong international attention.
The day started out with an astonishing press conference from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. He announced a supposed end to the province's vaccine passports mandate, but I use "supposed" because he is also going to allow businesses to continue to demand proof of vaccination if they wish. That is giving with one hand while taking away with the other. He also indicated that masks will stay in place until "a later date" and threatened truckers with "serious consequences" for "lawless activity," ignoring his own failed, massively lawless Covid policies that have been catastrophic and resulted in thousands of otherwise preventable deaths.
Then there was the horrific federal government, Justin Trudeau press conference for the first time in history invoking the extreme Emergency Measures Act (EMA) that gives the prime minister frightening dictatorial powers to crush terrorist or similar threats to the nation. LifeSite's Kennedy Hall writes that what Trudeau has actually done was to give himself new powers to "squash a freedom movement that is engaging in civil disobedience peacefully." And that civil disobedience is actually a sacred, traditional right in Canada.
Doug Ford also expressed complete support for Trudeau's extreme reaction to the peaceful protests by the obviously highly patriotic Convoy 2022 movement that has been gaining growing support from millions of Canadians desperately seeking relief from the Covid mandates that have devastated Canada's economy and society. Ford seems to have a political death wish that the provincial Liberals will take full advantage of in the upcoming election.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has thankfully announced"Trudeau has gone too far. They added, the federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act. This law creates a high and clear standard for good reason: The Act allows government to bypass ordinary democratic processes. This standard has not been met."
At an earlier truckers' press conference, Canadian Senator Brian Peckford, the last remaining drafter of Canada's Charter of Rights and a great Canadian, expressed dismay over the expected invocation of the EMA. He and a trucker organizer stated that Convoy 2022 "will hold the line" and the protests will continue to try to free Canadians from the destructive mandates.
Canada's federal police, the Mounties, have engaged in overnight, Mafia-like violent sabotage of three huge excavator vehicles on private property in a field near the Coutts' blockade that they only "suspected" would be used in the blockade. They also claim to have arrested persons connected to the blockade who had a large number of rifles and allegedly planned violence against the Mounties when they move to dismantle the blockade. At the truckers' press conference today, a journalist asked a question about the arrest and guns. There was an immediate outcry from the truckers, shouting "lies, lies, lies." Almost everyone related to the truckers has been expecting such a false setup by the Mounties in order to turn the public against them and to justify extreme actions.
The Conservative parliamentary motion today to end the Covid restrictions was defeated 185 to 151, with only all the Conservative supporting the motion.
This is the big one: Dr. Robert Malone posted an article on his blog supporting the Canadian truckers and warning that Canadians must defend their nation if they "wish to keep it, or the Globalists will take it from you." This article is a MUST-READ for all Canadians and for citizens of all other nations.
Malone explains what the catastrophic Covid policies are really all about – imposing the Great Reset on every nation in the world. That also explains the real purpose of today's Canadian federal government press conference. It actually had NOTHING to do with "terrorists" or other serious threats to the security of Canada. Justin Trudeau is a protégé of Great Reset creator Klaus Schwab and has a number of times publicly expressed his support for the evil Great Reset scheme.
The truckers are very patriotic Canadians giving their whole heart and soul to defend Canada from those who are destroying it. They are no "terrorists" or threat to the nation compared to the threat that the federal and provincial governments have been with their two years of Covid tyranny and destruction.
But Convoy 2020 has both become an unexpected, international and very serious threat to Great Reset plans and also a convenient opportunity to exploit to rapidly advance Great Reset policies in Canada sooner than they had planned.
The especially big giveaway today was the lengthy explanations by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland of radical new financial policies announcing the government will seize truckers' assets at will. She stated, "We are broadening the scope of Canada's anti-money laundering and terrorist financing rules so that they cover Crowd Funding Platforms and the payment service providers they use." That is an unprecedented, revolutionary and frightening change to Canada's financial system and protections for citizens.
There was much more, including authorizing banks to unilaterally freeze your accounts on the basis of suspicion alone, no court order required, with legal immunity. She also announced the government is even planning to seize crypto currency funds that the truckers have been turning to to protect their money from tyrannical government measures. This is actually the most frightening of all the government actions to date.
What Freeland announced was the next stage of full government control of everyone's financial assets and an extreme breakaway from all financial privacy rights, with arbitrary and often changing bank and government conditions required to earn, move and use a citizen's money. That total control of personal finances is right out of the Great Reset book and too similar to Communist China's social credit system. This is even worse than if Trudeau sent in the army to remove the protesters. What Freeland and Trudeau have begun, unless there is an immediate, great uproar among Canadians, vaccinated or not, supporting the truckers or not, to stop this planned financial slavery.
We urge all LifeSite readers, no matter what country you are in, to pray for the continued success of Convoy 2022 because what happens in Canada over the next few months will have an impact on the rest of the world.
God bless you and please RESIST and DO NOT COMPLY with unjust laws and policies.
Steve Jalsevac
LifeSite
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Thanks to Bill
I have had a note like this in the List many years ago. There is another out there that modifies this one a bit but she was still an extraordinary woman….skip
For those of you about my age, you will enjoy this. Before this I only remember that Martha Raye was Funny and had a large mouth. Maybe there should be a TV channel that only shows stuff like this.
It was well recognized that Martha Raye endured less comfort more than any other Vietnam entertainer. Don't let the sun go down without reading this about Martha Raye.
The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped. I was unaware of her credentials or where she is buried.
Somehow I just can't see Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, or Jessica Simpson doing what this woman and the other USO women, including Ann Margaret & Joey Heatherton did for our troops in past wars. Most of the old time entertainers were made of a lot sterner stuff.
The following is from an Army aviator who takes a trip down memory lane:
"It was just before Thanksgiving '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back. All of a sudden, we heard a 'take-charge' woman's voice in the rear. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a Special Forces beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook and carrying the dead aboard. Martha had been visiting her Special Forces (SF) 'heroes' out 'west'.
We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms. Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!"
To our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said "Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve and on this is a 'Caduceus' which means I am a nurse, with a surgical specialty.... now, take me to your wounded!"
He said, "Yes, ma'am. Follow me."
Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would 'cover' a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break. Martha is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.
Hand salute! A great lady. I did not know this about Martha Raye and thought you might like to read it
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… First of two RTR posts for The List for Tuesday, 15 February 2022…Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 15 February 1967… The NYT's R.W. Apple reports from USS Enterprise on Yankee Station…
… Second RTR post for The List for Tuesday, 15 February 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 15 February 1967… Special RTR post: Three "must read" State Department documents…
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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A part of an old one for today
Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Valentine's Day Wrap Up
What love means to a 4-to-8 year old...
Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."—Rebecca (8)
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."—Billy (4)
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."—Karl (5)
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."—Chrissy (6)
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."—Terri (4)
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK."—Danny (7)
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"—Emily (8)
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."—Bobby (7)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."—Nikka (6)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt , then he wears it every day."—Noelle (7)
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."—Tommy (6)
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."—Cindy (8)
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."—Clare (6)
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."—Elaine (5)
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford ."—Chris (7)
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."—Mary Ann (4)
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."—Lauren (4)
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."—Karen (7)
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."—Mark (6)
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."—Jessica (8)
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
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Interesting Facts
"IKEA" is an acronym.
You'd be forgiven for assuming that IKEA is a Swedish word related to furniture. In fact, it's an acronym that combines the initials of founder Ingvar Kamprad (IK) with the name of the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd) and a nearby village (Agunnaryd). Kamprad was just 17 when he founded the company in 1943, initially selling small household items — think pens and wallets — rather than beds and sofas. He likely had no idea that there would one day be more than 450 IKEA stores across the globe.
IKEA isn't the only unexpected acronym. It's joined on that list by "laser" (light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation), "scuba" (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), "radar" (RAdio detection and ranging), and even fellow Swedes ABBA (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid).
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This Day in U S Military History
February 15
This Day in U S Military History
1898 – A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million. Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana in January. An official U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry ruled in March that the ship was blown up by a mine, without directly placing the blame on Spain. Much of Congress and a majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war. Subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter, coupled with United States indignation over Spain's brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898. Within three months, the United States had decisively defeated Spanish forces on land and sea, and in August an armistice halted the fighting. On December 12, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain, officially ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire with the ceding of such former Spanish possessions as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.
1944 – Allied aircraft bomb the historic monastery on the crest of Monte Cassino. German forces, which have not occupied the position previously, move into the ruins of the monestary. The New Zealand Corps (part of US 5th Army) follows-up the bombing with an assault which fails.
1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first electronic general-purpose computer. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve "a large class of numerical problems". ENIAC was initially designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory. When ENIAC was announced in 1946 it was heralded in the press as a "Giant Brain". It had a speed of one thousand times that of electro-mechanical machines. This computational power, coupled with general-purpose programmability, excited scientists and industrialists. ENIAC's design and construction was financed by the United States Army, Ordnance Corps, Research and Development Command which was led by Major General Gladeon Marcus Barnes. He was Chief of Research and Engineering, the Chief of the Research and Development Service, Office of the Chief of Ordnance during World War II. The construction contract was signed on June 5, 1943, and work on the computer began in secret by the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering starting the following month under the code name "Project PX". The completed machine was announced to the public the evening of February 14, 1946 and formally dedicated the next day at the University of Pennsylvania, having cost almost $500,000 (approximately $6,000,000 today). It was formally accepted by the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps in July 1946. ENIAC was shut down on November 9, 1946 for a refurbishment and a memory upgrade, and was transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland in 1947. There, on July 29, 1947, it was turned on and was in continuous operation until 11:45 p.m. on October 2, 1955. Finished shortly after the end of World War II, one of its first programs was a study of the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb. A few months after its unveiling, in the summer of 1946, as part of "an extraordinary effort to jump-start research in the field" the Pentagon invited "the top people in electronics and mathematics from the United States and Great Britain" to a series of forty-eight lectures altogether called The Theory and Techniques for Design of Digital Computers more often named the Moore School Lectures. Half of these lectures were given by the inventors of ENIAC.
1951 – The communists were defeated at Chipyong-ni by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division's 23rd Infantry Regimental Combat Team (RCT) and the French Battalion. At the climax of the battle, the 1st Cavalry Division's Task Force Crombez broke through to support the encircled 23rd RCT. After three days of intense combat and having suffered perhaps 8,000 casualties, the Chinese forces withdrew. The 23rd RCT suffered 52 killed, 42 missing and 259 wounded in action. This was the first major battlefield defeat of the Chinese communist forces in the war.
1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska. The DEW Line was operational from 1957 to the late 1980s and it was the northernmost and most capable of three radar lines in Canada and Alaska; the joint Canadian-US Pinetree Line ran from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, and the Mid-Canada Line ran somewhat north of this.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
WOMBLY, VOLTAIRE P.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company F, 2d lowa Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Donelson, Tenn., 15 February 1862. Entered service at: Keosauqua, Van Buren County, lowa. Birth: Van Buren County, lowa. Date of issue: 12 March 1897. Citation: Took the colors after 3 of the color guard had fallen, and although most instantly knocked down by a spent ball, immediately arose and bore the colors to the end of the engagement.
BURGER, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Crystal Lake, Minn. Birth: Austria. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
CLARK, WILLIAM A.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Shelbyville, Minn. Birth: Pennsylvania. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
FLANNIGAN, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Louisville, Scott County, Minn. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
HANNA, MILTON
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Henderson, Minn. Birth: Lickland County, Ohio. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
HOLMES, LOVILO N.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Mankato, Minn. Birth: Cattaraugus County, N.Y. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
PAY, BYRON E.
Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Mankato, Minn. Born: 21 October 1844, LeRoy Township, Jefferson County, N.Y. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
VALE, JOHN
Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Rochester, Minn. Birth: England. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
WRIGHT, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Swan Lake, Minn. Birth: Indiana. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
LOW, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1847, Canada. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Tennessee at New Orleans, La., 15 February 1881, and sustaining, until picked up by a boat's crew, N. P. Petersen, gunner's mate, who had fallen overboard.
FLUCKEY, EUGENE BENNETT
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, Commanding U.S.S. Barb. Place and date: Along coast of China, 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: S October 1913, Washington, D.C. Other Navy award: Navy Cross with 3 Gold Stars. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Barb during her 11th war patrol along the east coast of China from 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. After sinking a large enemy ammunition ship and damaging additional tonnage during a running 2-hour night battle on 8 January, Comdr. Fluckey, in an exceptional feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking on 25 January, located a concentration of more than 30 enemy ships in the lower reaches of Nankuan Chiang (Mamkwan Harbor). Fully aware that a safe retirement would necessitate an hour's run at full speed through the uncharted, mined, and rock-obstructed waters, he bravely ordered, "Battle station–torpedoes!" In a daring penetration of the heavy enemy screen, and riding in 5 fathoms of water, he launched the Barb's last forward torpedoes at 3,000-yard range. Quickly bringing the ship's stern tubes to bear, he turned loose 4 more torpedoes into the enemy, obtaining 8 direct hits on 6 of the main targets to explode a large ammunition ship and cause inestimable damage by the resultant flying shells and other pyrotechnics. Clearing the treacherous area at high speed, he brought the Barb through to safety and 4 days later sank a large Japanese freighter to complete a record of heroic combat achievement, reflecting the highest credit upon Comdr. Fluckey, his gallant officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.
GORDON, NATHAN GREEN
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, commander of Catalina patrol plane. Place and date: Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 4 September 1916, Morrilton, Ark. Citation: For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lt. Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.
*WILLETT, LOUIS E.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 15 February 1967. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y. Born: 19 June 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Willett distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman in Company C, during combat operations. His squad was conducting a security sweep when it made contact with a large enemy force. The squad was immediately engaged with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire and pinned to the ground. Despite the deadly fusillade, Pfc. Willett rose to his feet firing rapid bursts from his weapon and moved to a position from which he placed highly effective fire on the enemy. His action allowed the remainder of his squad to begin to withdraw from the superior enemy force toward the company perimeter. Pfc. Willett covered the squad's withdrawal, but his position drew heavy enemy machinegun fire, and he received multiple wounds enabling the enemy again to pin down the remainder of the squad. Pfc. Willett struggled to an upright position, and, disregarding his painful wounds, he again engaged the enemy with his rifle to allow his squad to continue its movement and to evacuate several of his comrades who were by now wounded. Moving from position to position, he engaged the enemy at close range until he was mortally wounded. By his unselfish acts of bravery, Pfc. Willett insured the withdrawal of his comrades to the company position, saving their lives at the cost of his life. Pfc. Willett's valorous actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 15, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
15 February
1908: The US government received bids for its first airship (see 24 February 1908). (24)
1910: The Signal Corps relocated its flight training program from College Park, Md., to Fort Sam Houston, Tex. (21)
1944: Twelfth Air Force sent 254 B-17 and B-25 bombers to attack and destroy the Abbey of Monte Cassino, Italy. The US Fifth Army did not take the ruins until 18 May, which allowed the US Fifth and British Eighth Armies to advance on Rome. (21)
1948: The XF-87 Blackhawk made its first flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (5)
1951: To 16 February, H-5 pilots of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron flew through a blinding snowstorm and 40-knot winds to deliver blood plasma and medical supplies to the US Army's 2d Division at Chipyong, Korea. They also evacuated 52 wounded men. (26)
1953: A Northwest Airlines Stratocruiser set a 15-hour, 10-minute record for a flight between Tokyo, Japan, and Seattle, Wash. (24)
1961: The Tactical Air Command received the first T-39B jet trainer at Nellis AFB, Nev.
1962: In the fifth consecutive silo launching, a Minuteman I missile set a new record by flying 3,900 miles, the longest distance for the Minuteman to date. (16) (24)
1963: The North American YAT-28E first flew. (5)
1965: The first OH-13E "Bubbletop" helicopter arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., for use in a vertical short take-off and landing test pilot training program. (3)
1975: The first pre-production A-10 completed its initial flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
1979: A Minuteman III missile launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., to the Kwajalein missile range, where it deployed three Mark 12A reentry vehicles. (5)
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World News for 15 February thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Sell Sub Secrets Dept. Of Justice | 02/15/2022 A U.S. Navy nuclear engineer has pleaded guilty to attempted espionage, reports the Dept. of Justice. On Monday, Jonathan Toebbe, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate restricted data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships as part of a plea agreement. Toebbe was arrested in October after he attempted to pass nuclear submarine design details to an undercover FBI agent, who he believed represented a foreign power. He first solicited a foreign government in April 2020 with a package containing a sample of restricted data and instructions for establishing a covert relationship to buy additional information. Toebbe subsequently began corresponding with the undercover agent, who he believed to be a representative of that government. The country involved has not been made public. As part of his plea agreement, he will serve 12.5 years in federal prison.
USA—KC-135 Autopilot Issue Re-Emerges The War Zone | 02/15/2022 The U.S. Air Force has placed restrictions on when KC-135 Stratotanker crews can use the autopilot after a software issue was discovered, reports the War Zone website. On Feb. 3, Air Mobility Command (AMC) implemented new flight restrictions on KC-135s that had been upgraded to the Block 45 standard, the website reported last week. The restrictions cover the use of the autopilot below altitudes of 10,000 feet (3,050 m) and during aerial refueling. The move came after an aircrew safety report was filed on Jan. 11, an AMC spokesperson said. The KC-135 Block 45s were put under similar restrictions from May to October of 2021 after several instances of uncommanded pitch down while the autopilot was engaged. The service initially determined that a faulty power supply for the autopilot was to blame, but that determination was found to be incorrect. Collins Aerospace, which led the development of the Block 45 upgrade package in the 2010s, conducted a line-by-line code review and found a logic error in the autopilot software. The company is now working on a software fix, which is expected to begin testing at the end of April.
USA—Senior LCS, Sub Officers Lose Jobs U.S. Navy | 02/15/2022 The Navy has relieved of duty the commanders of two of its warships, reports the service. On Feb. 11, Cmdr. Bradford Tonder was removed as the commanding officer of USS Sioux City (Gold Crew), a FREEDOM-class littoral combat ship, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to perform his duties. He had held the post since December 2020. The direct cause of Tonder's removal was substantiated sexual harassment concerns, said a Navy official cited by USNI News. Tonder will be temporarily replaced by Cmdr. Joseph Caldwell, the commanding officer of USS Detroit (Blue Crew). On the same day, the Navy relieved of duty the executive officer of the future Virginia-class attack submarine Hyman G. Rickover, reported the Navy Times. Lt. Cmdr. Jacob Montoya was relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to carry out his duties, said a spokesman for Submarine Readiness Squadron 32. The exact cause for his removal was not made public. Montoya was temporarily replaced by Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Hauble, the prospective executive officer of USS California, until a permanent relief can be identified. The Rickover is assigned to Submarine Squadron 4 at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn., following her christening in July 2021.
USA—Marines Activate New Littoral Anti-Air Battalion 3rd Marine Division | 02/15/2022 The Marine Corps has activated a new air defense unit as part of its force modernization plan, with an eye on potential conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region, reports the 3rd Marine Division. On Feb. 11, the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion (LAAB) was administratively activated during a ceremony at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The battalion is intended as a subordinate unit of the future 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment. The 3rd Marine Regiment is scheduled to be redesignated as the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment on March 3, noted the Stars & Stripes. The battalion is the first littoral anti-air battalion being established under the service's Force Design 2030 modernization effort. The unit will perform air defense; air surveillance and early warning; air control; and forward arming and refueling missions. These capabilities would be provided directly to a tactical ground commander rather than an aviation commander. The planned littoral forces are designed to support small maneuvering units operating across the Indo-Pacific instead of large assault forces. The activation allows the new battalion to manage the facilities and equipment previously operated by the recently deactivated 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. The milestone will also facilitate wargaming and experimentation to better define unit requirements and employment concepts to support modernization efforts. The 3rd LAAB is not expected to be fully operational for several years.
Italy—Giovanni Delle Bande Nere Patrol Ship Launched In Genoa Fincantieri | 02/15/2022 Fincantieri has launched the fourth multipurpose offshore patrol (PPA) ship for the Italian navy. On Feb. 12, the Giovanni Delle Bande Nere was put into the water during a ceremony at the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa, Fincantieri said in a release. The vessel is the first of the Paolo Thaon Di Revel-class patrol ship to be built in the full configuration. The full version features a complete defense capability, including a larger crew, 16 Sylver A50 vertical launch cells, eight anti-ship missile launchers and a pair of torpedo tubes. It also includes an active towed-array sonar system.
Russia—U.S. Navy Denies Sub Violated Territorial Waters Tass | 02/15/2022 The U.S. Navy has denied a Russian navy claim that one of its submarines was chased out of Russian territorial waters in the Pacific, reports Russia's Tass news agency. On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that a U.S. Virginia-class submarine had been discovered operating in Russian territorial waters near Urup Island in the Kuril Islands. The submarine was discovered by the Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, which ordered the submarine to surface. The frigate then allegedly forced the submarine to retreat from Russian waters at high speeds, using a "self-propelled simulator" to try and break contact. A spokesman for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command denied that a U.S. submarine had entered Russian territorial waters. On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the sub, most likely from the U.S., sailed more than 2.5 miles (4 km) into Russian waters and took nearly three hours to drive out.
Russia—Some Troops Pull Back As Drills Continue Wall Street Journal | 02/15/2022 The Russian Defense Ministry says that some of its troops have withdrawn from areas near the Ukrainian border while other large-scale drills continue, reports the Wall Street Journal. On Tuesday, the ministry announced that about 10,000 troops had withdrawn from the front lines after completing planned training. The troops came from the Southern and Western military districts, reported CNN. A ministry spokesman noted that several large-scale drills involving nearly all military districts, fleet and airborne forces were continuing. At the same time, U.S. officials estimated that the Russian military presence near Ukraine had increased to around 105 battalion tactical groups; 500 combat aircraft had been stationed near Ukraine; and 40 combat ships were in the Black Sea. New Russian military units have also been observed moving toward Ukraine's borders, including a convoy and helicopters near Belgorod, tanks from the 1st Guards Tank Army around Voronezh and artillery moving from Kursk to Belgorod. U.S. officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine as soon as Wednesday, though Moscow continues to deny it has any plans to invade.
Burma—Report Accuses Government Of War Crimes Fortify Rights | 02/15/2022 Burmese troops committed war crimes as part of their campaign against separatists in the eastern Kayah state, reports the nongovernmental organization Fortify Rights (U.S.). In a new report released on Tuesday, the NGO documented serious violations of human rights by government forces from May 2021 to January 2022, relying on interviews from 31 witnesses, survivors, leaders and others. These include attacks on civilians, including one on Christmas Eve that killed at least 40 civilians, some of whom were burned alive, according to a doctor who conducted autopsies on bodies retrieved from the site. The government has also conducted arson attacks and airstrikes, bombed civilian areas and used civilians as human shields. About 170,000 civilians have been displaced in Kayah state, formerly known as Karenni, since the Feb. 1, 2021, coup that ousted the civilian government. Burmese troops in the region have fought ethnic separatists as well as members of the People's Defense Forces (PDFs), non-sectarian groups that oppose the military government.
Singapore—F-16 Fighters To Remain In Service Another Decade Channel News Asia | 02/15/2022 The head of the Singapore air force says his service will retain its F-16 fighter jets for another decade, reports Channel News Asia (Singapore). On Monday during the Singapore Air Show, Maj. Gen. Kelvin Khong said that the air force planned to fly its F-16C/D fighters for at least another decade. The service launched a phased upgrade of the fighters in 2016. The first upgraded jets were delivered in June 2021, the general said. The modernization includes a new active electronically scanned array radar with the ability to track more aerial targets at longer range and the addition of an all-weather, ground-attack capability to strike targets with enhanced precision-guided munitions. New air-to-air weapons are being integrated that can engage a wide spectrum of threats within visual ranges; a data link capability; and advanced helmet-mounted display to increase situational awareness. Even with the upgrades, the F-16 fleet is expected to reach the end of its useful service life in the 2030s. Singapore is closely following the development of the F-35 stealth fighter, noted Khong. The F-35 is expected to replace the F-16. Singapore has already ordered four F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing jets and has options for another eight. The first four jets are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and are expected to remain in the U.S. for training and evaluation. The Singapore air force also operates the F-15SG fighter. The service is reviewing its capabilities and evaluating the need to upgrade those jets to ensure their operational relevance and effectiveness, Kong said.
Pakistan—Joint Body With Iran To Address Border Issues Al Jazeera | 02/15/2022 Iran and Pakistan will form a joint working to group to improve border security, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Monday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi made a one-day visit to Islamabad for meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. Vahidi was accompanied by Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Ali Hosseini, border guard chief Brig. Gen. Ahmad Ali Goudarzi and military attache Col. Mostafa Ghanbarpour. The visit came amid a rise in attacks by Baloch nationalist groups, particularly on the Pakistani side of the border. One concern is the need to maintain cross-border trade ties while ensuring security in the area, Bajwa told Radio Pakistan. The leaders also discussed economic ties and humanitarian concerns in Afghanistan. For more on the conflict in Balochistan, please see Military Periscope's report, "New Wave of Insurgency in Balochistan."
Maldives—Indian Defense Minister Hosted For Defense Dialogue Indian Express | 02/15/2022 An Indian Defense Ministry delegation has just concluded a visit to the Maldives, reports the Indian Express. Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar was in the Maldives on Sunday and Monday for the third Defense Cooperation Dialogue with the Maldivian defense forces. Kumar met with Maldivian Defense Minister Mariya Didi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel and military chief Maj. Gen. Abdulla Shamaal during the dialogue. The talks focused on building the capacity of the Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF), according to the Indian High Commission in Male. The Indian defense secretary also oversaw the delivery of the Trinkat-class patrol vessel Huravee following a refit in India; the delivery of 2.8 tons of medical supplies; and inaugurated the Phase I extension of the MNDF's Composite Training Center in Maafilaafushi, which was built with a US$1 million grant from India. The extension covered an administrative center with barracks, a firing shed, firing range, health post, obstacle belt, two recreational buildings and power, water and sanitation facilities. New Delhi has been keen to strengthen ties with strategically located Maldives, amid growing competition with China in the region.
Bahrain—Israeli Naval Officer To Be Stationed In Manama Al Jazeera | 02/15/2022 Bahrain will allow an Israeli naval officer to be stationed on its territory for the first time, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Saturday, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said that an Israeli officer was being appointed to an international coalition "to secure the freedom of navigation in the region." Media reports indicated that the officer would be appointed as a liaison officer for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is headquartered in Manama, the Bahraini capital. The Israeli officer will take up their role in Manama permanently some time in the next few weeks. They are being stationed in Bahrain under an agreement reached during a visit by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz earlier this month.
Morocco—Deal Inked For Israeli Air Defense Systems Globes Online | 02/15/2022 Morocco has concluded a deal to acquire air defense systems from Israel, reports the Globes business newspaper (Tel Aviv). The US$500 million deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) covers the Barak MX air and missile defense systems. The modular system is designed to defend against threats from various missiles and uncrewed aircraft. It can employ three different interceptors: Barak MRAD, with a range of 22 miles (35 km); Barak LRAD, with a range of 44 miles (70 km); and the Barak ER with a range of 90 miles (150 km). Morocco initially inquired about purchasing Barak systems during a visit by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in November.
Israel—Military Adopts New Artificial Intelligence Strategy C4ISRNet | 02/15/2022 Israel has adopted a new strategy to guide how it adopts and uses artificial intelligence across the Israel Defense Force, reports C4ISRNet. The strategy was unveiled during the three-day AI Week 2022 event at the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center and Tel Aviv Center for AI and Data Science at Tel Aviv University. It calls for the application of AI systematically across the military rather than in a few specific platforms. This is expected to push technology to the edge of the front lines and link relevant knowledge to the field in real time. Potential applications include fusing data from various sensors and platforms to characterize threats and send that data to relevant systems; and fusing data from across combat domains to create a common picture of the battlefield, according to the strategy. AI could also offer ways to avoid collateral damage. A key part of the strategy is retaining a human-in-the-loop, with an operator observing and approving decisions made by AI systems. This is the first multibranch and multicommand plan for the use of AI, noted an IDF official. A new centralized AI department, established by IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kovachi as part of a broader digital transformation effort, will lead the implementation of the AI strategy.
Senegal—Militants Release Captured Government Soldiers Agence France-Presse | 02/15/2022 Separatists in southern Senegal have freed troops captured last month, reports Agence France-Presse. On Monday, seven Senegalese troops were released into the custody of the Gambian government and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) personnel in the village of Bajagar, witnesses said. The soldiers were said to be in good health. The Senegalese troops were taken hostage by the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) during a clash on Jan. 24. Four soldiers were killed in the fighting during a government operation to combat illegal logging in the Casamance region, home to a long-running separatist movement.
Colombia—General Out After Ties To Drug Gang Exposed Colombia Reports | 02/15/2022 The Colombian army has sacked a top general over his ties to drug-trafficking, reports Colombia Reports. Gen. Jorge Hernando Herrera, commander of the 6th Division, was fired after media published audio in which he admitted ties to the leaders of Los Pocillos drug gang. Los Pocillos operates in southwestern Colombia, which overlaps with the 6th Division's area of responsibility. The audio dated from July 2019, according to the Noticias Uno news program and Cambio magazine. The military did not take action at the time. The army asked the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate the charges following the leak.
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