The List 6017
Good Sunday Morning February 27
I hope that your weekend going well.
Regards,
Skip
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
February. 27
§ 1928—Pilot Cmdr. Theodore G. Ellyson (Naval Aviator No. 1) and crewmembers Lt. Cmdr. Hugo Schmidt and Lt. Roger S. Ransehousen died when their XOL-7 observation amphibian, BuNo A-7335, crashed into the Chesapeake Bay while en route from NAS Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Annapolis, Maryland.1942—Seaplane tender USS Langley (AV 3), carrying 32 U.S. Army Air Force P-40 aircraft for the defense of Java, is bombed by Japanese naval land attack planes 75 miles south of Tjilatjap, Java. Due to the damage, Langley is shelled and torpedoed by USS Whipple (DD 217).
§ 1942—Seaplane tender USS Langley (AV 3), carrying 32 U.S. Army Air Force P-40 aircraft for the defense of Java, is bombed by Japanese naval land attack planes 75 miles south of Tjilatjap, Java. Due to the damage, Langley is shelled and torpedoed by USS Whipple (DD 217).
§ 1942—The Battle of the Java Sea begins, where the 14-ship Allied forces (American, Dutch, British and Australian) attempt to stop the 28-ship Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies colony of Java. The Japanese, during battles over three days, decimates the Allied forces, sinking at least 11 ships, killing more than 3,370 and taking nearly 1,500 prisoners.
§ 1944—Three U.S. Navy submarines sink three Japanese cargo ships: Grayback (SS 208) sinks Ceylon Maru in the East China Sea; Cod (SS 244) sinks Taisoku Maru west of Halmahera while Trout (SS 202) sinks Aki Maru.
§ 1944—Three U.S. Navy submarines sink three Japanese cargo ships: Grayback (SS 208) sinks Ceylon Maru in the East China Sea; Cod (SS 244) sinks Taisoku Maru west of Halmahera while Trout (SS 202) sinks Aki Maru.
§ 1945—Submarine USS Scabbardfish (SS 397) sinks Japanese guardboat No. 6 Kikau Maru, 100 miles northeast of Keelung, Formosa, while USS Blenny (SS 324) attacks a Japanese convoy off French Indochina and sinks merchant tanker Amato Maru off Cape Padaran.
§ 1945—Land-based patrol aircraft from VPB 112, along with others from three British vessels, HMS Labaun and HMS Loch Fada and HMS Wild Goose, sink German submarine U 327 in the English Channel.
§ 1973—First airborne mine sweep in a live minefield takes place in the Haiphong, Vietnam ship channel by helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Twelve on board USS New Orleans (LPH 11).
§ 2017—The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) is decommissioned after 33 years of service during a ceremony held at Keyport Undersea Museum.
1942 U.S. aircraft carrier Langley is sunk » in the Battle of the Java Sea
This day in World history
February 27
425 Theodosius effectively founds a university in Constantinople.
1531 German Protestants form the League of Schmalkalden to resist the power of the emperor.
1700 The Pacific Island of New Britain is discovered.
1814 Napoleon's Marshal Nicholas Oudinot is pushed back at Barsur-Aube by the Emperor's allied enemies shortly before his abdication.
1827 The first Mardi-Gras celebration is held in New Orleans.
1864 The first Union prisoners arrive at Andersonville Prison in Georgia.
1865 Confederate raider William Quantrill and his bushwackers attack Hickman, Kentucky, shooting women and children.
1905 The Japanese push Russians back in Manchuria and cross the Sha River.
1908 The forty-sixth star is added to the U.S. flag, signifying Oklahoma's admission to statehood.
1920 The United States rejects a Soviet peace offer as propaganda.
1925 Glacier Bay National Monument is dedicated in Alaska.
1933 The burning down of the Reichstag building in Berlin gives the Nazis the opportunity to suspend personal liberty with increased power.
1939 The Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes.
1942 British Commandos raid a German radar station at Bruneval on the French coast.
1953 F-84 Thunderjets raid North Korean base on Yalu River.
1962 South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem is unharmed as two planes bomb the presidential palace in Saigon.
1963 The Soviet Union says that 10,000 troops will remain in Cuba.
1969 Thousands of students protest President Richard Nixon's arrival in Rome.
1973 U.S. Supreme Court rules that a Virginia pool club can't bar residents because of color.
1988 Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.
1991 Coalition forces liberate Kuwait after seven months of occupation by the Iraqi army.
1827
New Orleanians take to the streets for Mardi Gras
On this day in 1827, a group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city's famous Mardi Gras celebrations.
The celebration of Carnival–or the weeks between Twelfth Night on January 6 and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian period of Lent–spread from Rome across Europe and later to the Americas. Nowhere in the United States is Carnival celebrated as grandly as in New Orleans, famous for its over-the-top parades and parties for Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season.
Though early French settlers brought the tradition of Mardi Gras to Louisiana at the end of the 17th century, Spanish governors of the province later banned the celebrations. After Louisiana Territory became part of the United States in 1803, New Orleanians managed to convince the city council to lift the ban on wearing masks and partying in the streets. The city's new Mardi Gras tradition began in 1827 when the group of students, inspired by their experiences studying in Paris, donned masks and jester costumes and staged their own Fat Tuesday festivities.
The parties grew more and more popular, and in 1833 a rich plantation owner named Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville raised money to fund an official Mardi Gras celebration. After rowdy revelers began to get violent during the 1850s, a secret society called the Mistick Krewe of Comus staged the first large-scale, well-organized Mardi Gras parade in 1857.
Over time, hundreds of krewes formed, building elaborate and colorful floats for parades held over the two weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. Riders on the floats are usually local citizens who toss "throws" at passersby, including metal coins, stuffed toys or those now-infamous strands of beads. Though many tourists mistakenly believe Bourbon Street and the historic French Quarter are the heart of Mardi Gras festivities, none of the major parades have been allowed to enter the area since 1979 because of its narrow streets.
In February 2006, New Orleans held its Mardi Gras celebrations despite the fact that Hurricane Katrina had devastated much of the city with massive flooding the previous August. Attendance was at only 60-70 percent of the 300,000-400,000 visitors who usually attend Mardi Gras, but the celebration marked an important step in the recovery of the city, which counts on hospitality and tourism as its single largest industry.
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Thanks to Word Genius
How Did January Get Its Name? All Roads Lead to Rome
January is a month of New Year's resolutions and new beginnings, but it wasn't always that way. For millennia, January wasn't even part of the calendar — in the early Roman calendar, the year began with March. But in 1582 the Gregorian calendar (also known as the New Style calendar) was adopted by much of Europe. This solar dating calendar, including January and the shorter February, is still used today. So, how did the month of January come to be? Rooted in ancient religion and superstition, all roads lead to Rome.
The month of January was named for the Roman god Janus, or Ianus in Latin, but how this came to be is surprisingly complicated. To understand why an entire month would be named for Janus, it's important to realize how significant he was to the Romans. The worship of Janus dates back thousands of years to the time of Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome, during the 8th century BCE. Janus was the god of many things, including time, beginnings, transitions, archways, and doorways. He was an unusual-looking god with two faces, one looking symbolically into the past and one looking into the future.
As Rome developed and expanded over the ensuing centuries, builders constructed ceremonial gates known as jani (named after Janus),were used for good luck, throughout the city and empire. They involved a lot of superstition, because there were lucky and unlucky ways to walk through a janus. In particular, the Roman army paid careful attention to these archways during their departures. Janus Geminus was the most famous of these gates, serving as a shrine for the god. Its doors were left open while Rome was at war and were closed while the empire was at peace. Evidence of Janus's influence was seen in many other places around the city, from its coins to sculptures and artwork.
A New Calendar
According to legend Romulus instituted the Roman republican calendar around 738 BCE. This calendar had 10 months (beginning with March) and only 304 days. The months were: Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Juniius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. January and February did not yet exist.
The Roman king Numa Pompilius (Romulus's successor) is the likely source of January's name. The ruler revised Romulus' calendar sometime during his reign (from 715 to 673 BCE), filling a gap of about 61 days during the winter season that were apparently "monthless." He did this by adding January to the beginning of the year and February to the end. He called January mensis ianuarius, from the Latin word for "month" and Janus's Latin name, "Ianus." He did this to honor the much-admired god. The king also added the month of February from the Latin word februa, meaning "to cleanse."
Although January and February were now part of the calendar, it wasn't until centuries later that the current order of the months would be established. The history of the Roman calendar during this period is murky, but by the time of Julius Caesar's rule in the first century BCE, the calendar was a bit of a mess. It was about 10 days shorter than the solar year and needed to be revised. So, in 46 BCE, Caesar decided to reform the calendar, creating his namesake Julian calendar. This also officially cemented January 1 as the beginning of the new year. Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar again in 1582, shifting it by 10 days to compensate for a miscalculation during Caesar's reign. This established the Gregorian calendar that is widely used today.
Featured image credit: HRAUN/ iStock
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Thanks to Jim
Subject: Project Hellcat
Very interesting.
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. When I was very young we lived on Long Island for a short time. For me it was Kindergarten and my first of 3 or four first grades. I remember my mom washing clothes in the basement and putting them through the ringer and taking them outside in the snow to hang them up. In the winter time they would freeze and she would have to bring them in stiff as boards and have to hang them in the basement. The furnace was down there and the coal bin. The black dust got everywhere. I was probably in the 5th grade when we got our first dryer. Right after our first TV a small black and white Crosley. I had a lot of time hanging clothes when I got tall enough.
Green Energy
hang
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Thanks to Barett
Skip, under Trivia and Sidebar, for your consideration.
Ref. VC-82's ASW success.
The squadron was recycling at NAS Pasco in September 45, coincident with The World Famous Pendleton (OR) Round-Up. Two weeks after VJ Day and the lid was off. Everybody had
A real good time.
My mother's family has been involved in the R-Up since it started c. 1910 and she grew up on hossback. She was a princess on the R-Up court when on opening day a blue fighter plane (read: FM-2) buzzed REAL low into the arena. "There were flags all around the top, I don't know how he missed them."
Word got around PDQ and before long CompRon 82 had a semi-permanent det in Pendleton, about 60 miles SE of Pasco. Blue airplanes buzzed tractors, forced a state cop off the road, and my dad saw a TBM execute a textbook torpedo approach on a rowboat in McKay Reservoir south of town.
Phone calls were made, decibels were raised, blue airplanes were grounded. At Pendleton ARMY AIR FIELD.
I deal with some of the fallout in the upcoming book When the Shooting Stopped. August 45: The Month That Shaped The World.
(If you've ever seen the Carey Grant movie Kiss Them For Me, you'll get a good idea. With the gorgeous Suzy Parker.)
BT
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Thanks to DR and Rich
Subject: Sounds like Ice Breaking Up
Hi to all -
Ukraine
New developments there. Ukraine says they blocked several Russian offensives, and the attacks are bogged down. Video shows many roads outside the cities are turning to mud, which will hinder movement. Russia has increased the number of forces involved in this action from about 30% to 50%. That gives credence to the claims from Ukraine. So far, Russia does not seem to be targeting civilian communities in any major way. Locals fear that this will happen later, after the military threats are reduced.
Russia also vetoed two UN resolutions. One condemned the attack, the other asked Russia to withdraw its troops. Five nations have such veto power, and Russia is one of them. Along with the US, UK , France and China, I believe. The five permanent members of the Security Council. No one should be surprised by the veto, it is all for show. Everyone can say 'well, we asked for a resolution to stop the war, but, gosh, it was vetoed. Oh, well.we tried.'
Several nations have agreed to send arms to Ukraine. Stinger missiles are effective against aircraft. Various anti-tank munitions are also being sent. The expenditure of such weapons is massive during an attack, more than most people would expect. During the Falklands War in 1982, the British were astounded at how many missiles they went through, and how fast that happened.
Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian Oil, agreed to send 5000 helmets. No arms. President Zehensky asked if they might also be sending pillows.
The US is providing money for some arms. About 1% of the value of those we abandoned to the Taliban. This marks Biden's second massive international failure in only six months. Guess Obama was right. "Never underestimate the ability of Joe to f*** things up !"
Of course, Biden has no plan to evacuate Americans in Ukraine. He suggested, via the State Department, that they 'shelter in place'. I am sure they are confident that Russian troops will be kind to them when those troops arrive. Just like they were as they marched across these areas in WWII. The message Joe is sending is simple. If you work for the US government, or American interests, you are on your own. When things go bad, we will run and hide, and leave you to your fate, just as we have done before. Because we are leaders of the world, and the only ones Putin fears. Can someone please take my hand and lead me off the podium, I cannot seem to find my way to the exit.
Biden did offer to evacuate President Zehensky, however, which would abandon Ukraine to Russia, with less fighting. See, Biden is on the side of Russia, no matter what he tells us here. President Zehensky said "I need ammunition, not a ride."
How do we know that Biden is a Russian asset? Well, here is one way. He closed the Keystone Pipeline, which provided the US with 850,000 barrels of high grade, clean oil a day. And lots of jobs, and other economic benefits for America. Now, we are buying, yes, even in the midst of the war, 850,000 barrels of oil, low grade and dirty, from Russia every day. And, the jobs and money go to Russia, not the US. Biden will not even consider reversing that decision. But, he did just restrict sales of natural gas to Europe - who must get it from Russia. Hard for these folks to 'stand up for our democracy' when their throats are choked with Russian oil. Just like they were back in the 1970's, when the Arabs cut off oil supplies to the US.
And, did you also hear where, as this was building up to war, Biden took our top secret military intelligence on what was happening, as well as how we knew it, and delivered it to China (who had just made a treaty with Russia to share military, economic and other things with each other for their mutual benefit) and had the gall to ask China to intervene, and stop this attack? You cannot make this stuff up. I know I am looking forward to the 'sacrifices' I must make to save 'our democracy'. Thank goodness I do not have plans to vacation in Italy this year, like Joy Behar. Biden could also cut Russia out of the SWIFT banking system, if he actually wanted to hurt Russia economically, and thus force him to stop the war.
What we are going to get from all this is an extended war in eastern Europe, just like 80 years ago, and another war in Taiwan. We lack the resources to fight two wars at once, with our hamstrung and 'woke' military. Best we can hope for is to slow things down while a lot of good men die.
Representative Kinzinger has asked for a 'no-fly' zone over Ukraine. That is a tar baby no one wants to touch. A shooting air war over Ukraine could turn into something a lot larger.
Canada
Trudeau also sees the writing on the wall. He is walking back the 'emergency powers' stuff. His crackdown did not stop the protests, only moved them out of his front yard. Now the US has its own convoy on the way to DC, and the feedback from the world on the Canadian crackdown is very negative, to put it mildly. But, Trudeau has painted himself into a corner, and there is no graceful way out.
CDC
They are also reacting to lots of bad news, and the coming elections. They just admitted that they hid the data on the vaccines, because 'you can't handle the truth' - truth being that they do not work, and cause a lot of terrible side effects. Now, they are sure that the pandemic is receding, and it is okay for 70% of Americans to ditch the masks, even indoors. The concessions will increase as we get closer to election time.
J & J
This is one of the major pharma companies making vaccines, along with other products. They have been in a lot of legal trouble for years now, over things like their baby powder, which caused cancer. But, that is only one of their issues. They also provided oxycontin, sold as a pain reliever. And, it really does kill the pain. That is because it is actually synthetic heroin. They dumped this stuff on communities where a lot of people worked in coal mining, and other jobs that caused a lot of physical strain and pain. In fact, when Trump investigated the opioid crisis, he learned that even in these small communities, pharmacies were selling an average of hundreds of pills for every person who lived there. A lot of this product was being diverted to the drug trade, and a lot of money was changing hands.
More than 3000 lawsuits were involved in this one product line. The settlement is for a whopping $26 billion . It will take Big Pharma to pay for that one.
James O'Keefe
He is the founder of Project Veritas. These are the folks that do all those undercover videos, exposing the things the left is doing. The left has sued them again and again, and lost. Kamala Harris tried to jail these folks, for exposing Planned Parenthood as a murder for money racket.
James spoke at CPAC, and announced that he has hired a new executive for the company. A man who was formerly a senior executive at CNN, and who was recorded on one of those hidden camera videos, exposing some of the CNN tricks.
Patrick Davis, who worked at CNN for over two decades in the network's Washington bureau and retired as Field Operations Manager has joined Project Veritas in an Executive Producer role.
He also said that there are people everywhere, who are bringing him information, from every company, every business, every media outlet, etc. The bad guys do not sleep well, when someone puts a little sunlight on them. He has a new book out, 'American Muckraker'. Should be good reading.
Well, boys and girls, this has been an exciting day. Things could go either way. We shall see.
Rich
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… For The List for Sunday, 27 February 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 27 February 1967… Search and Destroy: Find-Fix-Fight-Follow-Finish…
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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Thanks to Dutch
Thanks to USNA-At-Large
Marine Fighter pilots vs Chopper pilots
In the Marine Corps, you have to know there'd be a lot of back and forth between rotor heads and Fighter/Attack Types. Especially when you had separate bases right close to each other.
One year, 3rd MAW was having a rash of accidents. The Wing Commander called a meeting at the base theater for all Group and Squadron C.O.'s… Plus all the Safety Officers and Assistants.
The General gave a collective "ass chewing" to all… In fact he went on so long, his audience was getting pissed. Instead of getting the "message", lots of groans, shifting in seats, and sniffs occurred. Finally the General concludes with… "Is there anyone out there who doesn't understand what I said or has any questions"?
Total silence… But our Skipper was fearless, his name was Mike Gehring and then I see his right arm starting to ascend!? WTF?
The General sees it and says, "State your name and question". Mike doesn't miss a beat… "LtCol. Mike Gehring Sir… I'm sick of all the preferential treatment the fighter pilots are getting around here… Something needs to be done about it".
The General, along with all the others present were stunned! Finally, the General comes back with; "What the hell are you talking about"? Mike never skipped a beat… He says, "General, YOU might not have noticed… but believe me the rest of us have. Anywhere we go on base… every Primo parking spot is reserved for fighter Pilots! The Club, the Exchange, the Dispensary, even the Wing Headquarters"! The best, closest parking spot is always reserved for the jet Drivers! You have HAD to have seen them General.
The General then replied, "No, I don't think I have seen them, how are they labeled?" Mike, with a small smirk on his face replied, "Well sir, they're marked…..'HANDICAPPED'.
For about 10 seconds there was total silence… the General smiled, then total pandemonium. The General didn't say another word. The theater then emptied.
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This Day in U S Military History
1942 – The U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Langley, is sunk by Japanese warplanes (with a little help from U.S. destroyers), and all of its 32 aircraft are lost.
1912 as the naval collier (coal transport ship) Jupiter. After World War I, the Jupiter was converted into the Navy's first aircraft carrier and rechristened the Langley, after aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpoint Langley. It was also the Navy's first electrically propelled ship, capable of speeds of 15 knots. On October 17, 1922, Lt. Virgil C. Griffin piloted the first plane, a VE-7-SF, launched from the Langley's decks. Although planes had taken off from ships before, it was nevertheless a historic moment. After 1937, the Langley lost the forward 40 percent of her flight deck as part of a conversion to seaplane tender, a mobile base for squadrons of patrol bombers. On December 8, 1941, the Langley was part of the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. She immediately set sail for Australia, arriving on New Year's Day, 1942. On February 22, commanded by Robert P. McConnell, the Langley, carrying 32 Warhawk fighters, left as part of a convoy to aid the Allies in their battle against the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies. On February 27, the Langley parted company from the convoy and headed straight for the port at Tjilatjap, Java. About 74 miles south of Java, the carrier met up with two U.S. escort destroyers when nine Japanese twin-engine bombers attacked. Although the Langley had requested a fighter escort from Java for cover, none could be spared. The first two Japanese bomber runs missed their target, as they were flying too high, but the Langley's luck ran out the third time around and it was hit three times, setting the planes on her flight deck aflame. The carrier began to list. Commander McConnell lost his ability to navigate the ship. McConnell ordered the Langley abandoned, and the escort destroyers were able to take his crew to safety. Of the 300 crewmen, only 16 were lost. The destroyers then to sank the Langley before the Japanese were able to capture it.
1948 – The Federal Trade Commission issued a restraining order, preventing the Willys-Overland Company from representing that it had developed the Jeep. Willys-Overland did, in fact, end up producing the Army vehicle that would come to be known as the Jeep; but it was the Bantam Motor Company that first presented the innovative design to the Army.
1953 – F-84 Thunderjets raided North Korean base on Yalu River. A year after leaving West Point, Lt. Joe Kingston was en route to Korea, where he, like a lot of others, found himself retreating and advancing in a single day.
1953 – The USCGC Coos Bay, on Ocean Station Echo, about half-way between Bermuda and the Azores, rescued the entire crew of 10 from the US Navy patrol plane that was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean.
1968 – CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite's commentary on the progress of the Vietnam War solidified President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to seek reelection in 1968. Cronkite, who had been at Hue in the midst of the Tet Offensive earlier in February, said: "Who won and who lost in the great Tet Offensive against the cities? I'm not sure." He concluded: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out…will be to negotiate, not as victors but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." Johnson called the commentary a "turning point," saying that if he had "lost Cronkite," he'd "lost Mr. Average Citizen." On March 31, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection.
My opinion of Cronkite along with a number of the News folks is not for publication because of the Profane manner of my description
1969 – Communist forces shell 30 military installations and nine towns in South Vietnam, in what becomes known as the "Post-Tet Offensive." U.S. sources in Saigon put American losses in this latest offensive at between 250 and 300, compared with enemy casualties totaling 5,300. South Vietnamese officials report 200 civilians killed and 12,700 made homeless.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
SHUTES, HENRY
Rank and organization: Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1804, Baltimore, Md. Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 71, 15 January 1866. Citation: Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon during the battle of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862; and in the engagement at Fort McAllister, 27 February 1863. Going on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon from the U.S.S. Don where his seamanlike qualities as gunner's mate were outstanding, Shutes performed his duties with skill and courage. Showing a presence of mind and prompt action when a shot from Fort McAllister penetrated the Wissahickon below the water line and entered the powder magazine, Shutes contributed materially to the preservation of the powder and safety of the ship.
*WALLACE, HERMAN C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 301st Engineer Combat Battalion, 76th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Prumzurley, Germany, 27 February 1945. Entered service at: Lubbock, Tex. Birth: Marlow, Okla. G.O. No.: 92, 25 October 1945. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity. While helping clear enemy mines from a road, he stepped on a well-concealed S-type antipersonnel mine. Hearing the characteristic noise indicating that the mine had been activated and, if he stepped aside, would be thrown upward to explode above ground and spray the area with fragments, surely killing 2 comrades directly behind him and endangering other members of his squad, he deliberately placed his other foot on the mine even though his best chance for survival was to fall prone. Pvt. Wallace was killed when the charge detonated, but his supreme heroism at the cost of his life confined the blast to the ground and his own body and saved his fellow soldiers from death or injury.
*WALSH, WILLIAM GARY
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 7 April 1922, Roxbury, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Citation: For extraordinary gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of an assault platoon, attached to Company G, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands on 27 February 1945. With the advance of his company toward Hill 362 disrupted by vicious machinegun fire from a forward position which guarded the approaches to this key enemy stronghold, G/Sgt. Walsh fearlessly charged at the head of his platoon against the Japanese entrenched on the ridge above him, utterly oblivious to the unrelenting fury of hostile automatic weapons fire and handgrenades employed with fanatic desperation to smash his daring assault. Thrown back by the enemy's savage resistance, he once again led his men in a seemingly impossible attack up the steep, rocky slope, boldly defiant of the annihilating streams of bullets which saturated the area. Despite his own casualty losses and the overwhelming advantage held by the Japanese in superior numbers and dominant position, he gained the ridge's top only to be subjected to an intense barrage of handgrenades thrown by the remaining Japanese staging a suicidal last stand on the reverse slope. When 1 of the grenades fell in the midst of his surviving men, huddled together in a small trench, G/Sgt. Walsh, in a final valiant act of complete self-sacrifice, instantly threw himself upon the deadly bomb, absorbing with his own body the full and terrific force of the explosion. Through his extraordinary initiative and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from injury and possible loss of life and enabled his company to seize and hold this vital enemy position. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
WATSON, WILSON DOUGLAS
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 18 February 1921, Tuscumbia, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as automatic rifleman serving with the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. With his squad abruptly halted by intense fire from enemy fortifications in the high rocky ridges and crags commanding the line of advance, Pvt. Watson boldly rushed 1 pillbox and fired into the embrasure with his weapon, keeping the enemy pinned down single-handedly until he was in a position to hurl in a grenade, and then running to the rear of the emplacement to destroy the retreating Japanese and enable his platoon to take its objective. Again pinned down at the foot of a small hill, he dauntlessly scaled the jagged incline under fierce mortar and machinegun barrages and, with his assistant BAR man, charged the crest of the hill, firing from his hip. Fighting furiously against Japanese troops attacking with grenades and knee mortars from the reverse slope, he stood fearlessly erect in his exposed position to cover the hostile entrenchments and held the hill under savage fire for 15 minutes, killing 60 Japanese before his ammunition was exhausted and his platoon was able to join him. His courageous initiative and valiant fighting spirit against devastating odds were directly responsible for the continued advance of his platoon, and his inspiring leadership throughout this bitterly fought action reflects the highest credit upon Pvt. Watson and the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 27, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
27 February
1911: At North Island, Lt Theodore G. Ellyson (USN) flew with Glenn Curtiss in a Curtiss seaplane to become the first seaplane passenger. (24) On the Mexican border near Fort McIntosh at Laredo, Texas, Lt Benjamin D. Foulois and Phillip O. Parmalee, a Wright instructor pilot, demonstrated the use of an airplane in coordination with ground maneuvers for the first time. They used a Wright B. (21)
1920: Maj Rudolph W. "Shorty" Schroeder used a Packard-Lepere LUSAC-11 biplane with a Liberty 400 engine at McCook Field near Dayton to set an FAI altitude record of 33,113 feet. (24)
1928: Cmdr Theodore G. Ellyson, the first naval aviator, and two companions crashed to their deaths in Chesapeake Bay. (24)
1942: Japanese airplanes sank the seaplane tender Langley, once the Navy's first aircraft carrier, near Java. (24)
1943: Eighth Air Force sent B-17s and B-24s to attack the harbor and naval facilities at Brest, France. (4)
1951: Boeing delivered the first C-97C to the Air Force. (5)
1958: Missile Director William M. Holaday approved the Minuteman project to build a 500-mile to 5,500-mile, solid-fuel ballistic missile that could be launched from underground silos. (6)
1960: The 4135 SW at Eglin AFB received SAC's first GAM-72A Quail missile. (1)
1961: Max Conrad set an FAI solo record for light planes by flying around the world in 8 days 18 hours 35 minutes 57 seconds. His flight ended on 8 March. (9) (24)
1970: First F-111E arrived at Edwards AFB for flight testing. (12) The DoD selected Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company in West Palm Beach and East Hartford, Conn., to produce the F-100 engine for USAF's F-15 and the Navy's F-14B. (12)
1971: Operation HAYLIFT. The USAF launched this operation in response to blizzards in Kansas. Aircraft dropped 35,000 bales of hay (nearly a million pounds) for 275,000 cattle stranded in deep snow. The American Humane Society provided the Hay. (16)
1976: Vandenberg AFB launched the advanced nosetip test vehicle (ANT-1) to study how four objects of various materials and shapes, with fine-weave carbon- carbon nosetips, performed in high stagnation pressure and clean air. (5) The Minuteman integrated program at Minot AFB's Wing III completed and turned over to SAC. This program included silo modifications, dust hardening, electromagnetic pulse protection, and a conversion to the command data buffer system. (6)
1990 The combined Lockheed and USAF F-117A Stealth Fighter design team received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1989. This "most prestigious award in American aviation" recognized the team for the greatest achievement in aeronautics. (8: May 90)
2001: The USAF successfully launched a Titan IV-B rocket from Cape Canaveral. It carried a MILSTAR satellite to its intended orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. (AFNEWS Article 0289, 1 Mar 2001)
2004: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The 107 FS, Michigan ANG, deployed 10 F-16Cs on an Air Expeditionary Force rotation to Iraq. Thus, the 107th became the first F-16 unit under the Total Air Force concept to operate from Kirkuk AB, a former Iraqi Air Force installation. The unit employed the ANG's Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System pod in actual combat conditions. (32)
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