The List 6213 TGB
Good Sunday Morning September 11 .
We are still ironing out a few things with the email but with today's list I think we are getting close. I
I will never forget the first 911. I was in my office and someone came running in to say a plane flew into one of the Twin Towers. I had remembered reading about an army Air force B-25 that had flown in to the Empire State building in the 40s. But did not think with all electronics and RADAR in this day it was an accident had to be on purpose.
So a few minutes later someone said they had got the big TV on in our conference room and it was live so I went to look and as I entered the room I saw the second plane hit and knew that the world had changed. The List had been running Since February of 2000 and soon had lots of information to get out.
I watched a lot of the 911 stories yesterday and there is a good one this morning called the CIA vs Bin Laden: First in. There are a couple of great books about this also.
I think everyone should watch this every year because we have forgotten and the woke generation has taken over and they do not teach any history in the schools any more. But you can find it here in the List
Regards
Skip
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
September 11
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1814—During the Battle of Lake Champlain, Commodore Thomas Macdonough anchors his
ships in a position that the British squadron attacks head on, using only a few guns at a time. The British squadron is defeated, ending the final invasion of the British in the northern states. USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), a guided missile cruiser, is named after the famous battle.
1942—Pharmacist's Mate First Class Wheeler B. Lipes performs an emergency appendectomy on Seaman 1st Class Darrell D. Rector on board USS Seadragon (SS 194) on patrol in the South China Sea.
1943—During the Salerno, Italy operations, USS Savannah (CL 42) is hit by a German guided bomb. The explosion kills nearly 200 of her crew, but she remains under her own power to return to the U.S. for repairs.
1944—USS Albacore (SS 218) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser (Cha 165) off Kyushu, Japan, while USS Finback (SS 230) sinks Japanese army cargo ship, Hassho Maru, and merchant cargo ship, No. 2, Hakuun Maru, north of Chichi Jima. Also on this date, USS Pargo (SS 264) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer, Hinoki Maru, in Java Sea.
1982—USS Michigan (SSGN 727) is commissioned at Groton, CT. The second Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided missile submarine, it is the third Navy vessel to honor the State of Michigan.
2001—American Airlines Flight 77 is hijacked by terrorists and hits the Pentagon, causing 184 fatalities. Specific to DON, the fatalities are: 33 military personnel, six civilians, and three contractors. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 hit the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, New York City. United Airlines Flight 93 goes down in Shanksville, PA, after passengers engage the hijackers.
2010—USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) is christened and launched and now operated by the Military Sealift Command. The dry cargo/ammunition ship provides ammunition, food, repair parts, stores and small quantities of fuel for the U.S. Marine Corps. The ship is named for Capt. Washington Chambers, a pioneer in US naval aviation.
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Today in History
September 11
1297 Scots under William Wallace defeat the English at Stirling Bridge.
1695 Imperial troops under Eugene of Savoy defeat the Turks at the Battle of Zenta.
1709 John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, wins the bloodiest battle of the 18th century at great cost, against the French at Malplaquet.
1740 The first mention of an African American doctor or dentist in the colonies is made in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
1777 General George Washington and his troops are defeated by the British under General Sir William Howe at the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania.
1786 The Convention of Annapolis opens with the aim of revising the Articles of Confederation.
1802 Piedmont, Italy, is annexed by France.
1814 U.S. forces led by Thomas Macdonough route the British fleet on Lake Champlain.
1847 Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susanna" is first performed in a saloon in Pittsburgh.
1850 Soprano opera singer Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," makes her American debut at New York's Castle Garden Theater.
1864 A 10-day truce is declared between generals William Sherman and John Hood so civilians may leave Atlanta, Georgia.
1857 Indians incited by Mormon John D. Lee kill 120 California-bound settlers in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
1904 The battleship Connecticut, launched in New York, introduces a new era in naval construction.
1916 The "Star Spangled Banner" is sung at the beginning of a baseball game for the first time in Cooperstown, New York.
1944 American troops enter Luxembourg.
1962 Thurgood Marshall is appointed a judge of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
1965 The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) arrives in South Vietnam and is stationed at An Khe.
1974 Haile Selassie I is deposed from the Ethiopian throne.
2001 In an unprecedented, highly coordinated attack, terrorists hijack four U.S. passenger airliners, flying two into the World Trade Center towers in New York and one into the Pentagon, killing thousands. The fourth airliner, headed toward Washington likely to strike the White House or Capitol, is crashed just over 100 miles away in Pennsylvania after passengers storm the cockpit and overtake the hijackers.
2005 Israel completes its unilateral disengagement of all Israeli civilians and military from the Gaza Strip.
2007 Russia detonates a nano-bomb; dubbed the "Father of All Bombs," it is the largest non-nuclear weapon developed to date.
2012 US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is attacked and burned down; 4 Americans are killed including the US ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens.
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Attack on America
At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.
The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the U.S. in the months before September 11 and acted as the "muscle" in the operation. The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming the ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles.
As millions watched in horror the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to a structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.
Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 mph and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers, and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for injuries, many severe.
Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–United Flight 93–was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye."
The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.
At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared: "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based there, began on October 7, 2001. Bin Laden was killed during a raid of his compound in Pakistan by U.S. forces on May 2, 2011.
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Thanks to Brett,
These are great Note I have been putting two new ones each day until I run out
If you haven't discovered the little video clips by Neal Foard, treat yourself to a couple a day; they will make you smile and there's ALWAYS a "Life Lesson" embedded. He tells a great story and they're only, maybe, two minutes long or less.
Brett
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Thanks to THE BEAR
We wish the Bear a safe trip back to his mountain retreat.
… For The List for Tailhook Week, Sunday, 11 September… Bear ("Hook Up"… The party is over… depart Reno in ye olde Escalade—destination: Ogden)… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965–1968)…
Part IX of IX, Conclusion of Stennis Rolling Thunder Report…
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.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War
. Listed by last name and has other info
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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This Day in U S Military History
1814 – During the Battle of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain, a newly built U.S. fleet under Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough destroys a British squadron, forcing the British to abandon their siege of the U.S. fort at Plattsburg and retreat to Canada on foot. The American victory saved New York from possible invasion and helped lead to the conclusion of peace negotiations between Britain and the United States in Ghent, Belgium. The War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, when the United States declared war on Britain. The war declaration, opposed by a sizable minority in Congress, had been called in response to the British economic blockade of France, the induction of American seamen into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. A faction of Congress known as the "War Hawks" had been advocating war with Britain for several years and had not hidden their hopes that a U.S. invasion of Canada might result in significant territorial gains for the United States. In the months after President James Madison proclaimed the state of war to be in effect, American forces launched a three-point invasion of Canada, all of which were decisively unsuccessful. In 1814, with Napoleon Bonaparte's French empire collapsing, the British were able to allocate more military resources to the American war, and Washington, D.C., fell to the British in August. In Washington, British troops burned the White House, the Capitol, and other buildings in retaliation for the earlier burning of government buildings in Canada by U.S. soldiers. In September 1814, the tide of the war turned when Thomas Macdonough's American naval force won a decisive victory at the Battle of Plattsburg, New York. The American victory on Lake Champlain led to the conclusion of U.S.-British peace negotiations in Belgium, and on December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, formally ending the War of 1812. By the terms of the agreement, all conquered territory was to be returned, and a commission would be established to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada. British forces assailing the Gulf Coast were not informed of the treaty in time, and on January 8, 1815, the U.S. forces under Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. The American public heard of Jackson's victory and the Treaty of Ghent at approximately the same time, fostering a greater sentiment of self-confidence and shared identity throughout the young republic.
1918 – US troops landed in Russia to fight the Bolsheviks.
1918 – Often called the "war of the machines," World War I marked the beginning of a new kind of warfare, fought with steel and shrapnel. Automotive manufacturers led the way in this new technology of war, producing engines for planes, building tanks, and manufacturing military vehicles. Packard was at the forefront of these efforts, being among the first American companies to completely cease civilian car production. Packard had already been the largest producer of trucks for the Allies, but the company began devoting all of its facilities to war production on this day, just a few months before the end of the war. Even after Packard resumed production of civilian vehicles, its wartime engines appeared in a number of vehicles, from racing cars and boats to British tanks in the next world war.
1919 – US marines invaded Honduras (again).
2001 – At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack. The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the U.S. in the months before September 11 and acted as the "muscle" in the operation. The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming the ordinary commuter jets into guided missiles. As millions watched in horror the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to a structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon along with all 64 people aboard the airliner. Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke. The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 mph and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to 4,000 people died in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343 firefighters and 23 policemen who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for injuries, many severe. Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–United Flight 93–was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye." The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard. At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House. At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared: "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based there, began on October 7.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
JAMES, JOHN
Rank and organization: Corporal, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Upper Wichita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at: ——. Birth: England. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MITCHELL, JOHN
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company I, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in engagement with Indians.
MORRIS, WILLIAM W.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:——. Birth: Stewart County, Tenn. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in engagement with Indians.
NEILON, FREDERICK S.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:——. Birth: Boston, Mass. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
PENNSYL, JOSIAH
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company M, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 11 September 1874. Entered service at:——. Birth: Frederick County, Md. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
SHARPLESS, EDWARD C.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:——. Birth: Marion County, Ohio. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: While carrying dispatches was attacked by 125 hostile Indians, whom he (and a comrade) fought throughout the day.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for September 11, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
11 September
1920: Three airships flew in a formation flight under radio direction at Langley Field. (24)
1941: At Baltimore, the Glenn L. Martin Company displayed a 70-ton, 4-engine flying boat with a 200-foot wing spread, said to be the largest in the world. (24)
1944: Eighth Air Force began the last "shuttle raid" as 139 aircraft attacked an arms factory at Chemnitz, Germany, and flew on to bases in Russia. (4)
1948: FEAF SUPPORT FOR THE BERLIN AIRLIFT. FEAF received orders to send an air echelon with 36 C-54 aircraft and a skeleton group headquarters to USAFE on indefinite duty. FEAF sent the 317 TCG (Heavy) with the 22 TCS, 39 TCS, and 41st TCS (Heavy). The group's temporary transfer, coupled with the loss of 24 MATS C-54s from the theater to Germany for the airlift and a shipping strike on the West Coast, caused severe supply shortages throughout the Pacific.
1953: A Sidewinder N-7 (AIM-9) air-to-air missile made its first successful interception, sending a Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat drone down in flames at China Lake. (12) (20)
1955: Richard T. Whitcomb from NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory announced the area rule concept for airplane design. The supersonic Grumman F11F and Convair F-102 used this 1953 concept to reduce drag. (8: Sep 90)
1964: The Air Force decided to retire two Atlas squadrons and 105 liquid-fueled missiles made obsolete by the Minuteman and Polaris. (5) (16)
1968: The Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories at Hanscom AFB launched the largest research balloon, a 28.7-million-cubic-foot polyethylene sphere, to 158,000 feet from White Sands Missile Range. The balloon carried instruments for atmospheric measurements near strato-pause, and the flight ended near Needles, Calif., after 18 hours. This balloon broke two previous size records: 13.5 millioncubic-feet for a polyethylene balloon and 26-million-cubic-feet held by five fiber-reinforced Mylar balloons flown in 1966 and 1967. (5) (16)
1970: President Nixon ordered Federal guards to fly on US overseas flights to end air piracy. Shotgun rides began one day later with 100 Treasury agents.
1972: US aircraft destroyed the Long Bien Bridge over the Red River in downtown Hanoi. This event involved one of the most spectacular uses of precision-guided weapons in the war. (16) (26)
1981: The Air Staff decided to add ALCMs to the B-52H. Before, only G-models were scheduled to receive ALCMs. (12)
2001: ATTACK ON AMERICA/Operation NOBLE EAGLE. Arab terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners. They crashed two aircraft into the 110-story, twin tower World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., killing more than 3,000 people. Passengers in the fourth aircraft rushed the hijackers, and it crashed in a Pennsylvania field rather than another high-value target. The FAA grounded all airliners in the US for several days. President George W. Bush initiated a war on terrorism and homeland-defense efforts with combat air patrols within the US under the NOBLE EAGLE operation. (21) The ANG scrambled F-15s from Otis ANGB, Mass., and F-16s from Langley AFB to intercept hijacked commercial airliners bound for the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, respectively, but arrived too late to thwart the terrorist attacks. (32) Shortly after the airliner attacks, NORAD initiated combat air patrols with USAF fighters over more than 30 American cities, while Navy fighters flew sorties off the Atlantic coast near New York. Within a few hours, 34 ANG fighter units had generated aircraft to fly combat missions, and in the first 24 hours, 15 units accomplished 179 fighter missions. In addition, 18 ANG tanker wings had generated 78 aircraft to support the fighters. (32)
2002: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In the year after the terrorist attacks on American soil, AMC aircraft flew 4,864 airlift missions to deliver 223,487 passengers and 304,801 short tons of cargo in support of this operation. C-17s and C-5s flew 48 percent and 30 percent of the missions, respectively. Additionally, KC-135s accomplished 2,760 air refueling missions and KC-10s another 176 missions in the one-year period. (22)
2004: Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on America, AMC completed 34,030 missions in support the two combat operations. AMC's organic and contracted commercial aircraft moved a total of 1,771,632 troops and 1,059,498 short tons of cargo, while KC-10 and KC-135 tankers performed 11,111 air refueling missions to refuel 15,396 aircraft. The three-year airlift into Afghanistan was the third largest airlift in history, with Operation VITTLES (Berlin Airlift) in 1948-1949 ranking first and Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM (Gulf War) in 1990-1991 ranking second. (22)
2005: CONTINUING SUPPORT TO THE WAR ON TERRORISM. During the four years since the 2001 attack, AMC flew 53,530 missions. By mid-September 2005, AMC's organic aircraft and contracted commercial aircraft had moved 3,055,336 troops and 1,487,884 short tons of cargo. In late 2005, the support to Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM surpassed the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War airlift effort to become history's second largest airlift, following the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift. (22)
2007: Since 11 September 2001, the Air Mobility Command had completed 363,483 sorties to support Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. By mid-September 2007, the command's organic aircraft and contracted commercial aircraft had moved 5,854,158 troops and 2,551,432 short tons of cargo. Also, by September 2007, airlift operations to support the two operations constituted history's largest airlift in terms of total cargo transported. They surpassed the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949 and Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM of 1990-1991. The command's KC-10 and KC-135 tankers also performed 16,941 air refueling sorties to refuel more than 27,300 receiver aircraft. Since 11 September 2001, the command had transferred 1.1 billion gallons of fuel on its air refueling sorties around the world. (22)
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thanks to THE Bear
Great history and a great personal story from the Navy's awesome historian…Bear
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Cox, Samuel J SES USN NHHC WASHINGTON DC (USA)"
Date: September 10, 2021 at 4:38:37 AM MDT
Cc: Sam Cox <sjcox80@verizon.net>
Subject: Happy 100 Lieutenant Commander Louis A. Conter, USN (Ret.)
Fellow Flag Officers,
It is with great pleasure I inform you that U.S. Navy hero and USS ARIZONA survivor Lieutenant Commander Louis A. "Lou" Conter, U.S. Navy (Retired) will be 100 on 13 September 2021. Lou enlisted in 1939 and was a QM3 during the attack. After Pearl Harbor, he went to flight school and as an enlisted pilot flew 200 combat missions in "Black Cat" Catalina Flying Boats. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in rescuing over 200 Australian Coast Watchers on New Guinea. He survived being shot down twice, once by the Japanese and once by a US Army Airforce fighter. He served as an Air Intelligence Officer on USS BON HOMME RICHARD's 1951 Korean War deployment, flying the AD Skyraider in 29 combat missions over North Korea before the Navy banned Intel Officers flying over enemy territory. He also established the US Navy's first Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) course and was instrumental in the development Navy's formal SERE School Program. Vice Admiral James Stockdale credited Lou with saving his life in Vietnam. Additional detail follows.
Born on 13 September 1921, Louis A. Conter enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1939. Following boot camp in San Diego, he reported to his first ship, battleship USS ARIZONA (BB-39) at Long Beach, California as an apprentice seaman. In March 1940, ARIZONA and the rest of the Battle Fleet were ordered to remain at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii following a major fleet exercise. Lou was a striker for the Quartermaster rate and was promoted to Quarter Master Third Class (QM3.) He was selected for the enlisted pilot training program and on 1 November 1941 received orders to return to the U.S. aboard SS LURLINE for flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola. However, because ARIZONA was scheduled to return to Long Beach in December for an anti-aircraft weapons upgrade, Captain Van Valkenburgh (Commanding Officer USS ARIZONA) directed him to remain aboard ARIZONA for the transit back to save the Navy money. Lou was the helmsman when ARIZONA entered Pearl Harbor on 5 December 1941 following fleet battle training.
On the morning of 7 December, Lou had just reported to the Quarterdeck for duty as Quartermaster of the Watch when the first Japanese planes rolled in. As Captain Van Valkenburgh passed the Quarterdeck, he directed one QM2 to follow him to the bridge and he directed Lou to remain behind and secure the Quarterdeck. This was the difference between living and dying. Lou was on his way to the bridge when the fourth bomb to hit ARIZONA resulted in a catastrophic powder magazine explosion, that killed or mortally wounded 1,177 men (1,102 were never recovered.) Of those crewmen aboard the ship at the time, only 96 survived the explosion, (about 239 other crewmen were ashore.) During the attack, Lou rescued men from the flames, assisted in fighting fires and in evacuating the wounded. After the attack, he was assigned duty as a diver to go into the sunken ship to retrieve dead bodies until it was deemed too dangerous to continue that work.
Lou reported to Pensacola in January 1942 and completed flight training in November 1942 as a PBY-5 Catalina flying boat patrol bomber pilot. He reported to Patrol Squadron ELEVEN (VP-11) one of the first "Black Cat" squadrons, trained for night operations with planes painted entirely black with no markings. Deploying from Hawaii to Port Moresby, New Guinea and Western Australia, Lou would rack up 2,000 hours and 200 combat missions, mostly along the northern coast of New Guinea. In September 1943, his plane was hit by Japanese ground fire which set off the flares, forcing the burning plane to crash land in the water. He and the crew survived a day in the water fighting off sharks, before reaching the shore and hiding in the jungle until they were rescued by Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) men on a PT-boat.
Lou would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (for valor) for a series of dangerous below-tree-top level flights along the Sepik River (the opening in the jungle canopy not much wider than the river) to covertly rescue Australian Coastwatchers who had been trapped by a surprise landing by a Japanese division. Five PBY crews would ultimately rescue 219 Australians without loss. In November 1943, he received a battlefield commission to ensign. In December 1943, while attempting to rescue the crew of a U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) B-25 bomber, Lou's plane was shot down by one of the USAAF P-40 fighters performing RESCAP duty. Lou's nose gunner was killed, but the rest of the crew survived, and the B-25 crew was rescued.
After returning to the States, Lou was trained in the new F7F Tigercat twin engine carrier night fighter. The Tigercat had difficulty during carrier landing trials and Lou was reassigned to command the first U.S. Navy radio-controlled target drone unit (TDD 1.)
Released from active duty after the end of the war, Lou remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve. During periodic activations, he received training as an Air Intelligence Officer (AIO.) Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty and received flight training in the AD Skyraider single engine attack bomber. He deployed to Korea as the Air Group AIO aboard USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CV-31) in May 1951. During this deployment, BON HOMME RICHARD lost 12 aircraft and seven pilots. Lou flew 29 combat missions in the Skyraider over North Korea until the Navy banned Intelligence Officers from flying over enemy territory. He then flew coastal missions in support of guerilla insertion and intelligence collection missions.
After the Korean War, Lou became the first USN officer to attend the U.S. Army Special Operations School at Fort Bragg. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 February 1954. In 1955, Lou established the Navy's first Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) course at Camp McCall near Fort Bragg. He was then instrumental in establishing formal Navy SERE Schools at Brunswick, Maine and North Island, San Diego, which subsequently moved to Camp Pendleton.
In 1958, in response to Congressional complaints about how tough the SERE school was, the Bureau of Personnel (Naval Aviation) sent Commander James Stockdale to go through the course and report back. Only Lou was informed of who he was and why he was there, and Stockdale went through the course treated the same as everyone else. Stockdale reported back that the course was the most demanding and challenging training he'd ever had, but also the best, and well worth it. After being released from North Vietnamese captivity in 1973, Captain Stockdale informed Lou that, "Without that training, I would have never lived through my seven and a half years in a POW camp."
Lou attended the U.S. Naval War College in 1958-59. During the late 1950's and 1960's, although still in the Naval Reserve, he was frequently activated to participate in sensitive clandestine intelligence collection and direct action missions, which he steadfastly refuses to discuss due to classification to this day. In unclassified assignments, in 1962 he was assigned to a special task force that recommended the establishment of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In 1963 he was part of a five-man team sent to Vietnam to conduct a comprehensive assessment; during a meeting with President Kennedy, the group advised that an escalation of the war was not in the best interest of the U.S. After establishing another SERE School in Hawaii, he retired as a lieutenant commander in December 1967 after 28 years of service. He then had a successful career in real estate development.
Lou Conter is one of only two living survivors who were assigned to USS ARIZONA on 7 December 1941. In December 2019, he was the speaker at the interment of Lauren Bruner's ashes aboard the ARIZONA, the last survivor to return to his shipmates. Lou has attended the memorial service at Pearl Harbor almost every year since 1991. Unable to go in 2020 due to Covid, he hopes to attend the 80th anniversary commemoration this year. At the age of 99, he wrote a book with authors Annete C. Hull and Warren R. Hull, "The Lou Conter Story: From USS ARIZONA Survivor to Unsung American Hero." Lou has devoted many years to ensuring that the memory of 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 wounded during the attack on Pearl Harbor are note forgotten, and that the U.S. never be caught so unprepared again.
Remember Pearl Harbor.
Very respectfully,
Sam
Samuel J. Cox (SES)
RADM, USN (Ret)
Director of Naval History
Curator for the Navy
Director Naval History and Heritage Command
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GEOPOLITICAL DIGEST
SEPTEMBER 09, 2022
THE WEEK AHEAD
Xi Likely Attends the SCO Summit. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization will hold a summit 15-19 September in Uzbekistan. Reports from the SCO and Russia suggest that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend, which would mark his first foreign visit in almost three years, where he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines. SCO heads of state are expected to adopt a final document named the Samarkand Declaration, a comprehensive agreement governing all SCO activities. Additional statements are expected regarding the development of transit corridors between the member states and a roadmap to gradually increase the share of national currencies in mutual settlements by reducing the use of the dollar. Prior to the summit, Xi is also likely to meet with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on 14 September in Kazakhstan.
Ramaphosa Visits Biden in Washington. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with US President Joe Biden on 16 September at the White House to discuss opportunities for deepening cooperation on trade, investment, infrastructure, climate, energy and health. Ramaphosa's visit comes ahead of the November COP27 climate conference in Egypt, where discussions of investment from wealthy nations to support developing countries' energy transitions is slated to feature prominently. The United States -- along with the European Union, the United Kingdom, France and Germany -- previously committed to investing $8.5 billion to support South Africa's turn away from coal, but rumors are circulating that more than 80% of the funds offered by Western countries will be loans, not grants. If true, already highly indebted South Africa is unlikely to find sufficient financial backing from Western nations to prop up its decaying electricity utility, divest from coal, and devote greater resources to wind and solar energy production.
Erdogan and Putin Discuss the Ukraine Grain Deal. Russia has been signaling dissatisfaction with the deal and wants to renegotiate its term, suggesting Moscow wants to destabilize food prices again amid several Ukrainian battlefield counteroffensives. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, eager to remain a potential mediator to end the conflict and maintain good ties with Russia, has been backing Russia's position. This indicates that Turkey might be part of a push to change the deal in a way unfavorable to Ukraine. While food prices have been declining toward 2021 levels, even rhetoric that threatens the deal could send ripples through international markets, threatening the economies of developing countries.
Please read on for our coverage of the week that was...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Key Developments - Analysis • Other Stories We're Tracking - Curated Content
KEY DEVELOPMENTS - ANALYSIS
Assessments: What Russia's Indefinite Nord Stream 1 Cut-Off Means for Europe's Energy Crisis
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on 5 September that natural gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will not resume in full until the "collective West" lifts sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Peskov is the latest high-ranking Russian official to openly hint that the slowdown of gas flows to Europe is politically motivated — directly contradicting Gazprom's assertion that the supply disruptions are due purely to technical issues beyond its control. Russia appears to be escalating its weaponization of energy supplies in response to falling energy prices in Europe and Western plans to implement price caps on Russian oil and natural gas. Despite the recent easing, however, European energy prices remain high and volatile due to the continued uncertainty about Russian supplies. In response to this looming threat, the European Union is mulling several measures, including an EU-wide gas price cap that would risk encouraging demand or worsening Europe's Russia-induced energy crunch. Given the risks of enacting a bloc-wide gas price cap, the European Union thus remains more likely to provide financial support for households and utilities funded by windfall taxes and debt to curb soaring energy costs.
Assessments: The Constraints and Drivers of Japan-South Korea Rapprochement
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is attempting to make good on his campaign promise to restore and re-normalize relations with Japan, with Park Jin, the South Korean Foreign Minister, regularly meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, to find ways to resolve bilateral disagreements. In the coming years, shared views on North Korea and China, along with US pressure, will drive South Korea and Japan to improve their bilateral relationship. South Korea is concerned about a more bellicose North Korea and will seek to rely more on Japan to protect South Korea's eastern flank with overlapping missile defense systems and naval patrols, and threaten North Korean territory with conventional arms in the event of a conflict on the peninsula. To achieve this, Seoul and Tokyo must have robust intelligence-sharing and regular military coordination. Japan would like South Korea to present a credible first-strike threat to North Korean leadership and ballistic missile launchers that threaten Japanese territory. However, South Korea and Japan's economic dependence on China, as well as domestic social pressures, will limit the scope of any bilateral agreements. Japan and South Korea will not become treaty allies anytime soon, though they will likely resume small-scale bilateral naval exercises and military cooperation.
India Joining 'Clean Economy' Pillar of IPEF Likely to Hold Back US Ambitions
What Happened: India will join three of the four pillars of the US-backed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), the Hindustan Times reported on 9 September, citing people familiar with the matter. India will reportedly join the clean economy (e.g., decarbonization and infrastructure), resilient economy (e.g., supply chains) and fair economy (e.g., tax and anti-corruption) pillars, but not the connected economy (e.g., digital trade and trade) pillar. The report comes as the United States is hosting IPEF's first in-person ministerial meeting from 8 September to 9 September in Los Angeles.
Why It Matters: New Delhi's decision to partake in the clean economy pillar -- which focuses on decarbonization and the energy transition -- is the most significant; the United States hopes it will result in "high-ambition targets" in the areas of renewable energy, carbon removal and energy efficiency standards, though it may well be disappointed. New Delhi historically has held back from significant commitments, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi only backing a "net-zero" carbon emissions target for the country by 2070 -- a full two decades later than most other countries and even a decade later than China. Although India may agree to tougher commitments as a part of the pillar's deal, New Delhi is likely hoping its involvement can unlock more foreign investment from IPEF members Japan and the United States to finance the energy transition in India. India's inclusion probably means the United States will achieve less through the clean economy pillar than it hopes.
Snapshots: In China, a UN Report on Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang Renews Business Risks
On 31 August, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a much-delayed 46-page report on the Chinese government's human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minority peoples in the country's western Xinjiang region from 2017-2019. The report concludes that China has committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, including arbitrary imprisonment and torture of detainees; systemic repression of Uyghur and other minority groups' religions, cultures and languages; violations of privacy rights and freedom of movement; violations of reproductive rights; forced labor; family separations; and undue reprisals. The report legitimizes criticism that had previously come almost solely from China's geopolitical rivals. Its findings may provide the impetus for new punitive measures and Chinese countermeasures, which could lead to dual reputational and sanctions risks for foreign enterprises.
OTHER STORIES WE'RE TRACKING - CURATED CONTENT
ASIA
The Weakness of Xi Jinping, How Hubris and Paranoia Threaten China's Future
Outwardly, Xi still projects confidence. But behind the scenes, his power is being questioned as never before. By discarding China's long tradition of collective rule and creating a cult of personality reminiscent of the one that surrounded Mao, Xi has rankled party insiders. In the shadows, resentment among CCP elites is rising. This fall, Xi expects that he will be given a third five-year term. Emboldened by the unprecedented additional term, Xi will likely tighten his grip even further domestically and raise his ambitions internationally. Xi may well ruin something China has earned over the course of four decades: a reputation for steady, competent leadership.
Source: Foreign Affairs
India-China Begin Disengagement From Gogra-Hotsprings
India and China announced on 8 September that their armies have started to disengage from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Tensions between India and China began escalating in April-May 2020 when Chinese troops began crossing into the Indian side of the LAC at several points. The tense situation erupted in violent hand-to hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers in June at the Galwan Valley. The agreement on disengagement from Gogra-Hotsprings is important as it comes after a year-long long impasse in the talks process. While some have interpreted the disengagement from Gogra-Hotsprings as a Chinese " retreat," others are more skeptical.
Source: The Diplomat
Two New Railway Lines Could Transform Central Asia
The fate of both railways may depend on whether they can attract funding from sources besides China; its Belt and Road problems have made it wary of financing infrastructure projects alone. The trans-Afghan railway thus looks shakier than the trans-Kyrgyz one, as America and its allies still refuse to engage with the Taliban. There is a good chance that neither project succeeds. But if either does, it will be a leap towards making the region better connected to the world, and less reliant on Russia.
Source: The Economist
EUROPE
Lingering Fears Surrounding Russian Occupation of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
The United Nations nuclear watchdog has issued a call for a special safety zone or security perimeter to be created around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia. The situation is unprecedented and the deteriorating working conditions are a major threat to the plant, which has already suffered severe damage. The International Atomic Energy Agency report has recommended interim measures to avert a nuclear disaster in the region. In the event of a worst-case scenario, where the Zaporizhzhia plant melts down, efforts and countermeasures to mitigate the fallout would prove a logistical and humanitarian nightmare.
Source: The Soufan Center
My Country, Right or Wrong: Russian Public Opinion on Ukraine
Rather than consolidating Russian society, the conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated existing divisions on a diverse array of issues, including support for the regime. Put another way, the impression that Putin now has the full support of the Russian public is simply incorrect. Opinion polls consistently show that the majority of respondents support the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. The scale of that support changed little over the first four months of the war. But the collection of people who express support for what Moscow calls the "special operation" and for Putin himself is not at all homogenous.
Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Will Turkey and Greece Go to War Over the Aegean Sea?
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Greek military was harassing Turkish military aircraft, warning that Ankara would not accept continued provocations and would retaliate in the future. In recent years, Greece, which owns nearly all of the Aegean islands, has claimed that its airspace extends up to ten nautical miles from the shore of any island within the sea. Because all of the islands are within six miles of each other, this interpretation would give Greece control over the entire Aegean—an interpretation that Turkey has rejected.
Source: The National Interest
AMERICAS
Is Mexico's Security Policy Backfiring?
Recent dramatic outbreaks of criminal violence have provided an eerie reminder of how Mexico's criminal groups have learned to bully the security forces into submission, showing themselves to be in command and exposing the state's lack of capacity to combat them. The truth is that even as AMLO's militarized security policy has claimed scores of civilian lives, continued spectacles of violence are a compelling indictment of its failure.
Source: Americas Quarterly
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Is Iraq on the Brink of a New Civil War?
For now, the political climate remains tense, with both competing sides ready to again resort to arms. They each view this conflict in existential, zero-sum terms and think their side has won the latest confrontation. Both are now stuck in a stalemate, however, where neither side is able to impose a solution to end the political conflict.
Source: Middle East Institute
Khamenei's Succession Plan? Endless Tyranny in Iran
In addition to building a nuclear program, a surveillance state, and a cult of divine personality, the supreme leader may be looking to install his son as his successor.
Source: The National Interest
What Next for Kenya?
What is no longer in question is the frustration with the status quo on display in Kenya and elsewhere on the continent. Ruto was perceptive in harnessing popular dissatisfaction with Kenyatta's government. Across the region, demands for change are diminishing the advantages of incumbency and challenging conventional political wisdom. Even in Angola, a country in which it has long been difficult to distinguish between the ruling party and the state itself, last month's elections were far closer than any the country has experienced before, despite the substantial capacity of the government to tilt the playing field to its advantage.
Source: Council On Foreign Relations
GLOBAL
How US Grand Strategy Is Changed by Ukraine
The war has underlined Washington's indispensable leadership role as Europe's security guarantor and brought home the reality for its NATO allies that they can only protect themselves under the US umbrella. Having Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense will allow the United States to shift more effort and attention to Asia. There are deep divisions in both Europe and Asia on how to deal with Russia and China. Preventing Moscow and Beijing from exploiting these divisions will remain a major political challenge for the United States. The other element of US grand strategy should be to draw countries in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere into a next tier of economic and strategic relationships that counterbalance Chinese and Russian efforts to do the same.
Source: Foreign Policy
Cambodia's Ream Naval Base Attracts Competing Patrons
Cambodia's Ream Naval Base — a facility in the Gulf of Thailand — has in recent years been the subject of interest from major powers competing for influence in Southeast Asia. China's efforts to access the base first surfaced in July 2019. China is funding the developmental project without any conditions attached. During the negotiations, the Chinese understood that Cambodia would not share control of the Ream Naval Base and that Phnom Penh would not take sides in the US–China rivalry.
Source: East Asia Forum
What Happened to the Belt and Road Initiative?
Nearly a decade after its launch, the Belt and Road Initiative – what was once nicknamed the "project of the century" – is slowly vanishing from Chinese leaders' speeches. But the Chinese narrative about developing the world hasn't disappeared; it just mutated toward a new initiative: the Global Development Initiative. China seems to be changing its narrative about the Belt and Road for foreign audiences, migrating in English from "initiative" to "cooperation" – possibly because "cooperation" sounds more friendly, while "initiative" can be read as suggesting a top-down geopolitical plan.
Source: The Diplomat
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