To All,
Good Monday morning December 26 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. We are bracing for a solid week of rain. Starting as early as tomorrow. Lots to do outside.
Warm regards
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
Dec. 26
1862—The first female nurses to serve on a U.S. Navy ship report aboard hospital ship Red Rover. They are nuns from the Catholic Order Sisters of the Holy Cross.
1872—While serving on the side-wheel steamer Powhatan at Norfolk, VA, Seaman Joseph Noil saves drowning shipmate, Boatswain J.C. Walton. For his conduct on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor.
1942—SBDs, F4Fs, and P-38s attack Japanese transports at Wickham Anchorage, New Georgia and sink the freighters Takashima Maru and Iwami Maru.
1943—USS Fanning (DD 385) sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.7 Myo Maru off Okino Misaki, Bonin Islands.
1943—Operation Backhander begins. Task Force 76 lands 1st Marine Division at Cape Cloucester, New Britain. During retaliatory Japanese air attacks, destroyer USS Brownson (DD 518) sinks while destroyers USS Lamson (DD 367), USS Shaw (DD 373) and USS Mugford (DD 389), along with USS LST 66 and coastal transport APC 15 are damaged.
1944—Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances F. Wills are commissioned as the first two African-American WAVES officers.
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Today in History December 26
1776 After crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey, George Washington leads an attack on Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, and takes 900 men prisoner.
1786 Daniel Shay leads a rebellion in Massachusetts to protest the seizure of property for the non-payment of debt.
1806 Napoleon's army is checked by the Russians at the Battle of Pultusk.
1862 38 Santee Sioux are hanged in Mankato, Minnesota for their part in the Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. Little Crow has fled the state.
1866 Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cooke, head of the Department of the Platte, receives word of the Fetterman Fight in Powder River County in the Dakota territory.
1917 As a wartime measure, President Woodrow Wilson places railroads under government control, with Secretary of War William McAdoo as director general.
1925 Six U.S. destroyers are ordered from Manila to China to protect interests in the civil war that is being waged there.
1932 Over 70,000 people are killed in a massive earthquake in China.
1941 General Douglas MacArthur declares Manila an open city in the face of the onrushing Japanese Army.
1943 The German battleship Scharnhorst is sunk by British ships in an Arctic fight.
1944 Advancing Soviet troops complete their encirclement of Budapest in Hungary.
1945 The United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain, end a 10-day meeting, seeking an atomic rule by the UN Council.
1953 The United States announces the withdrawal of two divisions from Korea.
1962 Eight East Berliners escape to West Berlin, crashing through gates in an armor-plated bus.
1966 Dr. Maulana Karenga celebrates the first Kwanza, a seven-day African-American celebration of family and heritage.
1979 The Soviet Union flies 5,000 troops to intervene in the Afghanistan conflict.
1982 Time magazine chooses a personal computer as it's "Man of the Year," the first non-human ever to receive the honor.
1991 The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union formally dissolves the Soviet Union.
1996 Jon Benet Ramsey, a six-year-old beauty queen, is found beaten and strangled to death in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most high-profile crimes of the late 20th century in the US.
1996 Workers in South Korea's automotive and shipbuilding industries begin the largest labor strike in that country's history, protesting a new law that made firing employees easier and would curtail the rights of labor groups to organize.
1999 Lothar, a violent, 36-hour windstorm begins; it kills 137 and causes $1.3 billion (US dollars) damage in Central Europe.
2004 A tsunami caused by a 9.3-magnitude earthquake kills more than 230,000 along the rim of the Indian Ocean.
2006 Former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford dies at age 93. Ford was the only unelected president in America's history.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Monday, 26 December 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 26 December 1967… Selective Service becomes hot issue…
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 https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
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To all
On11/11/2007 I received my first note directly from Shadow. Before that I received his items from Dutch and Dr.Rich. I was always amazed at how he could write and describe things especially those about flying and friendships and life in general. This one is number 1050 in my shadow file. I will treasure it.
Thanks to Shadow ...
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I woke up very early on Christmas morning… and as usual, I checked my emails. I've been in a funk lately, saddened by the situation in our country. We are being overwhelmed by folks who are both Godless and dogmatic about changing the culture in this country. The first email, which I had somehow skipped was from Cheetah (Bob Pappas)…. It was an electronic Christmas Card that reminded me of the real reason for the season and what this holiday was all about. And then I read the email from The Bear and was reminded again. Both men reminded me of my roots and then of people and events in my life. Somehow I was compelled to reach out to some of the men who helped shape me and influenced me in my life. But I had to wait before I did anything… no one would be up at that time of the morning.
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Finally, since I knew he was an early riser… I called Dan McMahon… my first company commander during my Grunt Tour in Vietnam. Dan was special… the best Company Commander I ever served with. We shared some of our darkest hours (days even) of both our lives; both in person and over the radio. Real, no shit, life and death struggles. Dan rotated before I did… and like most of my Grunt friends… we lost touch almost immediately. Unlike my aviator friends who generally tend to stay in touch… it seemed most of us Grunts just wanted to forget things and move on with our lives. Until Dan reached out to me over thirty years later, I'd not talked to any of my Grunt friends after the first month back in country. And even then only a couple. But once he did… it put me in touch with others. Dan is a humble man, solid citizen… great Marine and Community leader in retirement. He truly is one man I will always refer to as "hero". He personally was responsible for saving the lives of over a hundred men during a four day battle in the jungle canopy of the DMZ when they were surrounded by a regiment of NVA. I was not with him then, but was in constant contact with him by radio during the whole ordeal as we tried to bring in supporting fire by air and artillery to help stave off what appeared to be the inevitable in the beginning of the ambush. In total chaos… he was the one man who kept his whits about him and led by example. God Bless him!
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Then I reached out to the one aviator I've admired the most in my life… Mike "Lancer" Sullivan. Mike introduced me to the mighty Phantom! We both were back in school after our Vietnam tours, Mike to get his degree and I was back to doing the same thing before going to Flight Training (had enough of that Grunt shit). When Mike found out I was going to Pensacola, he arranged for me to get a seat check out/survival training at Miramar and then took me out to North Island where he's snagged a collateral duty job while attending college at Flight Test; doing test flights on F-8's and F-4's coming out of rework. My first two flights in the F-4 were in Mike's back seat. OMG… what a ride! My first two hops were hallmarked by max performance takeoffs, MACH II runs… a 1V1 with an F-8... and some incredible low level maneuvering. Turn and burn! What a rush! I left thinking… "I wanna be like Mike"! But then again, there's only one Lancer…. The high time F-4 Driver in Navy and Marine Corps history at right at 5,000 hours in the F-4! Truth is… none of us could be like Mike… that was just a Walter Mitty dream for us mortals. But he was an inspiration to so many of us in the F-4 community. I was hell bent on flying the F-4 as a result of his example.
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As we talked and shared memories; our disappointment at the way our country and Corps are going, we didn't dwell about it and quickly went back to our memories of a more exciting and rewarding time of our lives… It was Mike that put it all in perspective when he said, "Shadow, if given the chance… I would do it all again… we led incredible lives"! I agreed with him and said… "And I'd probably do it for nothing". We both agreed that at times we couldn't believe they were paying us to do what we were doing. Somehow I don't think we were alone in that thought.
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Next up was Jim "Black" Lucas. I've always preferred to call him "Cool Hand Luke"… We go way back... I first met Luke when he was a MARCAD at Meridian. I was about to start my freshman year in college… that summer I was driving a tractor and bush hog cutting grass on the base when we first met… he was cool even then. We met again in the F-4 RAG at Yuma… we've been friends ever since and I spent the best years of my life with him as we started Black Shadow Aviation, rebuilding monuments to our forefathers for various museums. What a ride we had! We were a dynamic duo together! We had fun, we had great employees and often pulled off the seemingly impossible. Like my conversations with Lancer, we reflected on how we were blessed… how we loved what we were doing and would do it all again in a heart beat.
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And then one of my heroes reached out to me… got a call from Skip Leonard Christmas morning. Skip is a national treasure as far as I'm concerned! He runs "The List" for us Bubba's. I have learned to love this man, though we've never met in person… what a service he does for all of us old Naval Aviators. Through his dedicated work… he has managed to keep so many of us in touch with each other and he has introduced me to so many others I would not have known were it not for him. Guys like "The Bear" who has contributed an incredible work that chronicles our lives during trying times, called "Rolling Thunder". The effort, the research and the totality of his work is beyond compare for those of us who served in our life and times. Thank you Bear… thank you Skip and Dutch for introducing him to me. Skip also introduced me to others like Youthly Puresome (Jack Woodul). Consummate aviator; A-4, F-8 and F-4 Driver… and one of the most entertaining aviation writers of our time! A man who inspired me to write, albeit, I'll never be in his league. Love you Puresome!
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Through Skip, I also got to meet Lonny McClung (Eagle)… another of our greatest NA's. I love it when guys are not only shit hot pilots or RIO's, but great human beings as well! Eagle is the epitome of that category! Then there is Rich Sugden… great American! Doctor, aviator, philanthropist, patriot. Love the guy! And so many others that Skip has introduced to me through the List… guys I'd heard of, but never got to know personally. Rattler, Fingers, Dutch, Barrett, Trees, on and on… what a blessing to all of us he has been. I swear before this life is over… I'm gonna make a "Bubba Breakfast" one of these days!
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Gents… in the scope of things… we're actually a very small fraternity compared to the rest of humanity. We did things, we saw things and lived life on the edge. But I always tell people… the greatest gift I've ever received from Naval Aviation was the incredible human beings I've met along the way. Without hubris, I contend… we were special… we are special!
Thanks Skip, thanks Dutch… and thank you brothers... for making my life more complete… and thanks to the "Big Guy" for letting it happen. Amen!
Shadow
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Thanks to Shadow from Robert who wrote:
Thanks Roy...you are a blessing to me and in the larger sense, to our Nation. One of the unsung heroes who deserves more and better.
God bless you Sonny!!!
Love from us to you and Wendy
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Thoughts for the New Year A Winter Friend
You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems like yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went.
I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life, and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those "older people" were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person in myself now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so... now I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... this I know, that when it's over on this earth... it's over. A new adventure will begin!
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are also many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.
So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can TODAY, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!
"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.
Remember: "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
• Your kids are becoming you…but your grandchildren are perfect!
• Going out is good…coming home is even better!
• You forget names...but it's OK, because other people forgot they even knew you!!!
• You realize you're never going to be really good at anything...especially golf.
• The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
• You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep."
• You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
• You tend to use more 4 letter words…"what?"..."when?"
• Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
• You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless!"
• What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
• Everybody whispers.
• You have three sizes of clothes in your closet.... two of which you will never wear.
• But "Old" is good in some things…old Songs, old movies, and best of all, our dear old friends!!
Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"
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Submitted by Colleen Grosso:
Six little stories with lots of meanings
• Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is FAITH.
• When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That is TRUST.
• Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That is HOPE.
• We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That is CONFIDENCE.
• We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children. That is LOVE.
• On an old man's shirt was written a sentence I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience. That is ATTITUDE.
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As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...He is a joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."
After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets.'
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
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A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you...just be there. Stay.
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Consider passing this to anyone who you may think should read it…
Near to the door
He paused to stand
As he took his class ring
Off her hand
All who were watching
Did not speak
As a silent tear
Ran down his cheek
And through his mind
The memories ran
Of the moments they walked
And ran in the sand hand and hand
But now her eyes were so terribly cold
For he would never again
Have her to hold
They watched in silence
As he bent near
And whispered the words......
"I LOVE YOU" in her ear
He touched her face and started to cry
As he put on his ring and wanted to die
And just then the wind began to blow
As they lowered her casket
Into the snow....
This is what happens
To man alive.....
When friends let friends....
Drink and drive.
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And one more…
Went to a Party, Mom
I went to a party, and remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom, so I had a Sprite instead.
I felt proud of myself, the way you said I would,
That I didn't drink and drive, though some friends said I should.
I made a healthy choice, and your advice to me was right,
The party finally ended, and the kids drove out of sight.
I got into my car, sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mom, something I expected least.
Now I'm lying on the pavement, and I hear the policeman say,
The kid that caused this wreck was drunk, Mom, his voice seems far away.
My own blood's all around me, as I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say, this girl is going to die.
I'm sure the guy had no idea, while he was flying high,
Because he chose to drink and drive, now I would have to die.
So why do people do it, Mom, knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me like a hundred stabbing knives.
Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom, tell Daddy to be brave,
And when I go to heaven put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone should have taught him that it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had, I'd still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, Mom, I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments and I'm so unprepared.
I wish that you could hold me Mom as I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say, "I love you, Mom!" so I love you and good-bye.
This was allegedly written by the CEO of Coca-Cola Brian G. Dyson. It was allegedly used as Georgia Tech's Commencement Address:
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - Work - Family - Health - Friends - Spirit, and you're keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls -- family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.
They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?
• Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
• Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
• Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
• Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
• Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
• Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us together.
• Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
• Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
• Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
• Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
• Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
• Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023 and beyond,
Al
"We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen.... If the foundation is firm, the superstructure will stand."--Calvin Coolidge
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."--Galileo Galilei
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One of my favorites
Thanks to Dr. Rich
The value of Engineering
You don't have to have worked with an engineer to appreciate this story.
A toothpaste factory had a problem They sometimes shipped empty boxes without the tube inside. This challenged their perceived quality with the buyers and distributors. Understanding how important the relationship with them was, the CEO of the company assembled his top people. They decided to hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem.
The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, and third-parties selected. Six months (and $3 million) later they had a fantastic solution - on time, on budget, and high quality. Everyone in the project was pleased.
They solved the problem by using a high-tech precision scale that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighed less than it should. The line would stop, someone would walk over, remove the defective box, and then press another button to re-start the line. As a result of the new package monitoring process, no empty boxes were being shipped out of the factory.
With no more customer complaints, the CEO felt the $3 million was well spent. He then reviewed the line statistics report and discovered the number of empty boxes picked up by the scale in the first week was consistent with projections, however, the next three weeks were zero! The estimated rate should have been at least a dozen boxes a day.
He had the engineers check the equipment; they verified the report as accurate. Puzzled, the CEO traveled down to the factory, viewed the part of the line where the precision scale was installed, and observed just ahead of the new $3 million dollar solution sat a $20 desk fan blowing the empty boxes off the belt and into a bin. He asked the line supervisor what that was about.
"Oh, that," the supervisor replied, "Bert, the new kid, put it there because he was tired of walking over, removing the box and re-starting the line every time the doggone bell rang."
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This Day in U S Military History
December 26
1776 – The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. After crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey, George Washington led an attack on Hessian mercenaries and took 900 men prisoner. Two Americans froze to death on the march but none died in battle. There were 30 German casualties, 1,000 prisoners and 6 cannon captured. Four Americans were wounded in the overwhelming American victory, while 22 Hessians were killed and 78 wounded. The surprise attack caught most of the 1,200 Hessian soldiers at Trenton sleeping after a day of Christmas celebration. The Americans captured 918 Hessians, who were taken as prisoners to Philadelphia. The victory was a huge morale booster for the American army and the country. The victory at Trenton was a huge success and morale booster for the American army and people. However, the enlistments of more than 4,500 of Washington's soldiers were set to end four days later and it was critical that the force remain intact. General George Washington offered a bounty of $10 to any of his soldiers who extended their enlistments six weeks beyond their December 31, 1776, expiration dates. The American Revolution Battle of Trenton saw the routing of 1,400 Hessian mercenaries, with 101 killed or wounded and about 900 taken prisoner, with no Americans killed in the combat. Four Americans were wounded and two had died of exhaustion en route to Trenton.
1944 – General George S. Patton employs an audacious strategy to relieve the besieged Allied defenders of Bastogne, Belgium, during the brutal Battle of the Bulge. The capture of Bastogne was the immediate goal of the Battle of the Bulge, with eyes on the port city of Antwerp if a campaign could be strung together, the German offensive through the Ardennes forest. Bastogne provided a road junction in rough terrain where few roads existed; it would open up a valuable pathway further north for German expansion. The Belgian town was defended by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division, which had to be reinforced by troops who straggled in from other battlefields. Food, medical supplies, and other resources eroded as bad weather and relentless German assaults threatened the Americans' ability to hold out. Nevertheless, Brigadier General Anthony C. MacAuliffe met a German surrender demand with a typewritten response of a single word: "Nuts." Enter "Old Blood and Guts," General Patton. Employing a complex and quick-witted strategy wherein he literally wheeled his 3rd Army a sharp 90 degrees in a counterthrust movement, Patton broke through the German lines and entered Bastogne, relieving the valiant defenders and ultimately pushing the Germans east across the Rhine. Meanwhile, British Bomber Command makes a daylight raid on the German held transportation hub of St. Vith. The Allies claim to have captured 13,273 German prisoners while the Germans claim over 30,000 Allied POWs and the destruction of 700 American tanks.
1971 – In the sharpest escalation of the war since Operation Rolling Thunder ended in November 1968, U.S. fighter-bombers begin striking at North Vietnamese airfields, missile sites, antiaircraft emplacements, and supply facilities. These raids continued for five days. They were begun in response to intelligence that predicted a North Vietnamese build up of forces and equipment for a new offensive. At a press conference on December 27, U.S. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird said the increase in bombing was in retaliation for the communist failure to honor agreements made prior to the 1968 bombing halt. As evidence, Laird cited the shelling of Saigon the week before, DMZ violations–including an infiltration route being built through the buffer zone, and attacks on unarmed U.S. reconnaissance planes. Pentagon figures showed that U.S. planes–with as many as 250 aircraft participating in some missions–attacked communist targets over 100 times in 1971, a figure comparable to U.S. air activity in the previous 26 months.
1972 – As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history. Operation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War. The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972, leading to several of informal names such as "The December Raids" and "The Christmas Bombings". Unlike the Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Linebacker interdiction operations, Linebacker II, would be a "maximum effort" bombing campaign to "destroy major target complexes in the Hanoi and Haiphong areas which could only be accomplished by B-52s." It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II. Linebacker II was a modified extension of the Operation Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October, with the emphasis of the new campaign shifted to attacks by B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers rather than smaller tactical fighter aircraft.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
NOIL, JOSEPH B.
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1841, Nova Scotia. Accredited to: New York. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Powhatan at Norfolk, 26 December 1872, Noil saved Boatswain J. C. Walton from drowning.
*FOX, JOHN R.
Citation: For extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, Italy on 26 December 1944, while serving as a member of Cannon Company, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92d Infantry Division. During the preceding few weeks, Lieutenant Fox served with the 598th Field Artillery Battalion as a forward observer. On Christmas night, enemy soldiers gradually infiltrated the town of Sommocolonia in civilian clothes, and by early morning the town was largely in hostile hands. Commencing with a heavy barrage of enemy artillery at 0400 hours on 26 December 1944, an organized attack by uniformed German units began. Being greatly outnumbered, most of the United States Infantry forces were forced to withdraw from the town, but Lieutenant Fox and some other members of his observer party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct defensive artillery fire. At 0800 hours, Lieutenant Fox reported that the Germans were in the streets and attacking in strength. He then called for defensive artillery fire to slow the enemy advance. As the Germans continued to press the attack towards the area that Lieutenant Fox occupied, he adjusted the artillery fire closer to his position. Finally he was warned that the next adjustment would bring the deadly artillery right on top of his position. After acknowledging the danger, Lieutenant Fox insisted that the last adjustment be fired as this was the only way to defeat the attacking soldiers. Later, when a counterattack retook the position from the Germans, Lieutenant Fox's body was found with the bodies of approximately 100 German soldiers. Lieutenant Fox's gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life, contributed greatly to delaying the enemy advance until other infantry and artillery units could reorganize to repel the attack. His extraordinary valorous actions were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
*FRYAR, ELMER E.
Rank and organization: Private, U .S. Army, Company E, 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division. Place and date: Leyte, Philippine Islands, 8 December 1944. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Birth: Denver, Colo. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pvt. Fryar's battalion encountered the enemy strongly entrenched in a position supported by mortars and automatic weapons. The battalion attacked, but in spite of repeated efforts was unable to take the position. Pvt. Fryar's company was ordered to cover the battalion's withdrawal to a more suitable point from which to attack, but the enemy launched a strong counterattack which threatened to cut off the company. Seeing an enemy platoon moving to outflank his company, he moved to higher ground and opened heavy and accurate fire. He was hit, and wounded, but continuing his attack he drove the enemy back with a loss of 27 killed. While withdrawing to overtake his squad, he found a seriously wounded comrade, helped him to the rear, and soon overtook his platoon leader, who was assisting another wounded. While these 4 were moving to rejoin their platoon, an enemy sniper appeared and aimed his weapon at the platoon leader. Pvt. Fryar instantly sprang forward, received the full burst of automatic fire in his own body and fell mortally wounded. With his remaining strength he threw a hand grenade and killed the sniper. Pvt. Fryar's indomitable fighting spirit and extraordinary gallantry above and beyond the call of duty contributed outstandingly to the success of the battalion's withdrawal and its subsequent attack and defeat of the enemy. His heroic action in unhesitatingly giving his own life for his comrade in arms exemplifies the highest tradition of the U.S. Armed Forces.
HENDRIX, JAMES R.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company C, 53d Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division. Place and date: Near Assenois, Belgium, 26 December 1944. Entered service at: Lepanto, Ark. Birth: Lepanto, Ark. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: On the night of 26 December 1944, near Assenois, Belgium, he was with the leading element engaged in the final thrust to break through to the besieged garrison at Bastogne when halted by a fierce combination of artillery and small arms fire. He dismounted from his half-track and advanced against two 88mm. guns, and, by the ferocity of his rifle fire, compelled the guncrews to take cover and then to surrender. Later in the attack he again left his vehicle, voluntarily, to aid 2 wounded soldiers, helpless and exposed to intense machinegun fire. Effectively silencing 2 hostile machineguns, he held off the enemy by his own fire until the wounded men were evacuated. Pvt. Hendrix again distinguished himself when he hastened to the aid of still another soldier who was trapped in a burning half-track. Braving enemy sniper fire and exploding mines and ammunition in the vehicle, he extricated the wounded man and extinguished his flaming clothing, thereby saving the life of his fellow soldier. Pvt. Hendrix, by his superb courage and heroism, exemplified the highest traditions of the military service.
*McGUlRE, THOMAS B., JR. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army Air Corps, 13th Air Force. Place and date: Over Luzon, Philippine Islands, 25-26 December 1944. Entered service at: Sebring, Fla.. Birth: Ridgewood, N.J. G.O. No.: 24, 7 March 1946. Citation: He fought with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity over Luzon, Philippine Islands. Voluntarily, he led a squadron of 15 P-38's as top cover for heavy bombers striking Mabalacat Airdrome, where his formation was attacked by 20 aggressive Japanese fighters. In the ensuing action he repeatedly flew to the aid of embattled comrades, driving off enemy assaults while himself under attack and at times outnumbered 3 to 1, and even after his guns jammed, continuing the fight by forcing a hostile plane into his wingman's line of fire. Before he started back to his base he had shot down 3 Zeros. The next day he again volunteered to lead escort fighters on a mission to strongly defended Clark Field. During the resultant engagement he again exposed himself to attacks so that he might rescue a crippled bomber. In rapid succession he shot down 1 aircraft, parried the attack of 4 enemy fighters, 1 of which he shot down, single-handedly engaged 3 more Japanese, destroying 1, and then shot down still another, his 38th victory in aerial combat. On 7 January 1945, while leading a voluntary fighter sweep over Los Negros Island, he risked an extremely hazardous maneuver at low altitude in an attempt to save a fellow flyer from attack, crashed, and was reported missing in action. With gallant initiative, deep and unselfish concern for the safety of others, and heroic determination to destroy the enemy at all costs, Maj. McGuire set an inspiring example in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
WARE, KEITH L.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S . Army, 1st Battalion, 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sigolsheim, France, 26 December 1944. Entered service at: Glendale, Calif. Born: 23 November 1915, Denver, Colo. G.O. No.: 47, 18 June 1945. Citation: Commanding the 1st Battalion attacking a strongly held enemy position on a hill near Sigolsheim, France, on 26 December 1944, found that 1 of his assault companies had been stopped and forced to dig in by a concentration of enemy artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire. The company had suffered casualties in attempting to take the hill. Realizing that his men must be inspired to new courage, Lt. Col. Ware went forward 150 yards beyond the most forward elements of his command, and for 2 hours reconnoitered the enemy positions, deliberately drawing fire upon himself which caused the enemy to disclose his dispositions. Returning to his company, he armed himself with an automatic rifle and boldly advanced upon the enemy, followed by 2 officers, 9 enlisted men, and a tank. Approaching an enemy machinegun, Lt. Col. Ware shot 2 German riflemen and fired tracers into the emplacement, indicating its position to his tank, which promptly knocked the gun out of action. Lt. Col. Ware turned his attention to a second machinegun, killing 2 of its supporting riflemen and forcing the others to surrender. The tank destroyed the gun. Having expended the ammunition for the automatic rifle, Lt. Col. Ware took up an Ml rifle, killed a German rifleman, and fired upon a third machinegun 50 yards away. His tank silenced the gun. Upon his approach to a fourth machinegun, its supporting riflemen surrendered and his tank disposed of the gun. During this action Lt. Col. Ware's small assault group was fully engaged in attacking enemy positions that were not receiving his direct and personal attention. Five of his party of 11 were casualties and Lt. Col. Ware was wounded but refused medical attention until this important hill position was cleared of the enemy and securely occupied by his command.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 26, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 December
1910: Archibald Hoxsey used a Wright Biplane at Los Angeles, Calif., to set a Federation Aeronautique Internationale altitude record of 10,474 feet. (9)
1913: Lt Joseph E. Carberry and his passenger, Lt Walter R. Taliaferro, set an Army altitude record of 7,800 feet for two people in a Curtiss tractor (Signal Corps No. 22) at San Diego. (24)
1943: The preinvasion bombing of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, destroyed enemy defenses. Afterwards, Fifth Air Force described the complete destruction of a target as "Gloucesterizing." (24)
1944: Maj Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., receached 38 aerial victories by shooting down four enemy planes today. That total made him the second leading ace in World War II. He died in combat 12 days later. (21)
1956: The Convair F-106 Delta Dart's first flight occurred at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3) Two F-100 aircraft achieved the Buddy System of air refueling (fighter to fighter).
2001: The Pentagon approved the low-rate initial production of the JASSM. (21)
2004: UNIFIED ASSISTANCE TSUNAMI RELIEF. A 9.0 earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered an enormous tsunami with 30-foot-high waves that slammed into the coasts of 13 nations and killed at least 300,000 people. The quake's epicenter was approximately 65 miles south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The death toll was greatest in Indonesia where at least 100,000 people perished. The tsunami killed more than 29,000 people in Sir Lanka, 10,000 in India, and 4,600 in Thailand. Another three to five million people in South Asia and Southeast Asia were left without clean water, food, shelter, and sanitation. By the 23 February 2005 end of the operation, Air Mobility Command aircraft had flown 106 missions to airlift 2,768 passengers and 3,370 short tons of cargo to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sir Lanka, U-Tapao AB, Thailand, and Banda Aceh and Jakarta International Airports in Indonesia. An Air National Guard C-5A from the 105th Airlift Wing from Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., took part in the airlift. (22) (32)
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