To All,
Good Sunday morning January 29, 2023. I hope you are all having a great weekend. This is a lot but I think you will enjoy it
Regards,
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History January 29
1862—The storeship Supply captures schooner Stephen Hart loaded with a cargo of arms and munitions, south of Sarasota, FL, with cargo of arms and munitions.
1942—USS Quail (AM 15) bombards Japanese troop concentrations at Longoskawayan Point, Luzon.
1943—The Battle of Rennell Island begins when Japanese shore-based aircraft attack Task Force 18 cruisers and destroyers covering the movement of transports toward Guadalcanal. USS Chicago (CA 29) is damaged and sinks the next day.
1944—The battleship Missouri (BB 63) is christened. Built at the New York Navy Yard, her keel was laid on Jan. 6, 1941. After her christening and launching Jan. 29, she is completed rapidly, commissioning on June 11 of the same year, the last battleship to enter active service in the U.S. Navy.
1945—While loading a cargo of depth charges in Lunga Roads, off Guadalcanal, USS Serpens (AK 97) is destroyed by a massive explosion. All but two of the 198 Coast Guard crewmen, plus 57 Army stevedores are killed.
2017—Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Illinois, died Jan. 29 in the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen, of wounds sustained in a raid against al-Qaida.
1784: In a letter to his daughter dated Jan. 26, 1784, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness with the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America. He said he preferred the turkey. This was a time when turkeys were smart birds that lived in the wild and not the stupid things bred for Thanksgiving dinner.
1962: Bishop Burke of the Buffalo Catholic dioceses declares Chubby Checker's "The Twist" is impure and bans it from all Catholic schools, parishes and youth events. It can't be danced, sung about or listened to in any Catholic school, parish or youth event. Later in the year, the Twist will be banned from community center dances in Tampa, Florida as well.
Editor's Note: we fellow Catholics must lighten up and enjoy life for a change.
1998: President Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern, saying "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
And today is:
National Peanut Brittle Day
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1788 Australia Day
This day in History
January 29
1813 Jane Austin publishes Pride and Prejudice.
1861 Kansas is admitted into the Union as the 34th state.
1865 William Quantrill and his Confederate raiders attack Danville, Kentucky.
1918 The Supreme Allied Council meets at Versailles.
1926 Violette Neatley Anderson becomes the first African-American woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
1929 The Seeing Eye, America's first school for training dogs to guide the blind, founded in Nashville, Tennessee.
1931 Winston Churchill resigns as Stanley Baldwin's aide.
1942 German and Italian troops take Benghazi in North Africa.
1944 The world's greatest warship, Missouri, is launched.
1950 Riots break out in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the policy of Apartheid.
1967 Thirty-seven civilians are killed by a U.S. helicopter attack in Vietnam.
1979 President Jimmy Carter commutes the sentence of Patty Hearst.
1984 President Ronald Reagan announces that he will run for a second term.
1984 The Soviets issue a formal complaint against alleged U.S. arms treaty violations.
1991 Iraqi forces attack into Saudi Arabian town of Kafji, but are turned back by Coalition forces.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip … For The List for Sunday, 29 January 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 29 January 1968… NYTs Tom Wicker: "The Nation: Overpricing Air Power"
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,
The information above is incredibly valuable for anyone interested in the reality of what happened in the skies over Vietnam. The other day there was a review of a book by a North Vietnamese pilot who was involved in the war and he had some interesting statistics. Well Micro who took the original book and converted it into the tool we have today went back and bounced it against the truth and came up with the following piece by piece comparison to the truth and I think you will find it valuable especially if you were involved in any way. Once again thank you Micro.
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The PowerPoint presentation for the F-105 reunion that cycled automatically during parts of their event was too big a file to send by email. I've uploaded it to this link for download: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com/F-105/2022%20Thud%20Reunion%20Presentation%20Final%20Copy%20.pptx. I think the last page was on each table, as well. I've also attached the download from our database on all F-105 losses so that the General could compare to his lists. I can do the same for F-8's if interested.
Micro
From: del@dlovelady.net <del@dlovelady.net>
Subject: NVN Diary summary
Skip:
I found the NVN diary and other information of interest. I've copied parts of the narrative you sent from Cookie below with my comments or references in red. If you wanted to include this in a List, it will strip out the font color, as well as bold or underlining, so I don't know how best to break out the additions from the original. Any ideas? In the meantime:
On 23 June 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captains David Grant and William Beekman as observed by Intercept Control Point 421 of the 366th Air Defense Division. Here is that loss in our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2927.
On 27 June 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captains John Cerak and David Dingee as confirmed by Control Point 308. Here is that loss in our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2931
One source indicated that Soat shot down an F-4 on 30 July 1972 but there is no record of this in his diary. Here is that loss in our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2966. This one is mentioned again at the bottom of this excerpt, but it's the same loss.
On 26 August 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4J flown by Cordova and Borders. Here is that loss in our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2988
On 12 October 1972 Soat fired on and shot down an F-4E flown by Captain Miron Young and Major Cecil Brunson. This was the 379th victory claimed by the VPAF. Here is that loss in our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3032. It should be noted that, although the VPAF claimed 379 victories at that point in time, during the entire war, only 83 U.S. aircraft of all types were shot down by North Vietnamese MiG's of all types. There were another 7 U.S. aircraft downed by Chinese MiG's (types unknown). The NVN MiG victories by type were: 24 by MiG-17's (versus the hundreds claimed); 3 by MiG-19's; and 56 by MiG-21's. Total MiG victories of all types, including Chinese and Vietnamese was 90.
Hoang Tam Hung was credited with shooting down two US aircraft on 28 December 1972, one being an RA-5 Vigilante flown by Agnew and Haifley but was shot down and killed in the process. Here are those losses from our database: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3092 and https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3093.
Comments: Soat was credited by the VPAF with one other victory: an F-4D flown by Brooks and McAdams on 30 July but there is no mention of this in his diary (see my note above).
Micro
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Thanks to Billy for giving Shadow a little boot in the Butt. It is worth the read. Laughed myself right out of my chair….skip
Billy Walker sent me a note asking why I've been so silent lately... so here's something different
Years ago… I was up flying Harry Doan's T-6 with him. We were having fun, each doing rolls and loops… Cuban Eights, etc. I was spending the night at Harry's house and at one o'clock in the morning I was crawling up the stairs to his bedroom and yelling for him to take me to the hospital… I had this incredible pain! Turned out I had an attack of Kidney Stones. Trust me… it sucks. Anyway, that led me to having a personal relationship with our local Urology Clinic. Eventually things worked out and I was able to pass the little monster!
My neighbor across the street was also a former Naval Aviator and had managed to marry one of the local debutantes. She was born in high cotton and Daddy was a very rich man; house on the river, etc. Now my Bubba went to work in Daddy's firm and he and Daddy got close. Seems one day, Daddy confided in him, that he was having a bout of "ED". That prompted my Bubba to call me and ask what I thought of my Urologist? I told him I was very satisfied with the Doc and would recommend him. And then I thought I'd better give the Doc a heads up about Daddy… and expect a call… which I did.
Well, Daddy went to the Doc and was given some pills and took some tests that Doc's give for such things, while investigating the root cause (no pun intended). Bubba informs me it seems Daddy had an advanced case of diabetes… and any treatment was limited at best and in fact, there was a suggestion, that perhaps the only real viable alternative would be an implant. Bubba then laughs and sez… "Can you believe that shit"? He goes on to relay what Daddy told him about the various implants… laughing the whole time. The fact that he was even considering it was hilarious in and of itself alone. In fact, his only reluctance seemed to be the cost of such things. Daddy may have been rich… but he was a cheap skate too!
Well, a couple of weeks went by and Bubba and I were talking out in the yard one day and I asked if Daddy had made any decision on his implant option. Bubba looked at me and said… "Shadow… you can't ever repeat this (the statute of limitations has now run out)… but Daddy wanted to do it and sat down with his wife and explained what all was involved with the implant and what it would cost. When he told her, she was aghast (she was cheap too). She then says… "No way…. for that kind of money… I'D RATHER HAVE A NEW KITCHEN"!
Truth is stranger than fiction!
Shadow
P.S,
She got her new kitchen
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Thanks to Jerry
And, I might add, Chuck Klusmann was shot down months before Alvarez. But he was not NVN, rather he was on a mission in Laos, captured by the Pathet Lao.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich and Huck
Don't Judge Too Quickly ! - a little Sunday humor ... 🤣
https://biggeekdad.com/2020/01/dont-judge-too-quickly/#.Y9UxBgXg514.mailto
James E. Harris, Jr.
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves,
They shall never cease to be amused !
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The Passing of Brick Nelson
On Jan 23, 2023, at 6:31 PM, WILLIAM E GORTNEY <wgortney@mac.com> wrote:
All,
It is my sad duty to pass...Brick Nelson made his last takeoff today.
Brick, a great wingman and legend in Naval Aviation, will be greatly missed by all. Brick fought the hard fight with the courage, tenacity and humor he was famous for.
Please keep his family in your prayers while they sort their way through the hard days ahead.
We will pass updates as plans firm up.
Please forward this email to all his shipmates that I have missed.
>our loyal wingman and shipmate,
shortney
All,
We will be Celebrating the life of Brick on the evening of |February the16th in the IBAR at NAS North Island.
We are scheduling this to coincide with the end of WEST that afternoon.
Tailhook will still be holding their annual event for WEST on Wednesday evening the 15th.
While we will be telling Brick sea stories on the 15th, the true sea stories will be told the following night.
Please join us for both while we raise a glass of Jack and Coke in honor of the best cruise wife and roommate that I was lucky enough to sail and fly with in my many deployments.
Chaser, will get the word out to our Tailhook Industry Partners and members that I have missed in this email.
For those attending WEST, please adjust your schedule to make the event at the IBAR.
Brick will be buried alongside his many shipmates and wingman in Arlington at a future date. There will be another celebration following that solemn event, most likely at Army Navy.
Feel free to share this email with those I inadvertently missed and please pass my deepest apologies for my oversight.
See you at the IBAR.
Your loyal wingman and shipmate,
shortney
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Thanks to Andy
Subject: F/A-18 Cockpit View
https://biggeekdad.com/2016/01/fa-18-super-hornet-cockpit-view/#.YfDPOTM4QBI.gmail
flying at its best
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Thanks to Carl
Some fun for Lexophiles:
◾I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.
◾England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
◾Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.
◾This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I'd swear I've never met herbivore.
◾I know a guy who's addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.
◾A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
◾When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
◾I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.
◾A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
◾A will is a dead giveaway.
◾With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
◾Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
◾Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now.
◾A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.
◾The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.
◾He had a photographic memory but it was never fully developed.
◾When she saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
◾Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.
◾I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
◾Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?
◾When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.
◾When chemists die, they barium.
◾I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.
◾I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
◾Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.
◾Dad, are we pyromaniacs? Yes, we arson.
◾ What do you call a pig with laryngitis? Disgruntled
◾Writing my name in cursive is my signature move.
◾ Why do bees stay in their hives during winter? Swarm.
◾If you're bad at haggling, you'll end up paying the price.
◾Just so everyone's clear, I'm going to put my glasses on.
◾I lost my job as a stage designer. I left without making a scene.
◾How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced?
A buccaneer.
◾I once worked at a cheap pizza shop to get by. I kneaded the dough.
◾I lost my girlfriend's audiobook, and now I'll never hear the end of it.
◾Why is 'dark' spelled with a k and not c? Because you can't see in the dark.
◾Why is it unwise to share your secrets with a clock? Well, time will tell.
◾When I told my contractor I didn't want carpeted steps, he gave me a blank stair.
◾Prison is just one word to you, but for some people, it's a whole sentence.
◾I'm trying to organize a hide and seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find.
◾ I've started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It's all about raisin awareness
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Thanks to Dr.Rich
Ouch!! 😳 🤬 ‼️
Rich,
During my time with Pan Am and Delta I had a co-pilot who was an ex-Marine. He was an undisciplined chap and flew privately in a Cessna 182. One night he decided to fly over a tall radio tower and gauged his position by the red lights on the tower. The top red light was burned out … and that was the end of this chap.
Harry
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For those who fly, especially on overcast days, at dusk and at night, these lights are a godsend. One just needs to visualize the hard-to-see triangle of support wires that surround it and avoid them at all costs.
Years ago, I remember flying from Watsonville, CA, to Boise, ID, and and on the second day refueling at Marshall, MN (southwest corner of MN) in early evening. Then I took off toward St. Cloud, MN (northwest of Minneapolis) under an overcast as skies darkened. These towers were seemingly everywhere and I pictured the support wires that can snag a wing if not careful.
As Tennessee Ernie Ford said in 1956, "I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
Enjoy,
Mike
Wife: "So, what did you do today?"
Husband: " I changed a light bulb."
Wife: "So, that's it! You changed a light bulb? I did the laundry, vacuumed the entire house, scrubbed the floors, cooked three meals, and more! And, all you did was to change a light bulb?"
Husband: "Yeah, but, I video-taped it."
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Thanks to Brett
STRATFOR
SNAPSHOTS
To Mend Ties with Japan, South Korea Mulls a Deal on Wartime Grievances
South Korean opposition lawmakers and supporters of the victims of Japan's wartime forced labor hold up placards during a protest against a public hearing on the issue at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 12, 2023.
(JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
Seoul's push to have a Korean private entity compensate victims of Japanese labor violations will help South Korea and Japan to mend bilateral relations, facilitating cooperation on military activities against North Korea and China. On Jan. 12, the South Korean government announced that it was considering compensating wartime victims of Japanese forced labor through an independent South Korean fund to which relevant Japanese firms may voluntarily contribute. This workaround follows years of lawsuits that culminated in a 2018 South Korean court ruling. The ruling found Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel guilty of forced labor violations during Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) and ordered financial compensation, which could include seizing assets to pay the victims. The Japanese government and firms heavily protested the court decision, claiming the issues over forced labor were resolved in 1965. But the issue remains unresolved in the eyes of many South Koreans. The fallout from the 2018 ruling triggered a trade war between the two countries in 2019 that continues to this day.
• Japan claims all problems stemming from forced labor and human rights violations during the colonial and wartime era were resolved under the 1965 Treaty of Basic Relations, which saw Japan pay $300 million in aid and provide $500 million in loans to the South Korean government and South Korean companies, like POSCO Steel. However, South Koreans disagree and say that the treaty was signed under a dictatorship and thus is not necessarily valid and must be renegotiated.
• South Korea and Japan have been in a trade war since 2019 that started when Japan removed South Korea from its ''whitelist'' of favored trading nations following the 2018 South Korean court ruling. Seoul then dropped the term ''partner'' from its description of Tokyo in a defense white paper in 2021, which downgraded how much Seoul was willing to cooperate with Tokyo. Japan has also been whitewashing history in some textbooks, downplaying the occupation of Korea, which has further angered Seoul.
The proposal will be acceptable to Japan but unpopular in South Korea, and it may not last if South Korea's 2027 election yields a liberal president. Japan will likely approve the creation of an independent fund to compensate South Korean victims, as long as the requirements for compensation from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel are dropped. But it is likely the two companies will voluntarily contribute some money to the fund as a gesture of goodwill. This would enable the firms to save face and appear sympathetic to the victims without admitting guilt or responsibility. Since South Korea his government was the one that suggested it, President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration likely considers this to be an acceptable workaround to the 2018 court decision, despite opposition from influential domestic civic groups' who support the ruling. As long as South Korean courts do not deem the workaround illegal or unconstitutional, the plan will stand regardless of domestic opposition. There's a chance the agreement could be scrapped if the conservatives are unseated by a liberal presidential candidate in 2027 (which is when South Korea will hold its next general election) — similar to how in 2018 former liberal President Moon Jae-in scrapped a deal with Japan brokered by his conservative predecessor Park Geun-hye. But as the years go on, there will also be even fewer living victims and thus less political expediency to continue pursuing the issue, as it is more difficult to press legal claims on behalf of the deceased for financial compensation. This means that by the time a new prospective liberal government could take office in Seoul, there will be less political appetite to rehash South Korea's wartime grievances with Japan — increasing the likelihood of the workaround remaining in place, regardless of whether a conservative is elected president.
• In 2015, after negotiating with South Korea's then-president Park Geun-hye, Japan paid $8.3 million to settle the longstanding complaints from former South Korean ''comfort women,'' who the Japanese army used as sex slaves during World War II. Shortly after taking office in 2017, former President Moon Jae In refused to renew the agreement, effectively killing it.
• Liberal politicians in South Korea (like former President Moon) tend to be more hawkish toward Japan and more dovish toward North Korea, whereas conservatives (like current President Yoon) tend to be the opposite. During his time in office (2017-2022), Moon ramped up outreach with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and also sought to have Japan take more responsibility for its World War II-era atrocities (as evidenced by his move to scrap the 2015 deal on ''comfort women''). Yoon, by contrast, has sought to mend ties with Japan since taking office in May 2022, viewing Tokyo as a key strategic partner in the face of growing North Korean and Chinese threats (as evidenced by the Jan. 12 deal on forced labor).
Settling the wartime labor issue is the first step to restoring Japan-South Korea relations and increasing bilateral cooperation on shared strategic interests. Seoul and Tokyo have other outstanding issues that are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, including their territorial dispute over an island chain known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. But if implemented, the new deal on forced labor could significantly help mend Japan-South Korea ties by easing what has been a major pain point in their relationship. Warmer ties would enable South Korea to start working with Japan's rapidly expanding military on bilateral naval exercises and/or a cohesive North Korea missile defense policy. Seoul could also use Japanese radar or satellite imagery for real-time intelligence sharing and targeting to support its ''decapitation'' strategy of destroying key North Korean military targets and leadership before Pyongyang can order a nuclear attack. Even if traditional military activities do not take place, increased intelligence-sharing on North Korean missile launches and real-time maritime territorial surveillance would help both countries better shape their respective defense strategies, and prepare for a Northeast Asian security situation that is not entirely directed by the United States.
• In light of North Korea's escalating weapon tests, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on June 14 stressed the importance of repairing and continuing the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between Japan and South Korea, which facilitates information-sharing on maritime activities and missile launches. GSOMIA has been in danger of being scrapped in recent years amid declining bilateral relations.
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Thanks to Military Periscope
Holding Back
Since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, it has been closely monitored for lessons for a similar potential conflict in Asia. Beijing has long denied Taiwan's right to independence, considering it a historic part of mainland China, and has never renounced the right to use force to bring the island under its control. This echoes Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukraine is part of Russia and not a real, sovereign state to justify his war.
The ability of the Ukrainian forces to halt Russia's initial invasion in February 2022 and subsequently roll back many of its gains has led some to reconsider their assumptions about the ability of smaller powers to fend off larger, seemingly more powerful adversaries. In Ukraine, there are two main factors that are expected to determine the outcome: How long Russia can maintain troop levels (and the requisite public support) and production of defense equipment under heavy Western sanctions; and what and how much Western military equipment Kyiv might receive.
The provision of the U.S. High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) last year enabled Ukraine to strike Russian command posts and logistics hubs far behind the front lines, paving the way for its successful autumn offensive.
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This Day in U S Military History
January 29
1968 –In his annual budget message, President Lyndon B. Johnson asks for $26.3 billion to continue the war in Vietnam, and announces an increase in taxes. The war was becoming very expensive, both in terms of lives and national treasure. Johnson had been given a glowing report on progress in the war from Gen. William Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in South Vietnam. Westmoreland stated in a speech before the National Press Club that, "We have reached an important point when the end begins to come into view. I am absolutely certain that, whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing. The enemy's hopes are bankrupt." The day after Johnson's budget speech, the communists launched a massive attack across the length and breadth of South Vietnam. This action, the Tet Offensive, proved to be a critical turning point for the United States in Vietnam. In the end, the offensive resulted in a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, but the size and scope of the communist attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies by surprise. The heavy U.S. and South Vietnamese casualties incurred during the offensive, coupled with the disillusionment over the administration's earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war, accelerated the growing disenchantment with the president's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election.
1974 –The fighting continues in South Vietnam despite the cease-fire that was initiated on January 28, 1973, under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords. This latest fighting was part of the ongoing battles that followed the brief lull of the cease-fire. The Peace Accords had left an estimated 145,000 North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam when the cease-fire went into effect. Renewed fighting broke out after the cease-fire as both sides jockeyed for control of territory throughout South Vietnam. Each side held that military operations were justified by the other side's violations of the cease-fire, resulting in an almost endless chain of retaliations. During the period between the initiation of the cease-fire and the end of 1973, there were an average of 2,980 combat incidents per month in South Vietnam. Most of these were low-intensity harassing attacks designed to wear down the South Vietnamese forces, but the North Vietnamese intensified their efforts in the Central Highlands in September when they attacked government positions with tanks west of Pleiku. As a result of these post-cease-fire actions, approximately 25,000 South Vietnamese were killed in battle in 1973, while communist losses in South Vietnam were estimated at 45,000.
979 – Deng Xiaoping, deputy premier of China, meets President Jimmy Carter, and together they sign historic new accords that reverse decades of U.S. opposition to the People's Republic of China. Deng Xiaoping lived out a full and complete transformation of China. The son of a landowner, he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1920 and participated in Mao Zedong's Long March in 1934. In 1945, he was appointed to the Party Central Committee and, with the 1949 victory of the communists in the Chinese Civil War, became the regional party leader of southwestern China. Called to Beijing as deputy premier in 1952, he rose rapidly, became general secretary of the CCP in 1954, and a member of the ruling Political Bureau in 1955. A major policy maker, he advocated individualism and material incentives in China's attempt to modernize its economy, which often brought him into conflict with Mao and his orthodox communist beliefs. With the launch of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Deng was attacked as a capitalist and removed from high party and government posts. He disappeared from public view and worked in a tractor factory, but in 1973 was reinstated by Premier Zhou Enlai, who again made him deputy premier. When Zhou fell ill in 1975, Deng became the effective leader of China. In January 1976, Zhou died, and in the subsequent power struggle Deng was purged by the "Gang of Four"–strict Maoists who had come to power in the Cultural Revolution. In September, however, Mao Zedong died, and Deng was rehabilitated after the Gang of Four fell from power. He resumed his post as deputy premier, often overshadowing Premier Hua Guofeng. Deng sought to open China to foreign investment and create closer ties with the West. In January 1979, he signed accords with President Jimmy Carter, and later that year the United States granted full diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China. In 1981, Deng strengthened his position by replacing Hua Guofeng with his protýgý, Hu Yaobang, and together the men instituted widespread economic reforms in China. The reforms were based on capitalist models, such as the decentralization of various industries, material incentives as the reward for economic success, and the creation of a skilled and well-educated financial elite. As chief adviser to a series of successors, he continued to be the main policy maker in China during the 1980s. Under Deng, China's economy rapidly grew, and citizens enjoyed expanded personal, economic, and cultural freedoms. Political freedoms were still greatly restricted, however, and China continued as an authoritative one-party state. In 1989, Deng hesitantly supported the government crackdown on the democratic demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Later that year, he resigned his last party post but continued to be an influential adviser to the Chinese government until his death in 1997.
1991 – A few hours after darkness fell on Jan. 29, a column of several dozen Iraqi tanks approached the abandoned Saudi town of Khafji. With all turrets pointed to the rear in the international military sign of surrender, the small number of Saudi forces defending the town permitted the enemy force to draw close, in anticipation of their surrender. As the tanks approached, however, the Iraqis turned their turrets toward the defenders and opened fire. This surprise attack proved to be the spearhead of an invasion of Khafji and in a short time the Iraqis drove out the joint force defending the town, occupied it, and began the formation of a defensive posture in anticipation of a counterattack. This force was estimated at approximately 40 tanks and 500 ground troops. During this time, in addition to casualties inflicted on the retrating forces, two soldiers from a U.S. transportation battalion – one a female – were reported missing and believed captured and two six-man Marine recon teams were stranded behind enemy lines. These Marines took up covert positons on rooftops, and would continue to relay back vital information on Iraqi troop movements throughout the battle. At the time, however, the Marines were stranded, surrounded, and in imminent danger. Realizing the scope of the situation, the coalition next had to determine the intent of the Iraqi probes, contain the offensive forces, and regain control over Khafji. For the US led coalition ground forces, the Iraqi attack came at an awkward moment. The Army component was in the midst of its three-week redeployment from the coastal area to attack positions more than 200 miles west. Any disruption to the 24-hour-a-day caravan might upset the timetable for the upcoming attack. Containing the offensive and pushing the Iraqis out of Saudi territory was vital. As the battle began, theater commander Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf told reporters, "The mere fact that they launched these attacks indicates they still have a lot of fight left in them." JSTARS reports of Iraqi movement on the border and behind the lines flowed into the Tactical Air Control Center that night at about 10 p.m. local time. Brig. Gen. Buster Glosson received the first JSTARS reports and conferred with Horner. The JFACC ordered the single JSTARS aircraft flying that night to swing back to the KTO and concentrate its arc of coverage over the border area near Khafji. Later that night–at 2 a.m. on Jan. 30–the JSTARS sensors began to detect more movement as the 5th Mechanized entered Khafji and elements of the 3d Armored advancedthrough the adjacent Al Wafra forest. To the west, the Iraqi 1st Mechanized Division probed across the border. Unbeknownst to Saddam, Schwarzkopf had decided not to play into his hands by launching a ground counterattack. "Schwarzkopf told us he didn't want to put any other forces over there," recalled retired USAF Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Olsen, who at the time was serving as CENTAF deputy commander. Schwarzkopf instructed his commanders to use airpower as the key element, along with Marine, Saudi, and other coalition ground forces, to stop the attack. To increase the margin of safety, the Marines embarked on a phased redeployment in their sector to put a buffer of about 20 kilometers of territory between coalition forces and the Iraqis. As long as airpower could reach deep to stop the offensive, the coalition ground forces in the area would not have to be reinforced, and Schwarzkopf would not have to reposition the redeploying Army forces. At the Air Operations Center, the first task was to direct sorties already scheduled on the night's Air Tasking Order to strike moving Iraqi forces picked up by the JSTARS sweep. Air attacks were funneled into the KTO from different altitudes and directions using a grid of designated "kill boxes" as a control measure. Each box measured 30 kilometers by 30 kilometers and was subdivided into four quadrants. Planners pushed a four-ship flight through each kill box every seven to eight minutes in daytime and every 15 minutes at night. In the designated area of the box, a flight lead was free to attack any targets he could identify. Within the CINC's guidance to the air component, air interdiction operated independently. Hundreds of air attacks on Iraqi forces in Kuwait were already scheduled and under way. For example, more than 100 Air Force A-10 sorties were concentrated on the Republican Guards Tawakalna Division far to the northwest of Khafji. Many of the other sorties listed on the Air Tasking Order were already assigned to areas where the three divisions were gathered for the offensive. With airpower already flowing through the kill boxes, air controllers quickly diverted sorties to the Marine forward air controllers or sent them ahead to interdict the Iraqi forces attempting to reach coalition lines. Pilots found the Iraqi armored vehicles were easier to identify and target once they were on the move. Near Al Wafra, an A-10 pilot described the sight of a column of vehicles as "like something from A-10 school." A-6s joined in, using Rockeye air-to-ground weapons. A-10 pilot Capt. Rob Givens later recalled with some amazement: "I, myself–one captain in one airplane–was engaging up to a battalion size of armor on the ground" and "keeping these guys pinned for a little bit." AFSOC AC-130 gunships waiting on alert were scrambled after a hasty briefing. As lead elements of the 5th Mechanized with some support from the 3d Armored reached Khafji, one Air Force gunship caught the column and stopped many of them from entering the town. Anti-aircraft fire and occasional missile launches were reported by the aircrews. However, the rapid attacks to squelch the initiative of the maneuver force also hit the Iraqis before they could bring up and assemble most of their heavier air defense guns and shoulder-fired SAMs, an important edge for the coalition that contributed to increased aircraft survivability and effectiveness
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
FUNK, LEONARD A., JR.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 508th Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Holzheim, Belgium, 29 January 1945. Entered service at: Wilkinsburg, Pa. Birth: Braddock Township, Pa. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all that could be spared, while the rest of the understrength unit went about mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse, succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free, could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered the entire attack plan.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 29, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
29 January
1915: First 20 aviation mechanics were designated after passing specified exams. (5) 1926: Lt John A. Macready set a US altitude record of 38,704 feet in an XC05A with Liberty 400 HP engines at Dayton, Ohio. (24)
1935: At Miami, Fla., Harry Richman flew a Sikorsky S-39 to an 18,641.676-foot world altitude record of for amphibians. (24)
1944: WORLD WAR II. During the largest US air operation to date, Eighth Air Force dispatched 809 heavy bombers to drop 1,886 tons of bombs on Frankfurt and Ludwigshaven, Germany. (24)
1947: Operation HIGHJUMP. From 660 miles off Antarctica, the USS Philippine Sea launched six R4D transport planes to Little America in Antarctica. (24)
1958: The Department of Defense established the National Pacific Missile Range for guided and intercontinental ballistic missile testing at the Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif. (6)
1959: The Tactical Air Command received the first ski-modified C-130A. (5)
1962: The USAF launched the 47th and last Titan I from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a 5,000-mile flight. Of the 47 shots, there were 34 successful, 9 partially successful, and 4 failed launches. (6) (26)
1964: First successful launch of a fully fueled, two-stage Saturn from Cape Canaveral, Fla., put a record 10 tons in orbit. (5)
1965: The C-141A's certification ended an unusual program in which industry, the Federal Aviation Administration, and USAF jointly developed, produced, and tested the aircraft. (5)
1973: Operation COUNTDOWN: Through 29 March, following the signing of the Vietnam peace pacts, Air Force and commercial aircraft airlifted 21,000 American and allied forces and 7,000 tons of equipment from South Vietnam. (16) (18)
1978: Operation SNOW BLOW I. Through 31 January, 27 C-141 and 12 C-130 sorties airlifted 500 personnel and 542 tons of equipment from Pope AFB, N. C., and Fort Campbell, Ky., to snowbound Toledo, Ohio. (18)
1979: The E-3A Sentry aircraft assumed a continental air defense mission. (16) (26)
1991: BATTLE OF KHAFJI. Iraqi forces crossed the Kuwaiti border into Saudi Arabia. The USAF suffered its greatest loss of the war, when the Iraqis shot down an AC-130H Spectre gunship, killing all 14 crewmembers on board. Tactical air strikes by coalition air forces, however, routed the invaders in three days. (21)
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