To All,
Good Tuesday morning February 21, 2023.
I hope that your week has started well See Shadow's note at the end.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History February. 21 1942—USS Triton (SS 201) sinks Japanese merchant cargo vessel Shokyu Maru in the East China Sea, 60 miles south of Quelpart Island.
1944—SBDs and TBFs bomb anti-aircraft positions at Lakunai airfield and shore installations at Rabaul and sink Japanese guard boat No.2 Yawata Maru.
1944 - Marines with support of naval bombardment and carrier aircraft secure Eniwetok atoll 1945—Japanese kamikazes sink escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea (CVE 95) while off Iwo Jima with 318 men killed or wounded. USS Saratoga (CV 3) is struck by five kamikazes but survives, although 123 men are killed.
1991—During Operation Desert Storm, AV-8B aircraft from Marine Attack Squadron 331 conduct the first of 243 sorties off the deck of USS Nassau (LHA 4).
1952—During the Korean War, USS Symbol (AM 123), is conducting a routine check sweep in the vicinity of Mayang-do in company with USS Murrelet (AM 372), when she observes four splashes from an estimated 75mm shore battery. The ships return fire, which silences the enemy guns.
Son of Quote of the Day
On this day in history (February 21):
1878: The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT.
1947: Edwin H. Land first demonstrated his Polaroid Land camera, which used self-developing film that produced a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds. Wildman Fischer sang about taking a picture of you with his camera. It became an "instant" success.
1950: The first International Pancake Race was held in Liberal, Kansas.
In the annual event, contestants wearing dresses, aprons and head scarves must run a 415-yard, "S" shaped course while flipping a pancake in a skillet three times.
National Sticky Bun Day
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This day in World History
February 21
1595 The Jesuit poet Robert Southwell is hanged for "treason," being a Catholic.
1631 Michael Romanov, son of the Patriarch of Moscow, is elected Russian Tsar.
1744 The British blockade of Toulon is broken by 27 French and Spanish warships attacking 29 British ships.
1775 As troubles with Great Britain increase, colonists in Massachusetts vote to buy military equipment for 15,000 men.
1797 Trinidad, West Indies surrenders to the British.
1828 The first issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is printed, both in English and in the newly invented Cherokee alphabet.
1849 In the Second Sikh War, Sir Hugh Gough's well placed guns win a victory over a Sikh force twice the size of his at Gujerat on the Chenab River, assuring British control of the Punjab for years to come.
1862 The Texas Rangers win a Confederate victory in the Battle of Val Verde, New Mexico.
1878 The world's first telephone book is issued by the New Haven Connecticut Telephone Company containing the names of its 50 subscribers.
1885 The Washington Monument is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
1905 The Mukden campaign of the Russo-Japanese War, begins.
1916 The Battle of Verdun begins with an unprecedented German artillery barrage of the French lines.
1940 The Germans begin construction of a concentration camp at Auschwitz.
1944 Hideki Tojo becomes chief of staff of the Japanese army.
1949 Nicaragua and Costa Rica sign a friendship treaty ending hostilities over their borders.
1951 The U. S. Eighth Army launches Operation Killer, a counterattack to push Chinese forces north of the Han River in Korea.
1956 A grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama indicts 115 in a Negro bus boycott.
1960 Havana places all Cuban industry under direct control of the government.
1965 El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcom X) is assassinated in front of 400 people.
1972 Richard Nixon arrives in Beijing, China, becoming the first U.S. president to visit a country not diplomatically recognized by the U.S.
1974 A report claims that the use of defoliants by the U.S. has scarred Vietnam for a century.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Tuesday, 21 February 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 21 February 1968… "The Agony of Khe Sanh"…
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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Thanks to Carl
Is the US facing a retail apocalypse? More than 800 big box retail stores are set to close across the nation this year - including Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Gap and Party City
• Many of America's most iconic retail stores are set to close locations this year
• Over 800 big box retailers are planned to be closed down throughout 2023
• Bed Bath & Beyond leads the way in closing down at least 416 stores this year, followed by Tuesday Morning, Gap and Walmart
By WILL POTTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:20 EST, 20 February 2023 | UPDATED: 00:27 EST, 21 February 2023
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: The Limits of India's Maritime Capabilities
China has found a way to stymie U.S. efforts to counter it.
By: Kamran Bokari
February 21, 2023
Perhaps the most important dynamic to follow as the U.S.-China competition intensifies is U.S.-India cooperation. Beijing certainly realizes as much and understands further that the linchpin for their cooperation will be the Indian Ocean. China has been unable to project as much power there as it would like, so it is trying to divert India's attention away from these waters to their shared border in the Himalayas, known as the Line of Actual Control. This explains the growing militarization of this mountainous region.
It also explains why on Feb. 9 Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said his country had accelerated connectivity projects with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. His statements come just weeks before China's foreign minister arrives in New Delhi for the G-20 foreign ministers meeting. Meanwhile, according to a document circulated by the Indian government, the length of roads constructed in the "China-border areas" over the past eight years (totaling 4,229 miles or 6,800 kilometers) was nearly double the length of roads constructed in the preceding six years (2,243 miles). The same document stated that 16 mountain passes were opened ahead of time and announced the start of a number of bridge and tunnel projects in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, where a clash between Indian and Chinese troops took place in early December.
The latest clash, in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, was the most significant hostile incident between China and India since June 2020. The 2020 incident was triggered by Chinese forces making ingresses into Indian-claimed territory on the opposite end of their Himalayan frontier in the Galwan Valley in the Kashmir region. Three years earlier, Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a standoff in the Doklam Valley in Bhutan that lasted for months. Together, these incidents represent a systematic pattern of China trying to strategically poke India at multiple points along their poorly demarcated, 2,100-mile-long border.
By themselves, military moves across such a vast and harsh geography would make little sense. The costs are high, and the payoffs low. There's a reason the border between China and India has been subject to a frozen conflict since 1962. The only way China's behavior makes sense is in the context of Washington's strategy to counter China. Central to that strategy is to ally with India. To that end, the U.S. has actively engaged India on several diplomatic, economic, security and technological fronts, operating under the knowledge that the Indo-Pacific is the most important arena for cooperating vis-a-vis China. It's no coincidence that this courtship is taking place as India surpassed the United Kingdom last year as the world's fifth-largest economy.
China, on the other hand, is facing strong social, economic and political headwinds. And its String of Pearls strategy in the Indian Ocean basin is stalling. That Sri Lanka is in default, and that Pakistan is on the verge of one, is a clear indication that Beijing's efforts to establish itself as the major player in the Indian Ocean basin are failing.
Of course, India has not paid much attention to the vast maritime space on its southern flank. Its efforts to project influence in the Indian Ocean basin are still in their early phases, but it is an area in which New Delhi has begun to invest heavily. The Indian navy's budget has increased accordingly, accounting for 19 percent of the country's overall defense budget, up from 14 percent last year.
Beijing needs a way to contain New Delhi in the Indian Ocean. Its options are limited; the waters are basically India's front yard, where China must expend considerably more resources to operate. And the Strait of Malacca and the U.S. naval presence in the Western Pacific together make it difficult for the Chinese to access the region.
Hence the importance of the terrestrial border. In response to Chinese military moves, India has been forced to enhance security across this wide geography, which is also very harsh terrain. The Chinese enjoy the upper hand not just because of greater military capabilities but also because Beijing occupies large chunks of territory claimed by New Delhi. The Indians are therefore required to expend a great deal of human and material resources in order to contain the Chinese in the Himalayas.
Complicating matters for India is the need to deploy a large number of forces on its eastern border with Pakistan. Further aggravating this dynamic for India is that in the Kashmir region it faces a two-front theater with Pakistan and China, consuming a great deal of attention and bandwidth. Consequently, New Delhi's efforts to develop maritime capabilities in the Indian Ocean remain a secondary (if not tertiary) matter.
India's inability to become a key maritime player means there are serious limits to how useful it can be to counter China. Washington will have to continue to do the heavy lifting. In this way, China has found a major chink in the armor of Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy.
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Thanks to TK ... and Dr. Rich
This is Collectors Keepsake quality
FROM THE REDNECK BOOK OF MANNERS:
1. Never take a beer to a job interview.
2. Always identify people in your yard before shooting at them.
3. It's considered poor taste to take a cooler to church.
4. If you have to vacuum the bed, it is time to change the sheets.
5. Even if you're certain that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home.
DINING OUT:
1. If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the label.
2. Avoid throwing bones and food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs.
ENTERTAINING IN YOUR HOME:
1. A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist.
2. Do not allow the dog to eat at the table no matter how good his manners are.
PERSONAL HYGIENE:
1. While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN truck keys.
2. Proper use of toiletries can forestall bathing for several days. However, if you live alone, deodorant is a waste of good money.
3. Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as they tend to detract from a woman's jewelry and alter the taste of finger foods.
DATING (OUTSIDE THE FAMILY):
1. Always offer to bait your date's hook, especially on the first date.
2. Be aggressive. Let her know you're interested: 'I've been wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the restroom wall two years ago.'
3. Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 PM; others might say 'Monday.' If the latter is the answer, it is the man's responsibility to get her to school on time.
4. Always have a positive comment about your date's appearance, such as, 'Ya' sure don't sweat much for a fat gal.'
WEDDINGS:
1. Livestock, usually, is a poor choice for a wedding gift.
2. Kissing the bride for more than 5 seconds may get you shot.
3. For the groom, at least, rent a tux. A leisure suit with a cummerbund and a clean bowling shirt can create too sporty an appearance.
4. Though uncomfortable, say 'Yes' to socks and shoes for this special occasion.
5. It is not appropriate to tell the groom how good his wife is in the sack.
DRIVING ETIQUETTE:
1. Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles, even if the gun is loaded, and the deer is in sight.
2. When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way.
3. Never tow another car using panty hose and duct tape.
4. When sending your wife/girlfriend down the road with a gas can, it is impolite to ask her to bring back beer.
5. Never relieve yourself from a moving vehicle 6. Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral procession.
TWO REASONS WHY IT IS HARD TO SOLVE A REDNECK MURDER:
1. All the DNA is the same.
2. There are no dental records
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/
Feb. 14, 1990: Voyager 1 took the first "family portrait" of the Solar System as seen from outside, which includes the image of planet Earth known as Pale Blue Dot. Soon afterward, its cameras were deactivated to conserve energy and computer resources for other equipment.
Feb. 15, 1951: H-5 pilots of the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron fly through a blinding snowstorm and 40-knot winds to deliver blood plasma and medical supplies to the U.S. Army's 2d Division at Chipyong, Korea. They also evacuate 52 wounded men.
Feb. 16, 1975: Brig Gen Eugene D. Scott becomes the first navigator in USAF history to command an opera¬tional flying unit, the 47th Air Division at Fairchild AFB, Washington.
Feb. 17, 1956: With test pilot Herman Richard "Fish" Salmon at the controls, the Lockheed YF-104A service test prototype made its first flight. The aircraft, the first of 17 pre-production YF-104As, incorporated many improvements over the XF-104 prototype, the most visible being a longer fuselage. On Feb. 28, 1956, YF-104A 55-2955 became the first aircraft to reach Mach 2 in level flight. The YF-104A was later converted to the production standard and redesignated F-104A. The Lockheed F-104A Starfighter was a single-place, single-engine, Mach 2 interceptor, and was designed by a team lead by the legendary Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson. Lockheed built 153 of the F-104A Starfighter initial production version. A total of 2,578 F-104s of all variants were produced by Lockheed and its licensees, Canadair, Fiat, Fokker, MBB, Messerschmitt, Mitsubishi and SABCA. By 1969, the F-104A had been retired from service. The last Starfighter, an Aeritalia-built F-104S ASA/M of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana, was retired in October 2004.
Feb. 18, 1918: The first American fighter unit proper, the 95th Aero Squadron, arrives in France.
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This Day in U S Military History
February 21
1920 – Robert S. Johnson, American World War II fighter ace who shot down 27 German planes. Robert S. Johnson was the first fighter pilot of the USAAF – United State Army Air Force – to supplant the 26 victories that Eddie Rickenbacker got in World War I. To the end of the war, he knocked down a German total of 27 airplanes (initially they were 28, but a victory was twenty years after finished the war) He was a member of the 56th Pursuit Group also known as "The Wolf Pack". He wrote a book called "Thunderbolt", chronicles of his life during World War II, where he tells that the American fighter pilots, in the beginning of the war, were very bad, and had to learn or die before being able to fight the pilots of the Luftwaffe. Robert Johnson died 27 of December 1998.
1945 – The Bismarck Sea was the last U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to be sunk in combat during World War II. The escort carrier Bismarck Sea was supporting the invasion of Iwo Jima, when about 50 kamikazes attacked the U.S. Navy Task Groups 58.2 and 58.3. Fleet carrier Saratoga was struck by three suicide planes and so badly damaged that the war ended before she returned to service. At 6:45 p.m., two Mitsubishi A6M5 Zeros approached Bismarck Sea, which opened fire with her anti-aircraft guns. One Zero was set on fire, but its suicidal pilot pressed home his attack and crashed into the carrier abreast of the aft elevator, which fell into the hangar deck below. Two minutes later, an internal explosion devastated the ship, and at 7:05 p.m., Captain J.L. Pratt ordered Abandon Ship. Ravaged by further explosions over the next three hours, Bismarck Sea sank at 10 p.m., the last U.S. Navy carrier to go down as a result of enemy action during World War II. Of her crew of 943, 218 officers and men lost their lives.
2008 – The United States Navy shoots down USA 193, a spy satellite in a decaying orbit, over the Pacific Ocean. USA-193, also known as NRO launch 21 (NROL-21 or simply L-21), was an U.S. military spy satellite launched on December 14, 2006. It was the first launch conducted by the United Launch Alliance. Owned by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the craft's precise function and purpose were classified. The satellite malfunctioned shortly after deployment, and was intentionally destroyed 14 months later by a modified, SM-3 missile fired from the warship USS Lake Erie, stationed west of Hawaii. The event highlighted growing distrust between the U.S. and China, and was viewed by some to be part of a wider "space race" involving the U.S., China, and Russia.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
DUNLAP, ROBERT. HUGO
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Place and date: On Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 and 21 February 1945. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: 19 October 1920, Abingdon, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, on 20 and 21 February, 1945. Defying uninterrupted blasts of Japanese artillery, mortar, rifle and machinegun fire, Capt. Dunlap led his troops in a determined advance from low ground uphill toward the steep cliffs from which the enemy poured a devastating rain of shrapnel and bullets, steadily inching forward until the tremendous volume of enemy fire from the caves located high to his front temporarily halted his progress. Determined not to yield, he crawled alone approximately 200 yards forward of his front lines, took observation at the base of the cliff 50 yards from Japanese lines, located the enemy gun positions and returned to his own lines where he relayed the vital information to supporting artillery and naval gunfire units. Persistently disregarding his own personal safety, he then placed himself in an exposed vantage point to direct more accurately the supporting fire and, working without respite for 2 days and 2 nights under constant enemy fire, skillfully directed a smashing bombardment against the almost impregnable Japanese positions despite numerous obstacles and heavy marine casualties. A brilliant leader, Capt. Dunlap inspired his men to heroic efforts during this critical phase of the battle and by his cool decision, indomitable fighting spirit, and daring tactics in the face of fanatic opposition greatly accelerated the final decisive defeat of Japanese countermeasures in his sector and materially furthered the continued advance of his company. His great personal valor and gallant spirit of self-sacrifice throughout the bitter hostilities reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Dunlap and the U.S. Naval Service.
*GRAY, ROSS FRANKLIN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: August 1920, Marvel Valley, Ala. Accredited to: Alabama. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Platoon Sergeant attached to Company A, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 21 February 1945. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation when his platoon was held up by a sudden barrage of hostile grenades while advancing toward the high ground northeast of Airfield No. 1, Sgt. Gray promptly organized the withdrawal of his men from enemy grenade range, quickly moved forward alone to reconnoiter and discovered a heavily mined area extending along the front of a strong network of emplacements joined by covered trenches. Although assailed by furious gunfire, he cleared a path leading through the minefield to one of the fortifications, then returned to the platoon position and, informing his leader of the serious situation, volunteered to initiate an attack under cover of 3 fellow marines. Alone and unarmed but carrying a huge satchel charge, he crept up on the Japanese emplacement, boldly hurled the short-fused explosive and sealed the entrance. Instantly taken under machinegun fire from a second entrance to the same position, he unhesitatingly braved the increasingly vicious fusillades to crawl back for another charge, returned to his objective and blasted the second opening, thereby demolishing the position. Repeatedly covering the ground between the savagely defended enemy fortifications and his platoon area, he systematically approached, attacked and withdrew under blanketing fire to destroy a total of 6 Japanese positions, more than 25 troops and a quantity of vital ordnance gear and ammunition. Stouthearted and indomitable, Sgt. Gray had single-handedly overcome a strong enemy garrison and had completely disarmed a large minefield before finally rejoining his unit. By his great personal valor, daring tactics and tenacious perseverance in the face of extreme peril, he had contributed materially to the fulfillment of his company mission. His gallant conduct throughout enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
McCARTHY, JOSEPH JEREMIAH
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 21 February 1945. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: 10 August 1911, Chicago, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of a rifle company attached to the 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 21 February 1945. Determined to break through the enemy's cross-island defenses, Capt. McCarthy acted on his own initiative when his company advance was held up by uninterrupted Japanese rifle, machinegun, and high-velocity 47mm. fire during the approach to Motoyama Airfield No. 2. Quickly organizing a demolitions and flamethrower team to accompany his picked rifle squad, he fearlessly led the way across 75 yards of fire-swept ground, charged a heavily fortified pillbox on the ridge of the front and, personally hurling hand grenades into the emplacement as he directed the combined operations of his small assault group, completely destroyed the hostile installation. Spotting 2 Japanese soldiers attempting an escape from the shattered pillbox, he boldly stood upright in full view of the enemy and dispatched both troops before advancing to a second emplacement under greatly intensified fire and then blasted the strong fortifications with a well-planned demolitions attack. Subsequently entering the ruins, he found a Japanese taking aim at 1 of our men and, with alert presence of mind, jumped the enemy, disarmed and shot him with his own weapon. Then, intent on smashing through the narrow breach, he rallied the remainder of his company and pressed a full attack with furious aggressiveness until he had neutralized all resistance and captured the ridge. An inspiring leader and indomitable fighter, Capt. McCarthy consistently disregarded all personal danger during the fierce conflict and, by his brilliant professional skill, daring tactics, and tenacious perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, contributed materially to the success of his division's operations against this savagely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His cool decision and outstanding valor reflect the highest credit upon Capt. McCarthy and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
HOOPER, JOE R.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Near Hue, Republic of Vietnam, 21 February 1968. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 8 August 1938, Piedmont, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Staff Sergeant (then Sgt.) Hooper, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as squad leader with Company D. Company D was assaulting a heavily defended enemy position along a river bank when it encountered a withering hail of fire from rockets, machine guns and automatic weapons. S/Sgt. Hooper rallied several men and stormed across the river, overrunning several bunkers on the opposite shore. Thus inspired, the rest of the company moved to the attack. With utter disregard for his own safety, he moved out under the intense fire again and pulled back the wounded, moving them to safety. During this act S/Sgt. Hooper was seriously wounded, but he refused medical aid and returned to his men. With the relentless enemy fire disrupting the attack, he single-handedly stormed 3 enemy bunkers, destroying them with hand grenade and rifle fire, and shot 2 enemy soldiers who had attacked and wounded the Chaplain. Leading his men forward in a sweep of the area, S/Sgt. Hooper destroyed 3 buildings housing enemy riflemen. At this point he was attacked by a North Vietnamese officer whom he fatally wounded with his bayonet. Finding his men under heavy fire from a house to the front, he proceeded alone to the building, killing its occupants with rifle fire and grenades. By now his initial body wound had been compounded by grenade fragments, yet despite the multiple wounds and loss of blood, he continued to lead his men against the intense enemy fire. As his squad reached the final line of enemy resistance, it received devastating fire from 4 bunkers in line on its left flank. S/Sgt. Hooper gathered several hand grenades and raced down a small trench which ran the length of the bunker line, tossing grenades into each bunker as he passed by, killing all but 2 of the occupants. With these positions destroyed, he concentrated on the last bunkers facing his men, destroying the first with an incendiary grenade and neutralizing 2 more by rifle fire. He then raced across an open field, still under enemy fire, to rescue a wounded man who was trapped in a trench. Upon reaching the man, he was faced by an armed enemy soldier whom he killed with a pistol. Moving his comrade to safety and returning to his men, he neutralized the final pocket of enemy resistance by fatally wounding 3 North Vietnamese officers with rifle fire. S/Sgt. Hooper then established a final line and reorganized his men, not accepting treatment until this was accomplished and not consenting to evacuation until the following morning. His supreme valor, inspiring leadership and heroic self-sacrifice were directly responsible for the company's success and provided a lasting example in personal courage for every man on the field. S/Sgt. Hooper's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army .
*SIMS, CLIFFORD CHESTER
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Near Hue, Republic of Vietnam, 21 February 1968. Entered service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 18 June 1942, Port St. Joe, Fla. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Sims distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader with Company D. Company D was assaulting a heavily fortified enemy position concealed within a dense wooded area when it encountered strong enemy defensive fire. Once within the woodline, S/Sgt. Sims led his squad in a furious attack against an enemy force which had pinned down the 1st Platoon and threatened to overrun it. His skillful leadership provided the platoon with freedom of movement and enabled it to regain the initiative. S/Sgt. Sims was then ordered to move his squad to a position where he could provide covering fire for the company command group and to link up with the 3d Platoon, which was under heavy enemy pressure. After moving no more than 30 meters S/Sgt. Sims noticed that a brick structure in which ammunition was stocked was on fire. Realizing the danger, S/Sgt. Sims took immediate action to move his squad from this position. Though in the process of leaving the area 2 members of his squad were injured by the subsequent explosion of the ammunition, S/Sgt. Sims' prompt actions undoubtedly prevented more serious casualties from occurring. While continuing through the dense woods amidst heavy enemy fire, S/Sgt. Sims and his squad were approaching a bunker when they heard the unmistakable noise of a concealed booby trap being triggered immediately to their front. S/Sgt. Sims warned his comrades of the danger and unhesitatingly hurled himself upon the device as it exploded, taking the full impact of the blast. In so protecting his fellow soldiers, he willingly sacrificed his life. S/Sgt. Sims' extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 21 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
21 February
1918: The Navy commissioned NAS Bolsena, the first of two US Naval air stations to be in Italy during World War I. (24)
1921: Lt William D. Coney, Air Service, completed a solo flight from Rockwell Field, San Diego, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla. He covered 2,180 miles in 22 hours 27 minutes flying time. (9) (24)
1924: Carl B. Eielson flew the first airmail from Fairbanks to McGrath, Alaska. (24)
1945: P-47 Thunderbolts attacked the Berchtesgarden railway station for the first time; however, the fighters did not attack Hitler's nearby retreat. (25)
1961: Final training for the first Mercury flights began with the naming of Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, and John H. Glenn, Jr., as candidates for an early ballistic flight. (24)
1971: Through 25 February, 1,200 Air National Guard members assisted in disaster relief operations in six states hit by tornados, snowstorms, and earthquakes. In Oklahoma, the Air National Guard's C-124s dropped 300 tons of hay to snowbound cattle. (16) (26)
1973: A 30-year civil war in Laos ended and a ceasefire prevailed. The US halted air strikes. (16) (17)
1991: A 438th Military Airlift Wing C-141 Starlifter flew 55 tons of supplies to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to provide humanitarian assistance. (16)
2001: An RQ-1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile at a tank at Nellis AFB. It became the first unmanned aerial vehicle to destroy a ground target in the test. (21)
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Thoughts
Thanks to |Shadow
Bear, this is a belated response to your query about my thoughts on Khe Sanh and general thoughts about our war in Vietnam.
Before I get into that, I'm gonna remind everyone a very important point (my quote)… "Our military doesn't start wars… politicians do"! And if that weren't bad enough… since WW II they have interfered with the prosecution of those wars with wild eyed schemes and thoughts of strategy by men who have never suffered a shot fired in anger, nor have most of them have ever served in the military unless they were members of the JAG Corps or some other benign unit. I think the popular term is neocons.
The next words are not my own, but those of a dear friend whom I will always describe as the ultimate "Warrior". His name was John Verdi. A true intellectual; but a description he would adamantly deny. John hated self described intellectuals with a passion, calling them "Rotten Intellectuals". And John, like you and I... have always felt that old cliche of "Those who ignore history, are condemned to repeat it… is most assuredly a truism". But he also goes deeper in thought than I am capable of… and the following is an indicator of a brilliant mind as far as I'm concerned. Follow along John's train of thought in a manner few people could or would conjure up on their own… it says a lot about the "Warrior Ethos" and John's thinking.
TRY THIS ON:
"Not only do we (as Shakespeare wrote)… owe our God a death; we who have taken the soldiers oath owe our Nation a death— St. Augustine explicitly conceded this 16 centuries ago"! Now that's a pretty heavy thought!
In our own ways, we've all acknowledged it one time or another when we have repeated the cliche that when we signed on the dotted line to serve… it was an oath that we wrote a check for our service, up to and including our lives. But I like John's version better… his has a lot more gravitas about it.
Then John spoke of the burden of leading men in battle. In John's own words… "Wars are won by leadership… not Generalship"! He then rails at false leaders and reverts to quoting Augustine again… "But Augustine also poured his scorn upon an emperor who officiated but did not govern and on the false courtiers who filled his false headquarters with 'vanity and lies'. Holy Shit! That just about sums up every damn war we've been in since WW II! The bitter pill of "Deja vu"… all over again.
I cannot imagine our Presidents during WW II… dictating to our military leaders as to how to run the wars in their various theaters… based on political considerations. But by God. That's what happened in every war since then… Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Syria, Afghanistan… every damn one had restrictions and limits imposed, not by our enemies on the battle field… but by politicians and that same cabal of courtiers and neocons and the false careerists in the Pentagon. Alas… the more things change… the more they remain the same. Our military's mandate in WW II was, win at any cost (including the use of nuclear weapons… which saved anywhere between a quarter of million American lives or even more, depending on whose figures you trust). Since then… Optics, political considerations and limited warfare have become the name of the game. The penultimate recipe for disaster! We have been cursed!
All that said… I'll share some of my personal thoughts about our war and share some anecdotes along the way.
Khe Sanh… the decision to set up the base started in the spring of '66 and actual construction began that summer. I think I shared with you what Jack Westerman said to me as we were doing an aerial recon around the Rockpile and our TAOR in a Huey, when we skimmed over to where Khe Sanh was being built. Jack was my battalion commander and said as we flew back to the Rockpile… "I don't know what the plan is… but it seems kind of stupid to me to build a base like that, surrounded by high ground all around". Even as a 20 year old… I couldn't have agreed more! In reality, it was Dien Bien Phu all over again… what the fuck were they thinking?
Khe Sanh became a bull's eye for the NVA, but it wasn't the only one. Because we could not pursue the enemy due to national borders (BTW, no such constraints on the North Vietnamese). All the fixed bases in Northern I-Corps became stationary "Bull's Eyes". West to the Tonkin Gulf… Khe Sanh, The Rockpile, Con Thien, Cam Lo, Dong Ha and Gio Linh… all were pounded by NVA artillery, mortars, rockets and recoilless rifle fire… from early '67 until our withdrawal. You think dodging a SAM or Triple A is scary? Try having to lay there and take that shit with no way to evade, jink, junk or dodge. Your entire self defense was reduce to one little hole, with no other alternative. Lay there and take it! During my Grunt Tour, I called in mortars, artillery and air strikes on the enemy. It was not just a random thought when I'd reflect… that must be hell to be on the receiving end of that hell storm… little did I know that beginning in late '66, I was to personally have that experience. Up to then… the big guns belonged to us. Beginning in December… the enemy gave us equal to what we had been raining on them from the time we entered the war. Our main defense was developing a morbid sense of humor… we never worried about the round with our name on it, after all if it hit in your hole, it was all over anyway. But we'd laugh and say. It was the one that had "To whom it may concern" that scared us the most as it rained down as we were trying to get to our little piece of real estate safety, that would wound and disfigure you for life. Shit happens. I'll never forget one night when one of our companies were pleading for an Emergency medevac after a barrage for a wounded Marine. Then a minute later, they called back and said, "Change that to a Routine medevac"… naturally I asked if the wounded man had died. The R.O. on the other end said "Wait… I'll let Doc talk to you". The Corpsman comes on the radio and very calmly said… "He took a round right in his hole, direct hit… he's a quad and really messed up. I'm thinking he'll bleed out before the medevac gets here". He just told me the Marine had lost all four limbs and was torn apart! Later I was told his last words were "Let me die, I can't live like this". So Doc honored his wishes. Some pretty heavy decisions made by a lot of teenagers and young twenty year olds over there.
And then… we had some of our own fuckups to contend with… most generated by commands above us. Twice… elements of my Battalion were used as "Bait"! No other description to call it. One I was directly and physically involved in… the other I was intimately involved by radio with those engaged… for three days!
In the late spring of '66… the Marine Corps started Operation Hastings. It was a huge undertaking involving multiple battalions that stretched from the Razorback to the west and all the way to the Gulf in the east! It was also the largest engagement between the Marines and hard corps NVA. Virtually battalions vs. elements of three divisions of the NVA. It became hell on earth for both sides. We were brought in to mop up and fill in what holes there were. As the Operation wound down… it was obvious, the game had changed. We were no longer fighting "Rice Paddy Daddy's" ...VC… But hardcore, fully equipped and trained enemy troops. And the fight was in their backyard. And again… they had the ability to retreat into a sanctuary, less than a mile away if the going got too tough.
I'm gonna use this as a segue to the first time my Boss and I got sideways. About a month after Hastings… the other battalions had moved back south to Phu Bai, just south of Hue. We set in at Dong Ha and had a single company at Cam Lo, about five miles to the west by road (Hwy 9). One day, we got called to a briefing. The Fourth Marine Regimental Headquarters had been moved to Dong Ha, even though 2/4 and 3/4 had moved south to Phu Bai. Other than that… the only other Marines from the coast to the Laotian Border, were our Recon Teams. Who were constantly being inserted along the border areas. Six to eight man patrols inserted by helicopter. Recon was not sent out to engage the enemy, even though sometimes they couldn't avoid it. Their mission was to observe and report back. Once Regiment arrived… that's when things got a bit dicey. Like in the Air Wing… Staff pukes think they know a lot more than the folks actually doing the fighting. On this day they announced they were gonna send elements of Alpha Company at Cam Lo… north across the Cam Lo River up to the DMZ border (right in the heart of where Hastings biggest battles were fought)… they were to recon and observe and report back. I'm sitting there thinking… what the fuck are they thinking?… Sending less than a full company of Marines right into the area of Hastings biggest fight and where Force Recon was telling everyone that the NVA was all over the place. I staring at the briefer and as if he'd read my mind… he said, "We're also attaching a platoon of tanks to the patrol". Guess he thought that was reassuring? But it was obvious he knew nothing about how tanks were a pain in the ass for us Grunts in Vietnam. Tanks might be a good weapon for war on the Steppes of Europe, the deserts of North Africa and Asia major… maybe even in the plains of middle America or in urban warfare. But other than fixed places… like built up areas and cities… Vietnam was none of that. It was mostly rice paddies and chaparral in the coastal plain and then dense jungle and rivers to the west until you reached the canopy of the rainforests. None of which was friendly for tank maneuvers. From the Tonkin Gulf just below the DMZ, west to the Laotian Border… the main river (with three different names BTW) had only two bridges that vehicles or a tank could cross. One at Dong Ha and the other at Cam Lo. Since our Alpha Company was at Cam Lo, they got the assignment for the patrol. They had a very popular young Lieutenant as their C.O. He was in the briefing with the rest of us. After it was over, doing all the map reading, what to expect, etc. At that point everything was just a WAG anyway… Hartley left by helo back to Cam Lo to brief his Marines. At some point, Jack decided he should lead this patrol as the young Lieutenant might be in over his head. (I thought there was another reason) Anyway… it was foggy the next morning so the helo's were grounded and believe it or not, we made it to Cam Lo by jeep. Long story short… we made it to the DMZ… and then got ambushed twice on the return, one tank hit a mine and threw a tread and almost a dozen of us were killed and 18 wounded. Not a good day. In the mean time… I am spreading and receiving a lot of bad news to Alpha and Regiment. Dong Ha wanted to know everything that had happened right then and we didn't want to say anything until we knew exactly what had happened and that required a debrief of the Lieutenants and Platoon Sargents, Squad Leaders, etc. to get a full picture. Not gonna go into it deep… but trust me… ambushes are total chaos! They hit us with automatic weapons, mortars and RPG's… it was insane! And we're returning fire ferociously… total chaos!
After the debriefs, I went outside to smoke a cigarette and a young Marine who was not on the patrol came up to me and asked about Lt. Hartley? I had the sad duty to say, "I'm sorry, he didn't make it". This kid starts crying and as he walked away his shoulders were flexing as he sobbed openly. I was so frustrated, I took my helmet off and threw it as hard as I could and yelled out Fuck! About that time I felt a hand only shoulder as Westerman pulled me back into the tent and starts dressing me down… "Get ahold of yourself… these kids look up to you and if you lose your cool it gets infectious". That was when I lost it and for the first time I talked back to a senior officer… I yelled at him… "Colonel… this was a fucked up deal… we should never have gone up there with such a small force… 3/4 got their asses kicked in the same area on Hastings… the tanks were a pain in the ass to boot! It was fucked up"! He then braced me up and yelled back… "Look you little shit, you think you're smart, but you don't have the big picture! People a lot smarter than you and I have the big picture and they had a reason to send us up there. Their job is to think, our job is to do what they tell us to do! Now calm down"! Over all these years I've thought of that short conversation and finally concluded… those smart folks were using us... as bait! Was the NVA still there or back across the border. I guess in their minds it was a success… we found out for them. Yep, they were still there. In my mind… it wasn't worth the price we paid to get them that little nugget!
That leads me to couple of other smart guy decisions. I was blessed to know Robin Olds… we met through a mutual friend and he visited us a couple of times at Amelia Island and we were golf Bubba's and shared the grape and swapped stories and ideas. One story he told has stuck with me over the years (actually a lot of his stories stuck… he was a fantastic story teller). He remarked to me that one time he had to threaten to do great bodily harm to his senior Intel Officer. Seems that during a debrief one day… the pilots remarked that they were surprised at the lack of SAM activity they encountered on this high, low, high mission they'd just flown. There was a lot of triple A… but no SAMS? It was then a junior Intel guy let slip, "That's because you guys were below 3,000 feet AGL". The flight lead hesitated and said… "Say that again"? Realizing he'd just screwed up, the Intel Officer replied, "Forget I said that". Flight lead said, "How do you know that"? Well, the guy turned to walk away and Flight lead stopped him outside and said… "Once again, how do you know that"? The young Lieutenant then said, "I'll be in big trouble for saying that if it gets out… but in our intercepts of their comm system, we found out they were not gonna waste anymore SAMS on targets below 3,000 feet. But if it gets out and they see us changing our tactics, then they'll know we're into their system and they will change again. Well, Flight lead went straight to Robin and that led to a show down with the senior intel officer and Robin threatened to kick his ass unless he got a full brief. Seems, Seventh Air Force had put down the policy to not inform the flight crews in order to protect our intel system from being exposed. Robin then used that knowledge to lead one of his more famous and successful missions.
And that leads to my last comments… it was Robin's story that got me to thinking… I attended a ton of briefings as the Battalion Commander's Radioman. From Regiment on down… Not once in over 14 months did I ever see a photo of any kind about the area we were gonna operate in… not even for sweeps up on the DMZ… all we had was maps… period. Never once did I ever hear a briefer say… "Aerial reconnaissance indicates a large enemy presence here, here and here". It was like it never existed? Now as you know, I was an RF-4 pilot… we had a full suite of cameras, including IR and SLR. We had day and night photo capability… we had IR that not only picked up heat sources (including humans)… but would also expose camouflage from living trees and bushes… our SLR could pickup any moving objects day or night. Over the duration of the Vietnam war… VMCJ-1 must have flown over a thousand missions over the DMZ and the A Shau Valley where Khe Sanh was… and not once did any of that intel or pictures; Photo, IR or SLR… ever get down to the end user on the ground! Here's why… After every mission, the film and tapes were down loaded, processed and immediately flown to the 7th Air Force, where it was read by their personnel… but was never shared with the Grunts. Probably another example of smart folks fucking over the rest of us lowly Grunts!
Some call it Bureaucracy… I call it incompetent and empire building… and it resulted in thousands of unnecessary deaths.
Bear, I could go on and on… but in conclusion… it was a fucked up war, run by fucked up people.
I thought at the beginning of Desert Storm, Vietnam Vets on scene had a better handle on things… they stymied the press and were relentless in crushing the enemy… until the "Highway of Death" thing happened, where we did a classic cut off the head and tail of the snake… the mass exodus of the Iraqi's fleeing Kuwait… and pulverized everything in between. And then the "Optics" thing reared its' ugly head… "Oh my God! The Press will accuse us of being barbarians and war crimes"! We need to shut it down"! In a day… they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory! It has been a cluster fuck ever since. Iraq II, Afghanistan, Syria… all of them were and are debacles!
I was a John Le Care' fan in my younger days… in his book titled "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" he had a line that I've never forgotten… when a CIA Agent fled Vietnam to Thailand after the fall to send a cable through the British Embassy (not our own)… his Brit counterpart said… "Welcome to the world of second class powers". It has been a long down hill slid since the last Great War.
Shadow
Please excuse any Typo's, bad words and poor grammar… Hell, I'm a Marine… ain't supposed to be smart too! Shit, I forgot about TeT… try to do that tomorrow if you want?
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