To All,
Good Friday morning March 24 2023.
The rain has stopped for about five days. I hope that you all have a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History March 24
1903
Adm. George Dewey is commissioned Admiral of the Navy, the only person to hold this rank. Upon his death Jan. 16, 1917, Congress deactivates the rank.
1919
The battleship USS Idaho (BB 42) is commissioned. Idaho serves with the Pacific fleet, participating in gunfire support of the Aleutian, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa Campaigns, and is in Tokyo Bay Sept. 2, 1945 when Japan formally surrenders.
1936
USS Balch (DD 363), named after Rear Adm. George B. Balch, is launched.
1944
USS Bowfin (SS 287) attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking both a transport and army cargo ship.
1952 –
The winter of 1951–52 found the 1st Marine Division deployed along an 11-mile front just north of the Punchbowl. In mid-March, the division was reassigned from the X Corps' eastern position in Korea, to the I Corps area at the far western end of the U.N. line. On March 24, the division assumed responsibility for approximately 35 miles of the front, which overlooked Panmunjom and included the defense of the Pyongyang–Seoul corridor. The pace of the war now slowed, with small, localized actions replacing the earlier, large-scale offensives.
1986
The first operational use of a Harpoon missile in combat is used by A-6A aircraft from VA-34 against a Libyan Combatant II G-class fast-attack missile craft. The engagement occurs after Libyan armed forces fire missiles at U.S. Navy forces operating in the Gulf of Sidra. Retaliatory strikes by A-7E Corsair II aircraft put the SA-5 missiles out of action at Surt and VA-85 aircraft then sink the missile craft.
2009
Coastal patrol craft USS Chinook (PC 9) arrives at Umm Qasr, Iraq. During this port visit to Iraq, she is the first U.S. Navy ship to stay overnight.
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This date in World history
March 24
1208 King John of England opposes Innocent III on his nomination for archbishop of Canterbury.
1603 Queen Elizabeth I dies which will bring into power James VI of Scotland.
1663 Charles II of England awards land known as Carolina in North America to eight members of the nobility who assisted in his restoration.
1664 In London, Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island.
1720 The banking houses of Paris close in the wake of financial crisis.
1721 In Germany, the supremely talented Johann Sebastian Bach publishes the Six Brandenburg Concertos.
1765 Britain passes the Quartering Act, requiring the colonies to house 10,000 British troops in public and private buildings.
1862 Abolitionist Wendell Phillips speaks to a crowd about emancipation in Cincinnati, Ohio and is pelted by eggs.
1900 Mayor Van Wyck of New York breaks ground for the New York subway tunnel that will link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1904 Vice Admiral Togo sinks seven Russian ships as the Japanese strengthen their blockade of Port Arthur.
1927 Chinese Communists seize Nanking and break with Chiang Kai-shek over the Nationalist goals.
1938 The United States asks that all powers help refugees fleeing from the Nazis.
1944 The Gestapo rounds up innocent Italians in Rome and shoots them to death in reprisal for a bomb attack that killed 33 German policemen.
1947 Congress proposes limiting the United States presidency to two terms.
1951 General Douglas MacArthur threatens the Chinese with an extension of the Korean War if the proposed truce is not accepted.
1954 Great Britain opens trade talks with Hungary.
1955 Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opens at the Morosco Theatre in New York City.
1958 Elvis Presley trades in his guitar for a rifle and Army fatigues.
1965 The Freedom Marchers, citizens for civil rights, reach Montgomery, Alabama.
1967 Viet Cong ambush a truck convoy in South Vietnam damaging 82 of the 121 trucks.
1972 Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland.
1985 Thousands demonstrate in Madrid against the NATO presence in Spain.
1989 The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spills 240,000 barrels of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
1999 NATO planes, including stealth aircraft, attack Serbian forces in Kosovo.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Friday, 24 March 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 24 March 1968… NYT's James Reston: Something is afoot…
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 Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: Yemen's Intractable Civil War
Iran will not abandon the Houthis to improve its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
By: Hilal Khashan
The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 with the Houthi rebels taking over the country's north, including the capital, the international airport and the port of Hodeidah. The conflict escalated a year later to become a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which led an Arab coalition that intervened to support the internationally recognized government and retake territory seized by the Iran-backed Houthis. In 2020, the separatist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of militants backed by the UAE, declared control over the southern city of Aden. It became increasingly clear to the Saudis that they were unable to change the course of the war, which has had a massive impact on the local population. Since 2015, more than 400,000 Yemenis have lost their lives due to violence, hunger and disease. The World Health Organization reports that about half of Yemeni children suffer from stunting due to starvation and malnutrition, threatening their mental and physical development.
Some observers believed that a deal signed by Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing earlier this month to restore diplomatic relations would help end the crisis in Yemen. But the reality on the ground suggests otherwise. The main weakness of the Saudi-Iran rapprochement is that it's an agreement of necessity, not conviction, driven by domestic issues and the international community's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine. Neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia can afford to lose the war because whoever controls Yemen can secure the entire Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi Focus
Saudi Arabia has always viewed Yemen as a threat to its territorial integrity and has tried to derail Yemen's development. The Saudis won a war against Yemen in 1934 and annexed Jizan and Najran. In 1948, Riyadh backed Imam Yahya against a constitutional revolution, and in 1962, it helped Imam Muhammad al-Badr attempt to reclaim his rule after a coup overthrew the monarchy. The Saudis intervened in local Yemeni affairs and bribed its tribes to prevent the country from uniting. They also supported the southern separatists in the 1994 civil war and intervened to stop the 2011 uprising, turning it into a political crisis that ultimately led Yemen to what it is today.
Yemen differs from other countries on the Arabian Peninsula in at least two respects. First, it's a republic, while the other countries in the region are kingdoms or emirates. Second, it enjoys relatively democratic attributes compared to its neighbors. For Saudi Arabia, this makes Yemen a threat. It's no coincidence that Yemen isn't a member of the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes other countries in the peninsula.
When the United Nations brokered a general cease-fire last April, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi announced, under Saudi pressure, that he was resigning and delegating his powers to the Presidential Leadership Council – the executive body of the internationally recognized government – which was then authorized to reach a comprehensive political solution. Even with the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the council faces serious challenges, such as bridging the divide between the warring factions and remaining united amid the ongoing crises facing the country. Unsurprisingly, it's made little progress toward a settlement and improving the quality of services for the Yemeni people.
For most Yemenis, the unconstitutional practices of the parties that make up the council are a cause for concern. When Hadi was appointed president in 2012, the parties didn't question him about the country's rampant corruption, on the pretext that they could resolve problems after the resignation of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They still lack transparency today. Seven of the eight council members reside abroad, citing security concerns. The members have been busy splitting the spoils of war among themselves and making patronage appointments but have contributed little to putting Yemen on the track to resolving the conflict that devastated its economy. The Yemeni people have become increasingly frustrated with the council's performance, and more broadly, the country's ruling political elite has no base of national support. It's bereft of the expertise needed to manage domestic affairs and international relations. It also lacks a sense of patriotism, evidenced by the fact that it did not object to regional countries meddling in Yemen's affairs.
Houthi Victory
By 2022, the Houthis had taken control of northern Yemen, except for the oil-rich Marib governorate. They exploited anti-Saudi sentiments within Yemeni society, focusing on how the kingdom's security measures have harmed the Yemeni people, especially those living in the border areas, and Riyadh's expulsion of thousands of Yemeni workers from Saudi Arabia. The Houthis also invoked the injustices suffered by Yemenis due to King ibn Saud's occupation of large chunks of territory that were historically part of Yemen.
In early 2022, government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, launched massive ground operations in Marib and Shabwa. The Houthis answered the offensive with unprecedented drone and missile attacks, launching Operation Yemen Hurricane III against the UAE and Operation Break Siege II against Saudi Arabia. Both countries were shocked by the response from the Houthis, who offered to open peace talks at the end of March. Saudi Arabia responded by announcing the cessation of its military operations two days before the United Nations representative to Yemen announced a cease-fire on April 2.
But Saudi Arabia continued to stall peace talks for several months after the truce went into effect. The situation remained stagnant. It appeared that Riyadh preferred to freeze the conflict, as the world's major powers became preoccupied with Russia's war on Ukraine, in the hope that it could reactivate the war under better international conditions. However, the Saudis eventually realized that the Houthis' military capabilities had developed and that, without U.S. support, Saudi infrastructure, particularly its oil facilities, was in grave danger. Indeed, Saudi Arabia's actions in the war, including blocking the flow of food and medical supplies, weakened the resolve of Western countries – specifically the United States, which, under congressional pressure, decided to reconsider its security relations with Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have been busy imposing social changes in the areas of Yemen they control. They are radically revising the school curriculum, especially regarding religious and social subjects and history. They emphasize the role of summer camps involved in ideological indoctrination, aiming to re-socialize society, especially the youth, using tactics similar to those employed by the Soviet Union and China in the past and North Korea today.
It's a mistake to believe that Iran will abandon the Houthis or its other regional allies to improve its relationship with Saudi Arabia. For Tehran, this would undermine a key tenet of the Iranian revolution – i.e., exporting its principles throughout the region – and the Islamic Republic itself. Iran will not give the Saudis what it refused to give the U.S. in the stalled Vienna talks.
Limits of the Saudi-Iran Deal
Saudi Arabia has yet to take a clear stance on the future of the conflict, unconvinced by the proposals put forward by Omani meditators in its negotiations with the Houthis. The Omanis urged Saudi officials to build confidence by addressing humanitarian matters, such as the food blockade, and exchanging prisoners. Saudi Arabia has decided to withdraw militarily from the war, consolidate its military relations with its local allies in Marib and Shabwa, and intensify its efforts to separate southern Saudi Arabia from the Saada mountains, the Houthis' formidable bastion.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to break up Yemen and divide it into cantons. In 2017, UAE allies established the Southern Transitional Council from the governorates that constituted the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967-1990) to create a political entity equal to the north. But competition over the country's hydrocarbon riches has been a significant obstacle to realizing this project. The deal with Iran – which the Saudis claim has secret articles, including a commitment by Tehran to suspend weapons shipments to the Houthis – could encourage both countries to accept an agreement to end the war. (Tehran hasn't admitted that it sends weapons to the Houthis, so it can't commit to stopping.)
Each party to the normalization deal entered talks with its own interests in mind. China, which helped broker the agreement, wants to cement its relationship with two major oil suppliers and stabilize relations between the two countries, both of which are facing significant challenges at home. Iran is still grappling with the effects of severe Western sanctions and years of international and regional isolation. It needs friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, given that its access to the Arab world goes through Riyadh. Similarly, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman wants to see his country transition from oil dependence into a modern economy, which requires a vision and a conflict-free environment to attract foreign investment.
But the Saudi-Iran deal won't end the fighting in Yemen. It's also unlikely to last, and its eventual failure could drag the two countries into conflict again.
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: China's African Swine Fever Outbreak, Iran's Russia Connections
Chinese outbreak. African swine fever infections are surging in China. The outbreak began during the Lunar New Year in February, and by March, the number of infections was higher than in all of 2022, according to China's Huachuang Securities. About half the pig population in northern production areas like Shandong and Hebei provinces is expected to be infected. China's pork production is projected to decline by 10 percent as a result.
Key partners. Iran's economy and finance minister, Ehsan Khanduzi, called China and Russia Tehran's two main economic partners in a new interview with the Financial Times. Russia has invested $2.76 billion – two-thirds of total investments – in Iran's economy in the current fiscal year. He also said Iran plans to expand relations with Russia through strategic agreements. Meanwhile, Moscow announced that the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers will meet on March 29 and that President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with the sultan of Oman. Russia continues to build ties in the Middle East amid its isolation from the West.
Europe and the Caucasus. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Georgia on Thursday to meet with her Georgian counterpart, Ilia Darchiashvili. Ahead of the visit, Baerbock said that Berlin was aware of "attempts to divert the country from the pro-European course" and that she would discuss Georgia's path to EU membership with the government in Tbilisi. Elsewhere in the Caucasus, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the EU civilian mission in Armenia would aid the peace process with Azerbaijan. Moscow's Foreign Ministry has already thrown cold water on the idea that the mission will help bring about peace.
Warning. China's People's Liberation Army said it warned a U.S. guided missile destroyer to leave Chinese-claimed waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A spokesperson for the PLA's Southern Theater Command said the USS Milius made an illegal intrusion, jeopardizing the peace and stability of the region. The U.S. military denied the claims, saying the vessel has been conducting routine operations and was not warned off.
Russia and Pakistan. At a meeting of industry and trade representatives in Karachi, Russia's consul general for political and economic affairs said Moscow can help Pakistan withstand its economic crisis. He said progress is being made to facilitate banking transactions and advocated the use of local currencies or even a barter system. Pakistan is set to receive an oil shipment from Russia by the end of April. Russia has made an effort to improve ties with both Pakistan and India in recent months.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts….Animal Migrations
After billions of years of evolution, the animal kingdom has developed a few tactics for dealing with the Earth's fluctuating seasons. Some species prefer the homebody method of hunkering down through the winter months and entering an almost death-like state of hibernation. Other animals take a more travel-centric approach and head for warmer climates as the mercury falls. Some of these migrations go mostly unseen by human eyes, while others fill the skies with dazzling feathers or shake the ground with thunderous hooves.
These seven facts about the world's most amazing migrations showcase how some of Earth's most incredible creatures swim, fly, and stampede throughout the world.
1 of 7
Arctic Terns Are the World's Most Impressive Migratory Fliers
Three Arctic terns flying and fishing over sea.Credit: Arterra/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The name "Arctic tern" is a bit of a misnomer. Although this well-traveled bird does spend the summer months in the Arctic, it also spends equal time in the Antarctic. That's because twice a year, the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) flies from one freezing landscape to the other, making the longest migration — more than 19,000 miles — of any known animal. The tern undertakes this incredible journey, which lasts several months, because it relies on summer sunlight to illuminate fish in the sea and insects on land. That means the dark, dayless winters in these cold climates are a big no-go. Fortunately, the Arctic tern can eat and sleep while gliding on the ocean breeze, and if it didn't need to hunt for food, it could probably fly upwards of 1,000 miles a day.
2 of 7
For the Monarch Butterfly, Migrations Are Multigenerational
Monarch Butterflies on tree branch against the blue sky.Credit: JHVEPhoto/ Shutterstock
In the early days of spring, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) leaves its overwintering location among the branches of oyamel firs in central Mexico and begins a 3,000-mile migration to the northern U.S. and Canada. Part of what makes this journey so spectacular is that it's a multigenerational one. Because the butterfly only lives for about four weeks, it takes four generations for the creature to get from point A to point B. (There's one exception: The "super generation" that lives eight times longer during the laborious return trip south.) The monarch is the only species of butterfly known to undergo such an extensive migration.
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The Wildebeest's Annual Journey Is Known as the "Great Migration"
Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya.Credit: 1001slide/ iStock
Every year, 1.5 million wildebeest, also known as gnu, along with some 400,000 zebras and nearly as many gazelles, travel in a roughly 500-mile loop in the Serengeti plains in search of seasonal rains and grazing grounds. At the beginning of the year, the wildebeest gather at the edge of the Serengeti and all give birth in the same month. Within two days, calves are able to keep up with their parents, and soon the massive pack begins a journey scientists call the "Great Migration." The pack travels north and eventually arrives in the well-watered Kenya savannah known as Masai Mara, where they stay from July until October. The smell of November's rains then signals to this mass of animal life that it's time to head southward and return to the Serengeti.
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Every Fall, Some 10 Million Fruit Bats Migrate in Southern Africa
A flock of fruit bats in the sunset sky.Credit: Sergey Uryadnikov/ Shutterstock
Although millions of stampeding zebras and wildebeest are an impressive sight, in nearby Zambia, the straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum), part of a genus of bats known as flying foxes, takes the idea of strength in numbers to a whole new level. Between October and December, upwards of 10 million of these bats descend on Kasanka National Park to feast on the area's plentiful fruit trees, and in turn spread seeds throughout the plains and savannahs of southern Africa as the bats return home to the Congo rainforest. This vital and mysterious migration — considered the largest migration of any mammal in the world — is under threat from deforestation and poaching, but conservation groups are hard at work protecting this bat species.
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Salmon Migration Is the Animal Kingdom's Most Grueling
Sockeye salmon jumping up Brooks falls during the annual migration.Credit: sekarb/ iStock
The salmon run, one of nature's most wondrous migrations, takes place in the fall months as the persistent family of fish attempts to return to its spawning grounds. Nearly all salmon (Atlantic, Pacific, et al.) are anadromous, meaning they migrate from saltwater oceans to freshwater streams to spawn; their eggs can only survive in these freshwater locations. Salmon must not only swim upstream against the current, but also jump over obstacles, like falls, by launching their bodies through the air. Although structures such as dams or weirs often have fish ladders to aid salmon in their journey, human-made obstacles have negatively impacted salmon numbers. This is an especially big problem in the Pacific Northwest, where salmon are a keystone species, meaning their ecological impact outpaces their overall size. In 2022, Oregon underwent the world's largest dam removal to protect this vulnerable species.
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The Gray Whale Undergoes the Longest Migration of Any Mammal
Aerial view of a group of gray whales.Credit: slowmotiongli/ Shutterstock
In late spring, the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) returns to the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska after completing a monumental 12,000-mile round-trip journey, the longest of any mammal on Earth. Although not as gargantuan as a blue whale, the gray whale stretches some 45 feet long (and can weigh more than 72,000 pounds), and every year migrates that massive bulk southward to the warm lagoons of Southern California and Baja, Mexico. The trip takes about two or three months each way, and the first to arrive in these warm waters are pregnant mothers looking to use the lagoons as protection for their young calves. Around late March to late April, the gray whale makes the journey back toward Alaska — late enough to make sure the newborn whales can make the trip. The U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that some 24,000 gray whales make this journey every year.
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One of the World's Most Amazing Migrations Happens Every Day
Zooplankton under the microscope.Credit: Rattiya Thongdumhyu/ Shutterstock
Most people think of migrations as a natural rhythm dictated by the seasons, but the largest migration in the world actually happens every single day. At night, trillions of sea creatures known as zooplankton — krill, salps, fish larvae, and microscopic organisms — travel to the ocean's surface to feed on phytoplankton. Although this journey might be only 1,000 feet in some cases, for a quarter-inch fish larva, the speed of the trip is roughly equivalent to a human swimming 50 miles in an hour. These animals go deeper into the waters during the daytime to avoid predators, though the nightly journey to the surface isn't exactly safe either. Although the trek was first documented in the 1800s, scientists are still trying to piece together the inner workings of this daily migration that happens almost completely out of sight.
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This Day in U S Military History
24 March
1765 – Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to 10,000 British soldiers in public and private buildings. It also required colonists to provide food for any British soldiers in the area. Each of the Quartering Acts was an amendment to the Mutiny Act and required annual renewal by Parliament. They were originally intended as a response to issues that arose during the French and Indian War and soon became a source of tension between the inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies and the government in London, England. These tensions would later fuel the fire that led to the Revolutionary War.
1814 – Although US General James Wilkinson is acquitted by a court of inquiry for his conduct in the Montreal campaign, he is replaced by Major General Jacob Brown who, along with newly promoted Brigadier General Winfield Scott, is to head the military operations in the Niagra region.
1855 – Manhattan, Kansas, was founded as New Boston, Kansas.
1883 – Long-distance telephone service was inaugurated between Chicago and New York.
1903 – George Dewey commissioned Admiral of the Navy with the date of rank, 2 March 1899. He was the only person to hold this rank.
1916 – German U-Boats sink the French vessel Sussex which is steaming through the English Channel. The ship is unarmed and three US citizens loose their lives. On 18 April this incident will lead Secretary of State Lansing to warn Germany that the US will break off diplomatic relations unless these attacks are discontinued.
1920 – The first Coast Guard air station was established at Morehead City, North Carolina. The
1934 – President Roosevelt signed the Tydings-McDuffie Act granting future independence to the Philippines as a self-governing commonwealth.
1942 – American positions on Bataan and Corregidor are attacked by Japanese aircraft and artillery.
1944 – 76 Allied officers escaped Stalag Luft 3. In 1949 Paul Brickall authored "The Great Escape." The story of Jackson Barrett Mahon (d.1999 at 78), an American fighter pilot, and the Allied POW escape from Stalag Luft III in Germany during WW II. The 1963 film "The Great Escape" starred Steve McQueen, was directed by John Sturges and was based on the true story.
1944 – On Bougainville, significant Japanese resistance ends. American forces do not attempt to clear the Japanese remnants from the island. Over the course of the past few weeks, Japanese casualties are estimated at 8000 while the US forces have suffered about 300 casualties.
1944 – The 22nd Marine Regiment captured Ebon and Namu Atolls in the Marshall Islands.
1945 – The US 9th Army begins to cross the Rhine a little to the south of the British and Canadians forces.
1945 – Gens. Eisenhower, Montgomery and Bradley discussed advance in Germany.
1945 – US Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) conduct air raids on Okinawa. The island is also bombarded by 5 battleships and 11 destroyers under the command of Admiral Lee. Japanese submarines make unsuccessful attacks on the American ships. Meanwhile, American scout planes sight a Japanese convoy south of Kyushu and subsequent attacks sink all 8 ships.
1947 – John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated a NYC East River site to the UN.
1958 – Elvis Presley is inducted into the army on this day in 1958. Although he had been drafted the previous December, the army granted him a deferral so he could finish shooting his film, King Creole.
1975 – The North Vietnamese "Ho Chi Minh Campaign" begins. Despite the 1973 Paris Peace Accords cease fire, the fighting had continued between South Vietnamese forces and the North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam. In December 1974, the North Vietnamese launched a major attack against the lightly defended province of Phuoc Long, located north of Saigon along the Cambodian border. They successfully overran the provincial capital at Phuoc Binh on January 6, 1975. President Richard Nixon had repeatedly promised South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu that the United States would come to the aid of South Vietnam if the North Vietnamese committed a major violation of the Peace Accords. However, by the time the communists had taken Phuoc Long, Nixon had resigned from office and his successor, Gerald Ford, was unable to convince a hostile Congress to make good on Nixon's promises to Saigon. The North Vietnamese, emboldened by the situation, launched Campaign 275 in March 1975 to take the provincial capital of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. The South Vietnamese defenders fought very poorly and were quickly overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese attackers. Once again, the United States did nothing. President Thieu, however, ordered his forces in the Highlands to withdraw to more defensible positions to the south. What started out as a reasonably orderly withdrawal degenerated into a panic that spread throughout the South Vietnamese armed forces. They abandoned Pleiku and Kontum in the Highlands with very little fighting and the North Vietnamese pressed the attack from the west and north. In quick succession, Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang in the north fell to the communist onslaught. The North Vietnamese continued to attack south along the coast, defeating the South Vietnamese forces one at a time. As the North Vietnamese forces closed on the approaches to Saigon, the Politburo in Hanoi issued an order to Gen. Van Tien Dung to launch the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign," the final assault on Saigon itself. By April 27, the North Vietnamese had completely encircled Saigon and by April 30, the North Vietnamese tanks broke through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon and the Vietnam War came to an end.
1992 – The space shuttle Atlantis blasted off with seven astronauts on the first shuttle mission devoted to the environment.
1996 – U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid transfers to the Russian space station Mir from the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis for a planned five-month stay. Lucid was the first female U.S. astronaut to live in a space station. Lucid, a biochemist, shared Mir with Russian cosmonauts Yuri Onufriyenko and Yuri Usachev, conducting scientific experiments during her stay. Beginning in August, her scheduled return to Earth was delayed more than six weeks because of last-minute repairs to the booster rockets of Atlantis and then by a hurricane. Finally, on September 26, 1996, she returned to Earth aboard Atlantis, touching down at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Her 188-day sojourn aboard Mir set a new space endurance record for an American and a world endurance record for a woman.
2000 – A US federal judge awarded former hostage Terry Anderson $341 million from Iran, holding Iranian agents responsible for Anderson's nearly seven years of captivity in Lebanon.
2003 – In the 6th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom US forces began strikes against the Medina Division of the Republican Guard guarding Baghdad. Hussein appeared on Iraqi TV as coalition forces held over 3,000 prisoners. 10 Marines were killed in combat around Nasiriya.
2003 – After Coalition forces have pushed further into Iraq securing most of the southern oilfields over the weekend, Kuwaiti fire fighters are able to enter Iraq and are able to extinguish one of the wellhead fires. Iraq's southern fields represent about 40% of the country's output. Damage is assessed to be relatively minimal. Some pockets or Iraqi resistance in the southern oilfields remain, however. Furthermore, heavy Iraqi resistance in some parts of Iraq gives rise to market speculation that the war could last longer than initially thought.
2003 – Iraqi state television showed two men said to have been the U.S. crew of an Apache helicopter forced down during heavy fighting in central Iraq. Chief Warrant Officer David Williams and Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young Junior spent three weeks in captivity before they were released along with five other POWs.
2004 – A NASA unpiloted X-43A jet, part of its Hyper-X program, reached a record speed of 5,200 mph, Mach 6.83, after a rocket boosted it to 3,500 mph. It used a new engine called a supersonic-combustion ramjet, or scramjet.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*PETERS, GEORGE J.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 507th Parachute Infantry, 17th Airborne Division. Place and date: Near Fluren, Germany, 24 March 1945. Entered service at: Cranston, R.I. Birth: Cranston, R.I. G.O. No.: 16, 8 February 1946. Citation: Pvt. Peters, a platoon radio operator with Company G, made a descent into Germany near Fluren, east of the Rhine. With 10 others, he landed in a field about 75 yards from a German machinegun supported by riflemen, and was immediately pinned down by heavy, direct fire. The position of the small unit seemed hopeless with men struggling to free themselves of their parachutes in a hail of bullets that cut them off from their nearby equipment bundles, when Pvt. Peters stood up without orders and began a l-man charge against the hostile emplacement armed only with a rifle and grenades. His single-handed assault immediately drew the enemy fire away from his comrades. He had run halfway to his objective, pitting rifle fire against that of the machinegun, when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a burst. Heroically, he regained his feet and struggled onward. Once more he was torn by bullets, and this time he was unable to rise. With gallant devotion to his self-imposed mission, he crawled directly into the fire that had mortally wounded him until close enough to hurl grenades which knocked out the machinegun, killed 2 of its operators, and drove protecting riflemen from their positions into the safety of a woods. By his intrepidity and supreme sacrifice, Pvt. Peters saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and made it possible for them to reach their equipment, organize, and seize their first objective.
*BRYANT, WILLIAM MAUD
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Long Khanh Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 March 1969. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Born: 16 February 1933, Cochran, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sfc. Bryant, assigned to Company A, distinguished himself while serving as commanding officer of Civilian Irregular Defense Group Company 321, 2d Battalion, 3d Mobile Strike Force Command, during combat operations. The battalion came under heavy fire and became surrounded by the elements of 3 enemy regiments. Sfc. Bryant displayed extraordinary heroism throughout the succeeding 34 hours of incessant attack as he moved throughout the company position heedless of the intense hostile fire while establishing and improving the defensive perimeter, directing fire during critical phases of the battle, distributing ammunition, assisting the wounded, and providing the leadership and inspirational example of courage to his men. When a helicopter drop of ammunition was made to re-supply the beleaguered force, Sfc. Bryant with complete disregard for his safety ran through the heavy enemy fire to retrieve the scattered ammunition boxes and distributed needed ammunition to his men. During a lull in the intense fighting, Sfc. Bryant led a patrol outside the perimeter to obtain information of the enemy. The patrol came under intense automatic weapons fire and was pinned down. Sfc. Bryant single-handedly repulsed 1 enemy attack on his small force and by his heroic action inspired his men to fight off other assaults. Seeing a wounded enemy soldier some distance from the patrol location, Sfc. Bryant crawled forward alone under heavy fire to retrieve the soldier for intelligence purposes. Finding that the enemy soldier had expired, Sfc. Bryant crawled back to his patrol and led his men back to the company position where he again took command of the defense. As the siege continued, Sfc. Bryant organized and led a patrol in a daring attempt to break through the enemy encirclement. The patrol had advanced some 200 meters by heavy fighting when it was pinned down by the intense automatic weapons fire from heavily fortified bunkers and Sfc. Bryant was severely wounded. Despite his wounds he rallied his men, called for helicopter gunship support, and directed heavy suppressive fire upon the enemy positions. Following the last gunship attack, Sfc. Bryant fearlessly charged an enemy automatic weapons position, overrunning it, and single-handedly destroying its 3 defenders. Inspired by his heroic example, his men renewed their attack on the entrenched enemy. While regrouping his small force for the final assault against the enemy, Sfc. Bryant fell mortally wounded by an enemy rocket. Sfc. Bryant's selfless concern for his comrades, at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*COKER, RONALD L.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company M, 3d Battalion, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 March 1969. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Born: 9 August 1947, Alliance, Colo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with Company M in action against enemy forces. While serving as point man for the 2d Platoon, Pfc. Coker was leading his patrol when he encountered 5 enemy soldiers on a narrow jungle trail. Pfc. Coker's squad aggressively pursued them to a cave. As the squad neared the cave, it came under intense hostile fire, seriously wounding 1 marine and forcing the others to take cover. Observing the wounded man lying exposed to continuous enemy fire, Pfc. Coker disregarded his safety and moved across the fire-swept terrain toward his companion. Although wounded by enemy small-arms fire, he continued to crawl across the hazardous area and skillfully threw a hand grenade into the enemy positions, suppressing the hostile fire sufficiently to enable him to reach the wounded man. As he began to drag his injured comrade toward safety, a grenade landed on the wounded marine. Unhesitatingly, Pfc. Coker grasped it with both hands and turned away from his wounded companion, but before he could dispose of the grenade it exploded. Severely wounded, but undaunted, he refused to abandon his comrade. As he moved toward friendly lines, 2 more enemy grenades exploded near him, inflicting still further injuries. Concerned only for the safety of his comrade, Pfc. Coker, with supreme effort continued to crawl and pull the wounded marine with him. His heroic deeds inspired his fellow marines to such aggressive action that the enemy fire was suppressed sufficiently to enable others to reach him and carry him to a relatively safe area where he succumbed to his extensive wounds. Pfc. Coker's indomitable courage, inspiring initiative and selfless devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*SINGLETON, WALTER K.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Gio Linh District, Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 24 March 1967. Entered service at: Memphis, Tenn. Born: 7 December 1944, Memphis, Tenn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Singleton's company was conducting combat operations when the lead platoon received intense small arms, automatic weapons, rocket, and mortar fire from a well entrenched enemy force. As the company fought its way forward, the extremely heavy enemy fire caused numerous friendly casualties. Sensing the need for early treatment of the wounded, Sgt. Singleton quickly moved from his relatively safe position in the rear of the foremost point of the advance and made numerous trips through the enemy killing zone to move the injured men out of the danger area. Noting that a large part of the enemy fire was coming from a hedgerow, he seized a machinegun and assaulted the key enemy location, delivering devastating fire as he advanced. He forced his way through the hedgerow directly into the enemy strong point. Although he was mortally wounded, his fearless attack killed 8 of the enemy and drove the remainder from the hedgerow. Sgt. Singleton's bold actions completely disorganized the enemy defense and saved the lives of many of his comrades. His daring initiative selfless devotion to duty and indomitable fighting spirit reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps, and his performance upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 24, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
24 March
1934: Maj. Gen. George O. Squire dies in Washington, D.C. Squire was instrumental in the procurement of the Army's first airplane and was chief of the Air Service during World War I.
1939: Jacqueline Cochran used a Beechcraft plane, with Twin Wasp engines, to set a women's national altitude record of 30,052.43 feet over Palm Springs, Calif. (24)
1945: Operation VARSITY. Eighth Air Force sent 1,000 bombers to support an Allied airborne and amphibious assault across the Rhine River. More than 2,000 transports and gliders from the IX Troop Carrier Command dropped two airborne divisions near Wesel, Germany, in daylight. Some 7,000 sorties supported the crossing. Ninth Air Force fighters provided reconnaissance, interdiction, and air support. (4) (21) Nearly 150 B-17s from Fifteenth Air Force, flying from Southern Italy, bombed Berlin for the first time. The aircraft dropped 357 tons of bombs on industrial targets. (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces used an H-19 helicopter for the first time to evacuate wounded troops in Korea. Additionally, 52 C-119s and C-46s dropped an additional 264 tons of supplies to troops at Munsan-ni, because they could not depend on surface lines of communication for supplies. (21) (28)
1965: Alvin S. White and Van Separd broke the world records for weight and speed endurance in the XB-70A bomber. It weighed 534,000 pounds at takeoff, flew at a supersonic speed for 80 minutes, and cruised at a top speed of 1,400 MPH. (3) The Titan II completed its first operational test launch from Vandenberg AFB successfully. (5)
1970: Tyndall AFB completed the first launching of a BOMARC B guided missile, using the new BUIC computerized command and control equipment. (16)
1971: In the first operational test of Minuteman III, missile crews and maintenance technicians assigned to the 91 SMW at Minot AFB launched a missile from Vandenberg AFB. (1) (6)
1977: TAC's 552d Airborne Warning and Control System Wing at Tinker AFB received the first production E-3A AWACS aircraft. (12) (20)
1982: USAFE acquired Comiso Air Station, Sicily, for the ground-launched cruise missile. (16) (26)
1992: Last USAF fighter aircraft to be stationed in Spain left the country. They had served in Spain for 26 years. (16) (26) The US signed the Open Skies Treaty along with 24 other nations. The treaty permitted unarmed aerial reconnaissance flights over any member country. (16) (26)
1995: The last Atlas E missile launched a satellite from Vandenberg AFB into a polar orbit. (16) (26)
1998: An F-15E successfully launched a live AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile above Edwards AFB, Calif., to complete the aircraft's Suite 3 avionics upgrades for an air-to-air and air-to-ground capability. (3)
1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE/NOBLE ANVIL/PHOENIX DUKE II. To prevent the forced eviction and genocide of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo, NATO launched this operation against Serbia in the former Yugoslavian Republic. It was exclusively an air campaign and NATO's first combat operation against a sovereign nation. The U.S. named its part of the Operation NOBLE ANVIL. Additionally, the USAF used the B-2 for the first time in combat, while F-15 pilots shot down two MiG-29s on the first day of combat. Under Operation PHOENIX DUKE II, Air Mobility Command's role in the operation preceded the bombing and continued afterward. From 18 February when the first airlift mission was flown, through 3 July when the tanker redeployment came to an end, Air Mobility Command flew 2,130 airlift missions to transport 32,111 passengers and 52,645 short tons of cargo. In the air campaign, which ended on 9 June, KC-10s and KC-135s flew 9,001 missions to deliver 348.5 million pounds of fuel to receiving aircraft. KC-135 Stratotankers and crews from the Hawaii ANG's 203 AREFS, on a previously scheduled deployment to France, participated in the operations. Air Mobility Command's last air refueling aircraft returned to the US on 20 July, while the final airlift missions finished on 26 July. (21) (22) (32)
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