To All,
Good Wednesday morning March 1 28 2023.
A bit of history and some tidbits
This is a Bubba Breakfast |Friday in San Diego. The weather is forecast to be clear and cool.
I apologize for the mistakes in yesterday's List. Some of the history was for the incorrect day and a few of you let me know.
The sign up for the 2023 Tailhook convention starts this morning.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History March 1,
1865—Side-wheel steamship Harvest Moon, while underway near Georgetown, SC, with Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren on board, hits a Confederate mine (or "torpedo" in contemporary terms) and sinks with the loss of one of her crew.
1942—Naval Reserve pilot Ensign William Tepuni, flying a Lockheed Hudson reconnaissance, light bombing and transport aircraft (PBO) from VP-82 Squadron based at Naval Air Station Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, attacks and sinks German submarine U 656 southwest of Newfoundland—the first U-boat sunk by U.S. forces in World War II.
1944—USS Bronstein (DE 189) sinks German submarine U 603 in the North Atlantic and then teams with USS Thomas (DE 102) and USS Bostwick (DE 103) to sink German submarine U 709.
1953—During the Korean War, USS Valley Forge (CVA 45) aircraft raid the No.1 power plant at Chosen, Korea, and heavily damage the strongly defended industrial site.
1991—Following USS Missouri's (BB 63) bombardment of Faylaka Island during Operation Desert Storm, hundreds of Iraqi soldiers wave white flags and surrender to the battleship's Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) flying overhead.
2014—USS Somerset (LPD 25) is commissioned in Philadelphia, PA. The ninth of the 12-ship San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock warships, Somerset is named to honor the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who attacked the 9/11 terrorists after they hijacked the plane, sending it crashing into the ground at Somerset County, PA, rather than their target in Washington, D.C.
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This day in world history
March 1
1642 York, Maine becomes the first incorporated American city.
1692 Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are arrested for the supposed practice of witchcraft in Salem, Mass.
1776 French minister Charles Gravier advises his Spanish counterpart to support the American rebels against the English.
1780 Pennsylvania becomes the first U.S. state to abolish slavery.
1803 Ohio becomes the 17th state to join the Union.
1808 In France, Napoleon creates an imperial nobility.
1815 Napoleon lands at Cannes, France, returning from exile on Elba, with a force of 1,500 men and marches on Paris.
1871 German troops enter Paris, France, during the Franco-Prussian War.
1875 Congress passes the Civil Rights Act, which is invalidated by the Supreme Court in 1883.
1912 Albert Berry completes the first in-flight parachute jump, from a Benoist plane over Kinlock Field in St. Louis, Missouri.
1915 The Allies announce their aim to cut off all German supplies and assure the safety of the neutrals.
1919 The Korean coalition proclaims their independence from Japan.
1921 The Allies reject a $7.5 billion reparations offer in London. German delegation decides to quit all talks.
1932 The Lindbergh baby is kidnapped from the Lindbergh home near Princeton, New Jersey.
1935 Germany officially establishes the Luftwaffe.
1941 Bulgaria joins the Axis as the Nazis occupy Sofia.
1942 Japanese troops land on Java in the Pacific.
1943 The British RAF conducts strategic bombing raids on all European railway lines.
1960 1,000 Black students pray and sing the national anthem on the steps of the old Confederate Capitol in Montgomery, Ala.
1968 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara is replaced by Clark Clifford.
1969 Mickey Mantle announces his retirement from baseball.
1974 A grand jury indicts seven of President Nixon's aides for the conspiracy on Watergate.
1985 The Pentagon accepts the theory that an atomic war would block the sun, causing a "nuclear winter."
1992 Bosnian Serbs begin sniping in Sarajevo, after Croats and Muslims vote for Bosnian independence.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Wednesday, 1 March 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 1 March 1968… Chaos in American cities predicted by Presidential Commission…
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
Dept. of Defense Tells Troops to Stop Towing U.S. Flags During Parachute Jumps
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Thanks to Shadow and Wendy
Driving home, Craig brought up the obstacle course by the Justin Beach O'Club in Pensacola… he was lamenting as to how much harder it was from his first time as a Plebe to later in Flight Training 20 pounds heavier… in fact he ended up having to attend some sessions of remedial PT until he could clear the rope wall. We all laughed and I said… "I've got the best story about that course I've ever heard'! It involved my young bride Wendy.
Wendy was an accomplished gymnast in college and was the NCAA Vaulting Champ at the Southern California Regionals. Not bragging, but she was a hard body if there ever was one. She was tall for a gymnast, 5'6" and very strong. First time I met her was at an awards dinner that I and Coach Don Coryell were handing out trophy's and awards. When Wendy's name was called… as she got up to come up to the stage… she had on a pink summer dress, with spaghetti straps. Bubba's this is no chit… she looked awesome! Even Coach Coryell leaned over and said to me… "Who is that"? I said, "Coach, I don't know, but I'm damn sure I'm gonna find out"! I met her in the campus book store two days later… and the rest is history!
Anyway, after I was commissioned, we got married; and still are today. Lord knows I don't deserve her. Anyway we pack up in San Diego and headed to Pensacola for Flight Training. Marriage almost took a big hit crossing Mobile Bay on way as she had her first exposure a knock down level five thunderstorm, something she'd never experienced in San Diego. I kid you not, it was raining so hard you couldn't see the white lines in the road and there were lightening strikes about every ten seconds. She was ready to head back to Southern California. Well she got over it and we settled in and rented a little cottage on Navy Point.
We immediately started adjusting to marriage… we were both pretty good athletes and bought ourselves some new tennis racquets and would drive on the base and play at the courts next to the O'Club. One weekend we were playing when three Drill Instructors were running about 15 or more Cadets and young Ensigns through the obstacle course for remedial PT. I think only one of them could get over the first vertical wall… and none could do the rope wall. They finally gave up and went to the next obstacle. They had gotten Wendy's attention and she says to me… "That doesn't look that hard". I said it wasn't, but the guys were bit out of shape coming from college and after a while they'll get it or get dropped.. We were finished at that point and as we approached the car, she looks at me and says, "I want to try it". I thought about it and said, "If you really want to… I'll show you how... as technique is as important as strength".
Well we go over and I explain how to approach the vertical wall and the technique I used… I cleared the wall easily and sat on the top of it and yelled back at her to do what I demonstrated. It was about then that one of the D.I.'s came back and said, "Sir, I don't think it's a good idea to bring your wife over here, she could get hurt". I told him I would take responsibility if anything happened. He kinda stared at me and didn't say anything. Wendy had her tennis skirt on and starts these long graceful strides as she starts her run to the wall like she did approaching the vault in gymnastics... and jumps up, grabs the top of the wall and comes flying up on top. All I heard from the Drill Instructor was "Damn"!
We go to the rope wall and once again, I explain how to do it and then climbed the wall and sat on top once again. Before she started her run, the Drill Instructor says, "Do you really think she can do this"? I said, "Pretty sure". He said, "Would it bother you if I brought the class back to watch"? I said, "Won't bother me and frankly don't think it will bother her a bit… she was a gymnast in college and is used to working out in front of people". He said, "Let me get this herd back here before she try's". And he and the other two D.I.'s start yelling and screaming at their charges to get back over by the rope wall.
Well… it was "Show Time"! Wendy starts her approach. Jumps up and grabs the rope and puts her feet on the wall… and climbs up and over like it was nothing! To add insult to injury… she stands up and makes a little bow. The three D.I."s then went full Parris Island mode and starts yelling and screaming at the PT group… the get their weak asses back to the walls and no one was leaving until they cleared them… if that blond can do it… you by God will do it!!
I figured that was enough and told Wendy we better head home, while she was scoping out the rope climb. I grabbed her arm and as we started walking away… the Senior Drill Instructor comes over and says, "Lieutenant, can I ask a question?…. What's the chance of you loaning us your wife on weekends as a motivator"? I smiled at him and said, "No eff-ing way"! He looked at me and said, "You can't blame me for trying". I laughed and said, "I don't... Semper Fi Marine". He said, "I knew you had to be a Marine too Sir"… and gave me a thumbs up!
About two weeks later, we were over at the main side gym and playing "Speed Ball" on the trampoline… and this older guy came walking over and says,"Are you a Marine son"? I said "Yessir"! He then introduced himself and it turned out he was the MATSG Commander… the senior Marine in Pensacola… my ultimate boss. He then looks at Wendy and says… "And this must be the young lady my D.I.'s are telling me about". He then looks at Wendy and says, "I hear you're pretty good on the obstacle course". Wendy just smiles. And we had a nice visit with the Colonel.
As we are leaving, the Colonel yells out… Lieutenant, are you ready for the PFT. I said "Yessir". He then says, "Come over here… let me see how you'll do in the broad jump". He then points at an area on the floor that had markings in inches and feet for the broad jump. I'm thinking, shit, he just wants to hang around my wife s little longer. I said "OK Sir". And proceed to jump well ahead of what was required… no big deal. Then he looks at Wendy and says… "You wanna try Wendy"? She says sure… and jumps well ahead of the minimum for men! He said, "Pretty Good". And as I think we're now finally leaving… my new bride then looks at him and says… "Your turn Colonel"! Man I wanted to crawl into a hole… my naive blond wife, had just challenged my boss! He said, "I think I'll pass young lady". She then takes the towel she had around her shoulders, walks over to the line… knells down and covers up the numbers and says… "Come on Colonel… you can beat me"! He turns red in the face and I once again wanted to crawl into a hole and he said quietly… "OK". Wendy is still knelling at the towel, the Colonel jumps… and Wendy then jerks the towel away and said… "You beat me Colonel… good job". The truth was, he hadn't… but she had enough sense to not make an issue out of it.
Well I started training and I finished Saufley and go one of the two jet quotas. I had to go down to MATSG and see the Colonel. First thing out of his mouth was, "How's Wendy"? I said fine and then he congratulates me for getting jets… he then goes on and says you have your choice between staying here in Pensacola, Texas or Meridian… he follows that up with I'm sure you and Wendy will be staying here with us. I looked at him and said, "Colonel, I actually want to go to Meridian". He almost jumped up from his desk and yells out… "Have you lost you fucking mind? Nobody wants to go to Meridian… you stay here"! I then told him that in fact, I had graduated from high school in Meridian while my dad was stationed there and I had friends there. He then calmly says… "Have you been back there since high school"? I said, "No Sir". He then says, "If any of your friends have a lick of sense… they've left and haven't gone back either. You go home, talk to Wendy and come see me in the morning".
I did as instructed and Wendy was a trooper and said… "It's your choice… I'll go wherever you decide. I stuck with Meridian and honestly it was best for me… there were virtually no diversions and distractions in Meridian… just the two great loves of my life… Wendy and flying! I am a lucky man!
Shadow
P.S.
The Colonel was right by the way… all my close friends had split to the winds… gone! BTW, Black and Bruddah know my wife and can confirm it all…
Bruddah knows Wendy…
And he is correct… she can't cook worth a damn. Actually, she hates to cook is probably a better description. Black can verify this… at Black Shadow, I'd give Wendy a call to give her a heads up so she could start dinner… half the time when I got home she would say… we're gonna run out to eat. There came a time when we ate out virtually seven days in a row. The next day, I called and said I would be leaving the hangar shortly and then added this at the end… "I'm really sick of eating out". She quickly responded… "Me too! Stop at Woody's on the way home and pick up some ribs!" (Woody's being a local BBQ joint). Well, I couldn't say anything at that moment, but later asked if I could have a home cooked meal the next evening? She gave me a look and I dropped it.
The following evening I was informed we'd have a home cooked meal. I get home and she puts something on my plate I didn't recognize… I looked at our two daughters… and they had puzzled looks… "Like what is this chit"? Well I took a few bites and finally made an apology that I just wasn't hungry (a lie). I dumped my plate and as I was walking past the girls trying to choke down the gruel on their plates… I hear… "We'll what did you think? I realized I was on dangerous ground… but I was a Marine and unfortunately said what I was thinking. "Wendy that is a lose/lose question". She says, "How so"? I said if I tell you the truth, that it tasted like chit, you're gonna be pissed! But if I lie and said it was great… you might be compelled to cook that chit some other day and I'll have no one to blame but myself by not telling you the truth"!
With that, she slammed her hand on the table and said, "That's it… I quit… from now on you cook"! My daughters had happy faces and since then… The Shadow has been the chief cook and bottle washer… think that was around 1991?
Actually, I enjoy it… and I get to eat food that suits my palate.
And dats de truff!
Sent from my iPad
On Feb 28, 2023, at 6:13 PM, Richard Walker <bruddahusmc@gmail.com> wrote:
Wow! If only she could cook, she'd be a keeper! Congratulations to Da Bofya!
I've been married 47 years, but not to the same people, unlike you two!
Love ya both,
Bruddah
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Interesting facts
Agatha Christie helped popularize surfing.
Agatha Christie's characters have done it all — survived attempted murder, traveled to far-off lands, and solved mystery after mystery. But the bestselling author didn't just write about adventure; she also sought it out, sometimes on a surfboard. Two years after publishing her first novel, Christie embarked on an international trip with her first husband, Archibald. Their 1922 stop in South Africa included an attempt at surfing, where it's possible she may have become the first Western woman to stand up on a surfboard. The globetrotting couple quickly fell in love with the sport, and went on to catch swelling waves off the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Christie, in letters to her mother, recounted the tricky experience of learning to surf, describing the sport as "occasionally painful" thanks to a "nosedive down into the sand." But the writer eventually became more skilled, detailing in her 1977 autobiography that nothing could compete with the rush of approaching shore at high speeds. She also wrote about surfing in her novel The Man in the Brown Suit, in which her protagonist, nicknamed "Anna the Adventuress," goes surfing in Cape Town.
Christie's pursuit of the perfect wave was unusual for an English woman of her time. The Museum of British Surfing suggests she and her husband may have been two of the earliest Brits to attempt the activity. However, they did have regal company: Prince Edward, the British royal who would eventually abdicate the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, was photographed surfing in Hawaii two years before Christie rented her first surfboard.
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Thanks to Carl
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/03/james-howard-kunstler/its-coming/
It's Coming
By James Howard Kunstler
Kunstler.com
March 1, 2023
Millions of people in the West see the spiritual catastrophe their societies are being led towards. The elites are going crazy, but that is their problem. What we have to do is defend our children from this degradation and degeneracy — Aimee Therese on Twitter.
"It's Coming." That's what Elon Musk said a while back apropos of the Twitter files that show all the US government suppression of Covid-19 information mis-labeled as "misinformation." Think of whatever the truth is as mis-misinformation. Get it? You might have to read that sentence more than once to comprehend what went wrong with the American consensus the past three years. And then you'll begin to understand why the operation is called mind-fuckery.
"It" comes out in weird ways now. For instance, Woody Harrelson's little prank on Saturday Night Live. The A-List actor opened the show acting stoned, talking about how much he likes weed and getting stoned, and, at the very end of his routine, spoke of a "movie script" that spun out in his stoned head:
The biggest drug cartels in the world get together, and buy up all the media and all the politicians… and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes… and people can only come out if they take the cartel's drug… and keep taking them over and over. I threw the script away. I mean, who's gonna believe that crazy idea?"
One can also imagine the NBC lawyers' iPhones lighting up and emitting a cacophony of ring-tones in the late-night hours following Woody's little gaucherie. After all, this is the TV network that still employs the likes of Rachel Maddow, Misinformation-Informer-in-Chief of the whole USA who, for years, has performed as the icon representing how the political Left thinks of itself, and what it thinks. What the Left thinks of itself, of course, is that it's collectively the smartest person in the world. And what the Left actually thinks is exactly what Woody's movie script implied: believe everything that the government, the news media, and the drug companies tell you, and act accordingly, and destroy anyone who says otherwise.
Woody's gag offended the news media hugely and instantly, said media being scaffolded on the Internet. The response was wildly censorious. Vanity Fair's insta-bulletin said, "Uncle Woody… taking the stage to float conspiracy theories disguised as provocative humor is both intellectually dishonest and tedious." Tedious? As if you've heard that come out of A-list actors' mouths a thousand times? I doubt it. Who is being "intellectually dishonest" exactly?
Rolling Stone, likewise headlined: "Woody Harrelson Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During SNL Monologue." (Just how anti-anti-establishment now is the old counter-culture rag I once worked for?) The Daily Beast, The Left's house organ, echoed that: "Woody Harrelson Spews Anti-Vax Conspiracies in Rambling SNL Monologue." Notice, "spews," as in the most vile and disgusting bodily function imaginable, you revolting piece of filth….
Now, what Woody actually didn't say in that little riff, if you're paying attention, is that the vaxxes in question are ineffective and dangerous. Yes, he actually left that part out, though there were enough dots in the monologue to connect that message, if you were of a mind to. The problem for the smartest people in the world is that their minds stopped working about five years ago — mainly when a certain DJT stepped onstage to declare that the Left's management of national affairs was corrupt, depraved, and dangerous. This enraged the management class to the max.
Graduates of Yale, Brown, Harvard, and the rest of the elite service academies went nuts over that and, in a bizarre switcheroo for the ages, became the staunchest defenders of anything the government decided to impose on the people of this land, starting with a series of political hoaxes — RussiaGate, Ukraine phone call impeachment — cresting with the Covid-19 hysteria and its vaccination cherry-on-top. The smartest people in the world were all-in on all of that, and knocked themselves out enforcing and defending it.
And now… it's coming… out. They were played. Absolutely snookered. All. These. Brilliant. Morally unassailably upright. Good. People. Taken for a ride. Spoofed. Put-on. Conned. And they sold out their country in the process. And now they cower on the verge of being unmasked for the mendacious fools they are. One might empathize at how horribly painful this is, the ethical wreckage of a whole social demographic! But don't confuse empathy with sympathy. They are about to sink in historic disgrace and ignominy, and that's why their official interlocutors react so harshly.
Another part Woody left out is what happens after the suckered people take the cartel's drug over and over. They get sick and many of them die. We are just getting started with that chapter of the story and, as statistical investigator Edward Dowd said recently, the mRNA "vaccines" have already killed more Americans than all the wars this country ever fought. This is the kind of mis-misinformation that the managing elite really don't want to face. But get ready. It's coming.
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: Lukashenko to Meet With Xi
The two leaders will have plenty to discuss.
By: GPF Staff
Lukashenko in China. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will arrive in China on Tuesday for a state visit. He'll meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to discuss trade, investment and economic cooperation. On Monday, Lukashenko proposed uniting the industrial policies of Belarus, China and Russia, after he signed an agreement on Feb. 15 with Moscow to form a common industrial policy. This comes as speculation grows that Beijing may be prepared to offer military aid to Belarus' main ally, Russia.
Lavrov in Baku. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Baku on Monday to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Lavrov said the two countries are seeking to deepen cooperation in major projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor, the energy sector and industrial production. The visit takes place amid Azerbaijan's tensions with Armenia over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Tackling inflation. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposed forging a coalition with four other Latin American countries to tackle inflation, according to Argentine President Alberto Fernandez. The proposal includes a product exchange program, which would offer member countries favorable terms for trade, particularly in basic goods and food products. Obrador suggested holding talks on the matter in Mexico City on March 17.
Russian acquisitions. Uranium One, part of Russia's Rosatom, has acquired large shares in three Kazakh enterprises in the uranium sector. It received 50 percent, 30 percent and 70 percent stakes in Karatau LLP, Khorasan Joint Venture LLP and Southern Mining and Chemical Co., respectively. Kazakhstan is one of the leading uranium mining countries in the world.
New platform. South Korea, the United States and Japan held the first session of their newly established economic security dialogue in Honolulu on Monday. Delegations from the three countries discussed cooperation in emerging and core technologies such as quantum, bio and space, as well as stabilizing semiconductor, battery and critical mineral supply chains.
Logistics support. Kazakhstan's postal operator, KazPost, signed a memorandum of understanding with German company WEA-Transport and Chinese firm Huapengfei to develop an international logistics platform and secure supply chain. The memorandum could help establish e-commerce in trade from China to the European Union through Kazakhstan and supports China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Key ally. The secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, arrived in Algiers on Monday for security talks. During a meeting with the Algerian president, Patrushev said Russia considers Algeria one of its key foreign policy partners. Moscow has stepped up cooperation with African countries in recent months.
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Military Milestones from the First Marine Landing to a Billboard Hit Song by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
03/02/2010
This Week in American Military History:
Mar. 2, 1943: Elements of the U.S. Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force intercept and all-but-destroy an entire Japanese troop-transport convoy in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Several enemy ships, scores of enemy aircraft, and thousands of enemy soldiers will be sent to the bottom.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur will remark that Bismarck Sea "cannot fail to go down in history as one of the most complete and annihilating combats of all time." Japanese Navy Capt. Tameichi Hara will refer to the battle as "shocking" and "unbelievable."
Mar. 3, 1776: A force of 250 Continental Marines and sailors under the command of Marine Capt. (future major) Samuel Nicholas land on New Providence in the British-held Bahamas and quickly seize Fort Montague in the first amphibious operation in American military history. The landing – largely unopposed (the British garrison spiking their own guns and fleeing) – nets for the Americans much-needed powder, shot, nearly 50 serviceable cannon, and a few mortars.
An avid foxhunter and the highest-ranking leatherneck in the American Revolution, Nicholas will lead Marines alongside Army forces in the future battles of (second) Trenton and Princeton. He is considered to be the first commandant of the Marine Corps.
Mar. 3, 1815: The U.S. Congress authorizes American Naval action against the pirate state of Algiers.
Mar. 3, 1883: The U.S. Congress approves the creation of the "new Navy"
with an authorization to build three "steel-protected cruisers" and a "steel dispatch boat." The authorization begins a steel-ship renaissance for the U.S. Navy.
Mar. 3, 1931: The U.S. Congress adopts "The Star Spangled Banner" as the official national anthem.
The anthem's lyrics were initially penned as a poem by Washington, D.C.
lawyer Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812. Key wrote his now-famous words on an envelope as he witnessed the British night-bombardment of Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Sept. 13-14, 1814, from the deck of a Royal Navy ship aboard which had been detained.
Portions of the anthem read:
"…Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
…
"Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto:
'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
Mar. 4, 1944: B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army Air Forces participate in the first daylight bombing raid over Berlin. A massive B-17 raid over the German capitol will follow in two days.
Mar. 5, 1770: A contingent of armed British soldiers fire into a crowd of protesting colonists in what will become known as the Boston Massacre. Five colonists are killed. The soldiers, charged with murder, will contend the protestors were threatening them with rocks and clubs. The killings will spark public outrage, demands for the death penalty for the soldiers responsible, and draw America even closer toward revolution. Ironically, patriot and future U.S. President John Adams is the lawyer who will successfully defend the British soldiers. A portion of Adams' argument
reads:
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence: nor is the law less stable than the fact; if an assault was made to endanger their [the soldiers'] lives, the law is clear, they had a right to kill in their own defense."
Mar. 5, 1776: Six years to the day after the Boston Massacre, British Gen. Sir William Howe awakens to find Continental Army Gen. George Washington's artillery well-positioned atop Boston's commanding Dorchester Heights. Howe purportedly says, "The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month."
Washington's men continue to strengthen their gun-batteries and fortifications over the next 10-plus days forcing Howe to deem the American positions "impregnable." The British will begin evacuating Boston on the 17th.
Mar. 5, 1942: The Seabees – the U.S. Navy's celebrated combat-capable Construction Battalions (CBs) – are established.
Mar. 5, 1966: The "Ballad of the Green Berets" composed by U.S. Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler and author Robin Moore hits the number-one spot on the Billboard Chart where it will remain for five weeks.
A portion of the lyrics read:
"Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret.
"Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men we'll test today
But only three win the Green Beret. …"
Mar. 6, 1836: The Alamo – commanded by Lt. Col. William Barret Travis – falls to Mexican forces after the garrison puts up one of the most heroic defenses in American military history (see previous week's military milestones).
Mar. 7, 1942: The first group of black airmen – including Capt. (future general) Benjamin O. Davis Jr. – graduates from the U.S. Army Air Forces flight school at Tuskegee, Alabama.
Mar. 7, 1945: U.S. Army armored forces race to seize the strategically vital Ludendorff Bridge (also known as the Remagen bridge) before the Germans blow the structure. The Americans are successful, thus enabling the allies to establish a bridgehead on the enemy side of the Rhine River.
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This Day in U S Military History
1912 – Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from an airplane at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. Berry jumped from a Benoist pusher biplane from 1,500 feet (457 m) and landed successfully. The pilot was Tony Jannus. The 36 foot (11 m) diameter parachute was contained in a metal canister attached to the underside of the plane – when Berry dropped from the plane his weight pulled the parachute from the canister. Rather than being attached to the parachute by a harness Berry was seated on a trapeze bar. According to Berry he dropped 500 feet (152 m) before the parachute opened.
1942 – The "Flying Tigers" volunteer air force under the command of Claire Chennault, move to an RAF bomber base after their exceptional air defense of Rangoon.
1945 – On Iwo Jima, forces of US 5th Amphibious Corps now hold both the first and second of the island's airfields and have a foothold at the southern end of the third. There is intensive fighting all along the line.
1954 – Ted Williams fractures collarbone in 1st game of spring training after flying 39 combat missions without injury in Korean War.
2002 – Operation Anaconda begins in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and non-NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place in the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains southeast of Zormat. This operation was the first large-scale battle in the United States War in Afghanistan since the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001. This was the first operation in the Afghanistan theater to involve a large number of U.S. conventional (i.e. non-Special Operations Forces) forces participating in direct combat activities. From this date to March 16, 2002 1,700 airlifted U.S. troops and 1,000 pro-government Afghan militia battled between 300 to 1,000 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters to obtain control of the valley. The Taliban and al-Qaida forces fired mortars and heavy machine guns from entrenched positions in the caves and ridges of the mountainous terrain at U.S. forces attempting to secure the area. Afghan Taliban commander Maulavi Saifur Rehman Mansoor later led Taliban reinforcements to join the battle. U.S. forces had estimated the strength of the rebels in the Shahi-Kot Valley at 150 to 200, but later information suggested the actual strength was of 500 to 1,000 fighters.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*BRUCE, DANIEL D.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Headquarters and Service Company, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Fire Support Base Tomahawk, Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, 1 March 1969. Entered service at: Chicago, 111. Born: 18 May 1950, Michigan City, Ind. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a mortar man with Headquarters and Service Company 3d Battalion, against the enemy. Early in the morning Pfc. Bruce was on watch in his night defensive position at fire support base tomahawk when he heard movements ahead of him. An enemy explosive charge was thrown toward his position and he reacted instantly, catching the device and shouting to alert his companions. Realizing the danger to the adjacent position with its 2 occupants, Pfc. Bruce held the device to his body and attempted to carry it from the vicinity of the entrenched marines. As he moved away, the charge detonated and he absorbed the full force of the explosion. Pfc. Bruce's indomitable courage, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty saved the lives of 3 of his fellow marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 1 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1 March
1912: Albert Berry made the first (attached-type) parachute jump from a heavier-than-air aircraft, a Benoist pusher, while flying 1,500 feet above Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Mo. (21) (24)
1918: The US Navy bought its first dirigible, the AT-1, from France. On 3 March, this craft made its first American-controlled flight in France. (24)
1923: The largest American nonrigid airship, the TC1, delivered. (5)
1928: Through 9 March, Lt Burnie R. Dallas and Beckwith Havens flew the first transcontinental flight in a Loening Amphibian airplane. They used 32 hours 45 minutes of flight time for the trip. (8)
1937: The 2 BG at Langley Field received the first YB-17A Flying Fortress. (11)
1939: Maj Gen Delos C. Emmons became the GHQ Commander at Langley Field. (5)
1942: Ensign William Tepuni, USN Reserve, flying a Lockheed Hudson, sank a German submarine near Newfoundland. It was the first German sub sunk by American forces in World War II. (24)
1946: A Pan American Airways Constellation Clipper set a commercial record for the New York to Lisbon flight by covering the 3,425 miles in 9 hours 58 minutes. (5)
1947: Maj Gen Charles F. Born, Fifteenth Air Force Commander, led six B-29s on a goodwill trip from Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, to Uruguay to honor the new President, Tomas Beretta. (1)
1950: Boeing Airplane Company turned over the first production B-47A Stratojet bomber to the Air Force Inspection Board. (5)
1953: The Air Guard's 138 FIS Syracuse, N. Y., and 194th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS) at Hayward, Calif., began augmenting Air Defense Command's runway alert program. This event began the USAF's total force approach to reserve component use and training. (21)
1954: The US exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the Marshall Islands. (8) 1960: The prototype GAM-72A Quail completed its first powered flight at Holloman AFB. (6)
1962: A Polaris missile, launched from Cape Canaveral, hit its target area 1,500 miles away. (24)
1963: The USAF achieved its first Advanced Ballistic Missile Reentry System (ABRES) launch from Cape Canaveral. (26)
1965: Project LONG LIFE. The first Minuteman I (model B) to be launched left an ICBM silo at Newell, S. Dak. With this shot, the 44 SMW at Ellsworth AFB demonstrated that a Minuteman could be launched from an operational site. (1) (6)
1966: Venera 3 became the first spacecraft to reach Venus. (5)
1968: A Minuteman II at the 341 SMW, Malmstrom AFB, received the first Minuteman Mark I penetration aid. (6)
1972: First production SRAM delivered to SAC. (6) (12)
1973: Fairchild-Republic received a contract for the A-10. (12) McDonnell-Douglas received production approval for the first 30 operational F-15s. (30)
1977: The first three F-111Fs arrived in Europe for assignment to the 48 TFW at RAF Lakenhealth, UK. (16) (26)
1979: TEAM SPIRIT. Through 17 March, aircraft flew 9,952 sorties in the fourth annual joint/combined exercise in Korea. (16)
1986: To 5 March, the first humanitarian flights to airlift Afghan patients and aid Afghan refugees in Pakistan began. By November 1991, the DoD had evacuated over 1,200 Afghans for medical care in Europe and the U.S and delivered more than $50 million in excess DoD property. The operation continued through May 1993. (18)
1989: General Dynamics delivered the first F-16A to the ANG's 114th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (TFTS) at Kingsley Field, Or.
1990: Rockwell rolled out the X-31A Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability (EFM) Demonstrator at Palmdale, Calif. The X-31A developed out of a cooperative venture between Rockwell International and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm that made it the first multinational experimental aircraft. (8: May 90)
1991: Through 30 June, 42 C-5 Galaxies and 3 C-141 Starlifters from the 60 MAW and 436 MAW moved more than 1,000 tons of fire-fighting equipment and 100 fireman to Kuwait City. There, the firemen battled more than 500 burning oil wells set afire by retreating Iraqi forces. (16) Through 31 December, C-5s moved 150 tons of relief supplies to Bucharest, Romania, to help the government overcome a critical economic situation. The capital city faced violent street protests in an effort to attain a democratic government. (16) (26)
1992: Operation DESERT SORTIE. Although the redeployment of DESERT STORM forces to the US from the Middle East officially started on 10 March, redeployment activities actually began earlier. From 6 March through 31 May, KC-10s and KC-135s flew 4,925 sorties to deliver 34 million gallons of fuel as well as 2,894 airlift sorties. From 1 March 1991 through 14 April 1992, C-5s, C-141s, C-130s, KC-10s, and commercial aircraft flew 5,892 missions to move 473,472 passengers and 173,648 tons of cargo. (18)
1993: Operation PROVIDE PROMISE. Seven Guard and Reserve C-130s deployed to Rhein-Main AB to join the airlift to Bosnia-Herzegovina. (18)
2000: Operation ATLAS RESPONSE. After flooding in Mozambique left about one million people homeless, a C-17 from the 315 AW (AFRC) at Charleston AFB, augmented by crewmembers from the 446 AW (AFRC) at McChord AFB, flew the first planeload of emergency relief supplies to flood-ravaged Mozambique to initiate this operation. The crew was at Ramstein AB, Germany, when the Tanker Airlift Control Center tasked it to fly the mission. The crew picked up bottled water, food, and rolls of plastic sheeting for emergency shelters from Pisa, Italy, and then delivered the supplies to Maputo and Beira in Mozambique. There, C-130s, along with MH-53 and HH-60 helicopters, distributed the food, water, tents, and medicine. By the end of the operation on 16 April, the Air Mobility Command system had flown 29 strategic airlift missions with C-5s and C-17s to transport 720 passengers and 910 short tons of cargo. (21) (22)
2002: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM/ANACONDA. The US and its coalition partners launched Operation ANACONDA in eastern Afghanistan. Using B-52s, B-1s, AC-130s, A-10s, and F-15s for air support, the coalition ground operation tried to surround and kill Taliban and al Qaeda forces regrouping south of Gardez. (21)
2005: At Langley AFB, Va., Lt Gen William Fraser III, the Air Combat Command Vice Commander, declared an initial operating capability for the MQ-1 Predator, even though it had already seen extensive operational service in Afghanistan and Iraq. The MQ-1 version had advanced sensors and carried AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. (3)
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Thanks to Brett
Project Fugo: The Japanese Balloon Bombs
On Saturday 5 May 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb that had drifted 6,000 miles delivered a deadly blow at a Sunday school picnic in Bly, Oregon.
The echo of an exploding bomb rolled across the mountain landscape. Archie Mitchell, a young, clergyman mourned the loss of six picnickers—including his pregnant wife. The rest were children barely into their teens. Mitchell, pastor of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church, had invited students from his Sunday school classes to a picnic on Gearhart Mountain in the Fremont National Forest. Mitchell's wife and the children had found something on the ground. "Don't touch that!" shouted Mitchell. The warning was too late. These six were the only wartime casualties caused by Japanese balloon bombs during the war.
From an article by Allan T. Duffin, Project Fugo: The Japanese Balloon Bombs - Warfare History Network
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