To All,
Good Monday morning April 4 2023.
I hope that our week has started well
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History April 4
1776
Continental Navy Frigate Columbus captures the British schooner HMS Hawk, making the first American capture of a British armed vessel. Columbus later captures the British brig Bolton.
1854
American and British naval brigades of 90 and 150 men engage Chinese Imperial troops at Shanghai after acts of aggression against American and British citizens. The American party fell under the command of Cmdr. J. Kelly, the commanding officer of USS Plymouth.
1933
USS Akron (ZRS-4)crashes tail-first into the sea due to a violent storm coming off the New Jersey coast, killing Rear Adm. William A. Moffett, Medal of Honor recipient and the first Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, along with 75 others. Only three survive.
1943
USS Porpoise (SS 172) sinks the Japanese whaling ship Koa Maru near Eniwetok.
1949
The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The treaty promotes peace, stability, and well-being in the North Atlantic area with a collective defense effort.
1981
USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) is launched and commissioned the following year. She is named in honor of Ensign Groves for "fearlessly plunging into aerial combat against large formations of enemy aircraft threatening the American carriers in the Battle of Midway."
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This Day in World History
April 4
527 In Constantinople, Justin, seriously ill, crowns his nephew Justinian as his co-emperor.
1581 Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world.
1812 The territory of Orleans becomes the 18th state and will become known as Louisiana.
1818 The United States flag is declared to have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars.
1841 President William Henry Harrison, aged 68, becomes the first president to die in office, just a month after being sworn in.
1862 The Battle of Yorktown begins as Union gen. George B. McClellan closes in on Richmond, Va.
1917 The U.S. Senate votes 90-6 to enter World War I on Allied side.
1918 The Battle of the Somme ends.
1941 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel captures the British held town of Benghazi in North Africa.
1949 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty is signed.
1968 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1974 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record.
1979 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the president of Pakistan is executed.
1985 A coup in Sudan ousts President Nimeiry and replaces him with General Dahab.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Tuesday, 4 April 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 4 April 1968… As the sun was setting in Memphis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated… in Indiana, a somber Senator Robert Kennedy spoke from the heart — timeless wisdom… (and appropriate for this day in 2023, 55-years after the death of MLK, Jr and the remarks of RFK)…
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 Kit,
This is a real treat for you all. Kit wrote "Flying Black Ponies" and I have mentioned it before in The List.
He has provided some links to a few chapters in the book. There is a good chance that he will be at the Bubba Breakfast this Friday as I am going to pick him up…Skip
Skip Let me know if these links work for you. The first is a link to the two Prefaces to "Flying Black Ponies "book, and the first chapter about Bubba Segars' shoot down. and a couple more chapters:
The second link is to Smithsonian Channel "Air Warriors" Season 6, Episode 5 about the OV-10. It includes the OV-10 that was taken by DEVGRU to Iraq. It also includes an interview with me about a night mission that Bubba and I flew in 1971 where we expended all of our ordnance and we were called half way home to return and save the the outpost from being overrun, with NO ordnance:
https://www.yidio.com/show/air-warriors/season-6/episode-5/links.html
https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/episodes/99it4a/air-warriors-ov-10-bronco-season-6-ep-5
I think one can get a free pass to view the episode.
Kit
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Thanks to Al
Subject: Monday Morning Thoughts and Humor--Easter
Submitted by Mark Logan:
All I need to know, I learned from the Easter Bunny!
• Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
• Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
• There's no such thing as too much candy.
• All work and no play can make you a basket case.
• Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
• Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
• Some body parts should be floppy.
• Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.
• Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.
• The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
• To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
• The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.
Top Reasons to Celebrate Easter Sunday:
• You absolutely loved the movie, "The Ten Commandments".
• You look really, really good in yellow.
• It's a good time to check out your neighborhood church and not be noticed.
• Even though you don't know what it is, you really like the sound of hearing the "Passion story."
• You figured since Jesus went to all THAT trouble to make it to the first Easter, you'd give it a shot.
• As a Christian you celebrate the resurrection every other day, why not Easter too?
A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside.
Pastor said, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"
My friend said, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor."
Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?"
He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service."
Submitted by Al Anderson:
Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12, he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.
One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."
Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."
Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying? As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. "Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."
From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red.
She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."
Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically, all except for Jeremy.
He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.
That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.
In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here."
A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too."
Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."
Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life.
Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.
Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"
Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty."
He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too.'
Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?"
"Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."
The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.
Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
The making of these Easter cookies are a really great "hands-on" way of helping the children in your lives, to understand what Easter is all about. It is recommended that they be made Saturday night before Easter. You will need::
• 1c. whole pecans
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• A pinch of salt
• 1c. sugar
• Zipper baggie
• Wooden spoon
• Tape
• Bible
Preheat oven to 300 (This is important--don't wait till you're half done with the recipe).
Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9
Submitted by Holly Vanderpool:
Obituary
Jesus Christ, 33, of Nazareth died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Betrayed by the apostle Judas, Jesus was crucified by the Romans, by order of the Ruler Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were crucifixion, extreme exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood.
Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, was a member of the house of David. He was the Son of the late Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth, and Mary, His devoted mother. Jesus was born in a stable in the city of Bethlehem, Judea. He is survived by His mother mary, His faithful apostles, numerous disciples, and many other followers.
Jesus was self-educated and spent most of His adult life working as a Teacher. Jesus was occasionally worked as a healer and it is reported that He healed many patients. Up until the time of His death, Jesus was teaching and sharing the Good News, healing the sick, touching the lonely, feeding the hungry, and helping the poor.
Jesus was most noted for telling parables about His Father's kingdom and performing miracles, such as feeding over 5000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, and healing a man who was born blind. On the day before His death, He held a Last Supper celebrating the Passover feast, at which he foretold His death.
The body was quickly buried in a stone grave, which was donated by Joseph of Arimathea, a loyal friend of the family. By order of Pontius Pilate, a boulder was rolled in front of the tomb. Roman soldiers were put on guard.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that everyone try to live as Jesus did. Donations may be sent to anyone in need.
NEWS FLASH UPDATE--Reports from the garden are that the stone has been rolled away, Jesus is not in the tomb, and a man in dazzling white clothing said that Jesus has risen from the dead. Mary, the disciples, and several others have reported seeing the risen Jesus.
Wishing you a happy and blessed Easter!
Al
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Thanks to outlaw
Interesting video, Skip. Lots of bragging on both sides and only time will time which one comes out on top.
New F-35 Shocked Russians: The Only Fighter Jet To Beat SU-57
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSN9uw4YXo0
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Thanks to Carl
When I started buying my own tools I always bought Craftsman because my dad did They were good tools and if one broke you could always go into Sears and they would give you a new one. If you happened to find an old craftsman tool they would still give a new one of that same model. I remember once finding a ratchet wrench that had been pretty abused and took it in. The Sears guy looked at me and made some comment about the state of the tool and then handed me the new one and said take care of your tools. But his look said volumes…..I still have it………Skip
Here's How Tool Companies Charge Vastly Different Prices for the Same Tools
"It's a poor workman who blames his tools" — some dead guy.
BYHANK O'HOP| PUBLISHED MAR 29, 2023
Make no mistake; there's no replacement for good tools, as it's a lot easier to focus on your craftsmanship when cheap junk isn't making life miserable. And a good rule to live by is to spend good money on the tools you use most, even if the initial blast of buying high-quality tools will make you cry at first. But it's a plunge you'll thank yourself for taking every time you pick them up to go to work from then on. That's especially true if you use them to make a living.
But does it make sense to pay a premium when the same tool with a different sticker on the side is available for much cheaper? Most would agree it's nice to have nice things, but not if it means getting ripped off. Yet, this seems to be a really common occurrence in the tool world as a lot of what the top names are offering seems to have cheap clones available. And if you spend a little time doing your homework, you'll find out that there are a lot of opportunities to get what the pros are pedaling at serious discounts, so long as you're willing to forgo name-brand recognition.
Matco is probably the first name to come to the minds of many vets when this subject comes up. Many of its tools can be had at much lower costs through brands like Icon and Central Pneumatic. They aren't the only ones falling under scrutiny, though. Milwaukee is being compared to Rigid regularly, as is DeWalt to Hercules and even Snap-On to Daytona. Let's talk about what's going on here.
What is Rebranding?
If you're deep in the tool rabbit hole, rebranding is a term you're going to hear a lot. This refers to when a manufacturer outsources the production of a tool or sources a tool from a third-party manufacturer and stamps its name on it.
What that means is that more often than not, the same pro-level tool can be purchased from a much more economical brand. And that means you might be able to score the same tools someone pays a premium for from a tool truck for a fraction of the price.
ACTUAL Professional tools you can find at HARBOR FREIGHT PART 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uCKPfr10hw
A good example of this is the above Daytona floor jack at Harbor Freight. Garnet Tools does a great job of summarizing the whole ordeal. Summed up, Snap-On offers the exact same jack at nearly triple the cost. Not just a similar jack, it's made by the exact same manufacturer. By comparing the two side by side, it's apparent that the only real difference between them is the sticker on the side. In other words, you're saving serious cash at Harbor Freight.
A similar practice that's not quite as taboo takes place when brands share the same parent company. In most cases, you can find the exact same tools in any of the lines for different prices. For example, Stanley Black and Decker offers Craftsman, DeWalt, and Stanley.
I personally had the opportunity to test out tools from each of those brands. As it turns out the ratchets shared the same head kit, and could even be swapped around and function just fine. The same can be said for many tool lines offered by the Apex Tool Group, which includes Crescent, Gearwrench, and Sata.
It's Not Every Tool
Before you walk away feeling jaded or under the impression that anything that looks similar must be the same, I should clarify that there are as many original tools and knockoffs as there are rebrands. The fact is that some tool lines really do manufacture many of its own tools, and the companies put a lot of time into making sure you're getting a high-quality product.
However, as much as those brands want to push the illusion that the same production process is applied across the entire line, that's simply not the case. These companies can and will let someone else make a tool for cheaper if it makes sense. The silver lining is that a big-name manufacturer probably isn't going to put their name on garbage products. Well, it might, but it'll try not to do it often.
Companies might also make some slight tweaks of its own so the design doesn't directly match what everyone else is using. Those changes may be small but can make a difference in how a tool looks, feels, and potentially even performs.
Another more common trend is that the bigger names can pay more for the manufacturing process than smaller brands can. That often translates to the "better" tools undergoing more stringent quality testing. So when you save on the tool, you just might take a hit in quality control. That's something I picked up on when working in the parts industry.
Where to Research
The main takeaway from this discussion is that a little bit of homework can go a long way. Not taking a tool manufacturer's claims at face value can potentially save you thousands when building your collection of reliable tools.
You can do the research for yourself, which is to read into who owns a company you're interested in buying tools from, what other brands fall under the same umbrella, and, of course, by making astute observations of similar tools on the market, that may or may not come from sister companies.
You should be doing all of that already to protect your investment, but it takes time to build the instincts and knowledge you need to move efficiently through that space. In the meantime, you can save yourself a lot of the heavy lifting by turning to well-established sources that know the industry like the back of their hand.
Mr. Subaru is a big one in that space and is a great source of information about tools used by mechanics. I also highly recommend Garnet Tools, a fellow Pennsylvanian who does an excellent job of deep diving into anything he gets his hands on. CP the Tool Addict and Tool Demos are another great set of sources that regularly explore this very topic, too.
This kind of knowledge is far more powerful than you might think. Why? Because everyone does it, including many parts manufacturers. Most of those affordable in-house brands are actually the exact same stuff as the premium parts suppliers are pushing. That applies to both repair and modification parts. Warranties and boxes might change, but the parts beneath it all are the same.
And don't get me started on all the badge engineering when it comes to actual vehicles…cough, cough, Toyobaru.
Obviously, it's a double-edged sword, and you can easily get burned if you're not careful. Don't just assume that cheap parts, tools, or cars from the same companies as more expensive offerings are as good as those expensive items. Those bigger brands can charge premium prices for a reason, and it's not just because everyone's an idiot but you.
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Thanks to Ralph, Glen and Mark
This is another great UTube from Ward Carrol
Essentially this was a "small guy" conflict that I'm sure elevated everyones' blood pressure. Amp that up to a major-power conflict and everything gets ramped up to an extreme level.
I'm glad it was planned and executed as a "small guy" conflict.
Thanks. Ralph
On Monday, April 3, 2023 at 10:23:51 AM PDT, Mark A. Russell <mark85749@gmail.com> wrote:
Some crazy times in that small stretch of the Strait. I cannot believe Iran didn't launch at least some of the hundreds of Silkworm missiles along their coastline. Maybe they don't have confidence for the targeting? In other words launching into crowded shipping lanes, civilian ships mixed with military, who's who?
There are a few pieces missing in this rendition, but none that were huge. Ex. US Specs Ops (other than assigned SEALS) from the US and a couple allied nations played a part. A friend of mine shimmied up one of the anchoring lines to one of the platforms. He's Army SOF. They did so at night to plant charges. US Army 160th spec ops Little Birds did a wee bit of chasing and shooting at the Iranian boghammar boats. Another friend "Big Neil" (ex. Delta Force pilot) gleefully spoke about "sawing those dang boats in half with the minigun". He was operating with and out of the UAE.
Anyway, crazy incidents and something tells me there will be more. Mark
On Sun, Apr 2, 2023 at 9:31 PM Glenn Russell
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Thanks to Mike
Interesting commentary.
by William Hamilton, Ph.D.
Vietnam remembered: 50 years later
When the order came to withdraw from Cambodia, we were in our 57th day of literally decimating the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) under Rules of Engagement (ROE) denied to us in South Vietnam. And, oddly enough, we Grunts had always been forbidden to attack the North Vietnamese Army in its homeland. How strange that President Johnson (LBJ) ordered Navy and USAF pilots to drop more bombs in the homeland of our ally than in the homeland of our enemy.
But then, LBJ and Secretary of State Dean Rusk were repeatedly telling President Ho Chi Minh that his job was safe j, unlike the victors of previous wars, we had no plans to invade North Vietnam. Our allies, the South Vietnamese, would have to suffer the inevitable collateral damage that attends bombing and strafing of the enemy.
We GIs, during my two years with the 1st Air Cavalry Division, went far out of our way to protect "our little allied brothers," for whom we held a wary affection. Wary because the NVA sometimes had its spys hidden in their ranks.
Most South Vietnamese just wanted to be left alone. But the over two million North Vietnamese Roman Catholics who fled south rather than be killed by the atheist Ho Chi Minh and his fellow communists wanted us to "win" and, thereby, allow them to go back home.
Such a convoluted geopolitical mess was the work of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, of his "whiz kids," and the work of a corrupt politician who, by the blast of an assassin's bullet, was thrust into a Commander-in-Chief's role for which he was totally unsuited. On March 31,1968, LBJ admitted as much, throwing in his presidential towel.
While the passage of 50 years makes these realities abundantly clear today, the statesmen who stumbled our Armed Forces into the Vietnam War did not possess the wisdom of General von Clausewitz, or Sun Tsu or that of Sir Halford John MacKinder, the founder of geopolitics. We GIs and the South Vietnamese were to suffer for that.
Nevertheless, we who had sworn an oath to protect and defend the United States and to obey the orders of those appointed over us, went off to do our duty in a war that lasted for ten years. History records we did our duty exceedingly well.
In 1975, when the Democrat-controlled Congress pulled the rug out from under the South Vietnamese, the "boat people" fled toward those who had fought beside them. That's us. Ironically, we GIs ended up generally beloved by our former allies and hated by the mostly upper-class elites and a few Bubbas like Bill Clinton who dodged military service.
It took this veteran 50 years to mull over the Vietnam/Cambodia experience and put it down on paper. Because the proceeds from this book go to disabled veterans, I do not shy away from citing it here: War During Peace: A Strategy for Defeat. The title says it all: Trying to be at war and at peace at the same time is a strategy for defeat. Either win or stay home because the consequences of an unwinnable strategy are the internal strife and discord from which our nation has yet to recover.
Suggested reading: War During Peace: A Strategy for Defeat, by William Hamilton, Ph.D., 2021. https://www.amazon.com/WAR-DURING-PEACE-Strategy-Defeat-ebook/dp/B09C1LRPGY/ref=sr_
©2023. William Hamilton.
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This Day in U S Military History April 4
1776 – The first Columbus, a 24-gun armed ship, was built at Philadelphia in
1774 as Sally; purchased for the Continental Navy in November 1775, Captain Abraham Whipple in command. Between 17 February and 8 April 1776, in company with the other ships of Commodore Esek Hopkins' squadron, Columbus took part in the expedition to New Providence, Bahamas, where the first Navy-Marine amphibious operation seized essential military supplies. On the return passage, the squadron captured the British schooner, Hawk.
1918 – During World War I, the Second Battle of the Somme, the first major German offensive in more than a year, ends on the western front. On March 21, 1918, a major offensive against Allied positions in the Somme River region of France began with five hours of bombardment from more than 9,000 pieces of German artillery. The poorly prepared British Fifth Army was rapidly overwhelmed and forced into retreat. For a week, the Germans pushed toward Paris, shelling the city from a distance of 80 miles with their "Big Bertha" cannons. However, the poorly supplied German troops soon became exhausted, and the Allies halted the German advance as French artillery knocked out the German guns besieging Paris. On April 2, U.S. General John J. Pershing sent American troops down into the trenches to help defend Paris and repulse the German offensive. It was the first major deployment of U.S. troops in World War I. Several thousand American troops fought alongside the British and French in the Second Battle of Somme. By the time the Somme offensive ended on April 4, the Germans had advanced almost 40 miles, inflicted some 200,000 casualties, and captured 70,000 prisoners and more than 1,000 Allied guns. However, the Germans suffered nearly as many casualties as their enemies and lacked the fresh reserves and supply boost the Allies enjoyed following the American entrance into the fighting.
1945 – On Okinawa, the forces of US 10th Army begin to meet the first real Japanese resistance on the ground. Troops of US 24th Corps are brought to a halt on a line just south of Kuba while the forces of 3rd Amphibious Corps have reached the Ishikawa Isthmus. A storm damages many landing craft and hampers further reinforcement.
1973 – A Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, makes the last flight of Operation Homecoming. Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and now in a museum. From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 C-141 missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POWs home. Each plane brought back 40 POWs. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war. After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered. These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees well being. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them.
1975 – The first group of boat people from Vietnam began arriving in Malaysia. More than 1 million people fled from the close of the war to the early 1980s.
1975 – A major U.S. airlift of South Vietnamese orphans begins with disaster when an Air Force cargo jet crashes shortly after departing from Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon. More than 138 passengers, mostly children, were killed. Operation Baby Lift was designed to bring 2,000 South Vietnamese orphans to the United States for adoption by American parents. Baby Lift lasted for 10 days and was carried out during the final, desperate phase of the war, as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon. Although this first flight ended in tragedy, all subsequent flights were completed safely, and Baby Lift aircraft brought orphans across the Pacific until the mission's conclusion on April 14, only 16 days before the fall of Saigon and the end of the war.
1983 – The space shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage and the first US female into space was Sally Ride. Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was the second orbiter of NASA's space shuttle program to be put into service following Columbia. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California. It launched and landed nine times before breaking apart 73 seconds into its tenth mission, STS-51-L, on January 28, 1986, resulting in the death of all seven crew members. It was the first of two shuttles to be destroyed. The accident led to a two-and-a-half year grounding of the shuttle fleet; flights resumed in 1988 with STS-26 flown by Discovery. Challenger itself was replaced by Endeavour which was built using structural spares ordered by NASA as part of the construction contracts for Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour launched for the first time in May 1992.
2001 – Chinese President Jiang Zemin demanded the United States apologize for the collision between a U.S. Navy spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet; the Bush administration offered a chorus of regrets, but no apology.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BREWER, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 2d New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Appomattox campaign, Va., 4 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Putnam County, N.Y. Date of issue: 3 May 1865. Citation: Capture of engineer flag, Army of Northern Virginia.
RILEY, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 1st Louisiana Cavalry. Place and date: At Fort Blakely, Ala., 4 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 8 June 1865. Citation: Captured the flag of the 6th Alabama Cavalry.
BUCKLEY, HOWARD MAJOR
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 23 January 1868, Croton Falls, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: For distinguished conduct in the presence of the Enemy in battle while with the Eighth Army Corps on 25, 27, 29 March, and 4 April 1899.
LEONARD, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. (Enlisted as Joseph Melvin). Born: 28 August 1876, Cohoes, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy in battles, while with the Eighth Army Corps on 25, 27, and 29 March, and on 4 April 1899.
CONDE-FALCON, FELIX M.
Rank and Organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 82d Division. Place and Date: April 4, 1969, Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam. Born: February 24, 1938, Juncos, Puerto Rico. Departed: Yes (04/04/1969). Entered Service At: Chicago, IL. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 03/18/2014. Accredited To: . Citation: Conde-Falcon distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions, April 4, 1969, while serving as platoon leader during a sweep operation in the vicinity of Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam. Entering a heavily wooded section on the route of advance, the company encountered an extensive enemy bunker complex, later identified as a battalion command post. Following tactical artillery and air strikes on the heavily secured communist position, the platoon of Conde-Falcon was selected to assault and clear the bunker fortifications. Moving out ahead of his platoon, he charged the first bunker, heaving grenades as he went. As the hostile fire increased, he crawled to the blind side of an entrenchment position, jumped to the roof, and tossed a lethal grenade into the bunker aperture. Without hesitating, he proceeded to two additional bunkers, both of which he destroyed in the same manner as the first. Rejoined with his platoon, he advanced about one hundred meters through the trees, only to come under intense hostile fire. Selecting three men to accompany him, he maneuvered toward the enemy's flank position. Carrying a machine-gun, he single-handedly assaulted the nearest fortification, killing the enemy inside before running out of ammunition. After returning to the three men with his empty weapon and taking up an M-16 rifle, he concentrated on the next bunker. Within ten meters of his goal, he was shot by an unseen assailant and soon died of his wounds. His great courage, his ability to act appropriately and decisively in accomplishing his mission, his dedication to the welfare of his men mark him as an outstanding leader Conde-Falcon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
SMITH, PAUL RAY
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, 2nd Platoon, B Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and Date: At Baghdad, Iraq, 4 April 2003. Citation: Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 4, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
4 April
1933: The Navy dirigible Akron crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast, killing 73 people. Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, was one of the casualties. (21)
1944: Fifteenth Air Force conducted the first American bombing raid on Bucharest, Rumania. (24)
1957: The USAF announced that Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation would study the use of ions as a power source for spaceships and missiles. (16) (24)
1963: In a fourth successful system trial, a Kwajalein-based Nike-Zeus anti-ICBM missile intercepted a Titan I ICBM launched from Vandenberg AFB. AMERICAN
1964: After an earthquake hit Anchorage and Seward, Alaska, C-124s airlifted 235,000 pounds of supplies from McChord AFB to the area. The Air Rescue Service flew medical supplies, reconnaissance, and evacuated injured or homeless people. (2)
1966: NASA selected eight new astronauts: Capt Joe H. Engle, Maj William R. Pogue, Capt Charles M. Duke, Jr., Capt Alfred M. Worden, Capt Stuart A. Roosa, Navy Lt Cmdr Edgar D Mitchell and Lt Thomas K. Mattingly, and Mr. Fred W. Haise, Jr.
1969: The X-24 Lifting Body completed its first captive flight with test pilot Maj Jerauld R. Gentry at the controls. (3) MACKAY TROPHY. Through 10 April, from Spangdahlem AB the 49 TFW redeployed its 72 F-4Ds to Holloman AFB, using 504 refuelings. The unit earned the Mackay Trophy for this event. (21)
1972: The USAF renamed the Advanced ICBM as Missile-X. (6)
1974: Northrop's YF-17 prototype lightweight fighter rolled out at Hawthorne, Calif. (3)
1975: Operation NEW LIFE. To evacuate Cambodia and Vietnam, SAC flew tanker and reconnaissance sorties to support the US withdrawal. Through 30 April, MAC C-141s and C-130s, under PACAF's operational control, flew 375 missions to carry 50,493 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees from Indochina to Pacific staging areas. From 12 April to 16 August, Andersen AFB became a temporary haven for some 110,000 refugees who traveled to the US. (1) (18) Operation BABYLIFT/AIR FORCE CROSS: A MAC C-5 crashed in an emergency landing near Saigon, while flying the first mission in this operation. It carried South Vietnamese children and their escorts from Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon to Clark AB. Of the 314 passengers, 176 survived the crash. 1Lt Regina C. Aune, a flight nurse aboard the C-5, ignored broken leg and other injuries to help evacuate nearly 80 children from the plane's wreckage. She received the 1975 Cheney Award for her efforts. The pilot and copilot, Captains Dennis W. Traynor III and Tilford W. Harp, also received the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism. Despite this tragedy, the operation succeeded as C-141s and commercial planes moved 1,794 orphans from South Vietnam and Thailand to the US West Coast through 9 May. (2) (18)
1983: From 4-9 April, in the Space Shuttle Challenger's first mission the crew completed the first American spacewalk in nine years and launched NASA's first tracking and data relay satellite, which failed to reach its proper orbit due to a rocket malfunction. The shuttle landed on 9 April at Edwards AFB. This landing, however, represented the first time a shuttle had to be diverted into Edwards. (3)
1990: McDonnell Douglas provided the last of 60 KC-10A Extenders to the USAF. (16) (26)
1991: SAC assigned KC-10s to TAC's 4th Wing, the first composite wing. SAC remained the single air refueling manager. (18)
1999: Operation SUSTAIN HOPE or SHINING HOPE. A C-17 Globemaster III started this operation by airlifting relief supplies from Dover AFB to Tirana, Albania. By the 8 July end of the humanitarian airlift component of Operation ALLIED FORCE, Air Mobility Command had used C-5s, C-17s, and C-130s to airlift 913 passengers and 5,939 short tons of food and supplies to refugee camps in Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro. (21) (22)
2003: At Edwards AFB, the CV-22 Osprey completed a milestone by successfully flying a terrain following radar sortie. (3)
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