To All,
Good Tuesday Morning April 25 2023
I hope that your week is off to a good start.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History April 25
1862 Union Flag Officer David G. Farragut's fleet sails into New Orleans, La., after long preparation and fierce battles while passing through the Confederate defenses of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip the previous day.
1914 In the first use of U.S. Navy aircraft in a combat situation, Lt. j.g. P.N.L. Bellinger made a flight from USS Mississippis aviation unit at Vera Cruz, Mexico, to observe the city and make preliminary search for mines in the harbor.
1944 USS Crevalle (SS 291) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kashiwa Maru, north of Borneo and USS Guvania (SS 362) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Tetsuyo Maru, northwest of Chichi Jima.
1957 USS Forrestal (CVA 59) and USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39), with accompanying destroyers, enter the Eastern Mediterranean to support King Hussein of Jordans government from a possible coup conspiracy. The planned coup failed.
1959 USS Eversole (DD 789) rescues 14 Chinese Nationalist fishermen from their sinking fishing trawler in the Formosa Strait.
1998 The first-in-class Impeccable (T-AGOS 23), an ocean surveillance ship designed to gather acoustic data, detect and track submarines, is launched from Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is given to Military Sealift Command to be operated by both civilian and military crew members.
1998 The destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) is commissioned at Garden City Terminal in Savannah, Ga., before departing for her homeport of Norfolk, Va. The 24th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named after Chief Petty Officer Donald L. McFaul, a Navy SEAL who posthumously received the Navy Cross for attempting to save a platoon mate on Dec. 20, 1989, while serving in Panama during Operation Just Cause.
2009 Destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) is commissioned at Naval Weapons Station Charleston, S.C., before cruising to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
2009 Boeings new P8-A Poseidon test jet, a 737-based submarine hunter for the Navy that will replace the P3-C Orion, flies for first flight from Renton, Va., to Boeing Field, Seattle, Wash.
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This day in World history
April 25
1590 The Sultan of Morocco launches a successful attack to capture Timbuktu.
1644 The Ming Chongzhen emperor commits suicide by hanging himself.
1707 At the Battle of Almansa, Franco-Spanish forces defeat the Anglo-Portugese forces.
1719 Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe is published in London.
1792 The guillotine is first used to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier.
1859 Work begins on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
1862 Admiral David Farragut occupies New Orleans, Louisiana.
1864 After facing defeat in the Red River Campaign, Union General Nathaniel Bank returns to Alexandria, Louisiana.
1867 Tokyo is opened for foreign trade.
1882 French commander Henri Riviere seizes the citadel of Hanoi in Indochina.
1898 The United States declares war on Spain.
1915 Australian and New Zealand troops land at Gallipoli in Turkey.
1925 General Paul von Hindenburg takes office as president of Germany.
1926 In Iran, Reza Khan is crowned Shah and chooses the name "Pahlavi."
1926 Puccini's opera Turandot premiers at La Scala in Milan with Arturo Toscanini conducting.
1938 A seeing eye dog is used for the first time.
1945 U.S. and Soviet forces meet at Torgau, Germany on Elbe River.
1951 After a three day fight against Chinese Communist Forces, the Gloucestershire Regiment is annihilated on "Gloucester Hill," in Korea.
1953 The magazine Nature publishes an article by biologists Francis Crick and James Watson, describing the "double helix" of DNA.
1956 Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" goes to number one on the charts.
1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway--linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes--opens to shipping.
1960 The first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth is completed by a Triton submarine.
1962 A U.S. Ranger spacecraft crash lands on the Moon.
1971 The country of Bangladesh is established.
1980 President Jimmy Carter tells the American people about the hostage rescue disaster in Iran.
1982 In accordance with the Camp David agreements, Israel completes a withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula.
1990 Violeta Barrios de Chamorro begins a six year term as Nicaragua's president.
1983 Andropov writes to U.S. student
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
Skip… For The List for Tuesday, 25 April 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 25 April 1968… The Boomers come of age and explode in rage…
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.
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Memorial Service - CAPT Rick "Wigs" Ludwig, USN (Ret)
Thanks, to JJ Quinn
The Tailhook Association expresses our deepest condolences and respect on the passing of CAPT Rick "Wigs" Ludwig, USN (Ret) earlier this week. As Tailhook President, Wigs led us through our toughest years with determination and tenacity and kept supporting Tailhook for the rest of his life. When we speak of the giants whose shoulders we stand on, Wigs was a giant whose shoulders never tired and it will never be lost on us that Tailhook is as strong as it is today after 66 years because of Wigs. Whether you knew him as a fighter pilot, leader, mentor, or family, he epitomized everything we should strive to be as a person. His memory will continue to be an inspiration for all of us. For those of us who knew him well, we could write pages on Wigs, but I'm certain we'll be sharing Wigs stories at Hook this year and in the years to come. A fairly recent interview of Wigs at the San Diego Air and Space Museum captures some of his legacy; https://youtu.be/fZ0Q0nbo1nM Brother Wigs, you will be missed.
Funeral services are scheduled as follows;
• Monday, May 15, 2023
• 1130 Memorial Service St Michaels, 15546 Pomerado Rd, Poway 92064
• 1415 Burial service at Miramar National Cemetery
• Reception TBD
V/R,
Bill "Shortney" Gortney – THA Chairman
James "JJ" Quinn – TEF Chairman
Kristen "Dragon" Hansen – President
Greg "Chaser" Keithley – THA Executive Director
Rodger Welch – TEF Executive Director
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
THIS WILL WAKE YOU UP THIS MORNING
Thanks to Dale….this is really good. Gun camera kills galore Skip, Found this 1945 video of WWll in Europe The Fight For The Sky: Our Fighter Pilots Versus The Luftwaffe In Western Europe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEJa9iBPYb0
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Thanks to Tim
Thoughts on Tucker Carlson's Firing - The Last Refuge
Skip: I think you would find this take on his firing very interesting ... and i think it makes sense why Murdoch let him go .... i do not understand "red pill" but all else makes sense ... and his last paras scare me no end.
I am grieving for Wigs as are others ... Never knew him in uniform but we worked pretty closely in RB ... glad you are recognizing him as you are. He was one of a kind.
Best regards.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/04/24/thoughts-on-tucker-carlsons-firing/=
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/04/24/thoughts-on-tucker-carlsons-firing/=
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Thanks to Bill
One hell of a crane operator
Truly AMAZING!
Now here is something that I am pretty sure you've never seen before!
https://lr.mint.lgbt/vid/7n7gfna2ce9a1/480.mp4
https://lr.mint.lgbt/vid/7n7gfna2ce9a1/480.mp4
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Aparentlyu the link did not go out with this one so here is another try
Thanks to Dr. Rich
Build a 737 in 3:30 … amazing!!
Thanks to Mark ...
BOEING 737
This was fun to watch
Boeing produces over FORTY B-737 airplanes a month! That's about one every 18 hours! How do they do it? A train arrives with the fuseage (main body section) in the morning. That starts a moving production line process that results in a completed plane, ready for flight testing, about 18 hours later.
This 3 1⁄2 minute video - (yes, the motions of the humans and robots who build the plane are speeded up) - that shows the entire process, is truly fascinating.
Pilots and engineers will especially enjoy it... but so will anyone who flies!
Really Amazing: A must watch for all aviation maintenance personnel - Boeing Assembly Line - YouTube
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Thanks tto Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https:geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: Victory Day
By: George Friedman
April 25, 2023
We are a few weeks away from the anniversary of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany. The annual parade in Moscow boasts pictures of famous Soviet and Russian leaders and heroes standing atop the Kremlin, watching all the new military weapons roll by. For U.S. intelligence, it's like Christmas Day, as analysts are gifted a treasure trove of new military hardware to parse and analyze. But for anyone old enough to remember World War II, it's a recollection of despair. A Russian associate once told me that those who died early and quickly were the war's only victors. He took pleasure in the fact that Russia, whose chances of survival were dismissed by much of the world, handed to the Germans everything they had dealt out and more.
My father, who was born in Hungary, fought in World War II in his own way. Hungary allied with Germany and sent troops to fight Russia. A forced laborer, my father was at Voronezh north of Stalingrad, where the Hungarians and other allies were deployed. From his point of view, the Russians and the Germans were the same in that they were to be evaded at all costs.
The war began with a treaty between Germany and Russia. Together they agreed to invade Poland, which they did comfortably, with Russia taking the eastern portion. For Germany, the treaty with Russia vastly increased the chances of defeating Poland. Germany was unsure about it; it would be their first major campaign, and Berlin didn't know how well Poland or its own army, for that matter, would fight. A German attack from the west and a Russian attack from the east simplified the matter. In any case, Germany saw Poland as the first step in a far more ambitious campaign. It wanted Europe, and Europe included Russia. Berlin intended to turn on Russia in Poland and drive toward Moscow to subdue a country of vast resources. The ensuing war lasted until 1945. The truth is we will never know how many died, only that a generation's representatives stood in front of the Kremlin when the first parade was held.
To be sure, Russians regard the war as a brutal obscenity, but they also regard it as sacred. The dead might not be saints, but, in Russians' eyes, they are worthy of the name. The viciousness of the Stalin regime is no secret, yet many in Russia still regard the war as a moment of test and triumph, a time that proved its worth on a global stage. Russians regarded their country as a superpower for a generation – not just because it had nuclear weapons but because it had the Red Army, which defeated Hitler and conquered much of Europe. Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Romanians and half of all Germans bent their knees to Russia. It was not conquest by invasion, according to the Russians, but the consequence of self-defense.
Many Russians saw the collapse of the Soviet Union as an opportunity to become Western. To others, it was an embarrassment. Russia was not in their eyes the land of the heroes of World War II but a land of weakness. It had proved wanting. The land of Gen. Georgy Zhukov, the great commander of World War II, was now in the hands of shifty oligarchs.
The idea that the Russians had done this to themselves through corruption and weakness was as unbearable as such a fate might be to other countries. It was even worse since Russia had defeated Hitler and Napoleon. Russians saved Moscow because of the great distance they put between their capital and Europe. Now that distance was gone. They saw the United States as the dominant force in Ukraine, which now bordered Russia. For many Russians, it was nothing less than a national catastrophe.
There are those who blame their former ally and fellow superpower in the U.S. for the fall of the Soviet Union. To them, the idea that the heroes of World War II lost their country was less palatable than the idea that it had been torn down by America – an enemy they saw as worthy of the crime. The presence of the U.S. in Poland, a country they had once conquered and ruled, is for Russia not just a cruel trick of history but a carefully laid out American plot.
I think about cultural traditions like these as the Ukraine war drags on. I will not lay out the United States' defense, but I invite you to consider the nightmare Russia went through from 1945 and how many of the places of battle and war are still spoken of with pride and bitterness by Russians today. I am an American, and I know where Fulda Gap was, but in facing a nation that is actually an enemy, it is useful to understand the nightmares and compare them to ours.
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STRATFOR Thanks to Brett
ASSESSMENTS
The Weekly Rundown: South Korea's President Meets Biden, Lula Pushes Spain on EU Trade
Apr 24, 2023
What We're Tracking
South Korea's Yoon U.S. visit. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden during an April 24-9 visit to the United States to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their countries' alliance. A delegation of 122 business representatives will accompany Yoon, who is widely expected to pressure Biden to give South Korean automobile manufacturers exemptions to the requirements for tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. For his part, Biden is expected to pressure Yoon to deepen its material support for Ukraine to defend against Russia's invasion. Yoon recently hinted that Seoul might be willing to budge on its refusal to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the event Russia commits major war crimes or egregious human rights violations.
Lula in Portugal and Spain. Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to Portugal and Spain for high-level meetings April 21-26 on topics such as Brazil's position on the Russia-Ukraine war, funding for the fight against deforestation, and boosting economic ties and trade between the countries. Lula will almost certainly ask Spain to advocate for final approval of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, as Spain will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in July. But given the clout of the deal's opponents, namely France, pressure from Brazil is unlikely to see the free trade agreement through.
Uganda seeks to make a strict anti-LGBTQ bill even tougher. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to meet with parliament April 25 to strengthen certain provisions of an anti-LGBTQ bill. Already among the harshest such measures in the world, the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill passed in March imposes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" and 20-year prison sentences for "promoting homosexuality." What aspects of the bill Museveni wants to strengthen remain unclear, but the legislation already has triggered a new wave of arrests, evictions and mob violence against LGBTQ people — as well as strong condemnations from Western governments, corporations and human rights organizations. In 2014, Western governments suspended aid and imposed visa restrictions in response to a previous anti-gay bill; international companies like Google have warned that the new legislation could likewise hurt Uganda's economy and damage its foreign relations.
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This Day in U S Military History…….April 25
1960 – First submerged circumnavigation of the Earth was completed by a Triton submarine. Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world executed by the United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) in 1960 while under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach, USN. The New York Times described Triton 's submerged circumnavigation of the Earth as "a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man's ultimate conquest of the seas." The actual circumnavigation took place between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering 26,723 nautical miles (49,491 km; 30,752 mi) over 60 days and 21 hours. Operation Sandblast used the St. Peter and Paul Rocks, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean near the Equator, as the starting point and terminus for the circumnavigation. During the course of the circumnavigation, Triton crossed the Equator four times while maintaining an average speed of advance (SOA) of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Triton 's overall navigational track during Operation Sandblast generally followed the same course for the first circumnavigation of the world led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan between 1519-1522. The initial impetus for Operation Sandblast was to enhance American technological and scientific prestige prior to the May 1960 Paris Summit between U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Additionally, Operation Sandblast provided a high-profile public demonstration of the capability of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines to carry out long-range submerged operations independent of external support and undetected by hostile forces, presaging the initial deployment of the U.S Navy's Polaris ballistic missile submarines later in 1960. Finally, Operation Sandblast gathered extensive oceanographic, hydrographic, gravimetric, geophysical, and psychological data during Triton 's circumnavigation. Although official celebrations for Operation Sandblast were cancelled following the diplomatic furor arising from the shooting down of a CIA U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in early May 1960, the Triton did receive the Presidential Unit Citation with a special clasp in the form of a golden replica of the globe in recognition of the successful completion of its mission, and Captain Beach received the Legion of Merit for his role as Triton 's commanding officer. In 1961, Beach received the Magellanic Premium, the United States' oldest and most prestigious scientific award, from the American Philosophical Society in "recognition of his navigation of the U.S. submarine Triton around the globe."
Captain Edward L Beach Went on to write several best selling novels about Submarines including; Run Silent Run Deep.
skip
1972 – Hanoi's 320th Division drives 5,000 South Vietnamese troops into retreat and traps about 2,500 others in a border outpost northwest of Kontum in the Central Highlands. This was part of the ongoing North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive, also known as the "Easter Offensive," which included an invasion by 120,000 North Vietnamese troops. The offensive was based on three objectives: Quang Tri in the north, Kontum in the Central Highlands, and An Loc in the south–just 65 miles north of Saigon. If successful, the attack at Kontum would effectively cut South Vietnam in two across the Central Highlands, giving North Vietnam control of the northern half of South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese defenders were able to hold out and prevent this from happening.
1990 – The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope, a long-term space-based observatory, into a low orbit around Earth. The space telescope, conceived in the 1940s, designed in the 1970s, and built in the 1980s, was designed to give astronomers an unparalleled view of the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe. Initially, Hubble's operators suffered a setback when a lens aberration was discovered, but a repair mission by space-walking astronauts in December 1993 successfully fixed the problem, and Hubble began sending back its first breathtaking images of the universe. Free of atmospheric distortions, Hubble has a resolution 10 times that of ground-based observatories. About the size of a bus, the telescope is solar-powered and orbits Earth once every 97 minutes. Among its many astronomical achievements, Hubble has been used to record a comet's collision with Jupiter, provide a direct look at the surface of Pluto, view distant galaxies, gas clouds, and black holes, and see billions of years into the universe's past.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day *GONZALES, DAVID M.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Pacoima, Calif. Birth: Pacoima, Calif. G.O. No.: 115, 8 December 1945. Citation: He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.
*KNIGHT, RAYMOND L. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: In Northern Po Valley, Italy, 24 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Houston, Tex. Birth: Texas. G.O. No.: 81, 24 September 1945. Citation: He piloted a fighter-bomber aircraft in a series of low-level strafing missions, destroying 14 grounded enemy aircraft and leading attacks which wrecked 10 others during a critical period of the Allied drive in northern Italy. On the morning of 24 April, he volunteered to lead 2 other aircraft against the strongly defended enemy airdrome at Ghedi. Ordering his fellow pilots to remain aloft, he skimmed the ground through a deadly curtain of antiaircraft fire to reconnoiter the field, locating 8 German aircraft hidden beneath heavy camouflage. He rejoined his flight, briefed them by radio, and then led them with consummate skill through the hail of enemy fire in a low-level attack, destroying 5 aircraft, while his flight accounted for 2 others. Returning to his base, he volunteered to lead 3 other aircraft in reconnaissance of Bergamo airfield, an enemy base near Ghedi and 1 known to be equally well defended. Again ordering his flight to remain out of range of antiaircraft fire, 1st Lt. Knight flew through an exceptionally intense barrage, which heavily damaged his Thunderbolt, to observe the field at minimum altitude. He discovered a squadron of enemy aircraft under heavy camouflage and led his flight to the assault. Returning alone after this strafing, he made 10 deliberate passes against the field despite being hit by antiaircraft fire twice more, destroying 6 fully loaded enemy twin-engine aircraft and 2 fighters. His skillfully led attack enabled his flight to destroy 4 other twin-engine aircraft and a fighter plane. He then returned to his base in his seriously damaged plane. Early the next morning, when he again attacked Bergamo, he sighted an enemy plane on the runway. Again he led 3 other American pilots in a blistering low-level sweep through vicious antiaircraft fire that damaged his plane so severely that it was virtually nonflyable. Three of the few remaining enemy twin-engine aircraft at that base were destroyed. Realizing the critical need for aircraft in his unit, he declined to parachute to safety over friendly territory and unhesitatingly attempted to return his shattered plane to his home field. With great skill and strength, he flew homeward until caught by treacherous air conditions in the Appennines Mountains, where he crashed and was killed. The gallant action of 1st Lt. Knight eliminated the German aircraft which were poised to wreak havoc on Allied forces pressing to establish the first firm bridgehead across the Po River; his fearless daring and voluntary self-sacrifice averted possible heavy casualties among ground forces and the resultant slowing on the German drive culminated in the collapse of enemy resistance in Italy.
*ESSEBAGGER, JOHN, JR.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company A, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Popsudong, Korea, 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Holland, Mich. Born: 29 October 1928, Holland, Mich. G.O. No.: 61, 24 April 1952. Citation: Cpl. Essebagger, a member of Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Committed to effect a delaying action to cover the 3d Battalion's withdrawal through Company A, Cpl. Essebagger, a member of 1 of 2 squads maintaining defensive positions in key terrain and defending the company's right flank, had participated in repulsing numerous attacks. In a frenzied banzai charge the numerically superior enemy seriously threatened the security of the planned route of withdrawal and isolation of the small force. Badly shaken, the grossly outnumbered detachment started to fall back and Cpl. Essebagger, realizing the impending danger, voluntarily remained to provide security for the withdrawal. Gallantly maintaining a l-man stand, Cpl. Essebagger raked the menacing hordes with crippling fire and, with the foe closing on the position, left the comparative safety of his shelter and advanced in the face of overwhelming odds, firing his weapon and hurling grenades to disconcert the enemy and afford time for displacement of friendly elements to more tenable positions. Scorning the withering fire and bursting shells, Cpl. Essebagger continued to move forward, inflicting destruction upon the fanatical foe until he was mortally wounded. Cpl. Essebagger's intrepid action and supreme sacrifice exacted a heavy toll in enemy dead and wounded, stemmed the onslaught, and enabled the retiring squads to reach safety. His valorous conduct and devotion to duty reflected lasting glory upon himself and was in keeping with the noblest traditions of the infantry and the U.S. Army.
*GILLILAND, CHARLES L.
Rank and organization: Corporal (then Pfc.), U.S. Army, Company I, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tongmang-ni, Korea, 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Yellville (Marion County), Ark. Born: 24 May 1933, Mountain Home, Ark. G.O. No.: 2, 11 January 1955. Citation: Cpl. Gilliland, a member of Company I, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. A numerically superior hostile force launched a coordinated assault against his company perimeter, the brunt of which was directed up a defile covered by his automatic rifle. His assistant was killed by enemy fire but Cpl. Gilliland, facing the full force of the assault, poured a steady fire into the foe which stemmed the onslaught. When 2 enemy soldiers escaped his raking fire and infiltrated the sector, he leaped from his foxhole, overtook and killed them both with his pistol. Sustaining a serious head wound in this daring exploit, he refused medical attention and returned to his emplacement to continue his defense of the vital defile. His unit was ordered back to new defensive positions but Cpl. Gilliland volunteered to remain to cover the withdrawal and hold the enemy at bay. His heroic actions and indomitable devotion to duty prevented the enemy from completely overrunning his company positions. Cpl. Gilliland's incredible valor and supreme sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.
*GOODBLOOD, CLAIR
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company D, 7th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Near Popsu-dong, Korea, 24 and 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Burnham, Maine. Born: 18 September 1929, Fort Kent, Maine. G.O. No.: 14, 1 February 1952. Citation: Cpl. Goodblood, a member of Company D, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. Cpl. Goodblood, a machine gunner, was attached to Company B in defensive positions on thickly wooded key terrain under attack by a ruthless foe. In bitter fighting which ensued, the numerically superior enemy infiltrated the perimeter, rendering the friendly positions untenable. Upon order to move back, Cpl. Goodblood voluntarily remained to cover the withdrawal and, constantly vulnerable to heavy fire, inflicted withering destruction on the assaulting force. Seeing a grenade lobbed at his position, he shoved his assistant to the ground and flinging himself upon the soldier attempted to shield him. Despite his valorous act both men were wounded. Rejecting aid for himself, he ordered the ammunition bearer to evacuate the injured man for medical treatment. He fearlessly maintained his l-man defense, sweeping the onrushing assailants with fire until an enemy banzai charge carried the hill and silenced his gun. When friendly elements regained the commanding ground, Cpl. Goodblood's body was found lying beside his gun and approximately 100 hostile dead lay in the wake of his field of fire. Through his unflinching courage and willing self-sacrifice the onslaught was retarded, enabling his unit to withdraw, regroup, and resecure the strongpoint. Cpl. Goodblood's inspirational conduct and devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and are in keeping with the noble traditions of the military service.
MIYAMURA, HIROSHI H.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Taejon-ni, Korea, 24 and 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Gallup, N. Mex. Birth: Gallup, N. Mex. G.O. No.: 85, 4 November 1953. Citation: Cpl. Miyamura, a member of Company H, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 24 April, Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked threatening to overrun the position. Cpl. Miyamura, a machine gun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machine gun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company Cpl. Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers. Cpl. Miyamura's indomitable heroism and consummate devotion to duty reflect the utmost glory on himself and uphold the illustrious traditions on the military service.
SPRAYBERRY, JAMES M .
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 25 April 1968. Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 24 April 1947, LaGrange, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Sprayberry, Armor, U.S. Army, distinguished himself by exceptional bravery while serving as executive officer of Company D. His company commander and a great number of the men were wounded and separated from the main body of the company. A daylight attempt to rescue them was driven back by the well entrenched enemy's heavy fire. Capt. Sprayberry then organized and led a volunteer night patrol to eliminate the intervening enemy bunkers and to relieve the surrounded element. The patrol soon began receiving enemy machinegun fire. Capt. Sprayberry quickly moved the men to protective cover and without regard for his own safety, crawled within close range of the bunker from which the fire was coming. He silenced the machinegun with a hand grenade. Identifying several l-man enemy positions nearby, Capt. Sprayberry immediately attacked them with the rest of his grenades. He crawled back for more grenades and when 2 grenades were thrown at his men from a position to the front, Capt. Sprayberry, without hesitation, again exposed himself and charged the enemy-held bunker killing its occupants with a grenade. Placing 2 men to cover his advance, he crawled forward and neutralized 3 more bunkers with grenades. Immediately thereafter, Capt. Sprayberry was surprised by an enemy soldier who charged from a concealed position. He killed the soldier with his pistol and with continuing disregard for the danger neutralized another enemy emplacement. Capt. Sprayberry then established radio contact with the isolated men, directing them toward his position. When the 2 elements made contact he organized his men into litter parties to evacuate the wounded. As the evacuation was nearing completion, he observed an enemy machinegun position which he silenced with a grenade. Capt. Sprayberry returned to the rescue party, established security, and moved to friendly lines with the wounded. This rescue operation, which lasted approximately 71/2 hours, saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Capt. Sprayberry personally killed 12 enemy soldiers, eliminated 2 machineguns, and destroyed numerous enemy bunkers. Capt. Sprayberry's indomitable spirit and gallant action at great personal risk to his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
STUMPF, KENNETH E.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Duc Pho, Republic of Vietnam, 25 April 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 28 September 1944, Neenah, Wis. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Stumpf distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, Company C, on a search and destroy mission. As S/Sgt. Stumpf's company approached a village, it encountered a North Vietnamese rifle company occupying a well fortified bunker complex. During the initial contact, 3 men from his squad fell wounded in front of a hostile machinegun emplacement. The enemy's heavy volume of fire prevented the unit from moving to the aid of the injured men, but S/Sgt. Stumpf left his secure position in a deep trench and ran through the barrage of incoming rounds to reach his wounded comrades. He picked up 1 of the men and carried him back to the safety of the trench. Twice more S/Sgt. Stumpf dashed forward while the enemy turned automatic weapons and machineguns upon him, yet he managed to rescue the remaining 2 wounded squad members. He then organized his squad and led an assault against several enemy bunkers from which continuously heavy fire was being received He and his squad successfully eliminated 2 of the bunker positions, but one to the front of the advancing platoon remained a serious threat. Arming himself with extra hand grenades, S/Sgt. Stumpf ran over open ground, through a volley of fire directed at him by a determined enemy, toward the machinegun position. As he reached the bunker, he threw a hand grenade through the aperture. It was immediately returned by the occupants, forcing S/Sgt. Stumpf to take cover. Undaunted, he pulled the pins on 2 more grenades, held them for a few seconds after activation, then hurled them into the position, this time successfully destroying the emplacement. With the elimination of this key position, his unit was able to assault and overrun the enemy. S/Sgt. Stumpf's relentless spirit of aggressiveness, intrepidity, and ultimate concern for the lives of his men, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 25, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1914: FIRST SORTIE AGAINST ANOTHER COUNTRY. The USS Mississippi's aviation unit completed its first flight near Vera Cruz, Mexico, when Lt (JG) Patrick N. L. Bellinger flew the Curtiss AB-3 Flying Boat from the battleship to observe the city and harbor. (20)
1922: Eddie Stinson flew Stout Engineering Laboratory's twin-engine ST-1, the Navy's first all-metal plane, on its first flight. Although the ST-1 had inadequate longitudinal stability, it marked a step forward in the development of all-metal planes. (24)
1940: The Navy commissioned the carrier USS Wasp. (24)
1944: Seventh Air Force B-24s made the first land plane attack on Guam from Eniwetok, while Navy PBYs flew photo reconnaissance missions. (24) Flying a Sikorsky YR-4 helicopter, Lt Carter Harman, 1st Air Commando Group, rescued four men from the jungle in Burma. That rescue was the first combat rescue by helicopter in the US AAF. (21)
April 1944: A Sikorsky YR-4B helicopter, Lt Carter Harman, 1st Air Commando Group, rescued four men from the jungle in Burma. That rescue was the first combat rescue by helicopter in the US AAF. The limited range of the YR-4B and small size of its cabin constrained how Harman managed the rescue operation. He transported the soldiers one by one to a liaison L-5 plane waiting at a designated sandbar and without the aid of weaponry. Over the span of two days, he ferried the soldiers to this plane bringing them to safety.
1945: Eighth Air Force made its last attack on an industrial target in World War II, when 274 bombers dropped 500 tons of bombs on Skoda Works at Plyen, Czechoslovakia. (4) (24)
1953: Col Joseph J. Preston, 91 SRW Commander, flew the first RB-47 (# 51-2194) to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. (1)
1956: Piloted by Frank Everest, the X-2 completed its first supersonic flight. The X-2 was a rocket-powered, swept-wing research aircraft developed jointly in 1945 by Bell Aircraft Corporation, the United States Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to explore aerodynamic problems of supersonic flight.
1966: The first Minuteman II squadron, the 447 SMS, became operational at Grand Forks AFB, when AFSC's Ballistic Systems Division transferred the 50 missiles and 5 launch control centers to SAC. (6) (16)
1967: Maj Gen Benjamin D. Foulois died at Andrews AFB at the age of 87. He was the first person to fly an Army dirigible; first military observer on a cross-country flight with Orville Wright; first military man to teach himself to fly; one of two Americans to first use a plane in combat; and the first Chief of Staff of the Army Air Corps to be a military aviator. (16) (26) The first jet-assisted C-123K Provider assault transports arrived at Tan Son Nhut AB for duty with the 19th Air Commando Squadron. The older C-123Bs began returning to the CONUS for modification on 27 April. (17)
1969: SAC decided to disperse its bomber and tanker aircraft to improve the survivability of its alert forces. (16)
1970: The 175 TFG in Baltimore, Md., received an A-37 aircraft, the ANG's first. (16)
1971: The last C-130A in PACAF, assigned to the 374 TAW at Naha AB, flew to the states for an assignment with a reserve or ANG unit. (17)
1990: Boeing delivered the 200th re-engined KC-135R to the 340 AREFG at Altus AFB. This program replaced the Pratt & Whitney J57 engines on 237 KC-135's with CFM International F-108 engines. (20)
2001: An AFFTC pilot from Edwards AFB released the first Joint-Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile
(JASSM) from a B-52H. (3)
2003: The General Electric F110-GE-132 engine, with 32,500 lbs of thrust, flew for the first time.
The engine would be fitted in the Block 60 F-16. It was the highest-thrust fighter engine ever developed for that aircraft. (3)
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