To All,
Good Thursday Morning May 4 2023.
I hope that your week has been going well.
Tomorrow is Bubba Breakfast
And yes Mother's Day is 14 May a week from this Sunday
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History May 4
1917 Destroyer Division 8, commanded by Cmdr. Joseph K. Taussig, arrive at Queenstown, Ireland, to protect convoy escorts against German U-Boats.
1942 Battle of the Coral Sea begins when TF 17 attacks the Japanese Tulagi Invasion Force at Tulagi, Solomons.
1945 During the Okinawa Campaign, the Japanese attempt to land on Okinawa but are repulsed by the Allied naval forces. Kamikazes attack and sink: USS Luce (DD 522), USS Morrison (DD 560), USS LSM 190, USS LSM 194. Damaged by the suicide bombers are USS Birmingham (CL 62) and USS Sangamon (CVE 26).
1961 Cmdr. Malcolm D. Ross, pilot, and medical observer Lt. Cmdr. Victor A. Prather, Jr, ascend in two hours to more than 110,000 feet in Strato-Lab 5, setting altitude record for manned open gondola.
2013 USS Anchorage (LPD 23) is commissioned in her namesake city. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock is the second ship to be named after the Alaskan city.
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Today in World History May 4
495 Pope Gelasius asserts that his authority is superior to Emperor Anastasius.
1568 French forces in Florida slaughter hundreds of Spanish.
1855 Macon B. Allen becomes the first African American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts.
1859 France declares war on Austria.
1863 The Battle of Chancellorsville rages for a second day.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train arrives in Springfield, Illinois.
1926 U.S. Marines land in Nicaragua.
1952 The first airplane lands at the geographic North Pole.
1968 After three days of battle, the U.S. Marines retake Dai Do complex in Vietnam, only to find the North Vietnamese have evacuated the area.
1971 James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, is caught in a jail break attempt.
1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Great Britain.
1982 A British submarine sinks Argentina's only cruiser during the Falkland Islands War.
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The following is the information for the services for Capt. Rick Ludwig USN Ret.
• Monday, May 15, 2023
• 1130 Memorial Service St Michaels, Catholic Church 15546 Pomerado Rd, Poway 92064
Motorcade to Miramar National Cemetery National Cemetery for 1415 Burial service •
Show up around 1:45 and staging in Lane 2
Reception to follow 3:30 to 5:30 at Pitcher's Sports Bar. 9920 Carmel Mountain Rd. San Diego Ca. 92129 (Penasquitos). Parking is limited , suggest parking across the street in the Stator Brothers parking Lot
Thanks to Eric and Nancee
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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 Thursday, 4 May 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 4 May 1968… Foes agree to talk peace in Paris…it's a start…
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-4-may-1968-paris-in-the-spring/
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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. The Bomb That Changed the Course of the War
On 8 May 1942, 24 SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS Yorktown (CV-5) commenced an attack on the Japanese fleet carrier IJN Shokaku in the Coral Sea. As each bomber nosed over in near-vertical dives from 18,000 feet on the wildly maneuvering Shokaku, their windscreens and bomb sights fogged over so badly during the descent that the U.S. pilots were blinded, forced to release their bombs "by memory." Although one bomb hit the Shokaku very near the bow and started a serious fire, one bomb after another missed. Finally one SBD, piloted by Lieutenant John Powers (U.S. Naval Academy '35), his wing on fire after being hit by canon fire from a Japanese Zero fighter, pressed his dive well below the standard minimum pull-up altitude. Power's bomb hit Shokaku nearly dead center and caused horrific and nearly fatal damage, starting massive fires and killing over 100 Japanese sailors. Unable to pull up in time, Powers flew through the frag pattern of his own bomb and crashed alongside the Shokaku. Although 15 dive bombers off the USS Lexington (CV-2) would later manage to hit the Shokaku with one more bomb, it was Power's bomb that knocked Shokaku out of action for the rest of the battle, leaving her unable to recover aircraft, and with damage so severe that she was unable to participate in the critical and decisive Battle of Midway one month later, where her presence could have easily turned that battle into a catastrophic defeat for the United States. By the sacrifice of his life and that of his radioman-gunner (Radioman Second Class Everett Clyde Hill), Powers quite likely prevented the loss of the Yorktown at the Battle of the Coral Sea and changed the outcome of two of the most important battles of World War II. For his valor, Powers was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously. Hill's parents received his $10,000 G.I. life insurance policy payout.
2. Carrier vs. Carrier (Us Versus Them)
American and Japanese carriers and carrier air groups had significant strengths and weaknesses relative to each other. Most histories "mirror image" Japanese doctrine and tactics with those of the United States, which frequently leads to an inaccurate understanding of the battle. There are two recent books that superbly describe Japanese carrier operations and are worth a read: Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully, and Kaigun by Evans and Peattie. Both are over 500 pages long, so if you read my synopsis (derived from those books and many others) in attachment H-005-2 you will become a lot smarter about the relative capabilities of the United States and Japanese carriers and air groups at the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, in a much shorter period of time, and the battles might make more sense to you.
3. The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7–8 May 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first carrier versus carrier battle in history; opposing surface forces never sighted each other. The battle occurred because U.S. naval intelligence provided Admiral Nimitz with sufficient warning and understanding of Japanese intent and capability that he chose to commit the two carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5) against a Japanese force expected to consist of 2–3 carriers (Shokaku, Zuikaku and the small carrier Shoho.) Nimitz committed the Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) as well, but they were unable to reach the area in time, due the timing of the Doolittle Raid (see H-Gram 004). The battle was a tactical draw (some accounts argue a tactical U.S. loss) but a strategic victory for the United States. The Japanese force failed in its objective to capture Port Moresby, New Guinea, which would have threatened the northeast coast of Australia. Although the Japanese had previously suffered setbacks, this was the first time that proved permanent. In addition, the Japanese carrier Shokaku was severely damaged, and attrition to the air groups of both Shokaku and Zuikaku caused both carriers to miss the decisive battle of Midway a month later, which almost certainly changed the course of that battle, and of the war. The Japanese also lost the small carrier Shoho on 7 May to a gross over-kill of U.S. carrier torpedo and dive bombers, and was the first carrier lost by either side in the war. The cost to the United States was high. The carrier USS Lexington was sunk as a result of secondary explosions following torpedo and bomb hits, the Yorktown was damaged by a bomb (but not hit by torpedoes, which was the critical factor in her being repaired in time for Midway), and the oiler USS Neosho (AO-23) (which had survived being moored right in the middle of the attack on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor) was sunk, along with the destroyer USS Sims (DD-409). At the end of the second day of battle, the air groups on both sides were severely depleted with extensive losses, with Lexington sinking and Shokaku out of action. Both commanders, Rear Admiral Frank "Jack" Fletcher and Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, opted to withdraw, which resulted in years of criticism of both by other naval officers and armchair historians (Takagi was pilloried by Admiral Yamamoto; Fletcher merely criticized, mostly behind his back). Please see attachment H-005-3 for more detail on the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Attachment H-005-4 shows USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea on 8 May 1942 in a photo taken from a Japanese aircraft. Lexington has been hit by two torpedoes (the first proved fatal) and two bombs, and is bracketed by numerous other near misses.
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Thanks to Dr.Rikch
J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell's Aviation Doc 'The Blue Angels' Lands at Amazon
Amazon Studios has landed worldwide rights to the U.S. naval aviation documentary "The Blue Angels," which is backed by production companies of J.J. Abrams and "Top Gun: Maverick" star Glen Powell …
View the article. https://flip.it/pbB.8v
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Thanks to Intere4sting Facts
Your sense of smell is strongest in the evening.
Smell is one of humanity's most important, and often overlooked, senses. It's intimately tied to taste and memory, and plays a pivotal role in detecting danger, whether it's fires or rotten food. It may even play a role in how we choose our mates.
When we're born, humans can only sense certain smells, such as a mother's body. However, our sense of smell really takes off at the age of 8, and is usually stable until around age 50. After that, our nose powers decline, and drop off precipitously after the age of 70. Mine dropped off to just about nothing….Skip
One little-known aspect of smell is how it fluctuates throughout the day. According to research conducted by Brown University and published in the journal Chemical Senses in 2017, our sense of smell is somewhat regulated by our circadian rhythm, the internal biological process that regulates a human's wake-sleep cycle. (If you've ever traveled across the ocean, the resulting jet lag is a disruption of this rhythm.)
The Brown study analyzed 37 teenagers for a week, and measured their sense of smell against their levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. A rise in melatonin meant that the body's nighttime circadian rhythm was kicking in, essentially saying, "It's time to sleep." The results showed that the teens' sense of smell was at its highest in the evening, around 9 p.m., or what the researchers called the beginning of "biological night." Conversely, their sense of smell was at its lowest between the hours of 3 a.m. and 9 a.m., when the body has little need for sniffing. Scientists can only guess at why the body kicks its olfactory receptors into high gear at 9 p.m. — it may help humans ensure satiety following the last meal of the day, scan for nearby threats before sleeping, or act as a means for encouraging that aforementioned mate choice.
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Another kind of Hunt
Thanks to Dr. Rich who only has to look in his yard to find antlers
This was started many years ago by the local Boy Scout troupe … They agreed to search out the fallen antlers on the National Elk Refuge, which are shed every year) if the Refuge would let them sell the antlers to support the local Boy Scouts … done!!
Then the orientals discovered that reindeer antler, properly prepared, was (supposedly) a powerful aphrodisiac, and elk are are a type of reindeer ….. Hmmmm. The price of antlers just sky rocketed … and the JH Boy Scouts were the wealthiest troupe in the nation!! Well, in typical government form, the elk refuge reneged, and took back a lot of the profits, allegedly to pay for feed for the elk that winter here … oh well …
"We're just damn lucky we don't get all the government we pay for" - Will Rogers …
I'm surprised they didn't mention the Boy Scouts in the article … eg. all this collecting is outside of the 17,000 acre National Elk Refuge .. which is 'reserved' for the Boy Scouts …
Jess Laughter prepares to decapitate a winter-killed bull elk she found on the banks of Upper Flat Creek on Monday after the Bridger-Teton National Forest's winter wildlife closures were lifted. Laughter and her husband, of Idaho Falls, have been regular participants in the Jackson-area antler hunt opener for six years. Next year, a new state law will bar nonresidents from participating in shed hunting in the Wyomingfor the first week after the season starts.
THEIR LAST CHANCE
Out-of-state sportspeople scramble to collect antlers, dead heads before being cut out of future shed openers.
By Billy Arnold
Only a half hour after sunrise, and long before the sun's rays hit the icy waters of Flat Creek, Jess Laughter paused, looking for a way to cross and get to the dead elk on the other side.
Then, she realized another camouflage-clad antler hunter was behind her.
Laughter plunged full speed through the thigh-deep water, slipping on rocks but maintaining her momentum for the eight seconds it took her to cross. Once on the south bank, she threw up her arms and whooped. The hunter tailing her backed off.
Only 20 minutes had elapsed in her car-to-carcass quest for a deadhead, a skull from a bull that died before dropping its rack. Later, the 29-year-old Idaho Falls sportswoman agreed it was a fitting swan song.
"This was all I wanted," Laughter said. Next year, she and hundreds of other out-of-state antler hunters won't be able to join Wyoming residents on the opening day of the Cowboy State's shed hunting season.
That's a major loss for Laughter and her husband, Steven, 32. They think the shed hunting east of the National Elk Refuge is some of the best in the West. While other members of the Jackson Elk Herd dine on refuge-provided alfalfa pellets throughout the winter, some large bull elk buck that trend, setting up shop in the Gros Ventre mountains' foothills. There, they nibble grasses on wind-scoured ridges and sun-baked southern slopes, dropping their antlers as they do. Some, like thebull Laughter found, die before their racks fall off.
"Jackson has the potential to find giants," Laughter said. "That's the allure."
But Wyoming legislators want to preserve that opportunity for Wyomingites. This winter, they decided to change how openers have worked since 2009, when Wyoming first decided to regulate shed hunting west of the Continental Divide. The most controversial measure will give residents a oneweek head start over nonresidents starting in 2024. Rep. Ryan Berger, R-Evanston, sponsored that bill for a number of reasons, like attempting to preserve quality shed hunting for Wyoming residents with disabilities.
But he said he pushed the measure with the entire Cowboy State in mind.
"There are perks to being a Wyoming resident," he said.
Berger was born in Jackson and picked up antlers as a Boy Scout. But he doesn't go out on opening day anymore.
"I just don't want to be around that many people," he said. "It gets pretty crazy."
Antlers can fetch a hefty price, pushing $20 per pound. Dead heads are more valuable. But while the Laughters sell some of the antlers they find, they hunt for sport, not profit. They keep the dead heads.
They've also kept the friends they've met over the past six years that they've risen at the crack of dawn, piled into a pickup, and taken off on foot through the Bridger-Teton National Forest searching for ungulate remains. Almost every one of the six people that piled into their truck Monday morning were people they'd met at past openers.
"We always count on Jackson to reconvene us," Laughter said. "I'll miss the community."
Mitch Furr's day started early Monday.
While shed hunting wasn't allowed until 6 a.m. May 1 in Teton County — the same time the Bridger-Teton lifted winter wildlife closures east of the refuge — the Caribou-Targhee National Forest opened some land in east Idaho at midnight. Furr, 31, and his brother, Miles Furr, 35, blasted through that area in the dark, grabbed some antlers and deadheads, then drove over Teton Pass, dropped their cache at the Cowboy Village Resort, where they were staying, and met the Laughters on Snow King Avenue.
The Laughters were in the first 50 cars in the lineup the Jackson Police Department queues annually at the Teton County Fairgrounds. The Furr vehicle was closer to the front.
But around 5:45 a.m., 15 minutes earlier than expected, the convoy started moving while Furr and his brother were back talking to the Laughters. They sprinted toward the front of line, but their friends were already driving. They weren't able to catch up. Running along Snow King Avenue, Furr quickly called Steven Laughter and asked to hitch a ride. Laughter brake checked for a second, and the Furrs launched themselves into the bed of the truck. The next people in line yelled and honked. But Furr didn't care.
As a nonresident, it was the last time he'd be able to participate in the Jackson shed opener.
"I was going to take any chance rather than watching the motorcade ride off into the dust and slump down in defeat," Furr said.
Brothers Miles and Mitch Furr ride in the bed of a friend's pickup out to the Flat Creek trailhead east of the National Elk Refuge on Monday morning. The pair, who live respectively in Phoenix, Arizona, and Rexburg, Idaho, had been on a road trip through the West hunting for antlers.
Determined to make it
The caravan sped off. But the procession wasn't as clean as the lineup the night before. Drivers tried to pass the Laughters, and others who weren't in the queue tried to sneak in. On the refuge road, the convoy kicked up a cloud of dust. The Furrs were piled in the back of the Laughters' pickup with three dogs, another shed hunter and two reporters. There were five people in the cab and hundreds of people farther back in the lineup.
All told, about 200 cars made it into the caravan headed for the refuge. Refuge Manager Frank Durbian said he counted 198 cars in the procession, 117 that went up Flat Creek Road and 81 that went up Curtis Canyon Road. Jeromie Traphagan, the sergeant coordinating the police department's lineup, said about 186 total cars officially joined the queue. The vast majority of those vehicles were from out of state: 55 from Idaho, 43 from Montana, 34 from Wyoming, and 20 from Utah. The balance were from elsewhere.
Managers had wondered whether more people would show up because of shed hunting closures farther south and it being the final year for nonresidents to join the May 1 fracas.
But they said it's difficult to know how many people actually were there.
Though the refuge typically estimates three to four people, on average, occupy each vehicle that crosses its gates on opening day, hunters had packed almost every truck bed.
At the Flat Creek trailhead those hunters flooded out beyond the refuge like they usually do.
As the Laughters skidded to a halt on the road shoulder, the hunters in the trunk started moving seconds before the car stopped, throwing open the tailgate, opening dog crates, grabbing packs and tossing themselves over the sides. Jess Laughter yanked open the door, made eye contact with a News& Guide photographer to confirm he was tailing her and sprinted up the creek. The Furrs and Steven Laughter split south, splashing through the creek with a squad of other hunters reminiscent of a messily advancing infantry line.
Hours later, Arlis Hanson, a 19-yearold visiting from Saskatchewan, Canada, was covered in blood on an embankment above the creek, happily processing a dead head he'd found by Flat Creek. Removing a chunk of the skull with antlers still attached so he could easily transport it out of the field — a practice known as "skull capping" — Hanson said he'd gotten three hours of sleep the night before, and had come to Jackson primarily for the shed hunt. The young rancher wanted to see Wyoming's backcountry. And the people.
"It sounded pretty Western," Hanson said.
The morning was exactly what he wanted.
"Organized chaos," Hanson said. "I was running on foot, racing as fast as I can and the horses were just flying past me, man."
But he didn't realize it was the last day he'd be able to participate in the fracas until a News& Guide reporter told him.
"This is my last chance?" he said, sawing into the bull's skull with a Leatherman tool. "I'll tell my grandkids about this one."
Steven Laughter and his dog, Ruck, look for shed antlers Monday morning. This is the last year Laughter, of Idaho Falls, will the opening day of the shed antler hunt. Laughter was disappointed in Wyoming Legislature's decision to distinguish between hunt for antlers the day the season starts.
Reining things in
Legislators, however, aren't as impressed by what Hanson called the "intense craziness."
When this winter's legislative session started, Speaker of the House Albert Sommers encouraged freshman lawmakers like Berger to sponsor a bill.
As a special education teacher, Berger knew young men and women with disabilities who hunted sheds with their families.
"But they weren't having many opportunities," Berger said.
So, he proposed a bill that would have given disabled people a few days' head start. But after speaking with Sommers he broadened the bill to differentiate between residents and nonresidents. Originally, Berger proposed giving residents a three-day head start. But Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, amended it to seven, hoping to ensure that, wherever May 1 fell, Wyoming families would be able to spend a weekend in the hills before out-of-state shed hunters descended on winter ranges.
"It's so tied to family," Berger said, recalling packing a lunch with his parents to hunt sheds around Jackson as a kid. "Wyoming residents are wanting to get back to that family event where they're not pressured and can find some sheds."
But Berger and other legislators also want to reduce pressure on Wyoming's wild inhabitants, which the state manages. This year the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission split the start of the shed opener, only allowing people to pick up antlers on May 1 in Teton
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: China Talks and Border Outreach
Washington remains hopeful about a dialogue with Beijing.
By: GPF Staff
May 3, 2023
Hopes for US-China talks. Speaking at an online event at the Stimson Center on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said Washington is ready to hold talks with Beijing. He urged China to meet the United States halfway and to keep lines of communication open for bilateral discussions. He also highlighted that he had "good" meetings with top Chinese foreign affairs officials Qin Gang and Wang Yi and expressed hope for more talks in the near future.
China bolsters its border. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met on Tuesday with Myanmar's Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Than Swe in Naypyitaw, where Qin said China is willing to deepen cooperation with Myanmar in fields such as agriculture, trade, transportation, energy and political communication and to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership. He also said China supports Myanmar in maintaining independence and political stability and pledged to advance landmark projects of the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor and implement more projects to benefit the two nations.
Curbing cargo in the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority imposed a limit on the depth of new Panamax ships and other large vessels passing through the canal – the fifth time it has done so because of a lack of rainwater. Canal operations depend on water from lakes Alhajuela and Gatun to move ships through the various locks, but water levels in both lakes dropped from March 21 to April 21. Lake Alhajuela levels fell to 62 meters from 69 meters, while Lake Gatun levels dropped to 25.2 meters from 25.6 meters.
Central Asian outreach in Europe. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Germany, where they signed 16 intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements. Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan sees Germany as a reliable and strategic partner, noting a two-fold increase in mutual trade and the number of joint projects. Meanwhile, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the co-chair of an intergovernmental commission with France – Kazakhstan's largest trade partner in Europe. Also in attendance was Kazakhstan's energy minister, who discussed the prospects of energy development. France said it was ready to jointly develop Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant. Central Asian nations traditionally are part of what Russia considers its sphere of influence.
Whither Georgia. Georgia is feeling the pinch of being stuck between Russia and the West. After accusations of helping Moscow circumvent sanctions, Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the general secretary of the Georgian Dream party, said the country has complied with the sanctions regime and had no intention to impose any sanctions of its own. Kaladze also warned against the prospect of opening a second front against Russia in Georgia, saying the country has already paid a high price for the war and doesn't want to be drawn in any further.
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Thanks to Mugs
MAY 3, 1802: HOW THE D.C. GOT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
It was never supposed to be in a "state," else they would have just put in one.
In 1790, a year after George Washington took office as president, Congress authorized him to find a site along the Potomac River for the new nation's capital. It was the first time a country had ever established its permanent capital by legislative action. The president ended up choosing a spot just a few miles upstream from his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Surveyors staked out an area of one hundred square miles straddling the river. The idea was to create a special territory, not part of any state, to contain the capital city. The land came from Maryland and Virginia, and the territory was named the "District of Columbia" ("D.C." for short) in honor of Christopher Columbus.
George Washington hired French engineer Pierre L'Enfant to plan the city that would lie within the new District. In 1791, the District's commissioners decided to name that city "Washington" in honor of the first president. The federal government moved there in 1800.
On May 3, 1802, Washington was incorporated as a city, with a city council elected by local residents, and a mayor appointed by the president. People began to refer to the capital city inside the District of Columbia as "Washington, D.C."-- just as they might write "Albany, N.Y." or "Charleston, S.C."
For a long time Washington remained a relatively small town, and much of the land inside the District of Columbia lay undeveloped. In 1846 Congress decided it would never need the District's land on the south side of the Potomac River, so it returned that portion to the state of Virginia. But of course the city did eventually grow, especially after World War II. Today it fills virtually the entire District of Columbia.
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This Day in U S Military History……May 4
1626 – Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on what is now Manhattan Island. Peter Minuit became director-general of New Netherlands. Indians sold Manhattan Island for $24 (1839 dollars) in cloth and buttons. The 1999 value would be $345. The site of the deal was later marked by Peter Minuit Plaza at South Street and Whitehall Street.
1942 – Aircraft from the USS Yorktown positioned 100 miles south of Guadalcanal, attack Japanese forces off Tulagi. The Yorktown then returns south to join the American Task Force 17 which is assembling to engage the Japanese. American actions are dictated by their code breaking which has revealed many of the Japanese plans to them.
1945 – On Luzon, the US 25th Division, part of US 1st Corps, capture Mount Haruna, west of the Balete Pass. Northwest of Manila, elements of the US 11th Corps attack toward Guagua but are forced back by Japanese defenses. On Mindanao, the US 24th Division mops up in around Davao while elements of the US 31st Division patrol north of Zibawe. Elements of the US 41st Division reach Parang, north of Cotabato while other forces land north of Digos, near Santa Cruz. On Negros, the Americal Division attempts to reopen its supply lines, which have been cut by the Japanese forces, in the eastern part of the island.
1945 – Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov informs U.S. Secretary of State Stettinius that the Red Army has arrested 16 Polish peace negotiators who had met with a Soviet army colonel near Warsaw back in March. When British Prime Minister Winston Churchill learns of the Soviet double-cross, he reacts in alarm, stating, "There is no doubt that the publication in detail of this event…would produce a primary change in the entire structure of world forces." Churchill, fearing that the Russian forces were already beginning to exact retribution for losses suffered during the war (the Polish negotiators had been charged with "causing the death of 200 Red Army officers"), sent a telegram to President Harry Truman to express his concern that Russian demands of reparations from Germany, and the possibility of ongoing Russian occupation of Central and Eastern Europe, "constitutes an event in the history of Europe to which there has been no parallel." Churchill clearly foresaw the "Iron Curtain" beginning to drop. Consequently, he sent a "holding force" to Denmark to cut off any farther westward advance by Soviet troops.
1977 – The US and Vietnam open the first round of negotiations in Paris on normalizing relations. The US pledges not to veto Vietnam's entrance to the UN and to lift its trade embargo once diplomatic relations are established.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CUMMINGS, AMOS J.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 26th New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Salem Heights, Va., 4 May 1863. Entered service at: Irvington, N.J. Born: 15 May 1841, Conklin, N.Y. Date of issue. 28 March 1894. Citation: Rendered great assistance in the heat of the action in rescuing a part of the field batteries from an extremely dangerous and exposed position.
*McVEANE, JOHN P.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 49th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Fredericksburg Heights, Va., 4 May 1863. Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Birth: Canada. Date of issue: 21 September 1870. Citation: Shot a Confederate color bearer and seized the flag; also approached, alone, a barn between the lines and demanded and received the surrender of a number of the enemy therein.
SHAW, GEORGE C.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 27th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Pitacus, Lake Lanao, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, 4 May 1903. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Birth: Pontiac, Mich. Date of issue: 9 June 1904. Citation: For distinguished gallantry in leading the assault and, under a heavy fire from the enemy, maintaining alone his position on the parapet after the first 3 men who followed him there had been killed or wounded, until a foothold was gained by others and the capture of the place assured.
*KINSER, ELBERT LUTHER
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 21 October 1922, Greeneville, Tenn. Accredited to: Tennessee. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while acting as leader of a Rifle Platoon, serving with Company I, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, in action against Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, 4 May 1945. Taken under sudden, close attack by hostile troops entrenched on the reverse slope while moving up a strategic ridge along which his platoon was holding newly won positions, Sgt. Kinser engaged the enemy in a fierce hand grenade battle. Quick to act when a Japanese grenade landed in the immediate vicinity, Sgt. Kinser unhesitatingly threw himself on the deadly missile, absorbing the full charge of the shattering explosion in his own body and thereby protecting his men from serious injury and possible death. Stouthearted and indomitable, he had yielded his own chance of survival that his comrades might live to carry on the relentless battle against a fanatic enemy. His courage, cool decision and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*POWERS, JOHN JAMES
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Born: 13 July 1912, New York City, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. Other Navy award: Air Medal with 1 gold star. Citation: For distinguished and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, while pilot of an airplane of Bombing Squadron 5, Lt. Powers participated, with his squadron, in 5 engagements with Japanese forces in the Coral Sea area and adjacent waters during the period 4 to 8 May 1942. Three attacks were made on enemy objectives at or near Tulagi on 4 May. In these attacks he scored a direct hit which instantly demolished a large enemy gunboat or destroyer and is credited with 2 close misses, 1 of which severely damaged a large aircraft tender, the other damaging a 20,000-ton transport. He fearlessly strafed a gunboat, firing all his ammunition into it amid intense antiaircraft fire. This gunboat was then observed to be leaving a heavy oil slick in its wake and later was seen beached on a nearby island. On 7 May, an attack was launched against an enemy airplane carrier and other units of the enemy's invasion force. He fearlessly led his attack section of 3 Douglas Dauntless dive bombers, to attack the carrier. On this occasion he dived in the face of heavy antiaircraft fire, to an altitude well below the safety altitude, at the risk of his life and almost certain damage to his own plane, in order that he might positively obtain a hit in a vital part of the ship, which would insure her complete destruction. This bomb hit was noted by many pilots and observers to cause a tremendous explosion engulfing the ship in a mass of flame, smoke, and debris. The ship sank soon after. That evening, in his capacity as Squadron Gunnery Officer, Lt. Powers gave a lecture to the squadron on point-of-aim and diving technique. During this discourse he advocated low release point in order to insure greater accuracy; yet he stressed the danger not only from enemy fire and the resultant low pull-out, but from own bomb blast and bomb fragments. Thus his low-dive bombing attacks were deliberate and premeditated, since he well knew and realized the dangers of such tactics, but went far beyond the call of duty in order to further the cause which he knew to be right. The next morning, 8 May, as the pilots of the attack group left the ready room to man planes, his indomitable spirit and leadership were well expressed in his own words, "Remember the folks back home are counting on us. 1 am going to get a hit if 1 have to lay it on their flight deck." He led his section of dive bombers down to the target from an altitude of 18,000 feet, through a wall of bursting antiaircraft shells and into the face of enemy fighter planes. Again, completely disregarding the safety altitude and without fear or concern for his safety, Lt. Powers courageously pressed home his attack, almost to the very deck of an enemy carrier and did not release his bomb until he was sure of a direct hit. He was last seen attempting recovery from his dive at the extremely low altitude of 200 feet, and amid a terrific barrage of shell and bomb fragments, smoke, flame and debris from the stricken vessel.
*FOURNET, DOUGLAS B.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: A Shau Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 4 May 1968. Entered service at: New Orleans, La. Born: 7 May 1943, Lake Charles, La. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Fournet, Infantry, distinguished himself in action while serving as rifle platoon leader of the 2d Platoon, Company B. While advancing uphill against fortified enemy positions in the A Shau Valley, the platoon encountered intense sniper fire, making movement very difficult. The right flank man suddenly discovered an enemy claymore mine covering the route of advance and shouted a warning to his comrades. Realizing that the enemy would also be alerted, 1st Lt. Fournet ordered his men to take cover and ran uphill toward the mine, drawing a sheath knife as he approached it. With complete disregard for his safety and realizing the imminent danger to members of his command, he used his body as a shield in front of the mine as he attempted to slash the control wires leading from the enemy positions to the mine. As he reached for the wire the mine was detonated, killing him instantly. Five men nearest the mine were slightly wounded, but 1st Lt. Fournet's heroic and unselfish act spared his men of serious injury or death. His gallantry and willing self-sacrifice are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 4, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1911: The War Department decided to send the Army's first Wright plane to the Smithsonian Institution.
(24)
1916: Katherine Stinson gave a short aerobatic show over New York at night. At first, she planned a daytime show at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway, but she arrived too late in her biplane to be assembled for the show. To keep from disappointing her audience, she took off, climbed to 3,000 feet, and performed two loops that could be traced from her plane's lights. She landed on the racetrack below by using red flares as lights. (7)
1927: Capt Hawthorne C. Gray (Air Corps) flew a free balloon to 42,470 feet at Scott Field. (24)
1929: Two Navy officers, Lt Thomas G. W. Settle and Ensign W. Bushnell, won the National Balloon Race for subclass A-7 through A-9 balloons (1600-4000 cubic meters with a FAI distance record of 952 miles) from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Savage Harbor, Prince Edward Island. Their flight also set a 43-hour, 20-minute FAI duration record for subclass A-6 (1200 to 1600 cubic meter) balloons. (9) (24)
1942: BATTLE OF CORAL SEA. Through 8 May, the Battle of Coral Sea featured the first naval engagement fought by aircraft as the opposing ships made no contact. Although both sides lost a carrier (the Japanese Shoho and the USS Lexington), the U.S. successfully thwarted a Japanese invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea, where they would have been able to launch an invasion of Australia. (20) (21)
1950: The Northrop YRB-49A flies for the first time Near Hawthorne, California. The experimental flying-wing design is powered by four internal Allison J-35 turbojet engines housed within 172 feet of the wingspan and two more were mounted under the wings. The sole prototype reconnaissance platform flew only 13 flights before testing ended abruptly on 26 April 1951.
1952: KOREAN WAR. In air operations, 25 F-86s strafed and destroyed 5 of 24 YAK-9s parked in revetments at Sinuiju Airfield in extreme northwestern Korea. (28)
1961: Cmdr Malcolm D. Ross and Lt Cmdr Victor A. Prather (both Navy Reserve) reached a FAI record balloon altitude of 113,739.9 feet in a two-place open gondola. Launched from the USS Antietam near the Mississippi River mouth, the balloon reached its maximum altitude in 2 hours
36 minutes. The death of Commander Prather, who fell from the recovery helicopter's sling after being pulled from the water, marred this achievement. (9)
1962: At Lowry AFB, the 725 SMS became the first Titan I unit to achieve alert. (7)
1966: USAF A-1E Skyraider pilots flew their first strikes against targets in North Vietnam.
1968: Gen Carl Spaatz (USAF retired) received the Thomas D. White National Defense Award for 1968. (16)
1963: A TWA Boeing Star Stream established a record for a jet- powered passenger transport by covering the San Francisco to Paris route in 9 hours 55 minutes.
1970: A SAC task force of four B-52s won the Blue Steel Trophy for the best combined bombing and navigation results in the RAF Strike Command's bombing and navigation competition at RAF Station Marham, England. (26)
1979: The A-10B flew its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1982: Through 8 May, the E-3A Sentry AWACS deployed to Turkey for the first time. (16) (26)
1989: During a 4-8 May mission, Air Force Maj Mark Lee on the Space Shuttle Atlantis released the Magellan probe that would map Venus with synthetic aperture radar. (20)
1990: The Hughes/Raytheon AIM-120A Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile demonstrated its ability to achieve multiple kills against multiple targets. On the Gulf Test Range near Eglin AFB, an F-15 flying 650 MPH at 15,000 feet fired two missiles at two QF-100 drones at 10,000 feet and two more at two drones at 5,000 feet. The test resulted in three direct hits and one pass within lethal distance. (20)
1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE. An F-16CJ shot down a MiG-29 over Kosovo. It was the fifth and last USAF aerial victory in the operation. (21) Operation ALLIED FORCE. Through 6 May, the 161st Air Refueling Wing (Arizona ANG) deployed nearly 300 members and six KC-135s o Europe to support NATO's war against Yugoslavia. (32)
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