To All,
Good Wednesday Morning May 17 2023.
I talked to Nancee Rick's Wife and Bill –his brother this morning and they wanted me to thank every one of you that came to pay respects to Wigs on Monday. They were overwhelmed with the support that you provided the family. Nancee also wanted to thank Pink Panther , Eggs and Heater for the red white and blue flower arrangement and to whoever provided the basket of white flowers.
Regards,
Skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History May 17
1942 USS Tautog (SS 199) sinks Japanese submarine I-28; USS Triton (SS 201) sinks the Japanese submarine (I 64), and USS Skipjack (SS 184) sinks a Japanese army transport ship.
1943 Destroyers USS Moffett (DD 362) and USS Jouett (DD 396) sink German submarine U 128, which was credited with sinking 12 Allied merchant vessels, including 4 American ships.
1962 – Three thousand US Marines begin landing at Bangkok, Thailand, in response to troop movements near the Thai border by the Soviet-supported Laotian Pathet Lao army. The Marines are flown 350 miles north to Udorn, which is 35 miles from the Laotian capital of Vientiane. This US show of force, ordered by President Kennedy at the request of the Thai government, is out of Thailand by the beginning of August.
1973 Capt. Robin Lindsay Catherine Quigley becomes the first woman to hold a major Navy command when she assumes command of U.S. Navy Service School, San Diego, Calif.
1987 USS Stark (FFG-31) is struck by two Iraqi Exocet Missiles in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 Sailors and wounding 21.
1990 USS Roark (FF-1053) rescues 42 refugees from an unseaworthy craft in the South China Sea.
.NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in World History May 17
1540 Afghan chief Sher Khan defeats Mongul Emperor Humayun at Kanauj.
1630 Italian Jesuit Niccolo Zucchi sees the belts on Jupiter's surface.
1681 Louis XIV sends an expedition to aid James II in Ireland. As a result, England declares war on France.
1756 Britain declares war on France.
1792 Merchants form the New York Stock Exchange at 70 Wall Street.
1814 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden.
1863 Union General Ulysses Grant continues his push towards Vicksburg at the Battle of the Big Black River Bridge.
1875 The first Kentucky Derby is run in Louisville.
1881 Frederick Douglass is appointed recorder of deeds for Washington, D.C.
1940 Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium and begins the invasion of France.
1954 The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules for school integration in Brown v. Board of Education.
1973 The Senate Watergate Committee begins its hearings.
1987 In the Persian Gulf the American guided missile frigate USS Stark is struck by 2 Exocet missiles fired by an Iraqi aircraft; only one detonates, but 37 sailors are killed and 21 are wounded. Whether the launch was deliberate or a mistake is still debated.
1943 The Memphis Belle flies its 25th bombing mission »
1940 Lancasters return to England after conducting the "Dambusters" Raid on the Ruhr Valley
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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 Wednesday, 17 May 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 17 May 1968… American troops Killed-in-Action in SE Asia this week 55-years ago: 562… That is: 562 KIA in one week!.. 22,500 total KIA so far: 36,000 more American warriors will give their lives in this fight while diplomats dicker in Paris…
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.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https:geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: South Pacific Diplomacy, Microchip Availability
Domestic politics has forced Biden to cancel his trip to the region.
By: GPF Staff
May 17, 2023
No-go. U.S. President Joe Biden has canceled visits to Papua New Guinea and Australia next week because of continued debt ceiling talks. Biden was scheduled to be in Sydney for a leaders' summit of the Quad security grouping, which has been indefinitely postponed. He was also expected to sign historic defense and security agreements during his visit to PNG, the first by a sitting U.S. president, as part of a push to strengthen U.S. relations in the Pacific.
Microchip shortage. Global semiconductor availability improved substantially in the first quarter of 2023 compared to last year, Mexico's National Auto Parts Industry Director-General Alberto Bustamante said, adding that the microchip shortage will be over by 2024. Nearly 50,000 vehicles in North America were not produced in the first four months of this year because of the lack of microchips. Mexico accounted for half of this total.
China-India trade. India's purchase of Chinese goods is slowing, according to a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative. The slowdown is driven by declining electronics imports, which decreased from $30.3 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $27.6 billion in fiscal year 2023. China now accounts for 13.8 percent of India's goods imports, down from 16.4 percent in fiscal year 2018. India's exports to China, meanwhile, fell by 36 percent to $13.6 billion in the last fiscal year.
Russia-Iran cooperation. The presidents of Russia and Iran signed an agreement to build a railway, known as the Rasht-Astara railway, that will connect transport networks in Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan. The line, which will stretch 170 kilometers (105 miles), will be jointly financed by the two countries as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor. Relatedly, representatives of 28 Russian energy firms are attending an energy exhibition in Tehran.
Central Asia looks east. Ahead of the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday. The president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, also met with top Chinese political adviser Wang Huning in Beijing. The summit will begin on Thursday.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From The Archives only now it is worse
Thanks to Micro
Normalcy vs. The Twilight Zone
Author unknown-
Critical things to think about in 2022.
I never dreamed that I would have to face the prospect of not living
in the United States of America, at least not the one I have known all
my life. I have never wished to live anywhere else. This is my home
and I was privileged to be born here. But today I woke up and as I had
my morning coffee, I realized that everything is changing for the
worse. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, no matter how much
I pray, something evil has invaded our nation, and our lives are never
going to be the same. I have been confused by the hostility of family
and friends. I look at people I have known all my life--so hate-filled
that they agree with opinions they would never express as their own. I
think that I may well have entered the Twilight Zone.
We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind!
You can't justify this insanity:
If a guy pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him.
Somehow it's un-American for the census to count how many Americans
are in America.
Russians influencing our elections are bad, but illegals voting in our
elections are good.
Twenty is too young to drink a beer, but eighteen is old enough to vote.
People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to
people who have never been slaves.
People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college
students who took out huge loans for their degrees.
Immigrants with tuberculosis and polio are welcome, but you'd better
be able to prove your dog is vaccinated.
Irish doctors and German engineers who want to emigrate to the US must
go through a rigorous vetting process, but any illiterate gang member
or terrorist who jumps the southern fence is welcome.
$5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for
"free" health care is not.
If you cheat to get into college you go to prison, but if you cheat to
get into the country you go to college for free.
If you cheat in an election nothing happens to you, but if you point
out the mathematical errors of that election you are a conspiracy
theorist & disdained.
People who say there is no such thing as gender are demanding a female
President.
We see other countries going Socialist and collapsing, but it seems
like a great plan for us.
Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they
were born, and other people are not held responsible for what they are
doing right now.
Criminals are caught-and-released to hurt more people, but stopping
them is bad because it's a violation of their rights.
And pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us "racists"?!
Nothing makes sense anymore - no values, no morals, and no civility.
People are dying of a Chinese virus, but it's racist to refer to it as
Chinese even though it began in China.
We are clearly living in an upside-down world where right is wrong and
wrong is right, where moral is immoral and immoral is moral, where
good is evil and evil is good, where killing murderers is wrong but
killing unborn babies is okay !
Wake up America, the great unsinkable ship Titanic America has hit an
iceberg, it's taking on water, and is sinking fast. We Americans are
drowning. Speak up while you still have breath and a voice for soon
you will have neither if you don't!
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
STRATFOR Thanks to Brett
ASSESSMENTS
What the Escalating Wagner Feud Means for Russia's War in Ukraine -- And Beyond
May 17, 2023
While the Wagner Group's public feud with Russia's military leaders could complicate Russia's war efforts in Ukraine, the military contractor will likely remain involved in the war, though its role will diminish over time. Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian military contractor Wagner Group, has in recent days escalated his months-long feud with Russia's military leadership. On May 5, he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov, two close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, of causing the deaths of Wagner soldiers by failing to provide Wagner Group sufficient artillery ammunition. Then on May 10, Prigozhin suggested that an unnamed ''grandpa'' — a possible reference to Putin — was an imbecile whose withholding of resources was a catastrophic mistake. On May 11, reports in Russian media citing Kremlin officials suggested that the comments nearly crossed a red line of attacking Putin, but that Prigozhin's ability to plausibly claim that he was referring to other officials, including his usual targets Gerasimov and Shoigu, meant the words didn't constitute a direct attack on the president and therefore the Kremlin was unlikely to act against him. On May 15, additional leaks also began circulating that Prigozhin offered Ukraine intel on Russian forces in exchange for ceding territory around Bakhmut, which is likely related to Wagner's feud with the MoD as well.
• The Wagner Group is a global paramilitary force that some European countries are now moving to designate a terrorist group, and that the United States has labeled a transnational crime organization.
• Wagner soldiers have been a key force in Russia's war efforts in Ukraine since last fall. Wagner's feud with Russia's Ministry of Defense (MoD), embodied by Kremlin insiders Shoigu and Gerasimov, began festering in February over Wagner soldiers' inability to take Bakhmut in Russia's winter offensive, and has since worsened due to the MoD's ammunition saving for the upcoming Ukrainian offensive. Meanwhile, the Wagner group has taken massive losses on the battlefield that have shattered its remaining forces. In Prigozhin's eyes, his organization has sacrificed resources for the MoD. To that end, on May 9 Prigozhin griped that ''our enemy isn't the Ukrainian military'' but Russian ''military bureaucrats.''
• Citing leaked U.S. intelligence documents, The Washington Post reported on May 5 that tensions between the MoD and Wagner were reaching new highs. Gerasimov and Shoigu were reportedly implicated in actions to sabotage Wagner and provide justification to reduce the group's role in Ukraine. Specifically, on Feb. 12, Gerasimov allegedly ordered to stop munitions supplies to Wagner, halting planned military transport flights that were set to transport ammunition to the organization's headquarters in southern Russia. Intercepted communications from Russia's Federal Security Service confirmed that Wagner was receiving less ammunition than it had been promised, suggesting Gerasimov's intervention caused the shortage.
• According to the leaks published by The Washington Post, Russia's military leadership was so frustrated by Prigozhin's public attacks that some officials debated how to quash his criticism, considering a public campaign to discredit Prigozhin before concluding that banning him from speaking out was not feasible.
The feud could complicate Russia's efforts in Ukraine by deepening fissures within the Russian military, leading to an inefficient allocation of resources and weakening political support for the invasion. On one side of the ongoing feud is Shoigu, Gerasimov and the rest of Russia's defense establishment. And on the other is the Wagner Group and Russian military officials skeptical of the Ukraine war's trajectory — including the former head commander of the invasion, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, who Progozhin claimed on May 8 had been appointed as the Wagner Group's effective liaison with the MoD. The deepening rift between these two sides risks fueling factionalism in Russia's leadership and resentment among the rank and file that could complicate military efforts. Because of the feud, Russian military officers may not know the extent to which their actions should entirely align with Shoigu and Gerasimov, or with Prigozhin and aligned general Surovikin. This could make some Russian soldiers hesitant to see through orders that may be pushed in factional interests rather than objective military realities, leading to less optimal allocation of increasingly limited resources. Similar hesitance may grow among the rank and file, where reports indicate an interservice rivalry between Wagner and the MoD is breeding distrust and animus on the ground, reducing the interoperability of Wagner and Russian army troops and their combat effectiveness. Prigozhin's rhetoric also foments broader skepticism and disdain toward Russia's military and political leaders among not just soldiers, but the general public and elites. A sense of disunity has grown in recent months among influential military bloggers, some state propagandists, and even political officials. On May 10, lawmakers from the ruling United Russia party offered to invite Prigozhin to parliament to explain his grievances, demonstrating the increasing political visibility of the Wagner leader's skepticism of Kremlin-appointed military leaders.
• Prigozhin has often followed his provocative statements and addresses with promotional videos seeking volunteers to join the Wagner group. The conduct suggests that Prigozhin is effectively using anger toward the regular army and accusations of MoD incompetence as a recruiting tool, underscoring Wagner's direct competition for manpower against the MoD's own volunteer campaign.
• On April 30, Russia's deputy defense minister in charge of logistics, Mikhail Mizintsev, was removed from his position without explanation. But on May 4, Wagner announced Mizintsev had become a deputy commander of Wagner forces in Ukraine, making him one of the most senior Russian military officials ever to join the organization. The move is a potential sign of factionalism in the military.
• On Oct. 8, Moscow General Sergei Surovikin was named as the first overall commander of the Ukraine invasion, replacing a previous command structure whereby multiple front commanders answered to Putin through Shoigu and Gerasimov. After only three months on the job, Surovikin was then replaced in January and demoted to serving as one of Gerasimov's deputies.
• Surovikin's time as overall commander saw at least two major controversial decisions, including the retreat from the Western bank of the Dnieper River in November and the airstrike campaign against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure that failed to undermine Ukraine's resistance. This fueled speculation that Russia's top military leaders had set up Surovikin and his advocates, including Prigozhin, to serve as scapegoats.
While Prigozhin will likely continue making divisive comments, his reliance on Putin and the defense ministry mean that he is unlikely to continue escalating the feud to the point of crossing the Kremlin's red lines. Prigozhin will continue to publicize his grievances and garner attention, including by making critical comments toward the MoD, which will pose an informational challenge to the Kremlin. But the Kremlin is unlikely to muzzle Prigozhin because he does not pose a threat to Putin's power and Russia's greater political system. The Kremlin also does not believe Prigozhin will cross its clear red lines by, for example by directly attacking Putin, forming an anti-Kremlin political movement or engaging in treasonous activity.The Wagner Group remains entirely reliant on Russia's defense ministry for key weapons and transport, and Prigozhin's other business endeavors are dependent on government contracts that could be quickly curtailed should he overstep his bounds. Therefore, it is extremely doubtful that he would bite the hand that feeds him by significantly escalating his rhetoric. Prigozhin's activities are an attempt to increase his influence, but are not an attempt to fundamentally alter his ultimately minimal role in Russia's governance system. Prigozhin is still not viewed in the Kremlin or the general public as a viable politician, and remains unlikely to vie for such status at the risk of his life and fortune.
The ongoing feud will, however, likely further compel Moscow to gradually reduce the Wagner Group's role in Ukraine. Wagner forces remained Russia's primary offensive forces after Russia's military establishment endorsed General Surovikin's plan to move to the defensive while using missiles to strike Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Gerasimov's replacement of Surovikin in mid-January resulted in that strategy being partially abandoned, with Russia instead launching a larger winter offensive aimed at regaining the initiative. The offensive saw the Russian regular army play a larger role around Vuhledar and Kreminna, but yielded extremely limited gains. Only Wagner's preceding efforts in Bakhmut continued to gain ground, though it's come at an enormous cost. Wagner forces are now likely exhausted and demoralized. But most importantly, they're short of manpower, down to around 15,000 soldiers from approximately 50,000 early last fall. As Russia's regular army contingent in Ukraine has grown to approximately 500,000 soldiers due to mobilization, the relative importance of Wagner troops to Russia's overall force structure has fallen significantly. Furthermore, as the entire Russian army deals with ammunition shortages and prepares to defend against Ukraine's impending counteroffensive, for which Wagner is not structured, the lack of prestige-gaining offensive opportunities leaves little reason for Wagner to maintain a large presence on the front line.
Wagner will likely retain some involvement in the war, even if on a smaller scale, as Wagner forces have benefits compared with Russian regular troops that Moscow will want to continue leveraging. There are several reasons the Kremlin would want to keep some level of Wagner soldiers in Ukraine, despite the recent feud with Prigozhin. For one, Wagner soldiers have been fighting in conflict zones around the world for years, including in eastern Ukraine since 2014. The military contractor's surviving forces are thus more experienced than the vast majority of Russia's regular troops — especially the newly mobilized ones now deployed to Ukraine. For Russia, this makes Wagner a considerably useful resource for not only future combat, but for training and advising other Russian units in the meantime. Unlike Russian regular troops, Wagner fighters are also all volunteers and prisoners, which means their loss on the battlefield has a smaller impact on Russian society and Moscow's overall war efforts compared with the loss of regular soldiers or mobilized personnel. Furthermore, prisoners and previous mercenaries are not individuals taken out of the economy, and Wagner casualties are not reflected in Russia's official army statistics and thus lack political ramifications, which enables Moscow to use Wagner soldiers for riskier attacks. Furthermore, from a financial standpoint, Wagner forces' upkeep is less of a drain on the Russian government's budget (due to private funding sources picking up a larger portion of the group's operating costs). Another private military contractor could, in theory, eventually offer similar economic, political and strategic benefits to Moscow. But the other contractors currently operating in Russia — while plentiful — are still much smaller and lack the manpower, equipment, structure, administration, or media status to replace Wagner quickly.
• On April 18, videos emerged in Russian media purporting to show that Wagner personnel were participating in the training of mobilized regular soldiers — a formerly exclusive undertaking of the regular army. Such training would constitute an expansion rather than a reduction of the military contractor's role, which would make it harder for Gerasimov and Shoigu to phase out the use of Wagner soldiers in Ukraine.
Despite his public criticisms, Prigozhin will also seek to stay engaged in Ukraine to ensure that he and his organization remain important to the Kremlin, though this will limit Wagner's ability to expand its operations in key geographies like Africa. Wagner's ''regime security'' services remain key to the Kremlin's global geopolitical strategy, including in countries such as Mali, the Central African Republic and Libya, providing services for which competition largely comes from other Russian private military contractors with weaker ties to the Kremlin. For Wagner, those global services are likely more lucrative from a business standpoint compared with fighting in the Ukraine war. But despite his recent criticisms of Russian leaders' strategy in Ukraine, Prigozhin will still seek to ensure that his organization remains involved in the Ukraine war. This is because Wagner's presence in Ukraine remains an important source of prestige, as well as a valuable insurance policy that will protect Prigozhin himself from the worst consequences of any red lines he may cross in the future. Pulling out Wagner's remaining forces to focus on activities in Africa could put him in increased danger as the Kremlin may seek to replace him with someone more committed to the Ukraine agenda. Therefore, Prigozhin's feud with the Russian military, Wagner's losses in Ukraine and continued presence there mean the group will likely be constrained in its ability to significantly expand its presence in Africa or elsewhere. These factors could cause potential clients to turn to one of the many other smaller (but growing) private military contractors in Russia or from another country by fueling concerns about Wagner's ability to fulfill contracts.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History…….May 17
1945 – On Luzon, the US 152nd Division, part of US 11th Corps, entrenches in favorable positions on Woodpecker Ridge as the Japanese retire. The US 43rd Division captures the Ipoh dam, the main source of water for Manila, intact after an intensive bombing and artillery preparation.
1945 – On Okinawa, the US 6th Marine Division, part of US 3rd Amphibious Corps, continues assaulting Sugar Loaf hill have Japanese positions are heavily bombarded by aircraft, artillery and ships. Elements of US 1st Marine Division capture the western part of the Wana valley but fail to take the ridge. Units of the US 77th Division, part of US 24th Corps, make a surprise attack on Ishimmi Ridge, west of the village, and end up in positions exposed to Japanese fire.
1972 – Preceded by five B-52 strikes, which reportedly killed 300 North Vietnamese to the south, South Vietnamese forces arrive by helicopter to within two miles of An Loc in continuing efforts to relieve this besieged city. It had been surrounded by three North Vietnamese divisions since early April. The North Vietnamese had been holding An Loc under siege for almost three months while they made repeated attempts to take the city. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, including 2,300 dead or missing, but with the aid of U.S. advisors and American airpower, they managed to hold An Loc against vastly superior odds until the siege was finally lifted on June 18.
I remember looking at photos I took over that city and seeing burned out tanks and destroyed buildings….skip
1987 – At 8:00pm local time, a Mirage F-1 fighter jet took off from Iraq's Shaibah military airport and headed south into the Persian Gulf, flying along the Saudi Arabian coast. An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, in the air over Saudi Arabia and manned by a joint American-Saudi crew, detected the aircraft. Aboard the USS Stark, a Perry-class frigate on duty in the gulf,… radar operators picked up the Mirage when it was some 200 miles away; it was flying at 5,000 feet and traveling at 550 mph. Captain Glenn Brindel, 43, commander of the Stark, was not particularly alarmed. He knew it was fairly common for Iraqi and Iranian warplanes to fly over the gulf. Earlier in the day, Iraqi jets had fired missiles into a Cypriot tanker, disabling the vessel. But no American vessel had been attacked. In keeping with standard procedure, Captain Brindel ordered a radio message flashed at 10:09 PM: "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself." There was no reply. A second request was sent. Still no answer. Brindel noted that the aircraft's pilot had not locked his targeting radar on the Stark, so he expected it to veer away. At 10:10 PM, the AWACS crew noticed that the Mirage had banked suddenly and then turned northward, as though heading for home. What they failed to detect was the launching by the Iraqi pilot of two Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles. The Exocets had a range of 40 miles and each carried a 352 lb. warhead. For some reason, the sea-skimming missiles were not detected by the Stark's sophisticated monitoring equipment. A lookout spotted the first Exocet just seconds before the missile struck, tearing a ten-by-fifteen-foot hole in the warship's steel hull on the port side before ripping through the crew's quarters. The resulting fire rushed upward into the vessel's combat information center, disabling the electrical systems. The second missile plowed into the frigate's superstructure. A crewman sent a distress signal with a handheld radio that was picked up by the USS Waddell, a destroyer on patrol nearby. Meanwhile, the AWACS crew requested that two airborne Saudi F-15s pursue the Iraqi Mirage. But ground controllers at Dhahran airbase said they lacked the authority to embark on such a mission, and the Mirage was safely back in Iraqi airspace before approval could be obtained. As fires raged aboard the Stark, Brindel ordered the starboard side blooded to keep the gaping hole on the port side above the waterline. All through the night the fate of the stricken frigate was in doubt. Once the inferno was finally under control, the Stark limped back to port. The Navy immediately launched an investigation into an incident that had cost 37 American seamen their lives. The Stark was endowed with an impressive array of defenses — an MK92 fire control system that could intercept incoming aircraft at a range of 90 miles; an OTO gun that could fire three-inch anti-aircraft shells at a rate of 90 per minute; electronic defenses that could produce bogus radar images to deceive attackers; and the Phalanx, a six-barreled gun that could fire 3,000 uranium rounds a minute at incoming missiles. Brindel insisted that his ship's combat system was fully operational, but Navy technicians in Bahrain said the Stark's Phalanx system had not been working properly when the frigate put out to sea. (Brindel was relieved of duty and later forced to retire.) A C141B Starlifter carried 35 flag-draped caskets to the Stark's home base at Mayport, Florida. (Two of the crewmen were lost at sea during the attack.) President Reagan and the First Lady were on hand to extend condolences to grieving families. Reagan was under fire from Congress and the press for putting American servicemen in harm's way on a vaguely defined mission. "We need to rethink exactly what we are doing in the Persian Gulf," said Republican Senator Robert Dole. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution, sponsored by Dole and Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, that demanded the president explain to Congress the strategy and goals of the Persian Gulf mission — and the risks involved. Congress was also unhappy with Saudi Arabia for what it viewed as a lackadaisical response to the request to pursue the Iraqi Mirage — so unhappy, in fact, that the administration thought it wise to delay submission of a proposal to sell new F-15 fighter jets to the Saudis. The strife in the gulf had started in 1984 when Iran and Iraq, at war since 1980, began attacking each other's ships. Inevitably, the vessels of third countries became targets. Over 200 ships had been attacked in the past three years. The Iranians were particularly keen to target the ships of Iraq's ally, Kuwait. Even though only 7% of American oil supplies came from the region, the Reagan administration insisted that U.S. strategic interests required a naval presence in the gulf. Critics complained that Western Europe and Japan, which acquired 25% and 60% of their respective oil needs from the gulf, weren't doing their part in keeping the sea lanes open. In fact, certain Western European nations had become major suppliers of military hardware to both Iran and Iraq. Damage done to the Stark had been caused by French-built missiles fired from a French-built aircraft. The administration argued that to withdraw from the gulf would be to surrender America's role as leader of the free world, and that if oil shipments were disrupted, prices would soar, adversely affecting the U.S. economy. As one Western diplomat put it, if the U.S. backed out, it wouldn't "have enough credibility to float a teacup." Furthermore, the Soviet Union had increased its naval presence in the gulf, and the fear was that if the U.S. faltered, the Soviets would gain the upper hand in the region — and growing Soviet influence in the region would pose a long-term threat to the West's oil supplies. "We will not be intimidated," said Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. "We will not be driven from the gulf." He described the attack on the Stark as a "horrible error," and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was quick to apologize for the "unintentional incident." Evidently, the Mirage pilot had mistaken the Stark for an Iranian tanker. Iraq promised to pay compensation to the families of the 37 slain seamen, and reparations for damages to the frigate. Officially the United States was neutral in the Iran-Iraq conflict, but the administration had decided that geopolitic considerations required that Iraq not lose the war. In the aftermath of the Stark incident, the rhetoric coming out of Washington was of a forgiving nature where Iraq was concerned, while growing increasingly hostile in reference to Iran. The White House was resolute. "The use of the vital sea lanes of the Persian Gulf will not be dictated by the Iranians," said President Reagan during a press conference. "Those lanes will not be allowed to come under the control of the Soviet Union. The Persian Gulf will remain open to navigation by the nations of the world." The U.S. naval presence was increased from six to nine ships. Air cover would be provided by a carrier stationed outside the gulf. The American warships would escort convoys of Kuwaiti tankers every ten days or so. Iran vowed to continue attacking Kuwaiti tankers regardless of whether they flew the Stars and Stripes. Congress objected to the open-ended nature of this commitment. Memories of Vietnam — and of the Lebanon peacekeeping debacle in the early 1980s, during which 241 Marines were killed in their barracks by a suicide bomber — prompted many solons to insist on knowing what rules of engagement the U.S. Navy would be operating under while escorting oil tankers in the gulf. The answer: A U.S. warship could fire on any aircraft that came within 20 miles of it, on the authority of the captain. Unfortunately, the U.S. was so concerned about Iranian Sidewinder missiles being placed so as to control the Strait of Hormuz that it neglected to sweep the approaches for mines, one of which damaged an escorted tanker in July. The incident was egg on the face of the Navy, accused of sloppy mission preparation, and embarrassed the administration, which, while presiding over an unprecedented peacetime military buildup, had only three operational ocean-going minesweepers in service. But on 21 September 1987, the military redeemed itself by conducting a successful raid involving U.S. Navy SEALS on an Iranian vessel caught laying mines. Five Iranian seamen were killed. That same week, Iran attacked a British-flagged tanker; Britain responded by shutting down Iran's London-based arms procurement office. (By this time, British, French, Belgian, Dutch and Italian warships had joined the Americans and Soviets in patrolling the gulf.) The American raid gave some senators an excuse to push for invocation of the War Powers Act; they claimed the U.S. was clearly engaged in hostilities. The law required that the president obtain congressional approval of military action extending beyond a period of 60 days. But the Senate voted 51-40 not to invoke the law. Following the September 21 raid, Iran amassed 60 gunboats and directed the flotilla toward Khafji, a Saudi-Kuwaiti oil facility. The USS La Salle, flagship of Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen, commander of the U.S. Navy Middle East Force, moved to intercept the gunboats, which turned back after being buzzed by Saudi warplanes. Another encounter involved an Iranian warship that locked fire control radar on a USN destroyer, the Kidd; warned off by the Kidd's skipper, the Iranian ship sailed away. Then, on October 8, Iranian gunboats fired at a U.S. Army helicopter, missing the target but attracting the attention of two U.S. AH-6 gunship choppers, which sank one of the gunboats and damaged two others. Iran responded by firing Silkworm missiles at the U.S.-owned Liberian supertanker Sungari and the reflagged Kuwaiti tanker Sea Isle City, damaging both vessels. There were no fatalities, though the American skipper of the Sea Isle City, Captain John Hunt, was blinded. Few doubted the U.S. would retaliate. Two weeks later, four U.S. destroyers fired over one thousand rounds of 5-in. shells into Iran's Rashadat oil-loading platforms in the Persian Gulf — after giving the platform crews twenty minutes to evacuate. Ninety minutes of continuous shelling left the platforms smoldering ruins; SEAL commando teams exploded the pilings and sent the rubble plunging into the sea. The Iranians answered by firing another Silkworm at Sea Island, Kuwait's deep-water oil-loading facility, destroying the loading dock. "We're not going to have a war with Iran," said President Reagan. "They're not that stupid." But it certainly seemed as though an undeclared war was already underway. A public opinion poll revealed that while 68% of Americans expected a "military exchange" between the U.S. and Iran, 60% were in favor of stronger retaliatory action against the Iranians. The situation remained tense throughout the winter, but not until April 1988 did violence erupt once again in the Persian Gulf. Ten seamen were injured when the USN frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine on April 14. Being careful to consult with Congress this time, President Reagan ordered a retaliatory strike against two Iranian oil platforms in the southern gulf — platforms that served as bases for Iran's intelligence service. While one platform was shelled by the frigates Simpson and Bagley, Marines helicoptered to the second, seized it, planted explosive charges, and destroyed it. A few minutes later, the Simpson sank an Iranian patrol boat that had fired a missile at the USN guided-missile cruiser Wainwright. (The Wainwright defended itself by dispensing aluminum chaff in the air, which deflected the missile.) Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, two Iranian frigates and several gunboats were sunk by American warships and an F-14 Tomcat from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. During the day-long battle, a Cobra helicopter carrying two American crewmen was shot down by the Iranians. This defeat at sea, coupled with grave setbacks in the land war with Iraq, persuaded Iranian leaders to seek improved relations with the West. The Ayatollah Khomeini agreed with Hashemi Rafsanjani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on the need to pursue a new foreign policy that would defuse tensions in the Persian Gulf. As for the United States, its resolve in the gulf in 1987-88 improved its standing with allies, not only in the Middle East but also around the world.
1995 – Shawn Nelson steals a tank from a military installation and goes on a rampage in San Diego resulting in a 25 minute police chase. Nelson is killed by an officer after the tank got stuck on a concrete barrier and tried to break free.
2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef. USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) – nicknamed Mighty O, and occasionally referred to as the O-boat – was one of the few Essex-class aircraft carriers completed only after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany. The history of Oriskany differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Originally designed as a "long-hulled" Essex-class ship (considered by some authorities to be a separate class, the Ticonderoga class) her construction was suspended in 1947. She eventually was commissioned in 1950 after conversion to an updated design called SCB-27 ("27-Charlie"), which became the template for modernization of 14 other Essex-class ships. Oriskany was the final Essex-class ship completed. She operated primarily in the Pacific into the 1970s, earning two battle stars for service in the Korean War, and five for service in the Vietnam War. In 1966 one of the worst shipboard fires since World War II broke out on Oriskany when a magnesium flare was accidentally ignited; forty-four men died in the fire. Oriskany's post-service history also differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Decommissioned in 1976, she was sold for scrap in 1995, but was repossessed in 1997 because nothing was being done (lack of progress). In 2004 it was decided to sink her as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. After much environmental review and remediation to remove toxic substances, she was carefully sunk, settling in an upright position at a depth accessible to recreational divers. As of 2008, Oriskany is "the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef". Oriskany is mentioned in the 1986 film Top Gun as the ship from which the main character's father had flown during the Vietnam War. She has been featured in films such as Men of the Fighting Lady and The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) and What Dreams May Come (1998).
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
KENDALL, WILLIAM W.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company A, 49th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Black River Bridge, Miss., 17 May 1863. Entered service at: Dubois County, Ind. Birth: Dubois County, Ind. Date of issue: 12 February 1894. Citation: Voluntarily led the company in a charge and was the first to enter the enemy's works, taking a number of prisoners.
DAY, JAMES
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands from 14 to 17 May 1945. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In the ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separated occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy's final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
*BURKE, ROBERT C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company 1, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Southern Quang Nam Province Republic of Vietnam, 17 May 1968. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 7 November 1949, Monticello, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for service as a machine gunner with Company 1. While on Operation ALLEN BROOK, Company 1 was approaching a dry river bed with a heavily wooded treeline that borders the hamlet of Le Nam (1), when they suddenly came under intense mortar, rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a large, well concealed enemy force which halted the company's advance and wounded several marines. Realizing that key points of resistance had to be eliminated to allow the units to advance and casualties to be evacuated, Pfc. Burke, without hesitation, seized his machine gun and launched a series of 1-man assaults against the fortified emplacements. As he aggressively maneuvered to the edge of the steep river bank, he delivered accurate suppressive fire upon several enemy bunkers, which enabled his comrades to advance and move the wounded marines to positions of relative safety. As he continued his combative actions, he located an opposing automatic weapons emplacement and poured intense fire into the position, killing 3 North Vietnamese soldiers as they attempted to flee. Pfc. Burke then fearlessly moved from one position to another, quelling the hostile fire until his weapon malfunctioned. Obtaining a casualty's rifle and hand grenades, he advanced further into the midst of the enemy fire in an assault against another pocket of resistance, killing 2 more of the enemy. Observing that a fellow marine had cleared his malfunctioning machine gun he grasped his weapon and moved into a dangerously exposed area and saturated the hostile treeline until he fell mortally wounded. Pfc. Burke's gallant actions upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 17
THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
For May 17
1913: Domingo Rosillo flew from Key West to Havana in a Morane land monoplane to win a $10,000 prize, flying 90 miles in 2 hours 30 minutes. (24)
1919: The Director of the Air Service ordered the use of the national star insignia on all service planes. (4)
1933: The Army's nonrigid helium coastal patrol airship, the TC-13 (the largest nonrigid airship built for the Air Corps), arrived at Langley Field.
1934: In a Sikorsky S-42, Boris Sergievsky and Raymond B. Quick set a US seaplane altitude record by carrying a 5,000-kilogram (11,000-pound) payload to 20,407 feet at Bridgeport. (24)
1942: The Army Air Forces first helicopter, the Sikorsky XR-4 Hoverfly, is delivered to Wright Field, Ohio. Igor Sikorsky and C.L. "Les" Morris deliver the craft personally. It is accepted by the AAF on May 30th. The XR-4 will be the only U.S. helicopter to see action during World War II.
1943: The crew of the B-17F Flying Fortress Memphis Belle completes 25 combat missions in the European Theater. Led by Capt. Robert Morgan, the crew then returns to the U.S. with their bomber, Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress, serial number 41-24485, assigned to the 324th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), VIII Bomber Command, based at Air Force Station 121 (RAF Bassingbourne, England), and flies it on a nation-wide tour selling war bonds.
1944: USS Saratoga joined a British Eastern Fleet carrier air strike against the Japanese base at Soerabaja, Java. (24)
1946: The Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster flew for the first time. This experimental twin-engine platform will later result in the production of the four-engine B-45 Tornado. The XB-43 was a development of the XB-42 , replacing the piston engines of the XB-42 with two General Electric J35 engines.
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 22 May, FEAF Bomber Command B-29s flew 94 (mostly nighttime) sorties against enemy ground forces, far more close air support missions in a similar previous period in the war. The B-29s flew few other types of missions during this time. (28)
1961: Cmdr Patrick L. Sullivan and Lt Beverly W. Witherspoon (USN) flew an HSS-2 helicopter to a 192.9 MPH world speed record over a 3-kilometer (1.86 miles) course at Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Conn. (24)
1964: Operation WATER PUMP. The Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF) began operations against the Pathet Lao. Earlier in March, Detachment 6, 1st Air Commando Wing, moved four T-28s to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, to train the RLAF in operations and maintenance. The T-28s were painted on 18 May with Laotian markings and turned over to the RLAF. Additional aircraft were obtained from the Vietnamese in late May. (17)
1990: Col Frank Birk and Leroy Schroeder flew Northrop's B-2A on a six-hour, 36-minute test flight above Edwards AFB. The bomber completed several performance tests and three air refuelings in the test. (8: Jul 90) A MAC C-141 airlifted a Soviet SS-20 intermediate range nuclear missile to Andrews AFB for display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. In exchange, a 438 MAW crew and aircraft from McGuire AFB transported a Pershing II missile to the Shermetyevo Airport near Moscow. (18)
1993: Through 29 May, 9 C-5 Galaxies and 15 C-141 Starlifter missions moved 254 UN troops and 326 tons of equipment to Cambodia to supervise that country's first free elections in 40 years. Three tankers from PACAF provided refuelings to the C-5s flying from Namibia to Cambodia. (16) (18)
1997: The McDonnell-Douglas X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft made its first flight from Edwards AFB, but an overheated engine forced the 28-percent scale concept demonstrator to land six minutes later. It was a remotely piloted jet vehicle designed by NASA to study the maneuverability of aircraft with no vertical tail surfaces. (3)
1998: An AFFTC pilot, Lt Col Steven M. Rainey, became the first USAF pilot to fly the F-22 Raptor. It was the aircraft's third flight and its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1999: The ANG mobilized 18 A-10s and nearly 510 personnel from the 104th Fighter Wing (FW), 110th FW, and 124th FW. The forces formed the 104th Expeditionary Operations Group and left Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts heading for Italy to participate in Operation Allied Force. The 104th Expeditionary Operations Group arrived on 19 May at Trapani AB in Sicily and began flying operations two days later. (32) 1
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm3Mku6d7mTZVBHcO0rSHrQCfBgVU8AhDy%3DK%2BvHkO2aAeQ%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.