To All
Good Monday Morning August 14 2023.
I hope that you all had a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
August 14
1813 In the early morning, the brig USS Argus, commanded by William H. Allen, battles HMS Pelican, off England's coast. During battle, Allens right leg is shot off, but he remains on station until fainting. As Pelicans men board, USS Argus strikes her colors. Allen died four days later.
1886 The Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney signs General Order 354 establishing the Naval Gun Factory at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.
1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill agreed to the Atlantic Charter at Argentia, Nova Scotia.
1945 USS Spikefish (SS 404) sink the Japanese submarine (I 373), in the Sea of Japan. Also on this date, USS Torsk (SS 423) sinks Coast Defense Vessel (No.13), and Coast Defense Vessel No.47.
1945 The Japanese accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and agree to surrender, ending World War II. It is known as V-J Day! Announcing the news to the country in the evening, President Harry S. Truman proclaims a two-day holiday. Explosive celebrations immediately follow as Americans and their Allies rejoice that World War II is finally over.
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Today in World History August 14
1457 The first book ever printed is published by a German astrologer named Faust. He is thrown in jail while trying to sell books in Paris. Authorities concluded that all the identical books meant Faust had dealt with the devil.
1559 Spanish explorer Tristan de Luna enters Pensacola Bay, Florida.
1605 The Popham expedition reaches the Sagadahoc River in present-day Maine and settles there.
1756 French commander Louis Montcalm takes Fort Oswego, New England, from the British.
1793 Republican troops in France lay siege to the city of Lyons.
1900 The European allies enter Beijing, relieving their besieged legations from the Chinese Boxers.
1917 The Chinese Parliament declares war on the Central Powers.
1942 Dwight D. Eisenhower is named the Anglo-American commander for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa.
1945 Japan announces its unconditional surrender in World War II.
1947 Pakistan becomes an independent country.
1969 British troops arrived Northern Ireland in response to sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
1973 The United States ends the "secret" bombing of Cambodia.
1987 Mark McGwire hits his 49th home run of the season, setting the major league home run record for a rookie.
1995 Shannon Faulker becomes the first female cadet in the long history of South Carolina's state military college, The Citadel. Her presence is met with intense resistance, reportedly including death threats, and she will leave the school a week later.
2007 Four coordinated suicide bomb attacks in Yazidi towns near Mosul, Iraq, kill more than 400 people.
2010 First-ever Summer Youth Olympic Games open, in Singapore. Athletes must be 14–18 years old.
2003
Blackout hits Northeast United States
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… 14 AUGUST
Skip… For The List for Monday, 14 August 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 14 August 1968… Non-combat deaths in SEA 1961-1968= 4,700…
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.
Thanks to Micro
I've wondered how to get folks to read some of the stories from our database, and
since you have lots of pieces of The List that are representative of each day in history, I thought I'd offer a list of links to one story per day, pertinent to the date itself, unrelated to the anniversary year. On some days there may not be anything of great interest, and on other days there might be a lot.
For today Monday, August 14th: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=746
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War
. Listed by last name and has other info
https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--I Was Thinking...
Submitted by Dave Harris:
• Did you ever wonder why hemorrhoids aren't called asteroids?
• So now cocaine is legal in Oregon, but straws aren't. That must be frustrating.
• Someone said "30 years ago", and my mind went "Ah yes! The 1970s", but they meant 1992, and now I need to lie down.
• The correct term for gluten-free, sugarless, vegan brownies is 'compost'.
• Barbie didn't give me a poor body image. Barbie taught me you can't reattach a head once it's removed from the body.
• A woman with a salad walked past me in the restaurant and said, "You know a cow died so you could eat that beefburger." I said, "If you weren't eating its food it might have lived."
• Still trying to get my head around the fact that 'Take Out' can mean food, dating, or murder.
• Threw out my back sleeping, and tweaked my neck sneezing so I'm probably just one strong fart away from complete paralysis.
• Dear paranoid people who check behind their shower curtains for murderers. If you do find one, what's your plan?
• Courage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that's why life is hard.
• The older I get, the more I understand why roosters just scream to start their day.
• Being popular on Facebook is like sitting at the 'cool table' in the cafeteria of a mental hospital.
• I am swift as a gazelle…an old one…with arthritis…run over by a Land Rover…seven days ago.
• You know you're over 40 when you have 'upstairs ibuprofen' and 'downstairs ibuprofen'.
• When you realize that 1970 and 2023 are as far apart as 1970 and 1917…I'm just going to need a minute…
Submitted by Mike Ryan:
Eat whatever you like because…
…the inventor of the treadmill died at the age of 54.
…the inventor of gymnastics died at age 57.
…the world's bodybuilding champion died at age 41.
…the best footballer in the world, Maradona, died at at 60.
And then…
…the KFC inventor died at 94.
…the inventor of Nutella died at 88.
…the inventor of Hennessy died at 98.
How did doctors come to the conclusion that exercise prolongs life, when…
…the rabbit is always jumping but only lives for around two year, and
…the turtle that doesn't exercise at all, lives over 200 years.
So, rest, chill, eat, drink, and enjoy life!
Submitted by Mark Logan:
• I too was once a male trapped in a female body…but them my mother gave birth.
• Why don't the 99% of us who aren't offended by everything, quit catering to the 1% who are?
• I read that 95% of electric vehicles are still on the road. I guess the remaining 5% made it all the way home.
• If only vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
• I'm fat, but I identify as skinny. I'm trans-slender.
• When I lost the fingers on my right hand in a freak accident, I asked the doctor if I would still be able to write with it. He said, "Probably, but I wouldn't count on it."
• I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise. But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.
• Sometimes, not saying anything is the best answer. You see, silence can never be misquoted.
• Anyone who says their wedding was the best day of their life has clearly never had two candy bars fall down at once from a vending machine.
• We live in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won't be offended.
Submitted by Al Schlegel:
• The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren't a robot.
• When a kid says "Daddy, I want mommy" that's the kid version of "I'd like to speak to your supervisor".
• It's weird being the same age as old people.
• Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say CLOSE ENOUGH.
• If I am ever on life support, unplug me and plug me back in and see if that works.
• Do you ever wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and think… "That can't be accurate?"
• Last night the internet stopped working so I spent a few hours with my family. They seem like good people.
• If Adam and Eve were Cajuns they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple and saved us all a lot of trouble.
• We celebrated last night with a couple of adult beverages …… Metamucil and Ensure.
• You know you are getting old when friends with benefits means having someone who can drive at night.
• Weight loss goal: To be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.
• After watching how some people wore their masks, I understand why contraception fails.
• Some of my friends exercise every day. Meanwhile I am watching a show I don't like because the remote fell on the floor.
• For those of you that don't want Alexa or Siri listening in on your conversation, they are making a male version….it doesn't listen to anything.
• I just got a present labeled, 'From Mom and Dad', and I know darn well Dad has no idea what's inside.
• Now that I have lived through a plague, I totally understand why Italian renaissance paintings are full of fat people lying on couches.
• Now that Covid has everyone washing their hands correctly…next week…Turn Signals.
Submitted by Colleen Grosso:
• Someone said, "Nothing rhymes with orange." I said, "No, it doesn't."
• The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts his sails.
• There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. Only a fraction of people will find this funny.
• Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.
• I have many hidden talents. I just wish I could remember where I hid them.
• My idea of a Super Bowl is a toilet that cleans itself.
• Apparently exercise helps you with decision making. It's true. I went for a run this morning and decided I'm never going again.
Have a great week,
Al
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From the archives
Thanks to Ernie via Billy and Dr.Rich
This is absolutely GREAT Ernie! Thank YOU very much!
4/6/1917 World War I Flight Training Video With a bunch of help, I built a WWI Nieuport 17 replica and flew it 10 years in a seven-ship squadron albeit the most we ever had up together was five! These were all scratch-built from plans. Mine, "El Duce" sits in the Place of Fame Museum! It was a glorious time for me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pC90YyP18A
Blue Skies & Tailwinds….
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Thanks to Barrett
I enjoy your entries unrelated to NavAir. Frequently cut & paste to forward elsewhere. Today's segment on science raised my curiosity about Her.
Daughter of an admiral who wanted more for his girl:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Somerville
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Thanks to Mike I did not know there was a Mig 23 flying in airshows
This afternoon at Thunder Over Michigan Airshow, I didn't know there was a Mig-23 on the airshow circuit. Looks like 2 chutes
https://www.disclose.tv/id/p5f28i0q4g/
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Thanks to Barrett
As per Dave's excellent assessment:
Here's my compilation of naval fixed wing loss causes, taken from the CNA list.
USN 538 combat, 316 operational = 854 (36% op)
USMC 173 combat, 75 operational = 248 (30% op)
Total 711 combat, 391 operational = 1,102
Some operators might be surprised at how close USN/USMC operational losses finished. (I have witnessed a Debate between a Sader and a Viggie guy as to who survived greater odds...I think it was recorded as a tie.)
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Thanks to Carl
(And it will get worse after the DEI influence on medical schools to admit unqualified med students!)
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2023/08/14/the-destruction-of-american-health-care/
The Destruction of American Health Care
August 14, 2023
Paul Craig Roberts
In the US medical boards are in many respects agents of Big Pharma. They serve to punish doctors who don't abide by Big Pharma's money-grubbing protocols.
The Ohio Medical Board is a good example. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny testified in June 2021 to the Ohio House of Representatives Health Committee about the dangers of the so-called "Covid vaccines." Her testimony was based on published studies in medical journals. Her testimony was at a time when the full press was on to have the entire population injected with an experimental dose of no one knew what. Big Pharma and American medicine that it controls didn't want anyone getting in the way of huge profits and whatever other agendas were at work. Big Pharma orchestrated a number of complaints to be made about Dr. Tenpenny. The Ohio Medical Board responded to its master's call.
The vaccinators were unhappy when 2 years and 2 months ago Dr. Tenpenny said that the so-called "vaccine" was causing heart inflammation. Her statement, controversial at the time, is now accepted as true. But the Ohio Medical Board is nevertheless punishing her for being correct. By telling the truth, the Ohio Medical Board thinks Dr. Tenpenny violated the State's Medical Practices Act. Big Pharma's Ohio Medical Board has suspended Dr. Tenpenny's medical license.
This is how corrupt medicine is today in the United States. Over the course of my life I have watched the collapse of medical practice in the US. Doctors were in private practice. You had a personal relationship with them. They knew how to diagnose. Poor people weren't charged. The doctors added a little to rich people's bills. The doctor was focused on your health, not his pocketbook.
Today medical schools teach doctors, who are increasingly corporate employees thanks to Obamacare and other legislation designed to destroy private practice, to type the patients reported symptoms into his laptop and prescribe the drugs that Big Pharma recommends. This kind of medicine can be automated.
In the US doctors have become employees. They cannot use their judgment but must follow protocols. Doctors who rejected the death-dealing Covid protocols and saved patients' lives with Ivermectin and HCQ were fired. If they were in private practice, they were hauled before corrupt medical boards whose pockets were lined by Big Pharma.
Cat scans, MRIs, and blood analysis are wonderful tests for diagnostics, but technology aside medical practice in the US is failing fast. With the rapid expansion of corporate medicine doctors are being turned into profit centers. Their job is to hand the patient a Big Pharma prescription and rush to the next patient.
One way that Big Pharma, using its political campaign contributions, is closing down private medical practice is by getting Congress to pass legislation that results in corporate billings to insurance companies and Medicare being paid a larger percentage of the billed amount than private practices. The consequence has been the sale of private practices and their incorporation into corporate medicine.
What this means is that "our representatives" in Congress are not our representatives. They are Big Pharma's representatives and representatives for others who finance their election campaigns. Big Pharma's representatives have centralized our health care and turned it against us by turning health care into just another monetized commodity.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
13 Surprising Facts About the World's Population
As of 2022, there are 7.9 billion people living on Earth — an especially astounding fact when you consider that a little over two centuries ago, the planet crossed the 1 billion mark for the first time. Studying global population trends isn't just a fascinating endeavor — understanding the growth (or decline) in the Earth's populations helps researchers to better predict conditions in the future. From the most-populated continent to a municipality with just one person, here are 13 fascinating world population facts that may surprise you.
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The Majority of Earth's Human Population Lives in One Hemisphere
Although the Earth's hemispheres are equal in geographic size, the Earth's population is not divided similarly. Roughly 90% of Earth's human population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, which also accounts for most of the planet's landmass. The Northern Hemisphere is made up of 39.3% land (the rest is ocean) and also contains many of the world's most-populated cities, while the Southern Hemisphere only is 19.1% land.
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Over Half of the World's Population Lives on a Single Continent
Earth's continents are similarly unequal in population distribution — it's estimated that 60% of Earth's population (4.7 billion people) lives in Asia. Made up of 48 countries, Asia is also home to the two most populous nations in the world, China and India. China is estimated to currently have 1.44 billion people living in the country, while India is not far behind with an estimated 1.40 billion residents. Together, the two countries account for over half of Asia's total population.
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Japan Is Home to the World's Most-Populated City
China and India may be the nations with the highest population, but Japan is home to the most populated city. In 2022, the population of the Tokyo metropolitan area is estimated to be an astounding 37.7 million people, with 13.96 million living in the city itself. To compare, greater Tokyo's population is almost equivalent to the total sum of the 25 most populated cities in the U.S., which adds up to 37.8 million people. It's also 1.5 times larger than the next most populous metro area, Seoul.
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Monaco Has the World's Densest Population
Monaco may be the second-smallest country by geographical size, but it does have the world's densest population. With a population of 39,000 people spread across just three-quarters of a square mile, Monaco has a population density of about 50,000 people per square mile. If you were to consider both independent countries and territories, the Chinese territory of Macau is even more dense, with over 51,000 people per square mile.
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Katy, Texas, Has the Most-Populated ZIP Code in the U.S.
California might be the most-populated state in the U.S., but Texas is home to the most populated ZIP code. The Texan ZIP code of 77449 has a population of 128,294 people and belongs to Katy, Texas, a suburb located 30 miles west of Houston. Interestingly, the second most-populated ZIP code in the states also belongs to Katy, with 118,291 residents in the 77494 ZIP code. Five of the top 10 ZIP codes by population are located in the Lone Star State.
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Over Half of Indonesia's Population Lives on a Single Island
Although the archipelago of Indonesia has a total of 17,508 islands, more than half of the nation's total population resides on the island of Java. Home to the capital city of Jakarta, Java is the most-populated island in the world, with 145 million residents. To put that into context, that's 17 times more people than all of New York's five boroughs, which are home to a total of 8.4 million people.
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There's a Town in Nebraska With a Population of 1
In the lonesome grasslands of Nebraska near the South Dakota border lies the municipality of Monowi. The town's sole resident is Elsie Eiler, a woman in her 80s who is the town's mayor, clerk, librarian, and treasurer. As Monowi is an incorporated town for the purposes of the U.S. Census, Eiler receives state funding for municipal road work. However, she has to raise her own funds for the town's taxes to pay for the street lighting and water.
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Nepal's Population Has the Highest Percentage of Women
Women account for 54.5% of the total population in Nepal, with roughly 2 million more women than men in the South Asian country. One of the primary causes of this high population rate is the country's life expectancy, with Nepalese women typically outliving Nepalese men. Another reason is the fact that Nepalese men often move abroad for work, while the women usually stay at home.
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Wyoming Is the Least-Populated State in the U.S.
In the last U.S. Census, Wyoming remained the least populated state in the U.S., with a population of approximately 580,000 residents. The state's most populous city is Cheyenne, home to about 65,000 people, while the town of Owl Creek has the lowest population with a mere four residents. Housing 5.9 people per square mile, Wyoming is far from congested, especially when compared to California, which has 240.5 people per square mile.
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Niger Has the Highest Birth Rate and the Youngest Population
The West African country of Niger has the highest birth rate in the world: Between 2015 and 2020, the average woman in Niger gave birth seven times. Unsurprisingly, this means that Niger has a very young population, with a median age of 15. In fact, with an estimated population of 22.93 million, roughly half of the people who live in Niger are under the age of 14.
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In 2050, Earth Will Have 10 Billion Human Inhabitants
In less than 30 years, the world's population is projected to grow by 2.2 billion people, from 7.8 billion in 2020 to a whopping 10 billion in 2050. This estimation is based on the current global fertility rate, which averages 2.3 births per woman, as well as other population indicators that are tracked in 200 countries around the world. By 2050, many countries in Africa will have doubled their populations, with some countries (such as Angola) expected to increase by a whopping 150%.
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The World Is Growing at a Slower Pace Than It Used To
The world population currently grows by an estimated 1.05% to 1.1% per year. However, this is a significant decrease from just 60 years ago, when the world's annual growth was 2.2% per year. Despite this decline, the world's population has steadily increased over the past 200 years. Since 1800, the world's population has increased from 1 billion to 7.9 billion, largely thanks to advances in the medical and agricultural industries.
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By 2050, Half of the World's Population Growth Will Be Concentrated in Nine Countries
While many countries are shrinking in population, others are growing at much faster rates, leading to unequal distribution of global population growth. In fact, just nine countries are predicted to make up more than 50% of population growth by 2050. According to the United Nations, these countries are India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt, and the United States. The same report by the U.N. also revealed that the world's population continues to grow older, as life expectancy increases across the globe.
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This Day in U S Military History
14 August
1784 – On Kodiak Island, Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian fur trader, founds Three Saints Bay, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska. The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland. Russian hunters were soon making incursions into Alaska, and the native Aleut population suffered greatly after being exposed to foreign diseases. The Three Saints Bay colony was founded on Kodiak Island in 1784, and Shelikhov lived there for two years with his wife and 200 men. From Three Saints Bay, the Alaskan mainland was explored, and other fur-trade centers were established. In 1786, Shelikhov returned to Russia and in 1790 dispatched Aleksandr Baranov to manage his affairs in Russia. Baranov established the Russian American Company and in 1799 was granted a monopoly over Alaska. Baranov extended the Russian trade far down the west coast of North America and in 1812, after several unsuccessful attempts, founded a settlement in Northern California near Bodega Bay. British and American trading vessels soon disputed Russia's claims to the northwest coast of America, and the Russians retreated north to the present southern border of Alaska. Russian interests in Alaska gradually declined, and after the Crimean War in the 1850s, a nearly bankrupt Russia sought to dispose of the territory altogether. The czarist government first approached the United States about selling the territory during the administration of President James Buchanan, but negotiations were stalled by the outbreak of the American Civil War. After the war, Secretary of State William H. Seward, a supporter of territorial expansion, was eager to acquire the tremendous landmass of Alaska, one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's folly," "Seward's icebox," and President Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden." In April 1867, the Senate ratified the treaty by a margin of just one vote. Despite a slow start in settlement by Americans from the continental United States, the discovery of gold in 1898 brought a rapid influx of people to the territory. Alaska, rich in natural resources, has been contributing to American prosperity ever since. On January 3, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the 49th state.
1900 – During the Boxer Rebellion, an international force featuring British, Russian, American, Japanese, French, and German troops relieves the Chinese capital of Peking after fighting its way 80 miles from the port of Tientsin. The Chinese nationalists besieging Peking's diplomatic quarter were crushed, and the Boxer Rebellion effectively came to an end. By the end of the 19th century, the Western powers and Japan had forced China's ruling Ch'ing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country's economic affairs. In the Opium Wars, popular rebellions, and the Sino-Japanese War, China had fought to resist the foreigners, but it lacked a modernized military and millions died. In 1898, Tz'u Hsi, the dowager empress, gained control of the Chinese government in a conservative coup against the Emperor Kuang-hsu, her adoptive son and an advocate of reforms. Tz'u Hsi had previously served as ruler of China in various regencies and was deeply anti-foreign in her ideology. In 1899, her court began to secretly support the anti-foreign rebels known as the I Ho Ch'uan, or the "Righteous and Harmonious Fists." The I Ho Ch'uan was a secret society formed with the original goal of expelling the foreigners and overthrowing the Ch'ing dynasty. The group practiced a ritualistic form of martial arts that they believed gave them supernatural powers and made them impervious to bullets. After witnessing these fighting displays, Westerners named members of the society "Boxers." Most Boxers came from northern China, where natural calamities and foreign aggression in the late 1890s had ruined the economy. The ranks of the I Ho Ch'uan swelled with embittered peasants who directed their anger against Christian converts and foreign missionaries, whom they saw as a threat to their traditional ways and blamed for their misery. After the dowager empress returned to power, the Boxers pushed for an alliance with the imperial court against the foreigners. Tz'u Hsi gave her tacit support to their growing violence against the Westerners and their institutions, and some officials incorporated the Boxers into local militias. Open attacks on missionaries and Chinese Christians began in late 1899, and by May 1900 bands of Boxers had begun gathering in the countryside around Peking. In spite of threats by the foreign powers, the empress dowager began openly supporting the Boxers. In early June, an international relief force of 2,000 soldiers was dispatched by Western and Japanese authorities from the port of Tientsin to Peking. The empress dowager ordered Imperial forces to block the advance of the foreigners, and the relief force was turned back. Meanwhile, the Peking-Tientsin railway line and other railroads were destroyed by the Chinese. On June 13, the Boxers, now some 140,000 strong, moved into Peking and began burning churches and foreign residences. On June 17, the foreign powers seized forts between Tientsin and Peking, and the next day Tz'u Hsi called on all Chinese to attack foreigners. On June 20, the German ambassador Baron von Ketteler was killed and the boxers began besieging the foreign legations in the diplomatic quarter of the Chinese capital. As the foreign powers organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege of the Peking legations stretched into weeks, and the diplomats, their families, and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought desperately to keep the Boxers at bay. Eventually, an expedition of 19,000 multinational troops pushed their way to Peking after fighting two major battles against the Boxers. On August 14, the eight-nation allied relief force captured Peking and liberated the legations. The foreign troops looted the city and routed the Boxers, while the empress and her court fled to the north. The victorious powers began work on a peace settlement. Due to mutual jealousies between the nations, it was agreed that China would not be partitioned further, and in September 1901 the Peking Protocol was signed, formally ending the Boxer Rebellion. By the terms of agreement, the foreign nations received extremely favorable commercial treaties with China, foreign troops were permanently stationed in Peking, and China was forced to pay $333 million as penalty for its rebellion. China was effectively a subject nation. The Boxers had failed to expel the foreigners, but their rebellion set the stage for the successful Chinese revolutions of the 20th century
1940 – Sir Henry Tizard heads a British scientific mission to the United States, carrying with him details of all of Britain's most advanced thinking in several vital fields. There are ideas on jet engines, explosives, gun turrets and above all a little device called the cavity magnetron. This valve is vital for the development of more advanced types of radar, including the versions used in proximity fuses later and the types working on centimetric wavelengths which will be vital at sea in the U-boat war. The US Official History will later describe this collection as the "most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores."
1965 – The advance units of the Seventh Marines land at Chu Lai, bringing U.S. Marine strength in South Vietnam to four regiments and four air groups. The Marines were given the responsibility of conducting operations in southern I Corps and northern II Corps, just south of the Demilitarized Zone. Hanoi Radio broadcasted an appeal to American troops, particularly African Americans, to "get out." This was purportedly a message from an American defector from the Korean War living in Peking. In South Korea, the National Assembly approved sending troops to fight in South Vietnam; in exchange for sending one combat division to Vietnam, the United States agreed to equip five South Korean divisions.
2007 – The deadliest single attack of the whole war occurred. Nearly 800 civilians were killed by a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks on the northern Iraqi settlement of Kahtaniya. More than 100 homes and shops were destroyed in the blasts. U.S. officials blamed al-Qaeda. The targeted villagers belonged to the non-Muslim Yazidi ethnic minority. The attack may have represented the latest in a feud that erupted earlier that year when members of the Yazidi community stoned to death a teenage girl called Du'a Khalil Aswad accused of dating a Sunni Arab man and converting to Islam. The killing of the girl was recorded on camera-mobiles and the video was uploaded onto the internet.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HAMMOND, LESTER, JR.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company A, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. Place and date: Near Kumwha, Korea, 14 August 1952. Entered service at: Quincy, Ill. Born: 25 March 1931, Wayland, Mo. G.O. No.: 63, 17 August 1953. Citation: Cpl. Hammond, a radio operator with Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Cpl. Hammond was a member of a 6 man reconnaissance patrol which had penetrated approximately 3,500 yards into enemy-held territory. Ambushed and partially surrounded by a large hostile force, the small group opened fire, then quickly withdrew up a narrow ravine in search of protective cover. Despite a wound sustained in the initial exchange of fire and imminent danger of being overrun by the numerically superior foe, he refused to seek shelter and, remaining in an exposed place, called for artillery fire to support a defensive action. Constantly vulnerable to enemy observation and action, he coordinated and directed crippling fire on the assailants, inflicting heavy casualties and repulsing several attempts to overrun friendly positions. Although wounded a second time, he remained steadfast and maintained his stand until mortally wounded. His indomitable fighting spirit set an inspiring example of valor to his comrades and, through his actions, the onslaught was stemmed, enabling a friendly platoon to reach the beleaguered patrol, evacuate the wounded, and effect a safe withdrawal to friendly lines. Cpl. Hammond's unflinching courage and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the finest traditions of the military service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 14 August, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
14 August
1911: Through 25 August, Harry N. Atwood flew from St. Louis to New York, covering 1,155 miles, in the longest cross-country flight to date. (24)
1917: Lt. E.O. McDonnell (USN) launched a torpedo from a seaplane at Huntington Bay, Long Island. Afterwards, the Navy became seriously interested in launching torpedos from aircraft. 1919: An Aeromarine flying boat delivered the first airmail to a steamer at sea, when it dropped mail off to the White Star Liner Adriatic. (24)
1942: When Lt Elza Shahn ferried his P-38 to England, he spotted a German FW-200 Condor near Iceland. These German long-range reconnaissance aircraft gathered data on weather and allied shipping to help U-boats attack ships in the Atlantic. Shahn turned and shot the Condor down, becoming the first American Army pilot to shoot down a German plane in World War II. (4)
1945: FINAL B-29 COMBAT MISSION AGAINST JAPAN. This Twentieth Air Force mission included a record number of effective aircraft: 754 B-29s and 169 fighters. One phase of the mission, against Tsuchizaka, produced the longest unstaged mission (3,650 miles) of the war from the Marianas. (21)
1954: Convair delivered the last B-36 to the Air Force.
1957: SAC's Deputy Director of Operations, Brig Gen James V. Edmundson, flew a 321 BMW B-47 nonstop from Andersen AFB to Sidi Slimane, Morocco. He set a B-47 record for distance: 11,450 miles in 22 hours 50 minutes. He used four refuelings from KC-97 tankers during his journey. (1)
1959: The last active B-17 left for stockpile at Tucson. Seven days earlier, the Air Force destroyed the last B-17 drone.
1963: At Edwards AFB, Maj Robert W. Smith flew Northrop's F-5A multi-purpose fighter in its first military test flight. (3)
1964: The first combat employment of the F-105D in Southeast Asia involved 36 TFS aircraft from Korat RTAFB. (17)
1968: PROJECT GIANT BOOST. The third attempt to launch a Minuteman II from an operational base, Grand Forks AFB, failed. (6)
1971: The first C-5A landed at Tan Son Nhut AB to deliver general cargo and pick up three C-47 helicopters. (18)
1974: Northrop Corporation rolled out the F-5F at Hawthorne. (12) 1978: Through 16 August, as part of flood relief operations, a C-141 Starlifter delivered 26 tons of supplies to Khartoum. (16) (26)
1980: A C-5A with modified wings made its first flight at Dobbins AFB. Under this contract, Lockheed-Georgia had to retrofit 77 C-5As with new wings by July 1987. (16) (26)
1992: Operation PROVIDE RELIEF. Through 28 February 1993, US airlifters moved over 23,000 tons of food, water, medicine, and other relief supplies in 3,000 missions to Somalia. The supplies helped thousands of starving refugees, who suffered from a prolonged drought and civil war. The airlifters flew over 3,100 missions to deliver 34,400 tons of cargo in the operation. (16) (18) (21)
2003: A B-2 flown by an AFFTC crew released two GBU-28 B/B bombs at the Utah Testing and Training Range. This was the first successful live drop of the newly upgraded 5,000-pound weapon, an enhanced version of the GBU-28 designed specifically for the B-2. (3)
2020: The current Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is Chief JoAnne S. Bass. On 14 August 2020, Chief Bass became the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, the first female to hold the highest senior enlisted rank in any United States military branch, and the first person of Asian-American descent to hold the highest senior enlisted position in the Air Force.
The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and position of office represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force unless an enlisted airman is serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman. The CMSAF provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. The CMSAF is appointed by the Air Force Chief of Staff and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force.
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THANKS TO CARL
War Is a Racket… U.S. and NATO Arms Industries Make Record $400 Billion in Sales From Proxy War With Russia
Strategic Culture
August 14, 2023
Western weapons manufacturers are popping champagne corks over record sales with total revenues hitting $400 billion for last year. According to media reports, this coming year-end will see that record figure exceeded by another salivating $50 billion.
Ukraine may be resembling a bloodbath, as we noted in last week's editorial. But apparently, Western military corporations are swimming in a bonanza of profits and stock market investments.
Most of this lucrative new business stems from NATO's proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, which is heading toward its second year. There is no sign of a diplomatic effort from the West or the Kiev regime it sponsors to end the bloodshed.
The main corporate beneficiaries making a financial killing from Ukraine are by far the American firms. They include such behemoths as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and RTX (formerly Raytheon). But also enjoying soaring profits are arms makers in other NATO countries: BAE in the United Kingdom, Airbus in France, Netherlands and Spain, Leonardo in Italy, and Germany's Rheinmetall.
This week the Joe Biden administration requested another $24 billion in U.S. taxpayer-funded aid to Ukraine. It's hard to keep track of the money flowing from NATO countries to prop up the Nazi regime in Kiev. Even the NATO authorities don't seem to know the precise figures, such is the rampant corruption that is inevitably associated with the vast doling of funds. But estimates of total U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine range from $150 billion to $200 billion over the past year alone.
What we are seeing is an audacious racket whereby the American and European public are subsidizing the funneling of their own taxpayers' money into the coffers of weapons firms. And there is no democratic choice in the matter. It's a fait accompli. Or, put another way, extortion.
Of course, too, part of this huge scam is the hefty financial cuts for the inner circle of the Kiev regime, including its puppet president, Vladimir Zelensky, and the brazenly sleazy defense chief Aleksy Reznikov. It is reckoned that at least $400 million has been grafted by the top members of the regime from the arms bazaar flowing into Ukraine. Reznikov has even boasted that his country serves as a testing ground for NATO weaponry.
Nearly a century ago, former U.S. Marine Corps General Smedley D Butler popularized the phrase, "war is a racket" as the title of his classic book in which he condemned how American capitalism profits obscenely from military invasions and killing.
Butler's critique is as relevant today, perhaps more so, as evinced by the conflict in Ukraine.
Western media reports are increasingly admitting – albeit coyly – that the war is a disaster for the Kiev regime and, by extension, the NATO powers. The death toll among Ukrainian forces may be as high as 400,000 since the conflict erupted last February. The much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in early June has resulted in no territorial gains despite the horrendous casualties and despite the gargantuan supply of NATO weapons, training and logistical support.
A report in the Washington Post this week shows that most Ukrainian people are despairing of the grinding war and endless casualties. They see no point in the continuation of hostilities given the failure of the NATO-backed forces to make any advance against well-fortified Russian defense lines.
Yet against this grim reality, the U.S. and European officials keep running the taps of blood.
We see NATO leaders like Polish President Andrzej Duda this week urging for more weapons to be sent to Ukraine even while he concedes the military defeat so far.
Zelensky and his cronies are, not surprisingly, also demanding more NATO arms and claiming with bravado they will never negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some people want this conflict to keep going because of their irrational Russophobia and simply because it is too lucrative for their own personal gain.
Where does democracy come into this? It doesn't, whatsoever. Polls show that most Americans are opposed to the continuing supply of military aid to Ukraine. There are sound reasons to believe that most European citizens are also firmly against the fueling of a bloody war in which Ukrainian corpses keep piling higher. In addition, the perpetuation of this conflict runs the outrageous risk of spiraling out of control into an all-out war between the United States and Russia, the world's biggest nuclear powers.
Against the backdrop of monstrous profiteering from violence and death are the mounting social and economic crises from poverty and deprivation in Western nations. Last year, saw a record number of suicides in the United States, some 49,000 people, caused by growing acute material and psychological distress. Despite the massive unmet basic human needs in their own societies, elite Western leaders chose to prioritize fueling a proxy war with Russia. The aid for Ukraine this week requested by the Biden administration exceeds what his administration is earmarking to help the U.S. Pacific state of Hawaii and other American homeland states devastated by storms and wildfires this summer.
What is even more despicable, the conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided if Western states had engaged with Russia to resolve its geo-strategic security concerns regarding the decades-long expansion of NATO and the U.S.-led deterioration in arms control treaties. It is still possible to end this conflict promptly if diplomacy were prioritized.
But the United States and its European lackeys have shown no impetus for diplomacy. They have become intoxicated by their delusional propaganda narratives about "defending Ukraine from Russian aggression". The Russophobia among Western politicians and media has become so endemic that it seems impossible for any reasonable thinking to prevail. Western media blatantly censor any reports showing the Nazi nature of the Kiev regime, including its so-called Jewish president who lauds World War Two Ukrainian collaborators in the Nazi holocaust.
Lamentably, too, the astronomical profits from the war in Ukraine are a primary impediment to any peaceful settlement. Western arms corporations are among the most influential lobby groups that can buy the votes of lawmakers. The military-industrial complex (MIC) effectively controls government policy and media narratives in Western states. The nefarious influence as observed by Smedley Butler in the 1930s and later by Dwight Eisenhower in the 1960s is even more powerful and insidious today. The MIC has manifold more layers and dimensions to it now. And that goes not just for the United States but all Western capitalist economies. These economies are in effect war economies, run by and for weapons companies who dominate policy and public discourse via advertising in corporate media and financing think-tanks. In short, Western capitalism is at once a sponsor and an addict of war.
The continuation of the bloodletting and destruction in Ukraine is depravity. But, shamefully, it will go on because the Western forces driving it know of no other way. They are locked into an addictive slaughterhouse that defies all morality, legality and democratic principle.
There seems to be no other way than to finish this war by Russia eradicating completely the Nazi regime in Kiev. When the NATO counteroffensive finally falters soon, Russia needs to crush the Nazi regime once and for all. The Western powers and their Kiev cabal are incapable – and undeserving – of any other way.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.
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