To All,
Good Friday morning September 1, 2023
Good Bubba Breakfast this morning
.Regards,
Skip
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History Thanks to NHHC
September 1
On This Day
1800
During the Quasi-War with France, the schooner, USS Experiment, commanded by Lt. Charles Stewart, captures the French privateer Deux Amix off Barbuda, West Indies.
1814
The sloop-of-war, USS Wasp, commanded by Johnston Blakely, sinks the British brig sloop, HMS Avon, south of Ireland.
1925
Cmdr. John Rodgers and a crew of four in a PN-9 aircraft run out of fuel on the first San Francisco to Hawaii flight. Landing at sea, they rig a sail and set sail for Hawaii. On Sept. 10, they are rescued by the submarine USS R-4, 10 miles from Kaui, then Territory of Hawaii.
1941
The United States assumed responsibility for trans-Atlantic convoys from Argentia, Newfoundland, to the meridian of Iceland.
1942
The United States Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet is established. Vice Adm. Aubrey W. Fitch assumes duties of this administrative command that replaces the commands Carriers, Pacific Fleet and Patrol Wings, Pacific Fleet.
1942
The first Seabee unit to serve in a combat area, the Sixth Naval Construction Battalion, arrives on Guadalcanal.
1942
PBY Catalina aircraft from VP-73 bomb and sink German submarine U-756 southwest of Iceland.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in World History September 1
1676 Nathaniel Bacon leads an uprising against English Governor William Berkeley at Jamestown, Virginia, resulting in the settlement being burned to the ground. Bacon's Rebellion came in response to the governor's repeated refusal to defend the colonists against the Indians.
1773 Phillis Wheatley, a slave from Boston, publishes a collection of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in London.
1807 Aaron Burr is arrested in Mississippi for complicity in a plot to establish a Southern empire in Louisiana and Mexico.
1821 William Becknell leads a group of traders from Independence, Mo., toward Santa Fe on what would become the Santa Fe Trail.
1836 Protestant missionary Dr. Marcus Whitman leads a party to Oregon. His wife, Narcissa, is one of the first white women to travel the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail emigrants who chose to follow Stephen Meek thought his shortcut would save weeks of hard travel. Instead, it brought them even greater misery.
1864 Confederate forces under General John Bell Hood evacuate Atlanta in anticipation of the arrival of Union General William T. Sherman's troops.
1870 The Prussian army crushes the French at Sedan, the last battle of the Franco-Prussian War.
1876 The Ottomans inflict a decisive defeat on the Serbs at Aleksinac.
1882 The first Labor Day is observed in New York City by the Carpenters and Joiners Union.
1894 By an act of Congress, Labor Day is declared a national holiday.
1902 The Austro-Hungarian army is called into the city of Agram to restore the peace as Serbs and Croats clash.
1904 Helen Keller graduates with honors from Radcliffe College.
1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan become Canadian provinces.
1916 Bulgaria declares war on Romania as the First World War expands.
1923 An earthquake levels the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, killing 300,000.
1939 Germany invades Poland, beginning World War II in Europe.
1942 A federal judge in Sacramento, Cal., upholds the government's detention of Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals as a war measure.
1951 Australia, New Zealand and the United States sign the ANZUS Treaty, a mutual defense pact.
1969 Colonel Muammar Gaddafi seizes power in Libya following a coup.
1970 Dr. Hugh Scott of Washington, D.C. becomes the first African-American superintendent of schools in a major U.S. city.
1972 America's Bobby Fischer beats Russia's Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland, to become world chess champion.
1979 US spacecraft Pioneer 11 makes the first-ever flyby of Saturn.
1985 The wreck of the Titanic found by Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean Louis Michel in a joint U.S. and French expedition.
1998 On National Day, Vietnam releases 5,000 prisoners, including political dissidents.
2004 Armed terrorists take children and adults hostage in the Beslan school hostage crisis in North Ossetia, Russia.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Friday, 1 September 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 1 September 1968…
Remembering LCOL Norman Schmidt, USAF… MIA>POW>KIA… RIP
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Friday, Sep[tember 1
September 1st: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=770
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip. Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
It was A sad day
Corvette museum will fill sinkhole after all, restore some cars
Includes before and after the sink hole pictures…
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/30/travel/corvette-museum-sinkhole/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the archives
Thanks to Hawk
I remember seeing the first 707 land in Denver in the early 50s. the one in the pictures with the yellow and brown and white on it that is now in the Smithsonian. Somewhere in my files I have a video of the time it got rolled in Washington over the hydro boat races. skip
KEY FAILURES . . Then Success! (The Boeing Story) (fwd)
Subject: KEY FAILURES . . Then Other Incredibly Successful . .
Innovations . . Bet You Weren't Entirely Aware Of @ BOEING
http://www.rbogash.com/Boeing/707-is-60.html
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
A tale from the archives that is worth repeating because it turned out very well
A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit crashed at sea today in the Central Command area of operations, an official press release stated.
All 25 persons aboard the helicopter, 17 Marines and eight Navy sailors, were safely recovered and are aboard USS Mesa Verde, according to the release.
"Three individuals are reported to have sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash," the press release states.
The crash was not a result of "hostile activity," the press release states. The aircraft was transferring the Marines and sailors back to USS Mesa Verde from training ashore in nearby Djibouti.
The Navy and Marine Corps plan to investigate the cause of the crash.
Update: Marine Helicopter Crashes in the Gulf of Aden
Story Number: NNS140901-01Release Date: 9/1/2014 2:03:00 PM
MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) crashed at 2:00 p.m. (GMT), today, at sea in the Gulf of Aden as it attempted to land aboard USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19).
All 25 persons aboard the helicopter; 17 Marines and eight Navy Sailors, were safely recovered and are aboard USS Mesa Verde. Personnel who sustained minor injuries in the crash were treated aboard USS Mesa Verde.
The crash was not a result of hostile activity. The aircraft was transferring the Marines and Sailors back to USS Mesa Verde from training ashore in nearby Djibouti.
The Navy and Marine Corps will investigate the cause of the crash.
USS Mesa Verde with embarked elements of the 22 MEU is part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group currently on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility where it is conducting maritime
security operations.
For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 2:00 PM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: "And All 25 of Us Are Alive!" : First-hand Account of CH-53E Crash
Over the Weekend (FW: ROSS' NARRATIVE ON THE CRASH)
Our friends, who were over Sunday night, received a call during dinner from
their son-in-law that he had been in a helo wreck. He is actually the air
officer for 1/6, (is a Huey pilot) and with 22th MEU. Below is
narrative..pretty miraculous that no one drowned considering how the
airframe flipped over. Assume it took a bit more time than expected to
sink..and the Marines were well-trained
Good evening!
I am okay. Please don't worry. I was being transported yesterday in the back
of a CH-53 when it lost its engine. It was about an hour long flight, and
was normal right up until the end. As we were making our approach to the
ship, I knew something was wrong. I was a passenger in the back, but the
approach was taking longer than normal, so, being a pilot I knew something
was awry. So I got ready.
During flight school you know I went through the "Helo Dunker" simulator
that trains us for events just like this. I was on the starboard side of the
helo, and I got my reference point with my left hand. My right hand was on
the seat belt latch, and I was waiting for when I needed to release myself,
which would have been when all motion stopped after the helo rolled ( all
helos will flip upside down in the water due to high centers of gravity)
As I sat there waiting, I saw sparks pouring down like someone was tap
welding on top of the aircraft...but it was from the engine eating itself
up...I could see out of the back of the helicopter. I sat there and kept
telling myself that I will "go left" in order to get out. At the same time
praying the Hail Mary as fast as my mind could (so fast I was mumbling even
mentally) We fell from about 35 feet...maybe less, and were near the ship.
The pilot ( a good friend of mine ) did a good job of moving the aircraft
away from the ship with what little power he had, or it could have been
worse. We hit the water pretty level. Almost right away it rolled toward my
side, the starboard side and all the luggage fell on us - at the same time,
water filled in and I was under water for a bit - now at somepoint here I
went ahead and released my seat belt since I had gear and luggage on top of
me and needed to get it off. It was heavy, but I think the water caused some
of it to float a lit!
tle and that helped (along with a little push from my guardian angel) I got
it off and did a little sit up, and realized there was air, so I was able to
get a breath. Then the helo rolled upside down, and all the luggage fell on
me again, and more water came in. I just kept moving - I opened my eyes
briefly and could see two pin holes of white light - I kept moving left
until I could hear voices clearly and I opened my eyes and I was on the tail
of the aircraft as it sank upside down. I inflated my my life preserver and
I stayed on that tail for about a minute (by then it sank) As it sank I
jumped off into the water and I was treading water like everyone else.
People had been swimming out of the rear of the helo the whole time. Our
luggage, and gear was everywhere, along with JP-5 jet fuel and smoke from
something that caught fire but I don't know what did. I was in shock.
Someone found the raft that had been in the helo and inflated it by pulling
the cord. It inflated upside down and so I was moving in the water the best,
so I swam towards it and when I got to it, I climbed on the little plastic
latter on the bottom and pulled to flip it. That latter exist just for that
reason, but in training it was always easier. It acts as a lever in case the
damn thing inflates upside down, which it did. Once I had it upright, me and
a few others that weren't so bad off helped everyone inside. We had about 7
that needed hospital care on the ship. They will be fine though. Everyone is
healing well.
I only had some scrapes and bruises - they took x rays to double check me,
but i'm okay nothing is wrong. The navy recovered 2 of my 3 bags! I had
water proofed my clothes, so most of it is good and dry. Some things got
damaged, and I lost my laptop, but who cares. I just bought another one. And
all 25 of us are alive!
I can't wait to get home, I love you!!
Ross
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Remembering victims of KAL 007 – 30 years later
http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/remembering-victims-of-kal-007-30-years-later/
REMEMBERING VICTIMS OF KAL 007 – 30 YEARS LATER
U.S. government has still not provided families of victims with closure
Published: 8 hours ago
Jack Minor
Tired of government keeping secrets?
Tired of scandals that never get investigated by government?
Think of how family members of the victims of a shoot-down of a commercial airliner 30 years ago today feel.
On September 1, 1983, Korean Air Lines flight 007 took off from New York's JFK airport, destined for Seoul, South Korea, with a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. After the aircraft left on the last leg of its journey, it was subsequently shot down by Soviet aircraft.
The shoot-down of the aircraft, which carried 269 passengers, including 61 Americans, becomes even more intriguing when one considers KAL 007 had a very distinguished passenger. Rep. Larry McDonald, a Democrat from Georgia who was the chairman of the John Birch Society as well as one of the fiercest anti-Communist in the House of Representatives, was flying to Seoul as part of a conservative delegation led by Sen. Jesse Helms for the 30th anniversary of the signing of the United States-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty, which was intended to be a thumb in the eye of the Soviets.
In the days following the attack President Ronald Reagan issued a scathing rebuke against the Soviet Union calling the attack a "crime against humanity" and decrying "the savagery of their crime." Reagan noted the attack was far from an isolated incident.
"This is not the first time the Soviet Union has shot at and hit a civilian airliner when it over flew its territory. In another tragic incident in 1978, the Soviets also shot down an unarmed civilian airliner after having positively identified it as such," Reagan said. "In that instance, the Soviet interceptor pilot clearly identified the civilian markings on the side of the aircraft, repeatedly questioned the order to fire on a civilian airliner, and was ordered to shoot it down anyway. The aircraft was hit with a missile and made a crash landing. Several innocent people lost their lives in this attack, killed by shrapnel from the blast of a Soviet missile."
It did appear the attack was indeed a brutal act by the Communist government of the Soviet Union. The Russians had tracked the 747, which had some of the most sophisticated navigational instruments in the world, for 2 1/2 hours prior to giving the order to shoot down the aircraft.
While what happened may seem to be a simple cut-and-dry case of Soviet aggression, there is more to the incident than meets the eye.
The initial news of the incident reported the aircraft had not been destroyed, but rather was forced to land on Sakhalin, a Russian occupied island north of Japan. The Sept. 1 front page of the Rocky Mountain News featured the headline, "Congressman's flight reportedly forced to Soviet isle." The story noted "the CIA had informed the Seoul government of the landing on the Soviet-occupied island."
Several other sources, including the Japanese Self-Defense Force, reported they had tracked the flight on radar to a safe landing inside Russian territory.
Bert Schlossberg, founder of the International Committee for the Rescue of KAL 007 Survivors and whose father-in-law and cousin were on the flight, confirmed they were told by officials the plane had landed safely.
"That evening we had an official come to our door who reassured us that although the plane had been fired upon, it landed safely and our loved ones would soon be released," he said. "By the next morning that account had completely changed."
While the later explanation the aircraft was destroyed is largely accepted, there remain key unanswered questions that have left the families perplexed to this day.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia released additional information about the incident, which shed doubt on the official theory.
Moneron Island
A transcript between the Russian pilots and General Anatoli Kornukov, who was the commander of Sokol Air Force Base at Sakhalin, revealed that although the Russians obeyed orders and fired two missiles at the aircraft, it was not destroyed. The pilot of one of the aircraft reported the target was able to easily turn to the north. The pilot conversations went on to reveal that the aircraft began a descent until it fell off the radar screen near the island of Moneron.
In 1991, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported eyewitness accounts, including those of Japanese fishermen, stating that the aircraft made several turns around the island in a spiral descent, which would suggest the aircraft was preparing to make a landing at sea.
The Izvestia articles interviewed Russian divers who had located the wreck in the weeks following the incident. One of the divers reported "the plane was filled with all kinds of stuff, but there were no bodies. Why? I didn't see any human remains. There was no luggage, not even a handbag."
Following the revelations about the location of the wreck, Sens. Bill Bradley, Edward Kennedy, Carl Levin and Sam Nunn fired off a letter to President Mikhail Gorbachev in June 1991 demanding an explanation for the divers' reports. However, Gorbachev was overthrown and forced to step down before he could reply.
Rep. Larry McDonald
Schlossberg told WND he initially believed the government's official story that the aircraft was destroyed. But, in 1991, while living in Israel, he discovered that Avraham Shifrin, who directed the Israeli Research Center for Prisons, Psych-prisons, and Forced Labor Concentration Camps of the USSR, interviewed Soviet immigrants who were in the military and acquired information that McDonald had survived the crash and was taken to Sakhalin and then to Moscow.
Schlossberg presented this information to the late Sen. Jesse Helms, who, following the election of Boris Yeltsin, fired off a similar letter asking for information on KAL 007. Helms was on another Korean Air Lines flight that departed Anchorage 15 minutes after McDonald's flight.
The following year, Russia 1 TV admitted that, contrary to earlier assertions, the Soviet Defense Ministry did actually have the aircraft's black boxes. While the Russians only released 104 seconds of the cockpit voice recorder, the information during this time span confirms the information in the Izvestia and fighter pilot transcripts that the aircraft survived the missile and the crew was in control of the aircraft at all times.
In the years following the attacks, survivors have attempted to find out what truly happened on that day.
"There is a lot that can be pieced together from the different sources we have available to us — notably the transcripts of the Soviet ground-to-ground and ground-to-air communications from the time of the shoot down, the audio from the cockpit voice recorder recording, and the data from the digital flight-data recorder," reported Charisma LaFleur, who had two family members aboard, including her grandfather Alfredo Cruz. "By putting it all together we can paint a pretty good picture of what happened, and that picture is very different from the popular view of what happened."
Schlossberg said with all of these questions still surrounding what actually happened to KAL 007 on that fateful day, the government owes it to the families to get to the bottom of the matter.
"The evidence points to the aircraft making a water landing and, if there's any possibility of survivors, including Congressman McDonald, our government owes it to them to do everything in its power to find out what truly happened on that day."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History…….1 September
1925 – Navy CDR John Rodgers and crew of 4 in PN-9 run out of fuel on first San Francisco to Hawaii flight. Landing at sea, they rigged a sail and set sail for Hawaii.
1939 – At 0445 hours German forces invade Poland without a declaration of war. The operation is code named Fall Weiss (Plan White). The Germans allot 52 divisions for the invasion (some 1.5 million men), including the 6 armored divisions and all their motorized units. Of the divisions left to defend against an Anglo-French front, only about 10 are regarded by the Germans as being fit for any kind of action. General Brauchitsch, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, is in command of the campaign. Bock leads Army Group North, consisting of the 4th Army (Kuchler) and 3rd Army (Kluge); Rundstedt leads Army Group South, consisting of 8th Army (Balskowitz), 10th Army (Reichenau) and 14th Army (List). Air support comes from two Air Fleets, commanded by Kesselring and Lohr, which have around 1,600 aircraft. Army Group South, advancing from Silesia, is to provide the main German attacks. The 8th Army on the left is to move toward Poznan, the principal thrust is to be delivered by 10th Army which is to advance in the center to the Vistula River between Warsaw and Sandomierz, while 14th Army on the right moves toward Krakow and the Carpathian flank. The 4th Army from East Prussia is to move south toward Warsaw and the line to the Bug River to the east; 3rd Army is to cross the Polish Corridor and join 4th Army in moving south. The Poles have 23 regular infantry divisions prepared with 7 more assembling, 1 weak armored division and an inadequate supply of artillery. They also have a considerable force of cavalry. The reserve units were only called up on August 30th and are not ready for combat. In the air, almost all the 500 Polish planes are obsolete and prove unable to blunt the impact of the German attack. During the day, the Luftwaffe launches air strikes on Warsaw, Lodz and Krakow. The Polish Commander in Chief, Marshal Rydz-Smigly, has deployed the stronger parts of his army in the northwestern half of the country, including large forces in the Poznan area and the Polish Corridor. He hopes to hold the Germans to only gradual gains. All along the front the superior training, equipment and strength of the Germans quickly brings them the advantage in the first battles. Many Polish units are overrun before their reinforcements from the reserve mobilization can arrive. At sea, as in the air, Polish technical inferiority leads to crushing early defeats. Three of the four Polish destroyers manage to leave for Britain before hostilities begin and later one submarine also escapes. On the first day the old pre-Dreadnought battleship, Schleswig-Holstein, bombards the Polish naval base at Westerplatte.
1945 – Americans received word of Japan's formal surrender that ended World War II. Because of the time difference, it was Sept. 2 in Tokyo Bay, where the ceremony took place.
1950 – U.S. Navy Lieutenant Eugene F. Clark was put ashore at Yonghung-do to command an operation to gather intelligence for the impending amphibious assault at Inchon.
1977 – The 1st TRS-80 Model I computer was sold.
1983 – Soviet jet fighters intercept a Korean Airlines passenger flight in Russian airspace and shoot the plane down, killing 269 passengers and crewmembers. The incident dramatically increased tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. On September 1, 1983, Korean Airlines (KAL) flight 007 was on the last leg of a flight from New York City to Seoul, with a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska. As it approached its final destination, the plane began to veer far off its normal course. In just a short time, the plane flew into Russian airspace and crossed over the Kamchatka Peninsula, where some top-secret Soviet military installations were known to be located. The Soviets sent two fighters to intercept the plane. According to tapes of the conversations between the fighter pilots and Soviet ground control, the fighters quickly located the KAL flight and tried to make contact with the passenger jet. Failing to receive a response, one of the fighters fired a heat-seeking missile. KAL 007 was hit and plummeted into the Sea of Japan. All 269 people on board were killed. This was not the first time a South Korean flight had run into trouble over Russia. In 1978, the Soviets forced a passenger jet down over Murmansk; two passengers were killed during the emergency landing. In its first public statement concerning the September 1983 incident, the Soviet government merely noted that an unidentified aircraft had been shot down flying over Russian territory. The United States government reacted with horror to the disaster. The Department of State suggested that the Soviets knew the plane was an unarmed civilian passenger aircraft. President Ronald Reagan called the incident a "massacre" and issued a statement in which he declared that the Soviets had turned "against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere." Five days after the incident, the Soviets admitted that the plane had indeed been a passenger jet, but that Russian pilots had no way of knowing this. A high ranking Soviet military official stated that the KAL flight had been involved in espionage activities. The Reagan administration responded by suspending all Soviet passenger air service to the United States, and dropped several agreements being negotiated with the Soviets. Despite the heated public rhetoric, many Soviets and American officials and analysts privately agreed that the incident was simply a tragic misunderstanding. The KAL flight had veered into a course that was close to one being simultaneously flown by a U.S. spy plane; perhaps Soviet radar operators mistook the two. In the Soviet Union, several of the military officials responsible for air defense in the Far East were fired or demoted. It has never been determined how the KAL flight ended up nearly 200 miles off course.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
IRWIN, PATRICK
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company H, 14th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Jonesboro, Ga., 1 September 1864. Entered service at: Ann Arbor, Mich. Born: 1839, Ireland. Date of issue: 28 April 1896. Citation: In a charge by the 14th Michigan Infantry against the entrenched enemy was the first man over the line of works of the enemy, and demanded and received the surrender of Confederate Gen. Daviel Govan and his command.
RYAN, THOMAS JOHN
Rank and organization: Ensign, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Yokohama, Japan, 1 September 1923. Entered service at: Louisiana. Born: 5 August 1901, New Orleans, La. Citation: For heroism in effecting the rescue of a woman from the burning Grand Hotel, Yokohama, Japan, on 1 September 1923. Following the earthquake and fire which occurred in Yokohama on 1 September, Ens. Ryan, with complete disregard for his own life, extricated a woman from the Grand Hotel, thus saving her life. His heroic conduct upon this occasion reflects the greatest credit on himself and on the U.S. Navy, of which he is a part. (Medal presented by President Coolidge at the White House on 15 March 1924.)
*HENRY, FREDERICK F.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Am-Dong, Korea, 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Clinton, Okla. Birth: Vian, Okla. G.O. No.: 8, 16 February 1951. Citation: 1st Lt. Henry, Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. His platoon was holding a strategic ridge near the town when they were attacked by a superior enemy force, supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire. Seeing his platoon disorganized by this fanatical assault, he left his foxhole and moving along the line ordered his men to stay in place and keep firing. Encouraged by this heroic action the platoon reformed a defensive line and rained devastating fire on the enemy, checking its advance. Enemy fire had knocked out all communications and 1st Lt. Henry was unable to determine whether or not the main line of resistance was altered to this heavy attack. On his own initiative, although severely wounded, he decided to hold his position as long as possible and ordered the wounded evacuated and their weapons and ammunition brought to him. Establishing a l-man defensive position, he ordered the platoon's withdrawal and despite his wound and with complete disregard for himself remained behind to cover the movement. When last seen he was single-handedly firing all available weapons so effectively that he caused an estimated 50 enemy casualties. His ammunition was soon expended and his position overrun, but this intrepid action saved the platoon and halted the enemy's advance until the main line of resistance was prepared to throw back the attack. 1st Lt. Henry's outstanding gallantry and noble self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty reflect the highest honor on him and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
KOUMA, ERNEST R.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant (then Sfc.) U.S. Army, Company A, 72d Tank Battalion. Place and date: Vicinity of Agok, Korea, 31 August and 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Dwight, Nebr. Born: 23 November 1919, Dwight, Nebr. G.O. No.: 38, 4 June 1951. Citation: M/Sgt. Kouma, a tank commander in Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His unit was engaged in supporting infantry elements on the Naktong River front. Near midnight on 31 August, a hostile force estimated at 500 crossed the river and launched a fierce attack against the infantry positions, inflicting heavy casualties. A withdrawal was ordered and his armored unit was given the mission of covering the movement until a secondary position could be established. The enemy assault overran 2 tanks, destroyed 1 and forced another to withdraw. Suddenly M/Sgt. Kouma discovered that his tank was the only obstacle in the path of the hostile onslaught. Holding his ground, he gave fire orders to his crew and remained in position throughout the night, fighting off repeated enemy attacks. During 1 fierce assault, the enemy surrounded his tank and he leaped from the armored turret, exposing himself to a hail of hostile fire, manned the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the rear deck, and delivered pointblank fire into the fanatical foe. His machine gun emptied, he fired his pistol and threw grenades to keep the enemy from his tank. After more than 9 hours of constant combat and close-in fighting, he withdrew his vehicle to friendly lines. During the withdrawal through 8 miles of hostile territory, M/Sgt. Kouma continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy and exhausted his ammunition in destroying 3 hostile machine gun positions. During this action, M/Sgt. Kouma killed an estimated 250 enemy soldiers. His magnificent stand allowed the infantry sufficient time to reestablish defensive positions. Rejoining his company, although suffering intensely from his wounds, he attempted to resupply his tank and return to the battle area. While being evacuated for medical treatment, his courage was again displayed when he requested to return to the front. M/Sgt. Kouma's superb leadership, heroism, and intense devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
*SMITH, DAVID M.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company E, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Yongsan, Korea, 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Livingston, Ky. Born: 10 November 1926, Livingston, Ky. G.O. No.: 78, 21 August 1952. Citation: Pfc. Smith, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action. Pfc. Smith was a gunner in the mortar section of Company E, emplaced in rugged mountainous terrain and under attack by a numerically superior hostile force. Bitter fighting ensued and the enemy overran forward elements, infiltrated the perimeter, and rendered friendly positions untenable. The mortar section was ordered to withdraw, but the enemy had encircled and closed in on the position. Observing a grenade lobbed at his emplacement, Pfc. Smith shouted a warning to his comrades and, fully aware of the odds against him, flung himself upon it and smothered the explosion with his body. Although mortally wounded in this display of valor, his intrepid act saved 5 men from death or serious injury. Pfc. Smith's inspirational conduct and supreme sacrifice reflect lasting glory on himself and are in keeping with the noble traditions of the infantry of the U.S. Army.
*STORY, LUTHER H.
Rank and organization Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Agok, Korea, 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Georgia. Born: 20 July 1931, Buena Vista, Ga. G.O. No.: 70, 2 August 1951. Citation: Pfc. Story, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. A savage daylight attack by elements of 3 enemy divisions penetrated the thinly held lines of the 9th Infantry. Company A beat off several banzai attacks but was bypassed and in danger of being cut off and surrounded. Pfc. Story, a weapons squad leader, was heavily engaged in stopping the early attacks and had just moved his squad to a position overlooking the Naktong River when he observed a large group of the enemy crossing the river to attack Company A. Seizing a machine gun from his wounded gunner he placed deadly fire on the hostile column killing or wounding an estimated 100 enemy soldiers. Facing certain encirclement the company commander ordered a withdrawal. During the move Pfc. Story noticed the approach of an enemy truck loaded with troops and towing an ammunition trailer. Alerting his comrades to take cover he fearlessly stood in the middle of the road, throwing grenades into the truck. Out of grenades he crawled to his squad, gathered up additional grenades and again attacked the vehicle. During the withdrawal the company was attacked by such superior numbers that it was forced to deploy in a rice field. Pfc. Story was wounded in this action, but, disregarding his wounds, rallied the men about him and repelled the attack. Realizing that his wounds would hamper his comrades he refused to retire to the next position but remained to cover the company's withdrawal. When last seen he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault. Private Story's extraordinary heroism, aggressive leadership, and supreme devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon himself and were in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.
*TURNER, CHARLES W.
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, 2d Reconnaissance Company, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Yongsan, Korea, 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Massachusetts. Birth: Boston, Mass. G.O. No.: 10, 16 February 1951. Citation: Sfc. Turner distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. A large enemy force launched a mortar and automatic weapon supported assault against his platoon. Sfc. Turner, a section leader, quickly organized his unit for defense and then observed that the attack was directed at the tank section 100 yards away. Leaving his secured section he dashed through a hail of fire to the threatened position and, mounting a tank, manned the exposed turret machine gun. Disregarding the intense enemy fire he calmly held this position delivering deadly accurate fire and pointing out targets for the tank's 75mm. gun. His action resulted in the destruction of 7 enemy machine gun nests. Although severely wounded he remained at the gun shouting encouragement to his comrades. During the action the tank received over 50 direct hits; the periscopes and antenna were shot away and 3 rounds hit the machine gun mount. Despite this fire he remained at his post until a burst of enemy fire cost him his life. This intrepid and heroic performance enabled the platoon to withdraw and later launch an attack which routed the enemy. Sfc. Turner's valor and example reflect the highest credit upon himself and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
*KAHO'OHANOHANO, ANTHONY T.
Rank: Private First Class, Organization: U.S. Army, Company: Company H, Division: 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, Born: 1930, Departed: Yes, Entered Service At: Hawaii, G.O. Number: , Date of Issue: 05/02/2011, Accredited To: Hawaii, Place / Date: Chupa-ri, Korea, 1 September, 1951. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano, Company H, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Chupa-ri, Korea, on 1 September 1951. On that date, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad supporting the defensive positioning of Company F when a numerically superior enemy force launched a fierce attack. Because of the enemy's overwhelming numbers, friendly troops were forced to execute a limited withdrawal. As the men fell back, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano ordered his squad to take up more defensible positions and provide covering fire for the withdrawing friendly force. Although having been wounded in the shoulder during the initial enemy assault, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano gathered a supply of grenades and ammunition and returned to his original position to face the enemy alone. As the hostile troops concentrated their strength against his emplacement in an effort to overrun it, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano fought fiercely and courageously, delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the onrushing enemy. When his ammunition was depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed. Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's heroic stand so inspired his comrades that they launched a counterattack that completely repulsed the enemy. Upon reaching Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's emplacement, friendly troops discovered 11 enemy soldiers lying dead in front of the emplacement and two inside it, killed in hand-to-hand combat. Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's extraordinary heroism and selfless devotion to duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 7th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
*JONES, WILLIAM A., III
Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 602d Special Operations Squadron, Nakon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. Place and date: Near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam, 1 September 1968. Entered service at: Charlottesville, Va. Born: 31 May 1922, Norfolk, Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Col. Jones distinguished himself as the pilot of an A-1H Skyraider aircraft near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. On that day, as the on-scene commander in the attempted rescue of a downed U.S. pilot, Col. Jones' aircraft was repeatedly hit by heavy and accurate antiaircraft fire. On one of his low passes, Col. Jones felt an explosion beneath his aircraft and his cockpit rapidly filled with smoke. With complete disregard of the possibility that his aircraft might still be burning, he unhesitatingly continued his search for the downed pilot. On this pass, he sighted the survivor and a multiple-barrel gun position firing at him from near the top of a karst formation. He could not attack the gun position on that pass for fear he would endanger the downed pilot. Leaving himself exposed to the gun position, Col. Jones attacked the position with cannon and rocket fire on 2 successive passes. On his second pass, the aircraft was hit with multiple rounds of automatic weapons fire. One round impacted the Yankee Extraction System rocket mounted directly behind the headrest, igniting the rocket. His aircraft was observed to burst into flames in the center fuselage section, with flames engulfing the cockpit area. He pulled the extraction handle, jettisoning the canopy. The influx of fresh air made the fire burn with greater intensity for a few moments, but since the rocket motor had already burned, the extraction system did not pull Col. Jones from the aircraft. Despite searing pains from severe burns sustained on his arms, hands, neck, shoulders, and face, Col. Jones pulled his aircraft into a climb and attempted to transmit the location of the downed pilot and the enemy gun position to the other aircraft in the area. His calls were blocked by other aircraft transmissions repeatedly directing him to bail out and within seconds his transmitters were disabled and he could receive only on 1 channel. Completely disregarding his injuries, he elected to fly his crippled aircraft back to his base and pass on essential information for the rescue rather than bail out. Col. Jones successfully landed his heavily damaged aircraft and passed the information to a debriefing officer while on the operating table. As a result of his heroic actions and complete disregard for his personal safety, the downed pilot was rescued later in the day. Col. Jones' profound concern for his fellow man at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
*RODELA, JOSE
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class. U.S. Army. Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3312. Place and Date: September 1, 1969. Born: June 15, 1937, Corpus Christi, TX . Departed: No. Entered Service At: Corpus Christi, TX. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 03/18/2014. Accredited To: . Citation: Rodela is being recognized for his valorous actions on Sept. 1, 1969, while serving as the company commander in Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam. Rodela commanded his company throughout 18 hours of continuous contact when his battalion was attacked and taking heavy casualties. Throughout the battle, in spite of his wounds, Rodela repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to attend to the fallen and eliminate an enemy rocket position.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for September 1, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1 September
1914: 1st Aero Squadron organized at San Diego, Calif., with 16 officers, 77 enlisted men, and eight planes.
1919: Using a DH-4B, Lt Lester B. Sweely (Air Service Reserve) demonstrated a diving attack at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. He dropped a 300-pound demolition bomb from under the fuselage. (20)
1927: American Railway Express and major airlines started air express operations. (24)
1940: Pan American Airways began a new 3-day route from the US to Rio de Janiero, using a 1,500-mile shortcut across the Amazon jungles. (24)
1944: Fifth Air Force sent 55 B-24s to bomb dispersal areas at three airfields near Davao, Mindanao Island, in the Philippines. Two of the Liberators were shot down by antiaircraft fire, and antiaircraft fire or interceptors damaged several others. Strike photographs revealed the destruction of 22 Japanese aircraft on the ground. (17)
1948: The second XR-12 lifted off from the Air Force Flight Test Center at Muroc, Calif., and climbed westward to gain altitude over the Pacific Ocean. Upon reaching its 40,000-foot cruising altitude, the XR-12 headed eastward and began photographing its entire route over the entire US. The crew shot a continuous 325-foot long strip of film composed of 390 individual photos covering a 490-mile-wide field of vision. The aircraft landed at Mitchel Field in Long Island, N.Y., completing a flight lasting six hours and 55 minutes. The record shattering flight was featured in the 29 November 1948 issue of Life magazine, and the filmstrip went on display at the
1948 Air Force Association Convention in New York.
1950: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force strafed and dropped napalm and bombs on N. Korean troops and armored columns attacking along the Naktong River front, while USN Task Force 77 aircraft provided close air support to the perimeter defenders. General MacArthur directed General Stratemeyer to use all available FEAF airpower, including B-29s, to help the Eighth Army hold the "Pusan Perimeter." (28) The 97th Air Refueling Squadron at Biggs AFB, Tex., received the first KB-29P tanker (Tail No. 44-86427), equipped with a flying boom. Earlier "M" models used Britain's trailing-hose refueling equipment. (1)
1953: In the first jet-to-jet air refueling, a KB-47B refueled a B-47 Stratojet in the air. (12) (24)
1959: At Vandenberg AFB, Calif., the USAF formally transferred the operational Atlas missile to the Strategic Air Command. (16)
1962: Last Titan II squadron, the 374th Strategic Missile Squadron, activated at Little Rock AFB, Ark. (6) (12) Following a 7.3 earthquake, which killed over 10,000 people, the Military Air Transport Service sent C-118s, C-124s and C-133s to airlift nearly 480 tons of relief supplies from Ramstein AB, Germany, to Teheran, Iran. (18)
1964: First Titan III-A launched within one day of target month. Test results were 95 percent achieved, although it failed to attain the planned orbit. Capts Albert R. Crews and Richard B. Lawler completed a two-week stay in a simulated space cabin at the General Electric Space Center in Valley Forge, Pa. This test showed that man could perform more tasks in extended space flight than supposed. (16) (26) The Strategic Air Command inactivated its first Atlas D unit, the 564th Strategic Missile Squadron, at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyo. (6)
1965: The first of 13 computer-controlled radar system sites for detecting enemy aircraft became operational at North Truro, Mass. Engineers designed the system, called Back Up Interceptor Control (BUIC), to take over America's air defense if the Semi-Automated Ground Environment System (SAGE) failed or was destroyed.
1966: The Tactical Air Command activated the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis AFB, Nev., to conduct special fighter training in F-100s, F-105s, and F-4s. (11) The USAF Tactical Airlift Center activated at Pope AFB to provide airlift support to Army units and test new airlift equipment. (16)
1968: MEDAL OF HONOR. During a rescue attempt of a downed American pilot, Lt Col William A. Jones III served as the on-scene commander. He repeatedly flew his A-1H Skyraider over enemy guns and sustained heavy damage and severe burns. Discovering his radios to be broken, Jones refused to abandon his crippled aircraft and flew back to base in extreme pain, where he reported the downed pilot's location. On 15 November 1969, Colonel Jones died in a private plane crash near Woodbridge, Va. At the time, he commanded the 1st Flying Training Squadron at Andrews AFB, Md. Jones received the Medal of Honor posthumously at White House ceremonies for heroic actions in 1968. (16) (21)
1970: Air Rescue and Recovery Service helicopters began participating in the Military Assistance for Safety in Traffic (MAST) project to provide medical assistance to automobile accident victims and other people needing medical care in civilian communities. (16)
1971: First USAF Geodetic Receiver (Geoceiver) deployed. It used Navy satellites to pinpoint geographic locations.
1974: Maj James B. Sullivan, pilot, and Maj Noel F. Widdifield, reconnaissance systems officer (RSO), flew an SR-71 from New York to London in a record 1 hour 55 minutes 42 seconds for trans-Atlantic flight. They averaged 1,806.96 MPH for 3,490 miles to break the British Royal Navy's 1969 record of 4 hours 46 minutes and 723 MPH in an F-4K. (1)
1980: Air Force Space Command was established under the command of General James Hartinger. The new major command was initially given responsibility for missile warning and space surveillance assets transferred from Air Defense Command
1983: A Soviet SU-15 interceptor shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747 with 269 passengers, near Sakhalin Island. Through 12 September, three HC-130s from the 33 ARRS at Kadena AB conducted subsequent search operations over the Sea of Japan, but found no survivors. SAC KC-135s also provided air refueling support. (16) (26)
1986: The Tactical Air Command's last Cessna O-2 left Shaw AFB, S. C., for storage at DavisMonthan AFB, Ariz. (11)
1987: The USAF reactivated the first Ryan AQM-34M Firebee Drone to test the over-the-horizon backscatter (OTH-B) radar system. It flew for one hour over the Utah Test and Training Range.
1992: TYPHOON OMAR. The storm hit Guam on 28 August with 150-MPH winds and 16 inches of rain. On 1 September, C-5 carried 62 tons of cargo from Yokota AB, Japan, for the first relief mission to Guam. Through 25 September, airlift aircraft flew in 750 relief workers and 2,000 tons of supplies to the island in 59 missions. (16) (18)
1995: The SR-71 returned to active service. It was retired in 1990 when strategists prematurely suggested that satellites were able to assume its mission. (16)
1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE/SHINING HOPE. Air National Guard KC-135s flew 1,640 sorties and 10,300 flying hours to offload over 50 million pounds of fuel to 5,100 aircraft in ALLIED FORCE. During SHINING HOPE, Air National Guard C-130s flew 512 sorties in 1,413 flight hours. (32)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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/CACTjsm2GoJNeCRrw5Kk%2B-rDz0bJaLPDDxNAx525q0%3DS0Ai8Y4w%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.