To All,
Good Monday morning October 2, 2023
I hope that you all had a great weekend
This is a Bubba Breakfast Friday in San Diego
Regards
Skip
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Today in Naval and Marine Corps History thanks to NHHC
October 2
1799 The Washington Navy Yard is established under the direction of Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert and supervision of Commodore Thomas Tingey.
1863 USS Bermuda seizes the blockade-running English schooner Florie near Matagorda, Texas, with a cargo of medicine, wine and saddles much needed by the Confederate cavalry.
1918 A squadron of 11 American submarine chasers screen British-French-Italian naval forces during the Second Battle of Durazzo, destroying mines and driving off an Austrian submarine trying to reach the fleet.
1939 The Act of Panama is approved by the ministers of the American Republics at Panama City, Panama. The act establishes a neutral zone 300 miles to seaward from the continental coastline that is patrolled by the U.S. Navy.
1943 A mine laid by USS Silversides (SS 236) four months earlier damages Imperial Japanese Navy minesweeper W 28 off Kavieng Bay, New Ireland, Bismarck.
1944 USS Pomfret (SS 391) attacks a Japanese convoy in Luzon Strait, sinking an army transport about 75 miles southeast of the southern tip of Formosa.
1952 USS Marsh (DE 699) and HMCS Iroquois (DDE 217) undergo fire by shore batteries in the vicinity of Songin, South Korea. Marsh escapes without damage but Iroquois receives one direct hit and one airburst, killing three men and wounding 10. Both ships replied with counter-battery fire, silencing the enemy shore batteries.
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Today in World History
October 2
1263 At Largs, King Alexander III of Scotland repels an amphibious invasion by King Haakon IV of Norway.
1535 Having landed in Quebec a month ago, Jacques Cartier reaches a town, which he names Montreal.
1862 An Army under Union General Joseph Hooker arrives in Bridgeport, Alabama to support the Union forces at Chattanooga. Chattanooga's Lookout Mountain provides a dramatic setting for the Civil War's battle above the clouds.
1870 The papal states vote in favor of union with Italy. The capital is moved from Florence to Rome.
1871 Morman leader Brigham Young, 70, is arrested for polygamy. He was later convicted, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction.
1879 A dual alliance is formed between Austria and Germany, in which the two countries agree to come to the other's aid in the event of aggression.
1909 Orville Wright sets an altitude record, flying at 1,600 feet. This exceeded Hubert Latham's previous record of 508 feet.
1931 Aerial circus star Clyde Pangborn and playboy Hugh Herndon, Jr. set off to complete the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean from Misawa City, Japan.
1941 The German army launches Operation Typhoon, the drive towards Moscow.
1950 The comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz, makes its first appearance in newspapers.
1959 The groundbreaking TV series The Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, premiers on CBS.
1964 Scientists announce findings that smoking can cause cancer.
1967 Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice, is sworn in. Marshall had previously been the solicitor general, the head of the legal staff of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and a leading American civil rights lawyer.
1970 A plane carrying the Wichita State University football team, staff, and supporters crashes in Colorado; 31 of the 40 people aboard die.
1980 Congressional Representative Mike Myers is expelled from the US House for taking a bribe in the Abscam scandal, the first member to be expelled since 1861.
1990 Flight 8301 of China's Xiamen Airlines is hijacked and crashed into Baiyun International Airport, hitting two other aircraft and killing 128 people.
2001 NATO backs US military strikes in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Monday, 2 October 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 2 October 1968… A voice calling for an end to the killing…
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Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Monday October 2
October 2: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=829
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
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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From the List Archives
Bug Roach
Today is the 31st anniversary of loss of a great fighter pilot and superb LSO. Hear his voice below and read his words. I heard that voice many times and it was always a comfort to know that "Bug" was on the platform with the pickle in his hand.
Even though I have watched this many times before when the A-6 was in close and Bug was talking to him and staying with him all the way through to the end with the "STAY WITH IT CALL" the screen got out of focus remembering what it was like to have Bug on the platform and as a friend and the loss we all shared. How many of you remember that sound he could make when he would put his lips together and force air through them and make that high pitched whistle sound that was uniquely BUG, Skip
Subject:: A-6 Barrier landing (left main gear up.) Here is a great video. A terrific job by the Landing Signal Officer. Watch/listen to the video first then read "the rest of the story". A great Naval Aviator that most carrier jocks knew in the '70's-'80's.
NOTICE THE LIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE FRAMES MOVING UP/DOWN. IT IS THE ONSTATION PLANE GUARD (DESTROYER) IN THE WAKE OF THE CARRIER, the movement reflecting HOW MUCH THE FLIGHT DECK WAS MOVING .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRURB7FdsII&feature=player_embedded#!
The Landing Signal Officer referred to and handling this recovery was "Bug" Roach.
CDR Roach was born in Monterey, Calif. and received his Naval Aviator wings in 1966. He served as an F-8 Crusader pilot and Landing Signal Officer (LSO) during the Vietnam War, making combat cruises with three different air wings on three different 27C class carriers. In 1990 the Navy League sponsored an award to recognize professional LSO performance, on the LSO platform. Based on his unsurpassed expertise on the LSO platform, the Navy League felt very strongly that they wanted to name the award the "CDR John "Bug" Roach Paddles Award", while CDR Roach was still on active duty. At the 1990 Tailhook Convention, where the first award was presented, the following facts were supplied about CDR Roach's LSO career:
He made four separate CAG LSO tours. In addition he was recalled on two other occasions as a ready alert CAG LSO due to his expertise. During his tenure as a CAG LSO he waved without mishap:
ten barricade arrestments
twenty single engine approaches
five aircraft missing main landing gear two A-4 aircraft with major battle damage the first ever S-3 with an unlocked wing a night, hand-held radio (PRC-90), talkdown of six aircraft with no meatball and with the flight deck illuminated by the headlights of flight deck tractors, following a total engineering casualty on the ship.
Subsequent to these accomplishments, when events began heating up in the Middle East in 1990, CDR Roach volunteered his services as CAG LSO yet again and deployed with CVW-2 to the war zone. It was on this cruise that he made his 1,000th arrested landing. In more than 25 years of Naval service, CDR Roach never had a non-flying tour. On 2 October 1991 while on an adversary flight in an A-4E off the coast of Southern California, CDR Roach was killed when his aircraft lost power and he was unable to successfully eject from the stricken aircraft. Note Bug's prayer below.
Prayer written by
CDR John "Bug" Roach
1944-1991
Lord, we are the nation! We celebrate our birthday on July 4th, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence as our birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in our veins because we offer freedom and liberty to all whom are oppressed. We are many things and many people. We are the nation.
We sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to Alaska and Hawaii. three million square miles throbbing with industry and with life. We are the forest, field, mountain and desert. We are the wheat fields of Kansas, the granite hills of Vermont, and the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We are the Brooklyn Bridge, we are the grain elevators in the farm belt, we are the Golden Gate. We are the nation.
We are 213 million living souls, and yet we are the ghosts of millions who have lived and died for us. We are Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. We are Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry. We are Lee, Grant, Abe Lincoln and George Bush. We are the famous and the unknown. We are presidents, we are paupers. We are the nation.
We stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. We remember the Alamo, the Maine, Pearl Harbor, Inchon and the Persian Gulf. When freedom calls, we answer. We left our heroic dead at Belleau Wood, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, in the steaming jungles of Vietnam and under the rubble of Beirut. We are the nation.
We are schools and colleges, churches and synagogues. We are a ballot dropped in a box, the harmonious voice of a choir in a cathedral, the crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd in a stadium. We are craftsmen, teachers, businessmen, and judges. We are laborers and nurses. We are parents and we are children. We are soldiers, sailors and airmen. We are peaceful villages, small towns and cities that never sleep. Yes, we are the nation, and these are the things that we are.
We were conceived in freedom, and dear God, if you are willing, in freedom we will spend the rest of our days. May we always be thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we be humble to the less fortunate and assist those in need. May we never forget the continuing cost of freedom. May we always remember that if we are to remain the land of the free, we must continue always to be the home of the brave. May our wishbone never be found where our backbone should be. May we possess always, the integrity, the courage and the strength to keep ourselves unshackled, to remain always a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.
We are the nation.....this is our wish...this is our hope and this is our prayer...Amen Commander John "Bug" Roach United States Navy
1944-1991
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Autumn
The air's getting cooler, the leaves have fallen from the trees, the nights are getting longer and the days are getting shorter. Transitioning from summer to autumn can be tough, especially if you're a sun worshipper! But the golden season isn't so bad, and here are some fall jokes for you while you sit under a blanket with a delicious hot chocolate.
If money really did grow on trees, what would be everyone's favorite season?—Fall.
The four seasons were arguing about which of them was the best.
Winter says, "Snow is so beautiful, and you can build snowmen. Don't forget Christmas! Everyone loves Christmas!"
Spring laughs. "Sure, but come springtime, everything is so fresh and new! All the new flowers and blooms — it can't get much better than that!"
Summer laughs even harder. "Yes, but I am undoubtedly the overall best season! No school, beach vacations, ice cream, nice weather. You can't top that! What about you autumn, what do you have to offer?"
Autumn leaves.
It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets.
When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.
Also, being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"
"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.
A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"
"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied,"it's definitely going to be a very cold winter." The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.
Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"
"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever."
"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, "The Indians are collecting wood like crazy."
My wife and I went out for a leisurely drive to see the autumn leaves, when we noticed that one of the tires seemed to be getting low…
She was a bit taken aback when I asked her for some change and asked, "Why in the world did they start charging for AIR?!"
I looked at her and winked, "Inflation."
The mob boss had four henchmen: Winter, Summer, Spring and Autumn. The boss called them into a meeting before a heist.
"Winter," he began. "I need you to stay cool in the face of pressure. Ice in your veins," he said, patting his shoulder.
"Then there's you, Summer," he said. "If the heat becomes too much for Winter, use that hot temper of yours to make sure the cops remember who they're working for."
"As for you, Spring," he laughed, "This operation is gonna bring in a lotta green. Make sure that it keeps growing."
He turned for the door as Autumn stood up.
"Boss!" he sputtered. "What about me?"
The boss turned back, shaking his head. "Sorry, Autumn. You're just the fall guy."
Fall puns…
• Even books wear jackets in the fall.
• Falls well that ends well.
• Don't let your gourd down this fall.
• No more Mr. Spice guy.
• That's fall, folks!
• I've just been promoted to commander-in-leaf.
• If it isn't pumpkin flavored, I don't want it.
• May the forest be with you.
• This latte is spice-tacular.
• Don't sweat the fall stuff.
• Let's squash the drama and leaf it all behind.
• I love you a latte.
• Fall-elujah.
• Orange you glad it's fall?
• With summer over, it's time to chill.
Autumnal Quotes…
• "It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!"—Winnie The Pooh
• "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."—Albert Camus
• "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."—Lucy Maude Montgomery
• "Autumn… the year's last, loveliest smile."—William Cullen Bryant
• "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all."—Stanley Horowitz
• "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."—F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."—Emily Brontë
• "I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."—Henry David Thoreau
• "Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."—Lauren DeStefano
• "The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider."—Jane Hirshfield
Have a great week,
Al
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Thanks to Ike
"Well, a funny thing, there are three that I like all for the same reason, golf, fishing, and shooting, and I do because first, they take you into the fields. There is mild exercise, the kind that an older individual probably should have. And on top of it, it induces you to take at any one time 2 or 3 hours, if you can, where you are thinking of the bird or that ball or the wily trout. Now, to my mind it is a very healthful, beneficial kind of thing, and I do it whenever I get a chance, as you well know." President Dwight Eisenhower, The President's Press Conference of 10/15/58
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Thanks to Mugs
Victor Davis Hanson's essay posted on X today:
As Gen. Milley leaves office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, on his last day he goes out ranting about his loyalty to the Constitution and not to a "dictator,"—blasting Trump without mentioning Trump, and thus trumping as it were Trump's own excesses with those of his own.
So transits the most politicalized and weaponized 4-star CJS since the office was created.
Would that instead Milley had at least explained the 2021 historically disastrous flight from Kabul and defeat in Afghanistan, or the radical implementation of woke agendas into the Pentagon retention and promotion policies, or why he felt the illustrious and renown Professor Kendi, of current Boston University "Center for Antiracist Research" infamy, should be required reading for the U.S. military at time when its recruitment is descending into historical lows and its deterrent reputation is seriously questioned.
So what about Milley's own "constitutional" legacy?
Is it that an officer who deems his civilian President and Commander in Chief dangerous—as diagnosed by 4-star psychiatrist, state department diplomat, and now theater commander Milley—has a right to commandeer the chain of command, usurp powers that are expressly by law denied to him, and then take it on himself in a time of Chinese-American tensions to freelance, by contacting his communist counterpart to warn him about his own president's diagnosed volatility, and to reassure the hardened Stalinist that Dr/Gen. Milley will inform him first of any precipitate action from the White House.
Dictatorial much?
Americans might ask the departing Milley, two questions, 1) if Trump is reelected in 2024, will a retired General Milley, as did his retired 4-star colleagues in 2020, violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice and repeat his current charges against a second-term President Trump—matching the previous invective of his colleagues' accusations of "liar" or "Mussolini"?.
And 2) what would Milley have done had a subordinate like himself, say a 3-star general, decided that Gen. Mark Milley's Beijing gambit and his arrogation of command powers that were not legally his own, posed a grave threat to the republic?
And thus would such a 3-star call up theater commanders to warn them to resist Milley's reckless orders and to report to him first, followed by his phone call to the top Chinese PLA general to assure them that if Milley somehow gave an order deemed by the 3-star to be dangerously provocative, then he would not only not obey it but rather first warn the Chinese military of Milley's unstable state of mind.
Is that the kind of military Milley wishes to leave as his legacy, as he departs barking accusations at the moon?
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Thanks to Barrel….Great story
Captain Flash Flood and Orbis
Michael (Flash) Flood thought he retired in 2020 at age 65. However, having flown the ORBIS flights while at FedEx, he was given the opportunity to continue flying for ORBIS, which is under Part 91. Much to his joy and well into his retirement years, he continues to fly to this day.
And sometimes with his wife Ann onboard! Can't get better than that! But to Flash - it is more than just being able to still fly. Flash is touched watching the many patients come in with eye problems (such as glaucoma, cataracts, detached retinas, or Strabismus - misaligned eyes), especially the children, and then witnessing the best part when the patients return for their post-op visits completely overjoyed to be able to see, to have normal vision. (Pictured at right Capt. Fred Yates, Capt. Gary Dyson, ORBIS Chief Pilot, and Capt. Flash Flood. All retired FedEx pilots on the first ORBIS flight out of the country following the Pandemic. They flew from Moffett Field to Honolulu, then to Guam, spent a couple days in Guam, and on to Qatar via Bangkok fuel stop.)
Flash said that donating his time to these flights makes him feel he is contributing to an incredibly worthy cause. He stated he is "humbled to be a small part of the process because it has many doctors, clinicians, and hospitals around the world that volunteer to make it all happen." He said, "The staff doctors are the heros."
ORBIS is a Flying Eye Hospital and the world's only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10-30 (donated by FedEx) that travels all over the world. It is equal parts teacher, advocate, and envoy in the global effort to end avoidable blindness. There are 40 million blind in the world and 80% don't need to be. It is the mission of Orbis and all those who volunteer to contribute to helping those in need. And every patient receives a Teddy Bear!
When able, his wife Ann loves to accompany him and volunteers to help out with the patients. Recently she trained to be a Flight Attendant on the flights and serve the meals. Usually the nurses double as the flight attendants. There are three retired FDX Mechanics that fly with the plane. For the flight crews - it is all on a volunteer basis. Hotel and flights on commercial carriers are paid for but no paychecks for operating. The ORBIS crews have a lot of fun when Capt. Flood is scheduled to fly with Capt. Blizzard and often joke about the two weather-related flight crew!
During the month of May, Flash was on vacation with the family in Paris and went on from there to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) on a flight that stopped in Da Nang before arriving in the small town of Can Tho (southwest of Saigon) where the Orbis plane was. He arrived a week early to watch the surgeries and help with the patients. (Photos taken onboard ORBIS from this trip.) Pilots usually arrive the day before the flight to run the engines and make sure everything is set. On this trip Flash flew the plane from Can Tho, Vietnam, to Clark International A/P in the Philippines where it would remain parked for a month.
When asked what his favorite places in the world have been, Flash stated Mongolia comes to mind. He said it is incredibly beautiful with open blue skies and rolling hills with large granite boulders. He took the plane from Boeing Field, WA up to Anchorage and then nonstop to the capital of Ulannbaatar, Mongolia. Ann was able to accompany him and they have a great picture out adventuring on a double-humped camel!
Flash will be off and running again in just a few weeks to pick-up the ORBIS plane in Lusaka, Zambia, stop in Tanzania for fuel, and onto Dubai where it will be parked for a while. Flash said he will fly for ORBIS for as long as he is qualified and feels deeply that he is contributing to helping Humanity. "It is super fun and very rewarding...a wonderful mission that you want to be a part of."
Visit the ORBIS website at ORBIS.org for more information. There are some great videos on the website - one by Sam Chui (the reputed aviation blogger) and another with FedEx preparing the plane to fly.
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Thanks to Shadow and we hope that he and his wife Wendy are recovering well from their accident.
"Now Hear This"--The Continued Decline of The Once Great US Navy (Updated)
By Capt Joseph R. John, September 15, 2023: Op Ed # 634 (Updated)
In the below listed article, "Now Hear This" by Capt Brent Ramsey, USN (Ret) outlines how far the 600 ship Navy of President Ronald Reagan, once the largest Navy in the world, has declined in size and strength since then.
The current 296 ship US Navy is projected to decrease to 293 US Navy ships by 2024. The Communist Chinese Navy has displaced the US Navy in size; it now has the largest Navy in the world. The Communist Chinese Navy's 2025 projected strength is of 400 Navy combatants, 150-armed Coast Guard ships, and hundreds more of Maritime Militia, giving it an overwhelming dominant naval force in the South China Sea.
The US Navy normally has approximately 60 ships of its 296 ships in the U S Indio-Pacific Command area at any one time, which encompasses about half the earth's surface. In an emergency the US Navy could surge additional ships to that region. The unbalance in the South Pacific, where the US Navy and its allies (Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia) are dangerously outnumbered in the South China Sea, and the disparity is becoming more lopsided by the day.
The Heritage Foundation in its 2023 Index of Military Readiness Strength Report concluded that the US Navy needs at least 400 manned combatants and assessed the Navy's capability for the first time as "weak".
Capt Ramsey analyzed the US Navy's failure leadership in great detail. Those failures are warning signs of dangerously eroding capabilities of the US Navy. In particular, the Navy's leadership has succumbed to political influences that have no place in the US Navy, and are a distraction from the core mission.
During the eight years of the Obama administration, Navy Captains were screened to determine if they should be permitted to go before Flag Promotion Boards. They were screened to determine if they agreed with liberal and woke policies that the Biden administration has instilled in the US Navy over the last 2 ¾ years. Only the acceptable screened Navy Captains were allowed to go before Flag Promotion Boards to be considered for promotion to Admiral.
Since 2009, those screened and promoted Flag Officer's devotion to and zeal in promoting the woke concepts of the political left, are doing so for the benefit of a very small percentage of Navy personnel who support those woke concepts. The Navy Leadership supports and promotes Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, month long Pride Celebrations, and drag queen shows on ships. They are accommodating transgender personnel who want to medically change their gender that prevents them medically from deploying for three years, and they are promoting certain pronouns that must be used throughout the Navy that have been damaging morale, retention, and recruiting.
Their current biased and woke policies of the US Navy under the current Navy Leadership have negatively affected "Unit Cohesion," "Combat Effectiveness," and "Unit Morale". The biased and woke policies put in place in the US Navy should greatly concern every American Citizen.
Copyright by Capt Joseph R. John. All Rights Reserved. The material can only be posted on another Website or distributed on the Internet by giving full credit to the author. It may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the permission of the author.
Joseph R. John, USNA '62
Capt USN(Ret)/Former FBI
Chairman, Combat Veterans For Congress PAC
2307 Fenton Parkway, Suite 107-184
San Diego, CA 92108
https://www.CombatVeteransForCongress.org
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" -Isaiah 6:8
Now Hear This
By
Capt Brent Ramsey, USN (Ret)
September 07, 2023
"Now Hear This" is the classic alert in the Navy that something important for all hands is about to be announced. This article is a "now hear this!" for every American.
Our Navy is "in extremis," a nautical expression that indicates imminent danger. The extremis condition applies to the entire United States Navy and thus to the nation as we are fundamentally a maritime nation.
Virtually everyone agrees that the biggest threat to the US today and our way of life is from China. As far back as 2000 Congress to its credit recognized that China was going to be a threat and created the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The Commission produces an annual comprehensive report typically running 600+ pages on every aspect of the threat posed by China. In the 2023 report as we came out of the Covid pandemic, we learn things are becoming ever more threatening. The latest report says, "The CCP gave its leader Xi Jinping unprecedented power over the Party and the country. Xi and the CCP relied ever more heavily on nationalist appeals, as was evident in its escalating rhetoric and menacing military actions toward Taiwan. Faced with a series of crises and unexpected developments, China's Communist Party regime reacted, not by reexamining its assumptions and modifying its approach, but rather by doubling down on existing policies. In the near term these choices have increased the challenge China poses to the security, prosperity, and shared values of the United States and its democratic allies and partners."
A significant part of countering external threats from China falls to the Navy as the most serious threats manifest themselves in maritime scenarios especially in seas adjacent to China. Recognizing this threat from the PRC is why the largest combatant command is INDOPACOM. Fully 60% of our forward deployed naval combatants are in the Pacific keeping watch on China. Fact 1: The world is 70% ocean. Fact 2: 90% of the world's commerce goes by sea. Fact 3: One third of the entire world's commerce transits the South China Sea which is contiguous to mainland China. Fact 4: Any conflict with the PRC over Taiwan or any other pacific ally will totally disrupt the world's economy including that of the US. If you value your current lifestyle and comforts, you need to recognize this threat. War with China has the potential to change literally everything.
Just how well we are meeting the threat and effectively dealing with it? The media, prominent politicians of both parties, and citizens alike have raised the alarm about our Navy. To assess the Navy, we should look at three main categories, capability, readiness, and leadership.
Capability
In 2016 the Navy said its requirement was for 355 combatant ships. In 2018 the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mandated a Navy of 355 combatants finally recognizing the increasing threat. Five years later in 2023, the Navy as of April 2023 had 296 ships and will actually decrease to 293 by the end of 2024 according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS)[ii]. No plan put forth by the Navy or Congress will get us to the mandated number of ships before the 2050's at the earliest. The Navy and the Marine Corps cannot even agree on the number of Amphibious ships we should have. A Congressionally mandated shipbuilding requirement study, the "National Commission on the Future of the Navy" which was created in the 2023 NDAA has not even started to work to pin down an upgraded requirement for ships. That Commission is expected to confirm a requirement substantially larger than the number mandated by the NDAA 5 years ago. Heritage Foundation in its 2023 Index of Military Readiness Strength Report concluded that the Navy needs at least 400 manned combatants and assessed the Navy's capability as "weak." Even if the Navy and Congress could agree on the number of ships that are needed to defend the nation against the PRC and others and Congress actually authorized the money to build those ships, the US lacks the industrial capability to build the ships that we need.[iv] Recently departed CNO ADM Gilday said on numerous occasions "the biggest impediment to building the ships we need is lack of industrial capacity. Contrast our ~60 ships in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility with the CCP's 2025 projected 400 combatants according to the CRS, 150 armed Coast Guard ships, and hundreds more of its Maritime Militia. The unbalance in the Pacific is dangerous to the US and our allies and is getting more lopsided by the day.
Readiness
That same industrial maintenance capability is likewise woefully under-resourced as is evidenced by the horrendous record in recent years of maintenance delayed for years and ships taking much longer to repair and at a higher cost than estimates indicated. The GAO in January 2023 reports, that "Sustainment Challenges Have Worsened across the Ship Classes Reviewed." "GAO reviewed key sustainment metrics for 10 ship classes and found that from fiscal years 2011 through 2021, these classes faced persistent and worsening sustainment challenges." GAO reports "From 2017 to 2020, the backlog of restoration and modernization projects at the Navy shipyards has grown by over $1.6 billion, an increase of 31 percent." And "In 2018, the Navy estimated that it would need to invest about $4 billion in its dry docks to obtain the capacity to perform the 67 availabilities it cannot currently support. This estimate included 14 dry dock projects planned over [a] 20-year span. However,…the Navy's first three dry dock projects have grown in cost from an estimated $970 million in 2018 to over $5.1 billion in 2022, an increase of more than 400 percent." Heritage found the Navy to be either weak or very weak in readiness. At a time of increased threat, the Navy has clearly lost ground on keeping ships ready for sea. Unready ships and deferred or cancelled maintenance puts an added burden on the ship's crews.
Leadership
Navy Leadership has been questioned in very public ways in recent years by an astounding series incidents, accidents, and sideshows. These leadership lapses have called into question the quality of Navy leadership.
• The collisions of the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald led to the unnecessary loss of precious lives. These collisions brought needed scrutiny to the "fighting culture" of Navy's surface warfare community. The attention was so great that Congress members got involved and appointed their own experts to examine the issue in a scathing special report on the Surface Navy.
• The USS Bonhomme Richard, a $3B capital ship, burned to a smoking hulk tied up to the pier. The Navy was incapable of fighting the fire and the ship was a total loss and was stricken from the records. The JAG manual investigation that followed implicated poor leadership as the culprit with dozens of senior officers found at fault. That ship was lost to the Navy forever along with its capability.
• During Covid there was the incident of the over-reaction of the skipper of the USS Roosevelt to the pandemic that ultimately evolved into the Secretary of the Navy resigning in embarrassment over his insulting public remarks made to the crew in reference their former CO.
• A recent survey of Surface Navy officers revealed that most junior surface warfare officers do not aspire to command in their community. How is that even possible that we are recruiting and retaining officers who do not want to be in command? This is institutional weakness personified.
• Two entire ship classes, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Zumwalt class, are utter failures and another class, the Ford class carrier is still beset with major problems in operational effectiveness more than 6 years after commissioning. The LCS proved to be so bad and ineffective that the Navy is retiring the entire class decades before its expected lifespan, a spectacular waste of billions. The Zumwalt class destroyers are likewise an embarrassment with almost zero capability after the Navy spent more billions. Instead of being a productive part of the fleet with a proven capability for warfighting, the ship class has been reduced to being multi-billion-dollar test ships. Imagine the embarrassment of putting to sea with no working weapons systems on board, a naval gun mount with no shells to fire. That is the Zumwalt class. The Ford has finally deployed after years of delay, but the Navy admits that it still has not worked out the bugs in 5 major components of the ship class, most of which impact the ability to generate a high number of aircraft sorties, the preeminent metric for a carrier. And, cost wise, the Ford class carriers are costing billions more than was estimated at $13 B per ship. The CRS has reported in detail about the continuing problems with the Ford class in its regular reports. There appears to be no accountability for these spectacular failures, the wasting of billions, and the lack of adequate numbers of ships for the fleet.
• In the past two years, the Navy has missed its recruiting goals. Even after lowering admission standards the trend in recruiting has not improved. Fewer and fewer American youth even want to serve in the Navy and the Navy's message has not resonated with that essential group for the sustainment of the force.
• The Navy continues to have a high suicide rate despite wringing its collective hands over the problem for years. Covid led to the deaths of 17 sailors total through 6 December 2022 when the last DOD report was issued. During 2020-2022 the Navy had 194 suicides. More than 10 times as many sailors took their own lives per year than were lost to Covid through the entire pandemic. Yet the Navy devoted a massive effort to vaccinate the entire Navy which was always at extremely low risk from covid. Was there any focused attention to the suicide problem that took dozens of lives each year? There is no evidence to suggest it was treated as any sort of priority. In 2023, the Navy is now trying to recruit enough Chaplains so that every destroyer can have a permanent party chaplain onboard. In this author's experience, having a squadron chaplain serving 8 destroyers was effective. Has American culture eroded so much and gotten so fragile that to prevent mass suicides, a Chaplain is required on every ship? Is our recruiting screening deficient such that high numbers of mentally susceptible to suicide personnel are being accessed into the Navy?
In no case has Navy leadership risen to the occasion and addressed or solved these seemingly intractable problems. Is that because they are too hard? Or is it the lack of the kind of inspired leadership that was typical of the Navy in the past from famous Navy leaders of yore like Jones, Barry, Farragut, King, Nimitz, Halsey, Burke, Perry, and Calvert?
Lastly, and the elephant in the room regarding leadership, is the Navy's inexplicable devotion to and zeal in promoting the woke concepts of the political left. Things like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, month long Pride celebrations for the tiny percent of the Navy that are gay, promoting drag queen shows on ships (the CO who authorized this outrageous conduct by active-duty sailors was selected for flag), accommodating so called transgendered personnel who want to change their gender, promoting what pronouns must be used are now commonplace throughout the Navy. How do these emphases create the warriors? How do these programs make our ships more lethal? Focus on "social justice" ideology adds not one whit to our effectiveness and lethality as a naval force. There is not a scintilla of evidence that DEI improves the readiness of the Navy. Not explained is how these social fads or influences of our secular society enhance lethality, improve morale or readiness, or make for a more effective Navy to defend our nation. At best they are a harmless distraction and resources drain instead of a laser focus on more important things. At worst, they are an erosion of the core values of merit, courage, honor, and commitment that the Navy emphasized when I served for decades. Those traditional values were what it took to defeat the Soviet Union. And, I am proud of what we accomplished bolstered by those values.
Surveying the state of the Navy is a sorrowful exercise for this life-long Navy man. I grew up in the Navy as the son of a Master Chief and my entire adult life has been in service to the Navy that I love. Will we have the ships we need to fight our enemies? Will the ships we have be ready for sea? Will the ships be manned by those selected for their high merit and warrior characteristics? Or, will our new woke Navy be up to the task even if we overcome the deficiencies in capabilities, readiness and other leadership failures described above? Citizens must ask themselves and others these important questions. And, if you do not like the answers you are getting, contact your elected representatives and sound the alarm. Your lives and way of life depend on it.
CAPT Brent Ramsey, (USN, ret.) is a writer on Defense matters. He has been featured in Washington Examiner, Real Clear Defense, Armed Forces Press, CD Media, American Thinker, and Patriot Post. He is a leader with the Calvert Group, a Board of Advisors member for the Center for Military Readiness and STARRS and is a contributor to Armed Forces Press.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
6 of the World's Most Unusual Libraries
For avid readers, libraries are a place of sanctuary. They can unlock a world of imagination, investigation, and learning. Much like the books they hold inside, library buildings can also be wondrous creations, boasting magnificent and creative architecture. Others are noteworthy for their quirky designs or the innovative methods they use to inspire their communities to read. Take a journey to six of the most unusual libraries in the world.
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Biblioburro (Colombia)
Luis Soriano, a teacher from the rural northern Colombia town of La Gloria, was determined to give his students access to books, so he set up an unusual library called Biblioburro. Soriano owned two donkeys, whom he renamed Alfa and Beto — combined, the names form the Spanish word for "alphabet." Loading the donkeys with about 70 books from his own bookshelves, Soriano saddled up and rode them to local elementary schools to read students stories. Twenty-five years later, Soriano's book collection has grown considerably, and he is still spreading his love of reading. Even a riding accident that left him with a prosthetic leg hasn't stopped this determined educator from inspiring young Colombian children with the joy of reading.
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Epos Library Ship (Norway)
Until the pandemic shut down operations in 2020, a library ship called Epos sailed through Norway's many fjords to deliver books to fjordside communities. Built in 1963, it superseded two earlier ships that had been in service since 1959. Some of the country's more isolated places are easier to reach by boat than by road, and this service meant that villagers had access to reading material, particularly during the winter months. Epos carried approximately 6,000 books and visited 250 villages two times per year. Given the unusual circumstances, one qualification for taking a job as one of its librarians was not suffering from seasickness. Similar "libraries" exist in Chile's Chiloé Archipelago and on the Nam Khong River in Laos.
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Camel Library (Kenya)
In rural northeast Kenya, camels, nicknamed "ships of the desert," once carried unusual cargo as part of a Kenya National Library Service initiative. Concerned by poor literacy rates and lack of access to reading materials in and around the town of Garissa, the local government adopted a novel approach. Camels are well-suited to the harsh terrain and hot summer temperatures in the region, so they were an ideal choice to transport hundreds of books along with a tent and reading mat to the area's nomadic communities. Eventually, after many years of success, improvements to the local road infrastructure meant that the camel library could be phased out and replaced by motorbikes.
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Lire à la Plage (France)
Each summer, Lire à la Plage ("Reading at the Beach") brings the library to more than a dozen of Normandy's coastal resorts. The colorful beach huts, umbrellas, and deck chairs are easy to spot, and though people are not allowed to take books away from the beach, the librarians are happy to make a note that you're coming back the following day, mark your place, and put it aside for you. The program has been running in France since 2005, but similar reading initiatives have spread as far as Australia's Coogee Beach, the tourist resort town of Albena on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, and Tel Aviv, Israel, a city that had previously installed books at bus stops.
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Chained Libraries (England)
The practice of chaining reference books to library shelves was common in medieval times. Though it mostly ended in the 18th century, there are around a dozen chained collections that still exist in England. The oldest is the Francis Trigge Chained Library, founded in 1598 at St Wulfram's Church in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The largest chained library in England, meanwhile, is located inside Hereford Cathedral; its oldest book dates back to the eighth century. Another chained library at Wimborne Minster in Dorset dates from 1686. The books in these libraries were chained to the shelves to prevent theft, which is perhaps preferable to the methods used in Marsh's Library in Dublin, Ireland, where three wire alcoves were installed in the 1770s. If readers wanted to look at some of the library's rarest books, they'd be locked up in these cages so they couldn't walk off with them.
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Nanie's Reading Club (The Philippines)
In 2000, a Filipino man named Hernando "Nanie" Guanlao was looking for a way to honor his beloved parents, who had recently passed away. While some people might pay for a plaque on a park bench or make a charitable donation, Guanlao had a more unusual idea: He decided to set up a library outside his home to thank his parents for instilling in him a lifelong passion for reading. Guanlao initially gathered up his own modest collection of books and placed them on the sidewalk for neighbors to borrow. When his neighbors returned them, they also brought some of their own books, and the collection grew rapidly. Two decades later, Nanie's Reading Club is more popular than ever, and every inch of space in his home, inside and out, is covered with books. There's no charge to borrow one, and Nanie even ventures out into other Manila districts on a specially adapted "book bike" to spread his love of reading further.
I think they had a reading room like this in Olongapo where we would go when we were in Cubi Point for liberty
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This Day in U S Military History
1799 – Establishment of Washington Navy Yard. The Washington Navy Yard is the U.S. Navy's oldest shore establishment, in operation since the first decade of the 19th century. It evolved from a shipbuilding center to an ordnance plant and then to the ceremonial and administrative center for the Navy. The yard is home to the Chief of Naval Operations and is headquarters for the Naval Historical Center, the Marine Corps Historical Center, and numerous naval commands.
1950 – The ROK Capital and 3rd Divisions seized Yangyang on the East Coast while in the southeast ROK Marines took the port of Mokpo. Chinese Foreign Minister Chou En-lai warned the Indian Ambassador in Beijing that if the Americans cross the 38th parallel China would enter the war.
1951 – Future jet ace Colonel Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski, Vice Commander of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, downed his third MiG-15 of the war in an F-86 Sabre jet. Colonel Gabreski was a leading World War II ace with 28 German aircraft kills while flying a P-47 Thunderbolt.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*CORRY, WILLIAM MERRILL, JR.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Near Hartford, Conn., 2 October 1920. Born: 5 October 1889, Quincy, Fla. Accredited to: Florida. Other Navy award: Navy Cross. Citation: For heroic service in attempting to rescue a brother officer from a flame-enveloped airplane. On 2 October 1920, an airplane in which Lt. Comdr. Corry was a passenger crashed and burst into flames. He was thrown 30 feet clear of the plane and, though injured, rushed back to the burning machine and endeavored to release the pilot. In so doing he sustained serious burns, from which he died 4 days later.
CARR, CHRIS (name legally changed from CHRISTOS H. KARABERIS, under which name the medal was awarded) Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 337th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Guignola, Italy, 1-2 October 1944. Entered service at: Manchester, N.H. Birth: Manchester, N.H. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation Leading a squad of Company L, he gallantly cleared the way for his company's approach along a ridge toward its objective, the Casoni di Remagna. When his platoon was pinned down by heavy fire from enemy mortars, machineguns, machine pistols, and rifles, he climbed in advance of his squad on a maneuver around the left flank to locate and eliminate the enemy gun positions. Undeterred by deadly fire that ricocheted off the barren rocky hillside, he crept to the rear of the first machinegun and charged, firing his submachinegun. In this surprise attack he captured 8 prisoners and turned them over to his squad before striking out alone for a second machinegun. Discovered in his advance and subjected to direct fire from the hostile weapon, he leaped to his feet and ran forward, weaving and crouching, pouring automatic fire into the emplacement that killed 4 of its defenders and forced the surrender of a lone survivor. He again moved forward through heavy fire to attack a third machinegun. When close to the emplacement, he closed with a nerve-shattering shout and burst of fire. Paralyzed by his whirlwind attack, all 4 gunners immediately surrendered. Once more advancing aggressively in the face of a thoroughly alerted enemy, he approached a point of high ground occupied by 2 machineguns which were firing on his company on the slope below. Charging the first of these weapons, he killed 4 of the crew and captured 3 more. The 6 defenders of the adjacent position, cowed by the savagery of his assault, immediately gave up. By his l-man attack, heroically and voluntarily undertaken in the face of tremendous risks, Sgt. Karaberis captured 5 enemy machinegun positions, killed 8 Germans, took 22 prisoners, cleared the ridge leading to his company's objective, and drove a deep wedge into the enemy line, making it possible for his battalion to occupy important, commanding ground.
*KINER, HAROLD G.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company F, 117th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Palenberg, Germany, 2 October 1944. Entered service at: Enid, Okla. Birth: Aline, Okla. G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. With 4 other men, he was leading in a frontal assault 2 October 1944, on a Siegfried Line pillbox near Palenberg, Germany. Machinegun fire from the strongly defended enemy position 25 yards away pinned down the attackers. The Germans threw hand grenades, 1 of which dropped between Pvt. Kiner and 2 other men. With no hesitation, Private Kiner hurled himself upon the grenade, smothering the explosion. By his gallant action and voluntary sacrifice of his own life, he saved his 2 comrades from serious injury or death.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 2, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
2 October
1912: George A. Gray flew a Burgess Wright plane on the first flight over the Adirondack Mountains, flying from Malone to Saranac Lake, N.Y., a distance of about 85 miles. (24)
1918: 18: In 1917 Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio, invented the unmanned Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed F.B. (Flying Bomb) and the "Kettering Bug." Launched from a four-wheeled dolly that ran down a portable track, the Bug's system of internal pre-set pneumatic and electrical controls stabilized and guided it toward a target. After a predetermined length of time, a control closed an electrical circuit, which shut off the engine. Then, the wings were released, causing the Bug to plunge to earth -- where its 180 pounds of explosive detonated on impact. Elmer Sperry and Henry Ford were also involved in its development. A series of tests were completed in 1918 at McCook Field near Dayton. One of these nearly ended in disaster when the Bug veered off course and narrowly missed a crowded reviewing stand. This program, and another Sperry project conducted by the Navy, are considered the earliest unmanned aerial bombs ever developed.
1944: 1Lt Valmore Beaudrault received credit for downing the first German jet destroyed by Ninth Air Force. (4)
1950: KOREAN WAR. From the FEAF Bomber Command, 22 B-29s attacked a N. Korean military training area at Nanam, destroying 75 percent of the buildings. The 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron moved from Itazuke to Taegu to become the first USAF day reconnaissance squadron stationed in Korea. (28)
1952: The Boeing XB-52 Stratofortress prototype, 49-230, made its first flight at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, with test pilot Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston in command. Lieutenant Colonel Guy M. Townsend, U.S. Air Force, acted as co-pilot. The first of two prototype long-range, high-altitude, heavy bombers, had been damaged during ground testing and extensive repairs were required, which delayed its initial flight. Ironically, the second prototype, YB-52 49-231, made the type's first flight nearly six months earlier, on 15 April 1952.
1956: For the first time, the USAF successfully recovered a full-scale flight-test version of the XSM62 (N69D series) Snark after a flight from Cape Canaveral. (16) (24)
1962: At Vandenberg AFB, an Atlas D completed a combat training launch (CTL). The CTLs preceded the current operational testing program. (6)
1963: The USAF issued a requirement for the Minuteman II missile with a new, larger second stage engine, improved guidance, more range and payload, and increased survivability. (6)
1968: The C-9A flew its first aeromedical mission. (18)
1970: The USAF Special Operations Force at Hurlburt Field took possession of the first Bell UH-1N "Twin Huey." (16) (26)
1981: President Reagan reversed several of President Carter's defense decisions to support force modernization. He planned to construct and deploy 100 B-1B aircraft, continue the ALCM and M-X program, and develop an advanced stealth bomber. He also cancelled the horizontal multiple shelter basing scheme for the M-X in favor of basing in superhard silos. (1) (6) Deputy SECDEF Frank P. Carlucci ordered the Titan II system inactivated. (6)
1991: In the second humanitarian mission to Mongolia, the 834th Airlift Division moved 15 pallets of medical supplies and 8 ambulances to Ulan Bator. (16) (26)
1993: Major earthquakes rolled through central India. Afterwards, C-5s airlifted 1,000 rolls of plastic sheeting, 950 tents, 18,550 five-gallon water containers, 22 pallets of blankets, and other relief supplies to Bombay through 4 October. (16)
2000: The NF-16D (Tail No. 86-0048) Variable In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA) arrived at Edwards AFB to join the AFFTC fleet. It could simulate the flying characteristics of several different aircraft and would be used primarily by the AF Test Pilot School. (3)
2006: ACC declared an initial operating capability for the GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb, a lowcost and low-collateral damage 250-pound precision strike weapon for use by fighters, bombers and UAVs. (AFNEWS Article, "ACC Declares Small Diameter Bomb Initially Capable," 5 Oct 2006)
2007: The Commandant of Cadets, Brig Gen Susan Y. Desjardins, flew a new C-17 Globemaster III over the U.S. Air Force Academy cadet area in Colorado Springs, Colo. She formally accepted the aircraft for the Air Force at Boeing's facilities in Long Beach, Calif., and flew it to Dover AFB, Del., for duty with the 436th Airlift Wing. (AFNEWS, "Commandant of Cadets Flies New C-17 Globemaster III Home, 2 Oct 2007) At Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Air Force Reserve officials activated the first F-22 Raptor unit, the 477th Fighter Group. The day also honored the 477th Fighter Group's and the 302nd Fighter Squadron's fabled heritage and their connection to the Tuskegee Airmen. (AFNEWS, Air Force Reserves Stands Up First F-22 Unit," 5 October 2007.)
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