To All,
Good Saturday morning October 28, 2023
I hope that you all have a great weekend
Regards
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Today in Naval and Marine Corps History thanks to NHHC
October 28
1812
During the War of 1812, the brig Argus, commanded by Commodore Arthur Sinclair, captures the British merchant brig Fly in the North Atlantic.
1882
Orders are issued for the first Naval Attache, Lt. Cmdr. French E. Chadwick, to be sent to London.
1943
Lt. Franklin M. Murray, in a TBF Avenger, and Ensign Gerald L. Handshuh, in an FM-2 Wildcat, from Composite Squadron (VC) 1 on USS Block Island (CVE 21), sink German submarine U-220 east of Newfoundland.
1944
USS Gleaves (DD 423), while operating off the Franco-Italian coast, bombards German troop concentrations, barracks, and gun emplacements. Enemy shore fire at the destroyer is inaccurate, but Gleaves achieves excellent return fire results.
1952
The XA3D-1 bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons made its first flight. Skywarriors also later served in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and tanker configurations.
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Today in World History October 27
0312 Constantine the Great defeats Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius at the Mulvian Bridge.
0969 After a prolonged siege, the Byzantines end 300 years of Arab rule in Antioch.
1216 Henry III of England is crowned.
1628 After a fifteen-month siege, the Huguenot town of La Rochelle surrenders to royal forces.
1636 Harvard College, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, is founded in Cambridge, Mass.
1768 Germans and Acadians join French Creoles in their armed revolt against the Spanish governor of New Orleans.
1793 Eli Whitney applies for a patent on the cotton gin, a machine which cleans the tight-clinging seeds from short-staple cotton easily and effectively--a job which was previously done by hand.
1863 In a rare night attack, Confederates under Gen. James Longstreet attack a Federal force near Chattanooga, Tennessee, hoping to cut their supply line, the "cracker line." They fail.
1886 The Statue of Liberty, originally named Liberty Enlightening the World, is dedicated at Liberty Island, N. Y., formerly Bedloe's Island, by President Grover Cleveland
1901 Race riots sparked by Booker T. Washington's visit to the White House kill 34.
1904 The St. Louis police try a new investigation method: fingerprints.
1914 George Eastman announces the invention of the color photographic process.
1914 The German cruiser Emden, disguised as a British ship, steams into Penang Harbor near Malaya and sinks the Russian light cruiser Zhemchug.
1919 Over President Wilson's veto, Congress passes the National Prohibition Act, or Volstead Act, named after its promoter, Congressman Andrew J. Volstead. It provides enforcement guidelines for the Prohibition Amendment.
1927 Pan American Airways launches the first scheduled international flight.
1940 Italy invades Greece, launching six divisions on four fronts from occupied Albania.
1944 The first B-29 Superfortress bomber mission flies from the airfields in the Mariana Islands in a strike against the Japanese base at Truk.
1960 In a note to the OAS (Organization of American States), the United States charges that Cuba has been receiving substantial quantities of arms and numbers of military technicians" from the Soviet bloc.
1962 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev orders Soviet missiles removed from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1965 Construction completed on St. Louis Arch; at 630 feet (192m), it is the world's tallest arch.
1971 Britain launches the satellite Prospero into orbit, using a Black Arrow carrier rocket; this is the first and so far (2013) only British satellite launched by a British rocket.
1982 The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party wins election, giving Spain its first Socialist government since the death of right-wing President Francisco Franco.
2005 Libby "Scooter" Lewis, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, resigns after being indicted for "outing" CIA agent Valerie Plame.
2007 Argentina elects its first woman president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
Skip… For The List for Saturday, 28 October 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 28 October 1968…
28 Oct 68 State Department documents concerning RT …
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Satyurday October 28
October 28: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1430
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
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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Thanks to Interesting Facts
6 Deep Facts About the Color Black
The Black Death, aka bubonic plague, killed more than a third of medieval Europe's population. In folklore, it's unlucky for a black cat to cross your path, while witches who do evil are said to practice black magic. And you really don't want to run into the creature from the Black Lagoon. The color black has strong negative connotations in Western culture, but it wasn't always that way. Deep, dark black has a more colorful history than you might expect.
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Black Isn't Technically a Color
Picture a rainbow, which comprises the visible spectrum of light, and you'll notice that black isn't in it. Scientifically speaking, black is the absence of light, and because light is required for color, black contains no color. (Black's opposite, white, is the total of all colors of the visible spectrum.)
However, people usually think of black as a color in an artistic sense: as a pigment that absorbs visible light and reflects almost none, approximating the absence of light. Thus, the "black" we see is really a reflection of a mix of very dark colors. Here's another mind-bending fact: Nothing in nature can be pure, absence-of-light black except the inner reaches of a black hole.
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Human Use of Black Goes Way Back
Black is one of the most frequently used colors in prehistoric art; the other is a rusty red derived from iron oxide. About 35,000 years ago, people combined charcoal with locally available manganese oxide to paint incredibly detailed tableaux of horses, cave lions, woolly rhinoceroses, and other ice age animals in the Chauvet Cave in present-day southern France. The same black pigment was used to draw impressive sequences of animals in the nearby Lascaux caves about 17,000 years ago. Around 700 BCE, Corinthian artists invented a new style of vase painting by covering unfinished clay vessels in a coating called slip, etching designs, and then firing the vessel in a kiln so the slip turned shiny black. By 200 BCE, Chinese artists had developed a solid black ink made of soot and animal collagen that is still used today.
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The Color Black Is Linked to Evil
Before the Middle Ages in the West, the color black could symbolize positive notions of dignity and respect, as well as phenomena like evil, sin, disease, and death. But in the 12th century, a monastic dispute shifted black's association firmly into negative territory. Benedictine monks wore black robes to signify humility and called out Cistercian monks, who wore white robes, for being prideful. The debate got so heated that St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Cistercians' leader, sent a letter to Benedictine abbot Peter the Venerable, arguing that black represented evil and hell and that white was the color of "purity, innocence and all the virtues."
The Renaissance kicked that association between black and evil into high gear, with artists painting scenes of hell in shades of black and characterizing the devil as wearing a black coat. In the following centuries, Christian leaders identified the color black with witchcraft and magic. On the other hand, in India and Pakistan today, young children and brides wear black dots on their faces as protection against the evil eye.
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Black Hasn't Always Been the Color of Mourning
Wearing black at funerals is another trend that emerged in Europe. Around the time of Queen Elizabeth I's lavish funeral in 1603, rich mourners wore black to symbolize their own wealth, since black clothing was expensive — it was time-consuming and difficult to dye from extracts of madder, woad, and various woods. Wearing black to mourn also reinforced social status, since sumptuary laws in England prohibited anyone but the nobility from wearing formal mourning attire. For many centuries, most common people wore wool or linen garments either bleached white or dyed brown. But as laws relaxed and clothing manufacture was industrialized in the 19th century, black cloth became cheaper and more accessible to other social classes.
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A 19th-Century Manual Helped Define Black
For 19th-century naturalists, one of the biggest challenges was accurately translating the colors in nature. You could say a bird's feather was black, but how would you describe the exact tone? Patrick Syme, a Scottish painter, attempted to standardize these hues with his 1814 manual, Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, which built on an earlier work by the geologist A.G. Werner. In Syme's system, he named swatches of 110 colors and compared each of them to a plant, an animal, and a mineral. For example, "greyish black" is the black of basalt and water ouzels, while "velvet black" is comparable to moles, obsidian, and the "black of red and black West-Indian peas." This and later color charts gave scientists a new color vocabulary for defining the natural world.
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Vantablack Is One of the Blackest Blacks Ever Created
It's not the black of a black hole, but it's pretty close. Vantablack, the brand name of a line of coatings created by Surrey NanoSystems, once held the Guinness World Record as the darkest human-made substance. It reflects only 1% of the light it absorbs. When applied to a surface, it looks like a limitless flat void, even when it's painted on a three-dimensional object.
Vantablack's lack of luster makes it useful for calibrating light-sensitive instruments, including those used in space. It lost its world record in 2015, however, when researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology created a black from gold nanoparticles, dubbed Primalight, that reflects less than 1% of all light wavelengths
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From the List archives
Thanks to Dr. Rich
Follow-up .... Crazy Coincidence involving a 727 and DC-3 ...a
Thanks to John T. ...
1985 - American Airlines
On Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 9:15 AM Richard Sugden, MD <rsugden@tetondata.com> wrote:
Thanks to Shadow ...
Crazy Coincidence involving a 727 and DC-3
Years ago… think it was the late sixties, early 70's. There was a Western Airlines 727 flying from Dallas (I think) to San Diego…. Anyway at cruise altitude… around Lordsburg, New Mexico… the flight crew felt a sudden lurch and the flight engineers said… "We just lost number three"! And went through the procedures for engine loss. The crew discussed the problem and decided to continue on to San Diego on two engines… No Big Deal… the airplane flew fine on just two. Besides they had plenty of divert fields if they needed them enroute.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin… the guy sitting near the Number Three engine in the window seat is frantically trying to get the stewardess's attention. As he excitedly points out the window to show her… "Number Three is No Longer There… It's Gone! The Whole Damn Engine is GONE"!
She then races to the cockpit to inform the flight deck crew. As she burst into the cockpit she yells out… "We lost an engine"! The Engineer tells her they are fully aware of the situation and everything is under control… no big deal… the airplane flies fine on two engines. They are about to make a call over the PA system explaining that they'd suffered the loss of an engine, but no big deal, airplane flies fine on two… Go back and make the passengers at ease… tell them the 727 flies nicely on just two engines and we expect to arrive in San Diego "on time". She then screams… "But we've lost an engine"! They tell her to go back, calm down, everything is under control. The Captain then gets on the PA and announces that they've had a problem with an engine, but it is no big deal… the plane flies very well on two engines and everything is under control. Sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.
Believe it or not… the Flight Crew was still unaware that the engine hadn't just shut down… the entire engine and nacelle had actually departed the airframe. Seems the engine had suffered a catastrophic seizure and as a result the shear bolts, attaching the nacelle to the airframe gave way (as designed) and it had departed, with engine still ensconced inside. They crew continued on, oblivious to the reality of the situation
It was only when they arrived in San Diego, during final approach, that upon landing, Lindberg Tower said to them… "Western, do you realize you've lost your number three engine"? The Captain was kinda perplexed as they hadn't declared an emergency… How'd the tower know they'd lost the engine. Just curious, he called the tower back and asked… "Thanks, we're aware of it… but how did you know (since they hadn't told anyone about the situation)"? Tower replied… "Because it isn't there… it's gone"! Well, you can imagine the consternation that occurred on the flight deck when they realized what a screw up they'd made.
A search was made for the missing engine and it was actually found in a pasture outside of Lordsburg… incredibly in the same pasture where a new DC-3… lost a propeller decades before… on its' inaugural flight from El Paso to Phoenix. What are the odds of both items falling to the same field in the middle of no where?
Writing this from memory… so some of the facts might not be totally accurate… but that's the way I remember it.
Shadow
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Thanks to YP
Subject: Senator Chuck Grassley Outlines Details of FBI HQ Running National Coverup Operation to Protect Biden Family from Investigation | Margot Cleveland,October 26, 2023
Senator Chuck Grassley Outlines Details of FBI HQ Running National Coverup Operation to Protect Biden Family from Investigation
October 26, 2023
Margot Cleveland
The Federalist
A few thoughts about the letter itself before getting to the substance. <https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_justice_deptfbi1023followup.pdf>
First, as you are likely aware, the Senators and Committee heads/ranking members do little of the investigative effort themselves. This is where the value of exceptional staff comes into play, along with the background battle between a small group of congressional aides and assistants -vs- an army of Lawfare operatives. The battle to reveal truth takes place deep in the trenches of hidden government, and the only weapon on the side of the righteous is the ultimate weapon – the truth.
Second, again with a familiar approach, this letter is not penned to the recipient FBI Director Christopher Wray, in as much as it is an alarm sounded by Senator Grassley's office to the larger American audience. This is essentially Grassley saying to We The People, here's the evidence of how inherently corrupt and politicized the FBI has become. The motive appears to be providing damaging information the media will avoid mentioning, discussing or outlining.
In summary of the 7-page letter, it describes a national effort by the FBI to cover up the activity of Hunter and Joe Biden's illicit financial dealings. Because the Biden family essentially operated a network of financial schemes that touched on multiple areas and interests, the activity itself was tracked by the FBI through a series of several dozen Confidential Human Sources (CHS's) and informants in multiple jurisdictions throughout the U.S.
Because the various field offices and CHS/Informant networks were diverse and widespread, the DC FBI needed a control mechanism that would throw a bag over all the activity coast to coast. The mechanism they chose was the familiar "Foreign Influence Disinformation" designation. The FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force was the DC organization -an institutional tool per se'- used to block, impede and eliminate sunlight upon the information that was surfacing from multiple investigations of the Biden family.
Grassley walks through examples of how the central HQ of the FBI deployed the label of "disinformation" in order to get various field offices to discredit their own investigative tools, CHS's and informants. The way it worked would be central FBI command would label an investigative lead as "disinformation", and that would throw a bag over the field office outcome. The CHS's and informants were then undermined, discredited and cut loose from the record keeping of the FBI.
Essentially, labeling the findings as foreign disinformation was the protective shield to remove the evidence of the Biden family activity. This was done from Washington DC through the main FBI headquarters. The downstream field offices were then shut down by administrative labeling, and the issues they uncovered were eliminated. This is a familiar process to those who have followed the deep weeds of how the FBI operates.
The importance of the Grassley letter goes beyond Joe and Hunter Biden; it cuts to the heart of a system of corruption within the FBI that many Americans became familiar with in the aftermath of the FBI activity against Donald Trump in the Russiagate storyline. The FBI is metastatically corrupt, with the origin of the cancer in Washington DC, and the efforts of the Foreign Influence Task Force becoming the method to spread the corrupt infection nationally.
The Grassley letter originates from information provided by whistleblowers inside the FBI who were subjected to having their investigations nulled by Washington DC. Apparently, some of those who had time, effort and investigative resources dedicated to the honest investigation of the Biden family scheme, did not like seeing their investigations shut down simply because Christopher Wray and other politically active leaders in the DC command center of the FBI did not want the Biden family exposed.
This pattern of activity, the institutional preservation issue, is exactly what was noted in the previous Trump-Russia targeting effort. Former AG Bill Barr and all of the officers and investigative officials therein, were also in alignment with this institutional preservation approach. The FBI throwing a bag over the Biden corruption schemes, is yet another example of a decision to preserve a corrupt system rather than allowing the American public to see it, thereby running the risk of collapse.
I would strongly urge everyone to take the time to read the 7-page outline provided by Senator Grassley's office, along with the investigative staff and resources of Senator Ron Johnson. While they are unnamed, I am certain that I have personally met some of the people who put this outline together.
Read Full 7-Page Report here: <https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_justice_deptfbi1023followup.pdf>
[…] "It is unclear how many confidential human sources, or how many of their reports, were categorized as disinformation by the Foreign Influence Task Force, but the whistleblower told Grassley that the FBI's improper branding of the information as "disinformation" "caused investigative activity to cease."
~ Margot Cleveland, Federalist
Beyond the details, granular information, citations and evidence, what becomes crystal clear is that every root and branch of the FBI is now politically corrupt. It is an institution now more akin to the Russian FSB than it is to a USA national investigative agency. It simply cannot be reformed.
The U.S. Dept of Justice and FBI are now political institutions that have abandoned their originating mission in order to become the domestic equivalent of the Soviet-era FSB. Their joint targeting mechanisms have been redesigned to support the interests of corrupt DC politicians – specifically the interests of Democrats. Grassley is giving specifics to what has been visible for years.
This is why and how the Fourth Branch of U.S. Government is now the superseding apparatus above all other branches. {GO DEEP} This is why and how Barack Obama, John Brennan and Eric Holder created it, cemented it, and made it impervious to any effort to remove it.
The Fourth Branch of Government is evil Sauron, and Washington DC is Mordor. The corrupt media have aligned with it; they are preserving it; and the institutions in/around the DC system are self-aware, acting to support it and fully autonomous.
Additionally, to overlay their ability to monitor every single aspect of every life that might seek to challenge or destroy it, the end game of surveillance outlined by Edward Snowden is active.
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Thanks to Brett
Stratfor snippets - Venezuela, Jordan/Iraq, India, Egypt, China, China/U.S., Haiti, India
Venezuela: Prosecutor General Opens Criminal Investigation Into Opposition Primary
What Happened: Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab announced that his office was opening an investigation into the opposition-sponsored presidential primary that took place on Oct. 22, Reuters reported on Oct. 25. Saab cited election fraud, potentially illicit financing, and the fact that the event took place without the authorization of the National Electoral Council as the primary reasons for the investigation.
Why It Matters: The investigation may cause the United States to retract its offers to ease sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas sector, and depending on the investigation's outcome, Washington may even impose new sanctions. The latter effect would further complicate Venezuela's business operating environment, isolating the country's oil and gas sector from the West even more. However, the United States may maintain sanctions relief depending on how the investigation unfolds and the geopolitical circumstances at that time.
Background: The week of Oct. 16, the government of incumbent President Nicolas Maduro signed an agreement with the opposition that calls for free and fair elections to take place in 2024 under international supervision, but it does not address the status of barred political figures. During the same week, Caracas also reached a deal with the United States for sanctions relief on Venezuela's oil and gas sectors in exchange for free and fair elections, freeing political prisoners (including wrongfully detained Americans), and reinstating barred political figures by November.
Jordan, Iraq: Protestors Temporarily Block Iraq's Oil Exports to Jordan Over Israel
What Happened: Around 800 supporters of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iranian-backed militia also known as PMF, blocked oil tankers from crossing the Iraq-Jordan border on Oct. 25, Reuters reported the next day. The blockade ended on Oct. 26.
Why It Matters: The PMF symbolically leveraged Iraq's oil exports to pressure Jordan into changing its foreign policy toward Israel. Iraqi militants may also target oil exports to Egypt, which, like Jordan, has normalized relations and signed peace treaties with Israel. However, this or future blockades are unlikely to affect either country's energy security, as they import most of their oil from Saudi Arabia.
Background: The blockade of the Iraq-Jordan border was an escalation of the PMF's nonviolent sit-in that began on Oct. 20 after prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's called for a peaceful protest of Israel's blockade of Gaza. The protestors demanded that Iraq not export oil to countries that have normalized relations with Israel, specifically targeting Arab countries.
India: New Delhi Resumes Some Visa Services to Canadian Citizens
What Happened: The High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada, said services for entry, business, medical and conference visas will resume on Oct. 26 due to Canada's efforts to address India's "safety and security considerations," Reuters reported on Oct. 25.
Why It Matters: India's decision to resume visa services suggests that bilateral tensions are tentatively cooling and that related risks of protests and violence may be stabilizing after tensions flared in September over the death of a Sikh activist. The resumption of services will also help alleviate some previous disruptions to business operations and travel from Canada to India. However, India and Canada remain divided on how to address the separatist Khalistan movement in Canada's Indian diaspora population, and future disagreements will risk disturbing visa and business operations once more.
Background: Reports on private bilateral discussions suggest both sides are interested in de-escalating the dispute. However, Canada has expressed reluctance to curb the Khalistan movement due to a desire to protect free speech and the right to political protest.
Egypt: Projectiles Hit Two Cities Near Israeli Border
What Happened: Two projectiles caused explosions in Taba and Nuweiba, two Egyptian cities near the Israeli border, causing injuries but no fatalities, Reuters reported Oct. 27. Israeli foreign minister spokesperson Lior Haiat attributed the attacks to Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen who were attempting to target Israel.
Why It Matters: Although Egypt is not the likely target for these attacks and strikes, its proximity to the Israel-Hamas war in neighboring Gaza makes the North African country vulnerable to errant missiles and drones. So far, Egypt has sustained minimal injuries and structural damage from the ongoing conflict across its northeast border. However, as the war continues, Egypt will be at risk of additional collateral damage, which could be more devastating.
Background: On Oct. 22, fragments of a shell from an Israeli tank accidentally hit Egyptian border guards stationed near the Gaza Strip, causing minor injuries. On Oct. 19, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney also intercepted projectiles near the coast of Yemen fired by the Houthi rebels.
China: Beijing to Tighten State Secrets Law, Raising Risks to Businesses
What Happened: A new draft revising the Law of the People's Republic of China on Guarding State Secrets bans all employees with access to classified information or state secrets from traveling abroad without prior approval, even for a period after they quit or retire, the South China Morning Post reported Oct. 27.
Why It Matters: The revisions underscore the trend of tightening national security laws, and will create additional risks for both foreign and Chinese businesses. The expansive revisions underscore preexisting concerns about clarity, as there are no clear criteria for what represents a state secret. The lack of information on what constitutes China's legal red lines already spooks foreign businesses, and because the revisions would apply to so many sectors of Chinese society — including those who work for foreign companies — the risk to foreign businesses has increased, and include potentially conflicting legal obligations in China and their home countries. The changes also suggest new and heavy constraints on the ability of Chinese entities and individuals to conduct business abroad.
Background: This would be the first expansion of the law since 2010 and only the second revision since the law was introduced in 1988, and comes amid an intensifying intelligence competition with the United States.
China, U.S.: Chinese Jet Almost Collides Into U.S. Bomber Over South China Sea
What Happened: On Oct. 24, a Chinese fighter jet performed what the U.S. military is calling a dangerous maneuver by flying ten feet in front of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber over the South China Sea, The New York Times reported Oct. 26. The incident comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Washington.
Why It Matters: The incident is unlikely to alter the trajectory of talks between Wang Yi and U.S. officials, which are largely geared toward creating the conditions for President Xi Jinping to visit the United States next month. However, the near collision underscores the growing risk of an unintended escalation between the two countries as a result of miscommunication or accidents in the South China Sea. More broadly, it also reflects the intractable challenges to improving the U.S.-China relationship, as well as the increasingly tense situation in the South China Sea as more military assets from a growing list of countries crowd the disputed waterway.
Background: The incident comes less than a week after twin collisions in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, the latter being a U.S. ally that Washington is committed to protect militarily. That incident sparked vocal; condemnation from the United States and its partners, both inside and outside the region, with Washington reiterating that it would defend the Philippines if it is attacked.
Haiti: Kenyan Court Extends Block on Plan to Deploy Police to Haiti
What Happened: The High Court of Kenya extended an order blocking the planned deployment of Kenyan police to lead a U.N. Security Council-approved multinational security mission to combat gang violence in Haiti, AP reported Oct. 24. The court will now make a judgment on the deployment on Nov.
Why It Matters: The multinational deployment to Haiti was initially expected to occur within a few months of UN Security Council approval on Oct. 2, but the Kenyan court's blocking of the measure may create delays. If the delays are significant, it could allow criminal groups the time to become further entrenched in communities throughout the country, making them harder for the deployed security forces to combat. It is unclear which way the Kenyan court will rule on the deployment, as Kenyan President William Ruto's offer to send police officers to Haiti has seen domestic pushback, with critics citing the fact that security conditions in Kenya are also poor. The U.N. resolution does not require that Kenya lead the deployments, so if the court does reject it, another country that has volunteered to provide personnel could step into a leadership role, but it is unclear which country would do so.
Background: The U.N. Security Council approved the deployment more than a year after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested it. The United States has pledged $100 million to the deployment, while the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda have pledged personnel.
India: Qatar Sentences Former Indian Naval Officers to Death on Charges of Spying for Israel
What Happened: India has stated they will continue to ''extend all consular and legal assistance…[and] take up the verdict with Qatari authorities'' after Qatar sentenced eight former Indian naval officers to death over accusations that they spied for Israel, AP News reported Oct. 26.
Why It Matters: If India's efforts fail to ease tensions with Qatar and both countries instead opt for further retaliatory actions, it could potentially strain bilateral relations. Such a diplomatic falling out could impact Qatar's business and labor force, where a large number of Indian nationals are employed. An escalation in tensions could also threaten India's access to Qatari exports of liquified natural gas, which the South Asian country has become heavily reliant on — especially as it faces increasing power shortages and heightened energy demands.
Background: While neither government has elaborated on the details of the case, media reports indicate that the eight accused men were retired Indian Navy officers who worked for Al Dahra, a consulting company, where they advised the Qatari government on the acquisition of submarines. India and Israel have built stronger ties in recent years, particularly in trade and defense.
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This Day in U S Military History…….28 October
1918 – World War I was reaching its climax as Allied forces all along the Western Front continue launching attacks against the German "Hindenburg Line". Used to keep the pressure on the Germans most of these attacks gain some ground but not all succeed. A case in point is the failed assault launched on this date by the 26th Division (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) in a sector known to the French as the "Death Valley". But it is no wonder the assault failed. The division was very weak, having been in action almost daily, with little relief, since the start of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in late September. For instance, its 51st Brigade, composed of the 101st Infantry (MA) and the 102nd Infantry (CT), had only 15 officers and just over 800 men when their combined organizational strength should have been 6,100 men. The men were tired but when the order came to advance they moved out. Despite artillery support from the 101st Field Artillery (MA) and some French cannon, their attack failed to reach its goal and the survivors withdrew to their original jumping off point having lost an additional 150 men killed, wounded or missing. On November 1st the 26th Division was pulled out of Death Valley and sent to a rest area. It would see no more combat as the war ended on November 11th.
1929 – Black Monday, a day in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which also saw major stock market upheaval.
1942 – The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) is completed through Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska.
1943 – The US 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion is landed by sea at Voza on Choiseul Island (Operation Blissful). They engage Japanese forces. This is a diversion from the intended attack on Bougainville.
1944 – The first B-29 Superfortress bomber mission flew from the airfields in the Mariana Islands in a strike against the Japanese base at Truk.
1944 – On Leyte, attacks by US 24th Corps around Dagami make slow progress and suffer heavy losses. To the north, the US 1st Cavalry Division (part of US 10th Corps) encounters heavy resistance near Carigara and is held up. At sea, carrier groups under the command of Admiral Davison and Admiral Bogan conduct air strikes.
1960 – In a note to the OAS (Organization of American States), the United States charged that Cuba had been receiving substantial quantities of arms and numbers of military technicians" from the Soviet bloc.
1962 – The Cuban Missile crisis comes to a close as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agrees to remove Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise from the United States to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignty. This ended nearly two weeks of anxiety and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union that came close to provoking a nuclear conflict.The consequences of the crisis were many and varied. Relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union were on shaky ground for some time after Khrushchev's removal of the missiles, as Fidel Castro accused the Russians of backing down from the Americans and deserting the Cuban revolution. European allies of the United States were also angered, not because of the U.S. stance during the crisis, but because the Kennedy administration kept them virtually in the dark about negotiations that might have led to an atomic war. Inside the Soviet Union, hard-liners were appalled at Khrushchev's withdrawal of the weapons. Two years later, in 1964, Leonid Brezhnev and Aleksei Kosygin pushed him from power and proceeded to lead the Soviet Union on a massive military buildup. There was perhaps one positive aspect of the crisis. Having gone to the edge of what President Kennedy referred to as the "abyss of destruction," cooler heads in both nations initiated steps to begin some control over nuclear weapons. Less than a year after the crisis ended, the United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to end aboveground testing; in 1968, both nations signed a non-proliferation treaty.
1964 – U.S. T-28 airplanes flown by Thai pilots bomb and strafe North Vietnamese villages in the Mugia Pass area. North Vietnam charged publicly that U.S. personnel participated in the raids, but U.S. officials denied that any Americans were involved.
1965 – Viet Cong commandos damage and destroy a number of allied aircraft in two separate raids on U.S. air bases, including Chu Lai, on the coast of the South China Sea in Quang Tin Province, I Corps.
1985 – The leader of the so-called "Walker family spy ring," John Walker, pleaded guilty to giving U-S Navy secrets to the Soviet Union. John Walker was the KGB's most important spy in the United States in the 1970s. As a chief warrant officer in the US Navy, Walker had access to naval secrets and spied for the Soviet Union in exchange for money. After retiring, John Walker continued to spy with the help of family members still serving in the Navy until the FBI caught him. JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE MINUUTES IN HIS CELL PLEASE it will not take me long…….skip
1999 – Two Navy Blue Angel aviators, Kieron O'Connor (35) and Kevin Colling (32), were killed when their F/A-18 Hornet crashed during a training flight near Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. 23 pilots have died at shows or training since the group was formed in 1946.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
VEALE, MOSES
Rank and organization: Captain, Company F, 109th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Wauhatchie, Tenn., 28 October 1863. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born. 9 November 1832, Bridgeton, N.J. Date of issue: 17 January 1894. Citation: Gallantry in action manifesting throughout the engagement coolness, zeal, judgment, and courage. His horse was shot from under him and he was hit by 4 enemy bullets.
WOOD, H. CLAY
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 11th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Wilsons Creek, Mo., 10 August 1861. Entered service at: Winthrop, Maine. Birth: Winthrop, Maine. Date of issue: 28 October 1893. Citation: Distinguished gallantry.
ALBEE, GEORGE E.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 41st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Brazos River, Tex., 28 October 1869. Entered service at: Owatonna, Minn. Birth: Lisbon, N.H. Date of issue: 18 January 1894. Citation: Attacked with 2 men a force of 11 Indians, drove them from the hills, and reconnoitered the country beyond.
BREAULT, HENRY
Rank and organization: Torpedoman Second Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 14 October, 1900, Putnam, Conn. Accredited to: Vermont. G.O. No.: 125, 20 February 1924. Citation: For heroism and devotion to duty while serving on board the U.S. submarine 0-5 at the time of the sinking of that vessel. On the morning of 28 October 1923, the 0-5 collided with the steamship Abangarez and sank in less than a minute. When the collision occurred, Breault was in the torpedo room. Upon reaching the hatch, he saw that the boat was rapidly sinking. Instead of jumping overboard to save his own life, he returned to the torpedo room to the rescue of a shipmate whom he knew was trapped in the boat, closing the torpedo room hatch on himself. Breault and Brown remained trapped in this compartment until rescued by the salvage party 31 hours later. (Medal presented by President Coolidge at the White House on 8 March 1924.)
ADAMS, LUCIAN
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near St. Die, France, 28 October 1944. Entered service at: Port Arthur, Tex. Birth: Port Arthur, Tex. G.O. No.: 20, 29 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 28 October 1944, near St. Die, France. When his company was stopped in its effort to drive through the Mortagne Forest to reopen the supply line to the isolated third battalion, S/Sgt. Adams braved the concentrated fire of machineguns in a lone assault on a force of German troops. Although his company had progressed less than 10 yards and had lost 3 killed and 6 wounded, S/Sgt. Adams charged forward dodging from tree to tree firing a borrowed BAR from the hip. Despite intense machinegun fire which the enemy directed at him and rifle grenades which struck the trees over his head showering him with broken twigs and branches, S/Sgt. Adams made his way to within 10 yards of the closest machinegun and killed the gunner with a hand grenade. An enemy soldier threw hand grenades at him from a position only 10 yards distant; however, S/Sgt. Adams dispatched him with a single burst of BAR fire. Charging into the vortex of the enemy fire, he killed another machinegunner at 15 yards range with a hand grenade and forced the surrender of 2 supporting infantrymen. Although the remainder of the German group concentrated the full force of its automatic weapons fire in a desperate effort to knock him out, he proceeded through the woods to find and exterminate 5 more of the enemy. Finally, when the third German machinegun opened up on him at a range of 20 yards, S/Sgt. Adams killed the gunner with BAR fire. In the course of the action, he personally killed 9 Germans, eliminated 3 enemy machineguns, vanquished a specialized force which was armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, cleared the woods of hostile elements, and reopened the severed supply lines to the assault companies of his battalion.
*BROSTROM, LEONARD C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 28 October 1944. Entered service at: Preston, Idaho. Birth: Preston, Idaho. G.O. No.: 104, 15 November 1945. Citation: He was a rifleman with an assault platoon which ran into powerful resistance near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, on 28 October 1944. From pillboxes, trenches, and spider holes, so well camouflaged that they could be detected at no more than 20 yards, the enemy poured machinegun and rifle fire, causing severe casualties in the platoon. Realizing that a key pillbox in the center of the strong point would have to be knocked out if the company were to advance, Pfc. Bostrom, without orders and completely ignoring his own safety, ran forward to attack the pillbox with grenades. He immediately became the prime target for all the riflemen in the area, as he rushed to the rear of the pillbox and tossed grenades through the entrance. Six enemy soldiers left a trench in a bayonet charge against the heroic American, but he killed 1 and drove the others off with rifle fire. As he threw more grenades from his completely exposed position he was wounded several times in the abdomen and knocked to the ground. Although suffering intense pain and rapidly weakening from loss of blood, he slowly rose to his feet and once more hurled his deadly missiles at the pillbox. As he collapsed, the enemy began fleeing from the fortification and were killed by riflemen of his platoon. Pfc. Brostrom died while being carried from the battlefield, but his intrepidity and unhesitating willingness to sacrifice himself in a l-man attack against overwhelming odds enabled his company to reorganize against attack, and annihilate the entire enemy position.
*OKUBO, JAMES K.
Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 28 and 29 October and 4 November 1944, in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, eastern France. On 28 October, under strong enemy fire coming from behind mine fields and roadblocks, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo, a medic, crawled 150 yards to within 40 yards of the enemy lines. Two grenades were thrown at him while he left his last covered position to carry back wounded comrades. Under constant barrages of enemy small arms and machine gun fire, he treated 17 men on 28 October and 8 more men on 29 October. On 4 November, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo ran 75 yards under grazing machine gun fire and, while exposed to hostile fire directed at him, evacuated and treated a seriously wounded crewman from a burning tank, who otherwise would have died. Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
*THORSON, JOHN F.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 28 October 1944. Entered service at: Armstrong, lowa Birth: Armstrong, lowa. G.O. No.: 58, 19 July 1945. Citation: He was an automatic rifleman on 28 October 1944, in the attack on Dagami Leyte, Philippine Islands. A heavily fortified enemy position consisting of pillboxes and supporting trenches held up the advance of his company. His platoon was ordered to out-flank and neutralize the strongpoint. Voluntarily moving well out in front of his group, Pvt. Thorson came upon an enemy fire trench defended by several hostile riflemen and, disregarding the intense fire directed at him, attacked single-handed He was seriously wounded and fell about 6 yards from the trench. Just as the remaining 20 members of the platoon reached him, 1 of the enemy threw a grenade into their midst. Shouting a warning and making a final effort, Pvt. Thorson rolled onto the grenade and smothered the explosion with his body. He was instantly killed, but his magnificent courage and supreme self-sacrifice prevented the injury and possible death of his comrades, and remain with them as a lasting inspiration.
BURKE, LLOYD L.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company G, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Near Chong-dong, Korea, 28 October 1951. Entered service at: Stuttgart, Ark. Born: 29 September 1924, Tichnor, Ark. G.O. No.: 43. Citation: 1st Lt. Burke, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Intense enemy fire had pinned down leading elements of his company committed to secure commanding ground when 1st Lt. Burke left the command post to rally and urge the men to follow him toward 3 bunkers impeding the advance. Dashing to an exposed vantage point he threw several grenades at the bunkers, then, returning for an Ml rifle and adapter, he made a lone assault, wiping out the position and killing the crew. Closing on the center bunker he lobbed grenades through the opening and, with his pistol, killed 3 of its occupants attempting to surround him. Ordering his men forward he charged the third emplacement, catching several grenades in midair and hurling them back at the enemy. Inspired by his display of valor his men stormed forward, overran the hostile position, but were again pinned down by increased fire. Securing a light machine gun and 3 boxes of ammunition, 1st Lt. Burke dashed through the impact area to an open knoll, set up his gun and poured a crippling fire into the ranks of the enemy, killing approximately 75. Although wounded, he ordered more ammunition, reloading and destroying 2 mortar emplacements and a machine gun position with his accurate fire. Cradling the weapon in his arms he then led his men forward, killing some 25 more of the retreating enemy and securing the objective. 1st Lt. Burke's heroic action and daring exploits inspired his small force of 35 troops. His unflinching courage and outstanding leadership reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 28 October FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
28 October
1907: The first International Aeronautical Congress held at the Automobile Club of New York. (24)
1924: At 13,000 feet above Bolling Field DC, Army airplanes dropped electrified sand to break up cloud formations. (20)
1927: First international air-passenger station opened at Meacham Field, Key West. Pan American World Airways made the first flight from there to Havana, Cuba. Aeromarine Airways had started an international passenger service from Key West to Havana in late 1920. (See discussion on 1 November 1920).
1952: First flight of the Douglas XA3D-1 Skywarrior.
1959: From Wallops Island, NASA launched a 100-foot diameter inflatable aluminum-coated sphere to a height of 250 miles, where it inflated and was visible for hundreds of miles. (24) MACKAY TROPHY. Through 19 December, the 4520th Aerial Demonstration Team, better known as the Thunderbirds, toured the Far East, earning the trophy in the process. (26)
1973: First production-model T-43 arrived at Mather AFB. (16) (26)
1981: The US Senate agreed to sell five E-3As to Saudi Arabia. The E-3As assumed air defense surveillance from Elf One. (4)
1985: The first six female officers started initial qualification training for Minuteman crew duty. All six women previously worked with the Titan II system. They finished the class on 7 February 1986. (16)
1995: Operation VIGILANT SENTINEL. Through 18 December, the USAF tested its air expeditionary force concept by deploying F-16s from the 20 FW and 347th Wing to Bahrain. (21)
2002: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. A C-141 arrived at Guantanamo Bay with the last group of Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees from Afghanistan for 2002. From 10 January to 28 October 2002, C-141s and C-17s flew 23 missions to carry 620 detainees from Kandahar to Guantanamo. (22)
2006: Through 29 October, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB flew the General Atomics Altair UAV to photograph and map the 62-square-mile Esperanza fire near Palm Springs. The Altair the flew at 43,000 feet above the fire area, where it sent 100 images and more than 20 data files in 16 hours by a real-time satellite link to the fire management team. (3)
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