To All,
Good Thursday morning November 23, 2023
I hope you all have a great and happy Thanksgiving with your families.
Many of these items have been on the Thanksgiving List before and point out why it is so important to fight for what we have in this country and pray for those who are now defending it. We are definitely blessed and fortunate to be Americans. Pray for those out defending our freedom all over the world and wish them a safe return to their love ones.
Regards,
Skip
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Thanks to Fingers
Can you put this out on "The List" so folks would get it before the 28th of Nov.?
For many years now Kathy and I have donated to WAA to have wreaths placed at Miramar National Cemetery - where many of our former shipmates now rest in peace. Last week we received a thank you email for our continued support for the WAA program - and to let us know that, as of this date, they are still lacking enough wreaths to cover all the grave sites at Miramar.
Currently they have just 8,000 wreaths sponsored and 14, 500 veterans resting at Miramar National Cemetery. This means that with (now) only 7 days left to sponsor wreaths for 2023, there will be about 6,500 departed veterans at MNC not remembered with a wreath this year.
The only way wreaths show up at over 4,000 locations nationwide is by individuals and small businesses sponsoring wreaths. They really need our help this year. If you have not yet sponsored wreaths, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/CA0452 . Using this URL means that for every 2 wreaths sponsored, MNC receives 1 free wreath from the WAA national organization.
If you have already sponsored wreaths, perhaps consider a few more. 1 sponsored wreath is only $17 - so sponsor 2 and get 1 "freebie!"
The hard cut-off date for sponsorships for 2023 is 11:59 pm EST Tuesday, November 28, 2023. Do it now!
I know "Y'all" have a strong regard for our fellow veterans resting at Miramar National Cemetery - and other cemeteries nation-wide. Please consider helping to make sure that not one of them goes un-remembered with a wreath on December 16, 2023. And, if not at Miramar, then in a veterans cemetery in your community.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Fingers
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
November 23
1777—During the
American Revolution, the Continental sloop Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, captures the British brig Mary. Two days later, Ranger captures the British brig George. The prizes are then sent to Bordeaux and Nantes.
1838—The sloop-of-war Vincennes reaches Rio de Janeiro enroute to the South Pacific during the U.S. Exploring Expedition.
1861—During the Civil War, CSS Sumter evades the steam sloop-of-war Iroquois at Martinique then steams for Europe.
1914—The title "Director of Naval Aeronautics" is established to designate the officer in charge of Naval Aviation. Capt. Mark L. Bristol, already serving in that capacity, is ordered to report to the Secretary of the Navy under the new title.
1940—President Franklin D. Roosevelt appoints Adm. William D. Leahy, then retired, as the U.S. Ambassador to Vichy France in an attempt to prevent the French fleet and naval bases from falling into German hands.
1944—USS Bang (SS 385) sinks Japanese freighter Sakae Maru and transport Amakusa Maru, USS Redfish (SS 395) sinks freighter Hozan Maru, and USS Picuda (SS 382) sinks freighters Fukuju Maru and Shuyo Maru.
1981—In an effort to limit the amount of illegal drugs crossing into the US Border, the Navy is ordered to scout for drug smugglers. On this day in history the Mississippi (CGN 40) is the first U.S. Navy ship to assist in the seizure of drug smuggling vessel.
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This Day n World History
1248 The city of Seville, Spain, surrenders to Ferdinand III of Castile after a two-year siege.
1785 John Hancock is elected president of the Continental Congress for the second time.
1863 Union forces win the Battle of Orchard Knob, Tennessee.
1863 The Battle of Chattanooga, one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War, begins (also in Tennessee).
1903 Italian tenor Enrico Caruso makes his American debut in a Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's Rigoletto.
1904 Russo-German talks break down because of Russia's insistence to consult France.
1909 The Wright brothers form a million-dollar corporation for the commercial manufacture of their airplanes.
1921 President Warren G. Harding signs the Willis Campell Act, better known as the anti-beer bill. It forbids doctors to prescribe beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.
1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalls the American ambassador from Havana, Cuba, and urges stability in the island nation.
1934 The United States and Great Britain agree on a 5-5-3 naval ratio, with both countries allowed to build five million tons of naval ships while Japan can only build three. Japan will denounce the treaty.
1936 The United States abandons the American embassy in Madrid, Spain, which is engulfed by civil war.
1941 U.S. troops move into Dutch Guiana to guard the bauxite mines.
1942 The film Casablanca premieres in New York City.
1943 U.S. Marines declare the island of Tarawa secure.
1945 Wartime meat and butter rationing ends in the United States.
1953 North Korea signs 10-year aid pact with Peking.
1968 Four men hijack an American plane, with 87 passengers, from Miami to Cuba.
1980 In Europe's biggest earthquake since 1915, 3,000 people are killed in Italy.
1981 US Pres. Ronald Reagan signs top secret directive giving the CIA authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
1990 The first all-woman expedition to South Pole sets off from Antarctica on the part of a 70-day trip; the group includes 12 Russians, 3 Americans and 1 Japanese.
1992 The first Smartphone, IBM Simon, introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2005 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf elected president of Liberia; she is the first woman to lead an African nation.
2006 In the second-deadliest day of sectarian violence in Iraq since the beginning of the 2003 war, 215 people are killed and nearly 260 injured by bombs in Sadr City.
2011 Yemeni President Ali Abullah Saleh signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity; the agreement came after 11 months of protests.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
COMMANDO HUNT … WEEK TWO OF THE HUNT… 18-24 NOVEMBER 1968…
Skip… For The List for Monday , 20 November 2023 Through Sunday 26 November… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 18-24 November 1968… Settling in for a four year interdiction campaign to Slow the Flow on "Blood Road"…
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
I have a place in my thoughts for favorite the recon guys. I flew RF-8s and some of the places we went were very entertaining and every time the bombers went in we went in a few minutes later and everyone was waiting for us. The Hai Phong to Hai Dong to Hanoi road recce was a particular favorite..
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Thursday November 23
November 23: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2037
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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/ )
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If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:
There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be nonwhite
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
98 would be heterosexual
2 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
The following is also something to ponder...
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the Agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ..you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75%of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8%of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like no-one's watching.
Sing like no-one's listening.
Live like there's no tomorrow.
Fear like a stone.
Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the current Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Hoover Dam
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch
2. to taste
3. to see
4. to hear
She hesitated a little, and then added, 5. to feel 6. to laugh 7. and to love The room was so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and "ordinary" are truly wondrous. A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be bought nor are they made with human hands.
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I am thankful:
For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.
For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the streets.
For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.
And finally, for too much e-mail because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.
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And this story is also the substance of Rush Limbaugh's first young peoples' book: "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims.". It's actually quite good w/o all the stuff I expected .. So I bought for grandson - who loved it. His Mother remains aghast.
The Real Thanksgiving Story
Did you know that our Pilgrim forefathers tried communism when they first landed at Plymouth Rock?
How's that for a dramatic beginning to a story? Years ago, when I used to give a lot of talks to high-school classes, this was one of my favorites. It always got the students' attention. And I have to admit, I also enjoyed seeing some liberal teachers get so upset with me they almost lost their lunches.
Here's the story I told those students in those long-ago presentations. The Pilgrims who arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were incredibly brave and hardy souls. They were motivated by the noblest of virtues. They vowed, each and every one, to be as selfless as possible — to always put the needs of the group first. They agreed to own everything in common and to share everything equally.
And their naïve piety almost killed them all.
We all know how the adventure began. A group of devout Christians, seeking religious freedom for themselves and eager to "advance the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ" in the New World, set sail from Plymouth, England in 1620. An investment consortium known as the Merchant Adventurers of London provided the expenses for the trip, including chartering the Mayflower and its 40-man crew.
The deal was simple: The Pilgrims agreed to establish a colony in what is now northern Virginia, where they would plant crops, fish the waters and hunt in the forests. They would return a certain percentage of each year's bounty to London until their debt had been repaid.
Things went wrong from the start. First, the syndicate changed the deal, drastically reducing the amount they would loan the Pilgrims. The brave adventurers were forced to sell many of their own possessions, and much of their provisions, to pay for the trip. As a result, they landed in the New World badly short of supplies.
Next, the small ship they had purchased in Holland, which was to accompany them to America so they could fish the waters off the coast, had to be abandoned in England. Shortly after they set sail, the ship, badly misnamed the Speedwell, became "open and leaky as a sieve," as its captain reported. They returned to Dartmouth, where the boat was dry-docked for three weeks as repairs were made.
But to no avail. After leaving Dartmouth, the group sailed less than 300 miles when the Speedwell reported it "must bear up or sink at sea." This time the ships put in at Plymouth, England, where it was decided to go on without the Speedwell. On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower set out alone to cross the Atlantic.
A month later, when they had reached the halfway point, fierce storms battered the ship and threatened the lives of passengers and crew. Many wanted to turn back for England. But if they abandoned the journey, they would lose everything they had invested. The Pilgrims decided to trust in God and sail on.
Despite the storms, the hazards, the crowding and the poor food, only one Pilgrim died during the voyage, a young servant. His death was balanced by the birth of a son to Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins, who named their child Oceanus.
There were 102 passengers on board the Mayflower — 50 men, 20 women and 32 children — along with a crew of 40. The captain set a course along the 42nd parallel, a bearing that would carry him to Cape Cod. From there he intended to swing south and follow the coast to northern Virginia.
A little more than two months later, on Nov. 19, land was finally sighted and the captain turned the ship south toward Virginia. However, they soon encountered such "dangerous shoals and roaring breakers" that they turned back to Massachusetts. It was then that the grumblings of dissent turned into a full-fledged roar. Many of the passengers insisted on landing in present-day Massachusetts, where "none had power to command them."
The Pilgrim leaders decided to meet the explosive situation by asking each male on board, except for the crew, to sign a formal document that would lay "the first foundation of their government in this place." Thus the Mayflower Compact was born.
The Pilgrims were a diverse lot. Many of them were illiterate. Yet in creating the Mayflower Compact, they showed an extraordinary political maturity. They agreed to establish a government by the consent of the governed, with just and equal laws for all. Each adult male, regardless of his station in life — gentleman, commoner or servant — would have an equal vote in deciding the affairs of the colony. Of the 65 men and boys on board, all but 24 signed the agreement. The only ones who did not were the children of those adults who did sign, or men who were too sick to do so.
The first decision made under the covenant was to abandon efforts to reach Virginia and instead to settle in New England. The first explorers landed at Plymouth on Dec. 21, 1620. Weather delays kept the majority from seeing their new home for nearly two weeks. On Jan. 2, 1621, work began on the first building they would erect — a storehouse.
Because provisions were so scanty, it was decided that the land would be worked in common, produce would be owned in common and goods would be rationed equally. Not unlike the society Karl Marx envisioned of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
Unfortunately, thanks to illness, injury and attitude, the system did not work. Pilferage from the storehouse became common. Suspicions of malingering were muttered. Over the course of that first, harsh winter, nearly half of the colonists perished. Four families were wiped out completely; only five of 18 wives survived. Of the 29 single men, hired hands and servants, only 10 were alive when spring finally came.
The colonists struggled desperately for two more years. When spring arrived in April 1623, virtually all of their provisions were gone. Unless that year's harvest improved, they feared few would survive the next winter. The Pilgrim leaders decided on a bold course. The colony would abandon its communal approach and permit each person to work for his own benefit, not for the common good.
Here is how the governor of the colony, William Bradford, explained what happened then. This is from his marvelously readable memoir (if you can make adjustments for the Old English spellings), History of Plimoth Plantation:
The experience that was had in this commone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Plato & other ancients, applauded by some of later times; — that the taking away of properties, and bringing it in communitie into a commone wealth, would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God.
For this communitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion & discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefite and comforte. For yet young men that were most able and fitte for labor & services did repine that they should spend their time & strength to worke for other men's wives and children with out any recompense.
Can you imagine? Some of the youngest and healthiest men in the colony complained that they were working like dogs "for other men's wives and children." Sounds like the situation in America today, where the taxes taken from those who work support many millions of others who don't.
After three years of noble failure, the colonists had had enough. Once they replaced communal efforts with individual responsibility, the differences were dramatic — and life-saving.
Men went into the fields earlier and stayed later. In many cases, their wives and even their children (some barely past the toddler stage) worked right alongside them. More acres were planted, more trees were felled, more houses were built and more game was slaughtered because of one simple change: People were allowed to keep the fruits of their own labors.
In that simple sentence you will find the solution to all of the world's poverty. Stop taking what others have earned. Let people keep the fruits of their own labors. Then get out of the way and watch the incredible abundance they will produce.
On this Thanksgiving weekend, some 390 years after the Pilgrims celebrated the first of this uniquely American holiday, let us remember the sacrifices they made, the devotion they showed and the lessons they learned.
Until next time, keep some powder dry.
–Chip Wood
Chip Wood is the geopolitical editor of [PersonalLiberty.com]PersonalLiberty.com (a Libertarian web site). He is the founder of Soundview Publications, in Atlanta, where he was also the host of an award-winning radio talk show for many years. He was the publisher of several bestselling books, including Crisis Investing by Doug Casey, None Dare Call It Conspiracy by Gary Allen and Larry Abraham and The War on Gold by Anthony Sutton. Chip is well known on the investment conference circuit where he has served as Master of Ceremonies for FreedomFest, The New Orleans Investment Conference, Sovereign Society, and The Atlanta Investment Conference
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And now some thoughts for Thanksgiving…
By the President of the United States of America.—A Proclamation.
"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a...war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict... Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense...rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable...strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth."
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
Submitted by Jerry Gore:
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FARM. FOOD. LIFE.
6 Oddball Facts About Turkeys We Bet You Didn't Know By Gabrielle Saulsbery on November 23, 2015
Shutterstock
Ever thought about the spirited life and legend of your tryptophanic Thanksgiving centerpiece? Most people know the story of Ben Franklin vouching for the turkey to be America's national bird, which may or may not be true, but here are some other funky facts about the bird itself.
People have been eating them for a while now.
Researchers discovered the earliest-known instance of turkey domestication in a Mayan archaeological site in Guatemala, many miles from turkeys' native habitat in Mexico. The turkey bones—presumably from a ceremony, sacrifice, or feast—were more than 2,000 years old.
All turkey species originated in Mexico.
Which is a surprise, since Chipotle doesn't even offer a turkey burrito.
You won't find their eggs in a store.
Have you ever seen turkey eggs at Trader Joe's? Probably not. They lay significantly fewer eggs per year than chickens do. "Turkey eggs are very valuable," said Nick Zimmerman, an associate professor of animal/avian sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, in an interview with Discovery News. "They have a higher value for making new baby poults, so we can grow them up into nice large turkeys and make meat for people." Zimmerman estimates the market price of one turkey egg at $3.50, more than twelve times that of a chicken egg.
More About Turkeys
Turkey Wars: Farmers vs. Wild Turkeys
How Turkeys Got Broad, White Breasts
Inside the Mind of a Turkey
They change color.
Well, the heads and necks of males do. Naturally a grayish blue, their skin can turn a deep red-purple when they're feeling feisty (think mating/fighting). "When they're breeding or when they're aggressive, more blood goes into their head—it's sort of like people who get flushed when really excited or mad," says retired ornithologist (a person who studies birds) and author Roger Lederer. "During breeding season, their heads could be red all week!"
The name turkey happened because someone didn't know their birds too well.
It's theorized that Europeans originally misidentified the gobblers as guinea fowl, which they believed hailed from the country Turkey. (They're not. They're from Guinea in Western Africa, but that's another mistake altogether.) Turkey and guinea fowl are not the same thing, but that doesn't mean anyone bothered to change the name to something correct, like "Mexico." Example:
Bob: How much Mexico did you eat on Thanksgiving this year?
Jane: Dude, so much Mexico. Like eight slices of Mexico with stuffing. I gotta learn some self-control.
Facial boners are a thing.
A floppy, fleshy piece of skin above the beak called the snood gets engorged with blood as an ornamental way of attracting females. Research shows that female turkeys are most attracted to larger snoods, and that if you're going to be a male turkey, it's best to be the one with the biggest snood of the bunch: Not only does it help you get the girl, but other males avoid fighting with and defer to you.
—
Roger Lederer, who answered one of our turkey questions, has a new book coming out. You can find Beaks, Bones & Birdsongs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior in Spring 2016, published by Timber Press.
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From the archives Naval Aviators
Thanks to Jim
Skip,
Given the Apollo 12 anniversary you mention in "The List 6284" I thought you might find the following sea story interesting.
It's an Apollo 12 story I sent to a bunch of folks awhile back, most not ex-Navy ergo some of the explanations:
Subject: A "two beer" Apollo 12 mission story
Yep, Apollo 12 not 11. Given all the recent press coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission the following story relates an interesting connection between Neil Armstrong's "...one small step for man, one leap for mankind" comment and the Apollo 12 mission .
Background.... Nov 1994. I'm the CO of NAS North Island in San Diego and am advised that the NSF (National Science Foundation) wants to host a 25th reunion for Apollo 12 NASA personnel and crew at a Saturday night reception/dinner at the NAS North Island (NORIS) O'Club on base. All three of the Apollo 12 crew, Pete Conrad, Allan Bean and Richard Gordon, were ex Naval Aviators so the NSF wanted the event at a Naval Air Station. I've forgotten why they picked NORIS specifically. Apollo 12 landed on the moon in Nov 69 after Apollo 11's July mission, ergo the Nov 94 25th anniversary date.
So, I'm host for the semi-formal coat and tie event (SDB's ..Service Dress Blues for me). First, a reception at the bar followed by a sit down dinner. It's also important to note that it was a stag event, ergo it was a pretty wild affair after the group (forget exact size, but probably about 30 or 40 guys) had spent and hour or so powering down booze at the bar for the Happy Hour kick off.
For the dinner, I'm seated at the head (round) table with Conrad, Bean and Gordon, Gene Kranz (who was the Master of Ceremonies and main speaker) and a couple of NSF honchos given NSF is paying for the event. I forget what was on the dinner menu but *well* remember that there was plenty of booze, cigars and cigarettes consumed before and after dinner (again, it was 1994 and non-smokers were in the minority). Kranz gave a speech, honors were rendered to different team members etc. then we sat around the table "shooting the breeze."
As I recall, it was the first time the crew (at least all three of them) and Kranz had all been together at one time in years. So there was a lot of reminiscing going on around the table between them while myself and the NSF guys sat back and listened. But while a lot was discussed and re-hashed (a lot of it being technie stuff *way* over my head!), I vividly remember a couple of stories/issues in particular that came up over the scotch and cigar smoke.
One being about how Conrad chose what to say when he stepped down off the LEM as the 3rd man to walk on the moon. At Wikipedia, the following is posted:
".....When Conrad, who was somewhat shorter than Neil Armstrong, stepped onto the lunar surface, his first words were "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me."[13][16] This was not an off-the-cuff remark: Conrad had made a US$500 bet with reporter Oriana Fallaci he would say these words, after she had queried whether NASA had instructed Neil Armstrong what to say as he stepped onto the Moon. Conrad later said he was never able to collect the money...."
But that's not the story I got from the crew at the table that night. They recounted that a couple of months before their mission (and after the Apollo 11 mission) that they were in the USSR at the Russian space HQ and, while it was still during the cold war, that NASA had a pretty good relationship with the Russian space program and principals. They said that one night they were out to dinner with a bunch of the Soviet space folks and over after-dinner drinks of vodka shots and cigars (you see a trend here?), one of the Russians asked Conrad,
"So Peter, vat are you to say after you step on to the moon, eh? We know what Neil say, but what are your words to be?"
Conrad related that he said something like, "Gee, I dunno ...I haven't really thought about it yet but you make a good point. I'll have to come up with something in advance." And one of the Russians says, "Ah...but they of course *tell* you what to say yah?! They tell you before of course." And Conrad responded, "Oh no, I can say whatever I want, I just haven't thought about it." The Russians all laugh and go..."But nooo, but course you be told what to say...yah!?!?"
As I recall Conrad said he responded, "Nope, I'll say whatever I want. What'da yah want to bet?!" And one of the Russians said, "We bet you 150 thousand Rubles" !! Or some such, which was about $15K or so in US $$ at the time they said. And one of the crew members, said, "You gotta remember, this was in 1969 and we were still in the Navy and getting Navy pay! The three of us combined didn't make that much a year"!!
Conrad said he grabbed a cloth napkin and pen and came up with, and wrote down, the ".... a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me" off the top of his head at a bar table in Moscow after powering down a bunch of vodka shooters. They all shook hands over the bet and a few months later the crew, en route back from the moon, said they talked about what each was gonna do with the big $$'s from the Russki's. Alas, Conrad said something like, "But those sorry ass Commie bastards *renigged* on the bet !! We saw them several months later and they said...."Neyt...we of course not serious bet yah know.".
I don't recall him talking about a bet with the journalist mentioned above, but just like a typical Naval Aviator, you'd have to give credit to Conrad and the others for trying to figure out a way to "optimize" their space flight given the only pay they were getting was Navy pay.
But my favorite story they told was when one of the NSF guys asked them, "Did you guys take many personal items with you on the mission?" And the response was they they couldn't take much, didn't need much and were limited of course by gross weight limitations. They all said they of course had photos of their families and what not. But one mentioned that without *question* the most important "personal" item they each had was a duplicate padlock key on a chain around each of their necks. And the keys were for a padlock that was on one "extremely important" cruise box (metal collapsible footlockers used in the Navy). The crew had filled it with "important personal items" that was pre-staged inside the "air stream" trailer where they were to be quarantined on the hangar deck of the carrier when they returned.
The next question asked was, "why the 3 identical keys and what was in the cruise box"? The response was, "Well, we each had a key in case something happened to the other two and only one of us made it back. And the contents?....well, after we splashed down, got helo'd back to the carrier, went through all the hoop-de-do from the Navy brass and looked out the air stream window to talk to the President, we were ready to...hmmm?....."unwind" so to speak. So, first thing we did was ask for a bucket of ice from the wardroom mess...."
"....After we got the ice, we opened up the cruise box which was full of booze, cigarettes and cigars. We had a Lt flight surgeon with us for the duration in the trailer, and it being against Navy regs to drink on a Navy ship, we told him we'd slit his throat if he said anything. And we told him we'd claim in our defense we'd become true "lunatics" due to our exposure to the lunar sphere. You gotta remember we hadn't had a smoke or a drink in over 10 days!! The doc didn't argue our point and we all lit up and proceeded to get shit faced...all things considered" !!
In short, while they were NASA astronauts, they were first and foremost Naval Aviators ! ;-)
The only keepsake I have from the event is the attached signed photo that they gave me. The event had a NSF printed program with a lot of Apollo 12 information, photos, attendees names and mission roles, time line of the event with names of speakers etc. So, you think I was smart enough to keep a copy of that?!? nope... duh! v/r Jet
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Thanks to Dutch
From the net, courtesy of JC …
Dear Family: I'm not dead yet. Thanksgiving is still important to me. If being in my Last Will and Testament is important to you, then you might consider being with me for my favorite holiday
Dinner is at 2:00. Not 2:15. Not 2:05. Two. Arrive late and you get what's left over.
Last year, that moron Marshall fried a turkey in one of those contraptions and practically burned the deck off the house. This year, the only peanut oil used to make the meal will be from the secret scoop of peanut butter I add to the carrot soup.
Jonathan, your last new wife was an idiot. You don't arrive at someone's house on Thanksgiving needing to use the oven and the stove. Honest to God, I thought you might have learned after two wives – date them longer and save us all the agony of another divorce.
Now, the house rules are slightly different this year because I have decided that 47% of you don't know how to take care of nice things. Paper plates and red Solo cups might be bad for the environment, but I'll be gone soon and that will be your problem to deal with.
House Rules:
1. The University of Texas no longer plays Texas A&M. The television stays off during the meal.
2. The" no cans for kids" rule still exists. We are using 2 liter bottles because your children still open a third can before finishing the first two. Parents can fill a child's cup when it is empty. All of the cups have names on them and I'll be paying close attention to refills.
3. Cloe, last year we were at Trudy's house and I looked the other way when your Jell-O salad showed up. This year, if Jell-O salad comes in the front door it will go right back out the back door with the garbage. Save yourself some time, honey. You've never been a good cook and you shouldn't bring something that wiggles more than you. Buy something from the HEB bakery.
4. Grandmothers give grandchildren cookies and candy. That is a fact of life. Your children can eat healthy at your home. At my home, they can eat whatever they like as long as they finish it.
5. I cook with bacon and bacon grease. That's nothing new. Your being a vegetarian doesn't change the fact that stuffing without bacon is like egg salad without eggs. Even the green bean casserole has a little bacon grease
in it. That's why it tastes so good. Not eating bacon is just not natural. And as far as being healthy… look at me. I've outlived almost everyone I know.
6. Salad at Thanksgiving is a waste of space.
7. I do not like cell phones. Leave them in the car.
8. I do not like video cameras. There will be 32 people here. I am sure you can capture lots of memories without the camera pointed at me.
9. Being a mother means you have to actually pay attention to the kids. I have nice things and I don't put them away just because company is coming over. Mary, watch your kids and I'll watch my things.
10. Rhonda, a cat that requires a shot twice a day is a cat that has lived too many lives. I think staying home to care for the cat is your way of letting me know that I have lived too many lives too. I can live with that.
Can you?
11. Words mean things. I say what I mean. Let me repeat: You don't need to bring anything means you don't need to bring anything. And if I did tell you to bring something, bring it in the quantity I said. Really.
This doesn't have to be difficult.
12. Dominos and cards are better than anything that requires a battery or an on/off switch. That was true when you were kids and it's true now that you have kids.
13. Showing up for Thanksgiving guarantees presents at Christmas. Not showing up guarantees a card that may or may not be signed.
The election is over so I'll watch what I say and you will do the same. If we all stick to that, we'll have a good time. If not, I'll still have a good time but it will be at your expense. In memory of your Grandfather, the back fridge will be filled with beer. Drink until it is gone. I prefer wine anyway. But one from each family needs to be the designated driver. I mean it really!
Love You, Grandma
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Military Milestones Thanks to Thomas W. Smith from Bloody Betio to Mao's Death Warrant
11/24
This Week in American Military History:
Nov. 23, 1863: The battles of the Chattanooga campaign begin between newly appointed commander of the Western armies, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant, and Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg (yes, Fort Bragg, N.C. is named in his honor).
Within days, Union Army forces will attack and capture Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and the Confederate works on Missionary Ridge. The "Gateway to the Lower South" will open, and within a year, Union Gen.
William Tecumseh Sherman will pass through the "gateway" enroute to Atlanta.
Nov. 23, 1943: Japanese-held Tarawa -- "an elongated, sharply curving chain of little islands with a heavily defended southwest tip" known to U.S. Marines as "bloody Betio" -- falls to American forces despite the boast of its defending commander, Rear Adm. Keiji Shibasaki, that "a million men could not take Tarawa in a hundred years."
In fact, it takes several thousand Marines and about 76 hours to seize
Tarawa. But it is not without great cost. Marine casualties (including
sailors) number over 1,020 killed and nearly 2,300 wounded. Many are lost during the first few hours of the fighting as the landing craft are unable to get ashore, and Marines (carrying all of their equipment) are forced to wade toward the beach, stumbling over jagged coral reef for several hundred yards -- some falling into deep holes and drowning -- all the time under withering fire.
Lt. Commander Robert A. McPherson -- a Naval aviator flying above Tarawa during the battle -- will recall: "The water never seemed clear of tiny men, their rifles held over their heads, slowly wading beachwards. I wanted to cry."
Among the heroes is Col. David Monroe Shoup (future commandant of the Marine Corps) who will receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on Tarawa. At one point during the fighting, Shoup, wounded and leading his men forward, signals his superiors: "Casualties: many. Percentage dead: unknown. Combat efficiency: we are winning."
Veterans of Tarawa also will remember red-mustachioed Maj. Jim Crowe, swagger-stick in hand, calmly strolling his embattled lines, exhorting his men to fight. "All right, Marines, try and pick out a target and squeeze off some rounds," he shouts, as bullets and hot shell fragments zing past his head. "You better kill some of those bastards or they'll kill you. You don't want to die, do you? Come on, now, let's kill some of them!"
Of the 4,836 Japanese defenders on Tarawa, 4,690 are killed, many perishing during suicidal "Banzai" charges against the Americans.
Nov. 24, 1944: U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bombers (111 of them) based in Saipan attack the Nakajima Aircraft engine plant near Tokyo in the first attack on the Japanese mainland since Doolittle's raid (see Apr. 18, 1942).
Nov. 27, 1950: The Battle of Chosin Reservoir opens when the Chinese 9th Army Group -- four armies under the command of Gen. Song Shilun -- surge across the Yalu River into Korea and attack numerically inferior U.S. Marine and Army forces.
Song has special instructions to destroy the 1st Marine Division. "The American Marine First Division has the highest combat effectiveness in the American armed forces," writes Premier Mao Tse-Tung in orders to Gen. Song.
"It seems not enough for our four divisions [sic] to surround and annihilate its two regiments. You should have one or two more divisions as a reserve force."
Moreover, orders specify that all other American and allied forces are to be eliminated to the last man.
But the Chinese will fail (see upcoming weeks).
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This Day in U S Military History
23 November
1874 – Farmer Joseph Glidden's patent for barbed wire was granted. Glidden designed a simple wire barb that attached to a double-strand wire, as well as a machine to mass-produce the wire. The invention was a welcome alternative to other types of fencing for farming on the arid Great Plains–wood fences and stone walls were difficult to construct because of the lack of sufficient rocks and trees, and the existing wire fences were easily broken when cattle leaned against them. The use of barbed-wire fences changed ranching and farming life. Farmers could keep roaming cattle and sheep off their land, but open-range cowboys and Native American farmers were restricted to the land and resources not claimed and marked by the new fences. As more settlers moved onto the plains, the amount of public, shared land decreased and open-range farming became obsolete.
1943 – On Tarawa Atoll, the battle ends by noon. The US marines have suffered 1000 killed and 2000 wounded. The Japanese garrison of 4800 troops has been annihilated. A total of 17 wound Japanese troops and 129 Korean laborers are the only survivors. On Makin Atoll, the battle is also completed. American infantry have suffered about 200 dead and wounded. The Japanese have lost about 600 killed, wounded or captured. Meanwhile, the escort carrier Liscomb Bay is sunk offshore by a Japanese resulting in the loss of 600 sailors.
1944 – On the right flank of the German line, the 15th Army falls back in Holland. Meanwhile, the German 7th Army launches attacks on forces of US 9th Army. To the south, French troops of US 7th Army reach Strasbourg.
1974 – Cornelius Ryan (54), war reporter, historian, author, died. His books included "A Bridge Too Far." Cornlius Ryan was one of the preeminent writers of the history of World War II. he was born in Dublin in 1920 and worked as a reporter covering the battles in Europe for Reuters and the London Daily Telegraph from 1941 to 1945 and then the final months of the Pacific campaign. His first book was The Longest Day, published in 1959, sold 4 million copies in 27 editions and was made into a 1962 film The Longest Day by Darryl Zanuck. His second book was The Last Battle published in 1966. He finished his third book A Bridge Too Far in 1974 while undergoing treatment for cancer that killed him in 1976. The film version of A Bridge Too Far was released in 1977 and re-released in DVD in 1998. In all his books, Ryan stressed realism and was meticulous in attention to detail and his extensive research notes.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
SILK, EDWARD A.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company E, 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near St. Pravel, France, 23 November 1944. Entered service at: Johnstown, Pa. Born: 8 June 1916, Johnstown, Pa. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. citation. 1st Lt. Edward A. Silk commanded the weapons platoon of Company E, 398th Infantry, on 23 November 1944, when the end battalion was assigned the mission of seizing high ground overlooking Moyenmoutier France, prior to an attack on the city itself. His company jumped off in the lead at dawn and by noon had reached the edge of a woods in the vicinity of St. Pravel where scouts saw an enemy sentry standing guard before a farmhouse in a valley below. One squad, engaged in reconnoitering the area, was immediately pinned down by intense machinegun and automatic-weapons fire from within the house. Skillfully deploying his light machinegun section, 1st Lt. Silk answered enemy fire, but when 15 minutes had elapsed with no slackening of resistance, he decided to eliminate the strong point by a l-man attack. Running 100 yards across an open field to the shelter of a low stone wall directly in front of the farmhouse, he fired into the door and windows with his carbine; then, in full view of the enemy, vaulted the wall and dashed 50 yards through a hail of bullets to the left side of the house, where he hurled a grenade through a window, silencing a machinegun and killing 2 gunners. In attempting to move to the right side of the house he drew fire from a second machinegun emplaced in the woodshed. With magnificent courage he rushed this position in the face of direct fire and succeeded in neutralizing the weapon and killing the 2 gunners by throwing grenades into the structure. His supply of grenades was by now exhausted, but undaunted, he dashed back to the side of the farmhouse and began to throw rocks through a window, demanding the surrender of the remaining enemy. Twelve Germans, overcome by his relentless assault and confused by his unorthodox methods, gave up to the lone American. By his gallant willingness to assume the full burden of the attack and the intrepidity with which he carried out his extremely hazardous mission, 1st Lt. Silk enabled his battalion to continue its advance and seize its objective.
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
Nov. 24, 1944
Eighty-eight Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses" made the first heavy bomb strike on Tokyo, Japan.
Nov. 25, 1920
Lt. Corliss Champion Moseley, Air Service, United States Army, won the first Pulitzer Trophy Race flying an Engineering Division-designed-and-built Verville-Packard R-1, serial number A.S. 40126. The race, the first of a series, started at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York. Turning points were at Henry J. Damm Field, near Babylon, and Lufberry Field at Wantagh. The total length of the race was approximately 132 miles. Moseley was Daedalian Founder Member #208.
Nov. 27, 1917
Newly promoted Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois gained an appointment as American Expeditionary Forces chief of the air service under Gen. John J. Pershing. Foulois was Daedalian Founder Member #321.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 23, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF
HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE
AGENCY
23 November
1935: Through 5 December, Lincoln Ellsworth and pilot Herbert
Hollich-Kenyon flew nearly 2,100 miles from Dundee Island, Weddell
Sea, Antarctica, to within 25 miles of Little America, Bay of Whales,
Ross Sea. (9) (24)
1947: The XC-99, world's largest land plane at that time, made its
first flight at San Diego. (24)
1957: The DoD authorized Cooke AFB to launch ballistic missiles during
peacetime. (6)
1960: TIROS II, NASA's second meteorological satellite, launched from
Cape Canaveral into a 200- to 500-year orbit. (24)
1963: SAC established a requirement for the SRAM. (6)
1981: EXERCISE BRIGHT STAR 82. SAC sent eight B-52s of its Strategic
Projection Force on the longest nonstop bombing mission in history to
date. After a 31-hour, 15,000-mile flight, the B-52s from the 319 BMW
at Grand Forks AFB and the 5 BMW at Minot AFB dropped bombs on a
simulated runway in Egypt. The bombers relied on three air refuelings.
(1) (26)
1983: The West German Parliament approved GLCM and Pershing II missile
deployments in West Germany. (4)
2002: The F/A-22 Raptor (No. 4007) accomplished its first guided
AIM-9M Sidewinder launch at 24,000 feet over the White Sands Missile
Range at Mach 1.4. The AIM-9 passed within lethal range of a QF-4
drone flying at Mach 1.0. (3)
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