To All,
Good Sunday morning December 31. I want to wish you all a happy New Year and many more. "The rain came Friday night and has been off and on since then . It is supposed to stop but it has done enough to deposit a carpet of leaves over my entire yard.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
December 31
1862—USS Monitor founders in a storm off Cape Hatteras, NC, and is lost. Ordinary Seaman John Jones of USS Rhode Island is awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct while rescuing crewmen during the night.
1941—Adm. Chester W. Nimitz assumes command of U.S. Pacific Fleet.
1942—USS Essex (CV 9), the first of a new class of aircraft carriers, is commissioned at Norfolk, VA.
1943—USS Greenling (SS 213) sinks Japanese transport Shoho Maru southeast of Ponape and evades counterattacks by submarine chaser Ch 30.
1948—The last annual report by a Secretary of the Navy to Congress and the President is filed by Secretary of the Navy John L. Sullivan. Thereafter the Secretary of Defense reports annually to Congress.
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Today in World History December 31
1775 George Washington orders recruiting officers to accept free blacks into the army.
1852 The richest year of the gold rush ends with $81.3 million in gold produced.
1862 Union General William Rosecrans' army repels two Confederate attacks at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River).
1910 John B. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey, two of America's foremost aviators, die in separate plane crashes.
1911 Helene Dutrieu wins the Femina aviation cup in Etampes. She sets a distance record for women at 158 miles.
1915 The Germans torpedo the British liner Persia without any warning killing 335 passengers.
1923 The Sahara is crossed by an automobile for the first time.
1930 Brewery heir Adolphus Busch is kidnapped.
1941 General MacArthur reports that U.S. lines in Manila have been pushed back by the Japanese.
1942 After five months of battle, Emperor Hirohito allows the Japanese commanders at Guadalcanal to retreat.
1944 Hungary declares war on Germany.
1965 California becomes the largest state in population.
1977 Cambodia breaks relations with Vietnam.
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I was almost ready to send out the List when this one popped into my IN box enjoy
Thanks to Micro
For the Start of the New Year!
Life-Changing Quotes to Think About
Here are 33 expressions that can serve as guideposts through life:
1. "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
3. "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." ~ William Arthur Ward
4. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." ~ Henry Ford
5. "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." ~ Milton Berle
6. "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of Assisi
7. "The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." ~ Henry David Thoreau
8. "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit.' Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." ~ Muhammad Ali
9. "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." ~ Nelson Mandela
10. "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." ~ Confucius
11. "The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self." ~ Dalai Lama
12. "When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you." ~ Dr. Seuss
13. "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." ~ Viktor E. Frankl
14. "Every time you borrow money, you're robbing your future self." ~ Nathan W. Morris
15. "Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants." ~ Epictetus
16. "Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving." ~ Warren Buffett
17. "The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money." ~ Anonymous
18. "You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb." ~ Andrew Carnegie
19. "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." ~ Frederick Douglass
20. "It is better to be alone, than to be in bad company." ~ George Washington
21. "When you blame others, you give up your power to change." ~ Robert Anthony
22. "What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so." ~ Mark Twain
23. "Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something." ~ Plato
24. "A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth." ~ Aesop
25. "Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay." ~ Dalai Lama
26. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." ~ Jackson Brown, Jr.
27. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." ~ John Wooden
28. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
29. "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." ~ Mark Twain
30. "It is never too late to be what you might have been." ~ George Eliot
31. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." ~ Mother Teresa
32. "May you live all the days of your life." ~ Jonathan Swift
33. "Moral character is the DNA of success and happiness." ~ (Me) Frank Sonnenberg
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Skip… For The List for Monday, 25 December 2023 through Sunday, 7 January 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT I (1968-1972)… Weeks 7 & 8…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for December 1968…
Christmas Season 1968: historic events, painful losses and heroic sacrifice…
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 hope that you all appreciate the work that Micro puts in to locate these each day. I read each one of them each day and the work he has put into expanding them from the original is extensive and he keeps it going with updates on the locations and history from folks who read them and can add their knowledge of what happened because they were there.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Sunday 31 December
December 31: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1523
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.
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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From the archives and worth repeating
Crotchety, Older & Wiser
Thanks to DR
I found this timely, because today I was in a store that sells sunglasses, and only sunglasses. A young lady walks over to me and asks, "What brings you in today?" I looked at her, and said, "I'm interested in buying a refrigerator." She didn't quite know how to respond.
Am I getting to be that age?
I was thinking about how a status symbol of today is those cell phones that everyone has clipped onto their belt or purse. I can't afford one. So I'm wearing my garage door opener.
I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.
I thought about making a fitness movie for folks my age and calling it 'Pumping Rust.'
When people see a cat's litter box they always say, "Oh, have you got a cat?" Just once I want to say, "No, it's for company!"
Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write, 'An ambulance .'
The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.
The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble..
Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells: 'Theirs...'
Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
Some people try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.
You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
Ah! Being young is beautiful but being old is comfortable.
Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
May you always have Love to Share, Cash to Spare, And Friends who Care.
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This is the program that Shadow demonstrated in his article a couple weeks back
Thanks to Mike
USMC "Carrier On Land" Air Base At Chu Lai, Viet Nam
VMFA 323 was first F-4 unit there. One Quote From Col Robert Johnson...Lots of great A-4 Info, pictures and Clips:
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'Thanks to Barrel and to Cowboy for finding the URL
The Train
As we approach the New Year, please take a ride on this train and reflect on the wisdom within it. Have a Happy ride and I hope it is a long one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmtyvQw5ROk
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Thanks to DR
New Year's Notes
Tom Smothers
Those of us old enough to remember this show are sad to learn about the passing of Tommy Smothers. This show was actually funny. Who can forget classic bits like 'Mom always liked you best', or 'I was drowning in a vat of chocolate'? One by one, the icons of our time are leaving us.
Plan B
When I think about the story from Johns Hopkins about a 'planned pandemic' for 2025-2028, it seems more and more to be Plan B. All the polls suggest that democrats will lose in 2024 by a massive margin. Perhaps more than they can 'fix' with fake votes. And, people will be watching for their tricks of closing polls, changing votes, and the massive numbers of dead people who vote. Even kicking Trump off the ballot in some states may not be enough. So - why not disrupt the next administration with a pandemic that starts soon as they take office, and lasts till that term is completed?
Gaza
The war continues, and expands further south in Gaza. Both sides are hinting that they may make a deal. They are still far apart on terms, but only the IDF holds a good hand. As more and more details of the Oct 7 attack come out, Hamas will lose ground and credibility. That and their total defeat militarily will force them to accept terms, like them or not.
So, there are bits of light in the dark clouds that have been hanging over the world. It always seems to work that way. Sunrise always follows a dark night.
Rich
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Crotchety, Older & Wiser
Thanks to DR
I found this timely, because today I was in a store that sells sunglasses, and only sunglasses. A young lady walks over to me and asks, "What brings you in today?" I looked at her, and said, "I'm interested in buying a refrigerator." She didn't quite know how to respond.
Am I getting to be that age?
I was thinking about how a status symbol of today is those cell phones that everyone has clipped onto their belt or purse. I can't afford one. So I'm wearing my garage door opener.
I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.
I thought about making a fitness movie for folks my age and calling it 'Pumping Rust.'
When people see a cat's litter box they always say, "Oh, have you got a cat?" Just once I want to say, "No, it's for company!"
Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write, 'An ambulance .'
The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.
The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble..
Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells: 'Theirs...'
Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
Some people try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.
You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
Ah! Being young is beautiful but being old is comfortable.
Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
May you always have Love to Share, Cash to Spare, And Friends who Care.
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Today's Interesting Fact
As common eating utensils, chopsticks in Asia are about 2,000 years older than the fork in Europe.
By the time most people in Europe started eating with forks, chopsticks had already been around in Asia for millennia. The versatile utensil is believed to have been invented in China roughly 5,000 years ago, although it was initially little more than twigs used for cooking rather than eating (compared to human fingers, chopsticks were a much safer way to grab food from boiling water). None other than Confucius is credited with helping to make chopsticks popular as eating utensils sometime after 400 BCE. A man who espoused nonviolence, the philosopher believed that knives evoked bloodshed and the "honorable and upright man … allows no knives on his table." (Chopsticks, then, were a more peaceful way to pick up food compared to spearing it with a knife.)
Chopsticks gradually made their way beyond China's borders and were the utensil of choice in other Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam by 500 CE. Forks, meanwhile, slowly gained popularity throughout Europe after initially being used in their two-tined form by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians for cooking. Around the 11th century, they were introduced as eating utensils in Italy and France from the Byzantine Empire — still in two-pronged form — but were widely frowned upon for centuries as unnecessarily luxurious or effeminate. Medieval Europe ate mostly with rounds of stale bread used as a platform for meat and vegetables, as well as knives and spoons, which had been ubiquitous since ancient times. It wasn't until around the 18th century that the use of forks — finally with three and four tines — became commonplace in much of Europe, in a slow process befitting their status as a late-to-the-party addition to the table.
With many years in the far east on cruises I spent a lot of time ashore eating and chop sticks were something I learned to use and still have them and use them for eating certain foods. When you went ashore as a group there were many times that your expertise at chop sticks was challenged and if you lost you could buy for the entire group.. Passing one grain of rice between partners was one of them.
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This Day in United States Military History
December 31
1941 – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz assumes command of U.S. Pacific Fleet.
1941 – America's last automobiles with chrome-plated trim were manufactured on this day. Starting in 1942, chrome plating became illegal. It was part of an effort to conserve resources for the American war effort. The chrome wasn't missed too much. Virtually no automobiles were produced in the U.S. from 1942 through the end of World War II.
1942 – Commissioning of USS Essex (CV-9), first of new class of aircraft carriers, at Norfolk, VA
1942 – After five months of battle, Emperor Hirohito allowed the Japanese commanders at Guadalcanal to retreat.
1943 – Both the US 5th Army and the British 8th Army continue their offensive operation in Italy without significant success.
1944 – Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive on the Western Front begins. The goal of the offensive was to break through the lines of the U.S. 7th Army and French 1st Army in the Upper Vosges mountains and the Alsatian Plain, and destroy them. This would leave the way open for Operation Dentist (Unternehmen Zahnarzt), a planned major thrust into the rear of the U.S. 3rd Army which would lead to the destruction of that army. Operation Nordwind, although costly for both sides, was ultimately unsuccessful, and the failure of the offensive allowed the U.S. 7th Army to contain the German push towards Strasbourg. Any gains attained by the offensive were negated by the later Operation Undertone.
1944 – On Leyte, various Japanese counterattacks in the northwest are repulsed by American forces. Up to this point, the Japanese have suffered about 70,000 casualties, almost all killed, in the battles on Leyte. American casualties number 15,500 dead and wounded. The US 6th Army is being withdrawn from the island, in preparation for the invasion of Luzon, and the US 8th Army is replacing it.
1944 – The British 30th Corps (part of US 1st Army) captures Rochefort on the western tip of the German-held Ardennes salient.
1945 – The ratification of the UN Charter was completed.
1946 – President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
1968 – The bloodiest year of the war comes to an end. At year's end, 536,040 American servicemen were stationed in Vietnam, an increase of over 50,000 from 1967. Estimates from Headquarters U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam indicated that 181,150 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were killed during the year. However, Allied losses were also up: 27,915 South Vietnamese, 14,584 Americans (a 56 percent increase over 1967), and 979 South Koreans, Australians, New Zealanders, and Thais were reported killed during 1968. Since January 1961, more than 31,000 U.S. servicemen had been killed in Vietnam and over 200,000 U.S. personnel had been wounded. Contributing to the high casualty number was the Tet Offensive launched by the communists. Conducted in the early weeks of the year, it was a crushing military defeat for the communists, but the size and scope of the attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies completely by surprise. The early reporting of a smashing communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media and this led to a psychological victory for the communists. The heavy U.S. casualties incurred during the offensive coupled with the disillusionment over the earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnson's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the Democratic nomination for president. Johnson's announcement did not dampen the wave of antiwar protests that climaxed with the bloody confrontation between protesters and police outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
1970 – Congress authorized the Eisenhower dollar coin.
1971 – The gradual U.S. withdrawal from the conflict in Southeast Asia is reflected in reduced annual casualty figures. The number of Americans killed in action dropped to 1,386 from the previous year total of 4,204. South Vietnam losses for the year totalled 21,500 men, while the combined Viet Cong and North Vietnamese total was estimated at 97,000 killed in action. After 10 years of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, a total of 45,627 American soldiers had been killed. The U.S. troop levels, which started the year at 280,000, were down to 159,000. This troop reduction was a direct result of the shifting American goal for the Vietnam War-no longer attempting a military victory, the U.S. was trying to gracefully extricate itself from the situation by transferring responsibility for the war to the South Vietnamese.
1972 – With the end of Linebacker II, the most intense U.S. bombing operation of the Vietnam War, U.S. and communist negotiators prepare to return to the secret Paris peace talks scheduled to reconvene on January 2. In a statement issued in Paris, the Hanoi delegation to the public peace talks asserted that the U.S. bombing did not succeed in "subjugating the Vietnamese people," and called attention to the losses of U.S. planes and the unfavorable world reaction to the raids. Despite the public denial that the Linebacker II raids forced them back, the communists returned to the negotiating table. When the negotiators met in January, the talks moved along quickly and on January 23, 1973, the United States, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and the Viet Cong signed a cease-fire agreement that took effect five days later. In 1972, the American troop level in South Vietnam was reduced from 159,000 to only 24,000. Under the terms of the Paris Peace Accords, all of the personnel would be withdrawn by March 1973.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BOURKE, JOHN G.
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862-1 January 1863. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 16 November 1887. Citation: Gallantry in action.
FARQUHAR, JOHN M.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 89th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 6 August 1902. Citation: When a break occurred on the extreme right wing of the Army of the Cumberland, this soldier rallied fugitives from other commands, and deployed his own regiment, thereby checking the Confederate advance until a new line was established.
FOLLETT, JOSEPH L.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company G, 1st Missouri Light Artillery. Place and date: At New Madrid, Mo., 3 March 1862; at Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Birth: Newark, N.J. Date of issue: 19 September 1890. Citation: At New Madrid, Mo., remained on duty though severely wounded. While procuring ammunition from the supply train at Stone River, Tenn., was captured, but made his escape, secured the ammunition, and in less than an hour from the time of his capture had the batteries supplied.
FREEMAN, HENRY B.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 18th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: Mount Vernon, Ohio. Birth: Mount Vernon, Ohio. Date of issue: 17 February 1894. Citation: Voluntarily went to the front and picked up and carried to a place of safety, under a heavy fire from the enemy, an acting field officer who had been wounded, and was about to fall into enemy hands.
PHISTERER, FREDERICK
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 18th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: Medina County, Ohio. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 12 December 1894. Citation: Voluntarily conveyed, under a heavy fire, information to the commander of a battalion of regular troops by which the battalion was saved from capture or annihilation.
PRENTICE, JOSEPH R.
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 19th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: ——. Born: 6 December 1838, Lancaster, Ohio. Date of issue: 3 February 1894. Citation: Voluntarily rescued the body of his commanding officer, who had fallen mortally wounded. He brought off the field his mortally wounded leader under direct and constant rifle fire.
VANCE, WILSON
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 21st Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Hancock County, Ohio. Date of issue: 17 September 1897. Citation: Voluntarily and under a heavy fire, while his command was falling back, rescued a wounded and helpless comrade from death or capture.
WAGG, MAURICE
Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, England. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Rhode Island, which was engaged in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the Monitor off Hatteras, 31 December 1862. Participating in the hazardous task of rescuing the officers and crew of the sinking Monitor, Wagg distinguished himself by meritorious conduct during this operation.
WHITEHEAD, JOHN M.
Rank and organization: Chaplain, 15th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. Entered service at: Westville, Ind. Born: 6 March 1823, Wayne County, Ind. Date of issue: 4 April 1898. Citation: Went to the front during a desperate contest and unaided carried to the rear several wounded and helpless soldiers.
*COOK, DONALD GILBERT
Rank and organization: Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Prisoner of War by the Viet Cong in the Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Vietnam, 31 December 1964 to 8 December, 1967. Entered Service at: Brooklyn, New York. Date and place of birth: 9 August 1934, Brooklyn New York. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while interned as a Prisoner of War by the Viet Cong in the Republic of Vietnam during the period 31 December 1964 to 8 December 1967. Despite the fact that by so doing he would bring about harsher treatment for himself, Colonel (then Captain) Cook established himself as the senior prisoner, even though in actuality he was not. Repeatedly assuming more than his share of their health, Colonel Cook willingly and unselfishly put the interests of his comrades before that of his own well-being and, eventually, his life. Giving more needy men his medicine and drug allowance while constantly nursing them, he risked infection from contagious diseases while in a rapidly deteriorating state of health. This unselfish and exemplary conduct, coupled with his refusal to stray even the slightest from the Code of Conduct, earned him the deepest respect from not only his fellow prisoners, but his captors as well. Rather than negotiate for his own release or better treatment, he steadfastly frustrated attempts by the Viet Cong to break his indomitable spirit. and passed this same resolve on to the men whose well-being he so closely associated himself. Knowing his refusals would prevent his release prior to the end of the war, and also knowing his chances for prolonged survival would be small in the event of continued refusal, he chose nevertheless to adhere to a Code of Conduct far above that which could be expected. His personal valor and exceptional spirit of loyalty in the face of almost certain death reflected the highest credit upon Colonel Cook, the Marine Corps, and the United States Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 31 December, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
31 December
1908: Wilbur Wright flew 77 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes 23 seconds at LeMans, France, to set a record for duration and distance. He also won the Michelin Trophy and $4,000. (9)
1910: Whipple Hall, a promoter from the Curtiss Aircraft Company, came to Hawaii with J. C. "Bud" Mars. Mars then became the first person to fly a fixed-wing aircraft in Hawaii. He took off from Moanalua Gardens in a Curtiss P-18, circled the field four times and landed safely. (http://www.pacificaerospace.org/history.html)
1913: COLLIER TROPHY. Orville Wright demonstrated his automatic stablizer at Dayton. He received the trophy for this event. (24)
1934: Helen Richey, first woman aviator to pilot an airmail transport on regular schedule, flew from Washington DC to Detroit, Mich., in a trimotored Ford 12 passenger transport. Central Airlines, Incorporated, appointed her as copilot. (24)
1938: Boeing's Model 307 Stratoliner, the first passenger aircraft with a pressurized cabin, completed its first flight. (20)
1944: WORLD WAR II. Far East Air Forces launched a total of 163,397 sorties during 1944, of which 145,640 were considered effective. Fighters conducted the most sorties, with 100,998 sorties airborne and 90,240 effective. The command dropped 92,134 tons of bombs, expended 39,481,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, and destroyed 2,518 enemy aircraft. The command suffered a total of 3,732 casualties 1,360 dead, 1,206 wounded, and 1,166 either missing, captured, or interned. Aircraft losses totaled 2,584 aircraft of all types. (17)
1948: Allied aircraft logged the 100,000th flight of the Berlin Airlift. (26)
1951: KOREAN WAR. The 315th Air Division airlifted 85,713 troops, 10,379 tons of cargo, and 6,249 evacuees in 6,032 sorties during the month. Search and rescue units flew 410 sorties on search, orbit, evacuation, and rescue missions. Helicopters flew 175 critically wounded patients and rescued 5 people from behind enemy lines. The 3d Air Rescue Squadron helicopters also flew from enemy territory 37 prisoners of war who had escaped. United Nations reconnaissance aircraft secured intelligence information on enemy ground dispositions, air targets, vehicle movements, airfield status, and weather.
1957: The USAF accepted the first BOMARC area defense missile.
1958: McDonnell Aircraft Company received a contract for the GAM-72A Quail decoy missile. It had a General Electric J-85 engine. (6)
1962: The Navy ended its long history of lighter-than-air flight by disposing of its last airship, spare parts, and equipment. (16) (24)
1963: The Strategic Air Command declared the 374th Strategic Missile Squadron, the last of six Titan II squadrons, operational at Little Rock AFB, Ark., to complete the Titan II deployment program. (6) President Johnson approved the U-2 flights over SEA. The first Strategic Air Command U-2s arrived in the Far East in early February 1964. (1)
1967: The Air Force launched a TIROS satellite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. This was the 700th major launch from that base since 1959. (16) From Skip My dad got stationed there about this time and I got to watch most of these until I went away to college in the fall of 1961. I watched Thor,Atlas and Titan missiles soar into the air both day and night and also saw some spectacular explosions of those that did not go well.
1969: The 498th Tactical Missile Group inactivated on Okinawa to end the deployment of CGM-13B Mace tactical missiles there. (17)
1971: SOUTHEAST ASIA COMBAT OPERATIONS. Pacific Air Forces tactical forces flew 450,031 combat sorties to drop 642.9 thousand tons of munitions in Southeast Asia in 1971, while losing 87 aircraft (70 to combat). Sorties totaled 87,052 attack sorties and 12,554 B-52 sorties, while KC-135s performed over 62,500 refuelings. Tactical airlift operations within the Republic of Vietnam moved 2,282,883 passengers and 283,556 tons of cargo. (17)
1972: SOUTHEAST ASIA COMBAT OPERATIONS. Pacific Air Forces tactical forces flew 254,895 combat sorties to drop 899.5 thousand tons of munitions in Southeast Asia in 1972, while suffering the loss of 194 aircraft. The sorties included 115,298 attack sorties and 28,383 B-52 Arc Light sorties. KC-135s accomplished 111,770 aerial refuelings. (17)
1981: USAFE's first operational F-16s arrived at Hahn AB for duty with the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing. (16) (26)
1989: Martin Marietta launched its first commercial Tital III booster from Cape Canaveral. The two stage rocket placed Skynet 4A (a British Communications satellite) and JCSAT 2 (a Japanese TV relay satellite) in orbit. (8: Mar 90)
2001: Operation ENDURNG FREEDOM/NOBLE EAGLE SUMMARY. From 11 September through the end of 2001, Air Mobility Command aircraft flew 1,757 airlift missions in support America's war against terrorism outside the US with C-17s and C-5s flying 45 percent and 29 percent of the missions, respectively. Tanker aircraft played a critical role by performing 953 air refueling missions—838 for KC-135s and 115 for KC-10s. For the NOBLE EAGLE homeland defense mission in the continental U. S., Air Mobility Command completed 228 airlift missions with C-130s conducting 53 percent of the flights. (22)
2006: The first group of 10 F-117s officially retired at Holloman AFB, N. Mex., to make way for new incoming F-22A Raptors
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