To All
Good Friday Morning February 2, 2024. We had a great Bubba Breakfast this morning. I got home and the rain just started pouring so we dodged that bullet earlier. Some entertaining items from Shadow and others today. Looks like the rain has stopped for the day or maybe longer. But I never trust the weather guessers here.
Have a GREAT WEEKEND
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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/
February 2
1848—The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and establishes the boundaries between the two republics.
1862—Capt. David G. Farragut, commander of his flagship, the screw sloop of war Hartford, departs Hampton Roads for Ship Island, MS, where Farragut takes command of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron in preparation for the assault on New Orleans.
1938—While piloting a PBY-2 aircraft in a tactical exercise off California, Lt. Carlton B. Hutchins collides with another VP-11 PBY-2. Remaining at his badly damaged plane's controls, Hutchins courageously allows members of his crew to parachute to safety, but is killed in the plane's subsequent crash. For his "extraordinary heroism," he is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1942—USS Seadragon (SS 194) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Tamagawa Maru.
1943—A Japanese destroyer is damaged, and later scuttled, by a mine laid by U.S. Navy light minelayers off Cape Esperance.
1944—Destroyer USS Walker (DD 517) sinks Japanese submarine RO 39, 10 miles east of Wotje, Marshall Islands
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This Day in World History
2 February
0962 Otto I invades Italy and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
1032 Conrad II claims the throne of France.
1494 Columbus begins the practice of using Indians as slaves.
1571 All eight members of a Jesuit mission in Virginia are murdered by Indians who pretended to be their friends.
1626 Charles I is crowned King of England. Fierce internal struggles between the monarchy and Parliament characterized 17th century English politics.
1848 The Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo formally ends the Mexican War.
1865 Confederate raider William Quantrill and his bushwackers rob citizens, burn a railroad depot and steal horses from Midway, Kentucky.
1870 The press agencies Havas, Reuter and Wolff sign an agreement whereby between them they can cover the whole world.
1876 The National Baseball League is founded with eight teams.
1900 Six cities, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis agree to form baseball's American League.
1901 Mexican government troops are badly beaten by Yaqui Indians.
1916 U.S. Senate votes independence for Philippines, effective in 1921.
1921 Airmail service opens between New York and San Francisco. Airmail's First Day.
1934 Alfred Rosenberg is made philosophical chief of the Nazi Party.
1939 Hungary breaks relations with the Soviet Union.
1943 Last of the German strongholds at Stalingrad surrender to the Red Army.
1944 The Germans stop an Allied attack at Anzio, Italy.
1945 Some 1,200 Royal Air Force planes blast Wiesbaden and Karlsruhe.
1948 The United States and Italy sign a pact of friendship, commerce and navigation.
1959 Arlington and Norfolk, Va., peacefully desegregate public schools.
1960 The U.S. Senate approves 23rd Amendment calling for a ban on the poll tax.
1972 The Winter Olympics begin in Sapporo, Japan.
1978 U.S. Jewish leaders bar a meeting with Egypt's Anwar Sadat.
1987 Largest steel strike in American history, in progress since August, ends.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 29 January 2024 and ending Sunday, 4 February 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post of 27 April 2019… "No Easy Days"… Eight aircraft in the dirt and eight brave American aviators gone…
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 can read what happened each day to the aircraft and its crew. ……Skip
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Friday 2 February
2: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2692
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 . 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 Jack
Talk about flying into Hell.
Surprise any of them survived the missions.
Subject: B-17 Log
See the attachment…I hope!
I have been looking through this and it is amazing anyone survived. I wish I had my dad's B-24log boon from flying out of the Aleutians (that he never showed me or really talked about). And My uncles B-17 log book for getting his 35 missions over Germany…Yes 35. His well worn hat was always insight in the place in their house
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Thanks To Newell
Family and Friends,
Consonant with the theory that 99% of lawyers give the other 1% a bad reputation, this morning I received the following. (Hmm, sounds as if our current Vice President was conducting most of the questioning.)
Newell
How do court stenographers keep a straight face?
These are excerpted from a book called "Disorder in the Court", and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters who had the torment of staying straight-faced while the exchanges were taking place.
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
___________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
___________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
___________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
___________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
___________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20. Very close to your IQ.
___________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
___________
ATTORNEY: So, the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid.
___________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
___________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
___________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
___________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
___________
ATTORNEY: ALL of your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you attend?
WITNESS: Oral.
___________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
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History Facts
On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal—the hedgehog—as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State.
The funny movie about this day is great. Every day starts over again one accident at a time.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
The Origin Stories Behind 8 Popular Idioms
Idioms are short phrases that often make no literal sense but are nonetheless usually understood by the native speakers of a language. They can be quirky, playful, and sometimes even strange, but the most charming thing about them is their specificity of culture — like an inside joke shared by millions. Someone still learning English might be baffled to hear that they'd been "let off the hook," though almost anyone raised in an English-speaking community would understand the meaning.
Over time, the original context of the phrase is usually lost, but the words find new meaning in their idiomatic form. Take, for instance, being let off the hook. Dating back to the 18th century, the phrase evokes the image of a worm on the end of a fishing line. If it can wiggle itself off the hook, it can avoid being eaten by a fish. Likewise, a child caught stealing a cookie might beg and plead themselves out of being reprimanded, thereby getting themselves off the hook. Here are the little-known origin stories behind eight other common English idioms.
1 of 8
"Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve"
To wear your heart on your sleeve is to be honest and open about your feelings. The phrase is generally believed to have originated in the Middle Ages. It was the custom then for jousting knights to wear some sort of insignia on their arm that indicated the ladies for whom they were hoping to triumph, thus proclaiming their love to the world.
2 of 8
"Pardon My French"
In England, in the early 1800s, people would "beg pardon" for using French words in conversation. Forgiveness was requested in these instances because most people did not speak French, and furthermore, the Napoleonic Wars had left a residue of animosity between the two countries. By the mid-1800s the phrase had evolved to refer to swear words specifically. It's worth noting that the Cambridge dictionary defines the idiom as something to be said when pretending to be sorry for offensive language.
3 of 8
"The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread"
In 1928, when inventor Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, first released his bread loaf-slicing invention, the advertisement claimed it was "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped." Riffing on the theme, customers began to compare all later inventions to his, and the modern idiom evolved from there.
4 of 8
"With Flying Colors"
This idiom dates back to the Age of Exploration, the period when European explorers first set off across the seas. If a captain had been successful in his venture, he would order the crew to fly their country's flag (or "colors") to announce their victory before arriving back at the home port. Originally, the phrase "with flying colors" simply meant that a mission had been completed without disaster, but over the centuries the idiom came to signify great success.
5 of 8
"Apple of My Eye"
To be the apple of someone's eye is to be their most adored companion, but what exactly is an eye apple? This idiom is one of the oldest in the English language, traced back to the ninth century. Back then, it was assumed that the pupil of the eye was a round, solid object, and it was often compared to an apple, as apples were a commonly known round object. The delicate nature of sight (and its tendency to fade with age) made vision precious and over the years the phrase "apple of my eye" came to be used in reference to anything or anyone a person held dear.
6 of 8
"Head Over Heels"
If one stops to think about it, being "head over heels" is actually how most humans spend their days. So how did this common, everyday state of being come to signify romance? In the 1300s, the phrase "head over heels" was used more literally to describe someone tumbling through a handstand or cartwheel, but by the 1800s writers had begun to use the phrase idiomatically to describe someone who had fallen hopelessly in love.
7 of 8
"Buttering Up"
To butter someone up is to beguile them, or to lavish them with praise to get what you want. The idiom evolved from the very literal buttering that takes place as part of the Hindu tradition of throwing balls of clarified butter (called ghee) at the statues of deities. In exchange for the offering, it was thought that buttered-up gods would reward the faithful with a good harvest.
8 of 8
"Cutting the Mustard"
There is much speculation regarding the origin of this idiom, but the most reputable sources trace its usage from the late 1600s when the phrase "keen as mustard" was used to describe someone of high standards. Combined with "cutting," which is often used in place of "exhibiting" (think: cutting a fine figure), and you get the modern, idiomatic equivalent of "exhibiting high standards."
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Thanks to Shadow
Something I wrote years ago for some of my Grunt Bubbas…
Before you get to it… A couple of points; Two things you learned early on to be leery of in the Grunts… was Fucking New Guys (FNG's… especially senior ones) and to a lessor extinct, helicopters. One you had utter disdain for (FNG's) and the other a kinda love/hate relationship (helicopters). The helo's presented disperate emotions… one as a life saver… the other as a death trap! Very few crashes such as ours ended up with such good results. Usually they completely broke apart or caught on fire. They were really fragile machines… tons of Magnesium added to the potential of horrendous fire. The FNG's presented another problem… especially Majors and above. We tended to have some seniors who had never experienced ground combat themselves and fell prey to theories and fantasies of war gaming and stateside exercises. They were really dangerous. Every war presents new and different strategies, previous experiences often didn't apply. So a good one would sit back and learn from those around them before jumping off the cliff and issue orders based on fantasy as opposed to reality or common sense. I'm sure the same thing applied to the air war. In both cases… seniors who had no idea what to really expect, but more than willing to espouse dogma without the experience to back it up. My X.O. in this case learned from this experience and turned out to be a good shit as time went on. But I never got over my distrust for helicopters. And expect the little anecdote on my previous email has a lot more truth in it than one would expect. I also need to say… while we often made fun of them… the pilots and crews of helicopters in Vietnam, had big balls and earned every dime of combat pay and whatever awards they got! They had no easy days!
Shadow
Duc Pho
For those of you who rotated before me like Dan and Dale and Cuneo… life went on.
In February and March of 1967… the battalion was embarked on the USS Iwo Jima for a
Special Landing Force (SLF) Operation… It was called Beacon Hill I. It was comprised
of a whole Battalion Landing Team (BLT), including supporting arms (105 Howitzers).
Our first landing was at Duc Pho; south of Chu Lai. Jack had asked me to stay with the
battalion through the SLF… I was a "short timer" and could have stayed in Okinawa
where we'd pulled back to for training for one month, since I had less than 30 days before
rotation. I agreed and looked forward to operating off the carrier.
Before we went ashore… the area was bombarded with leaflets to warn the civilian
population we were coming, and of course it gave the enemy a heads up as well. What
ever… the civilians didn't get the word… or if they did, they felt it was going to be a dog
and pony show with no real fire works.
Two things happened… first we prepped the area with naval gunfire… and rockets. The
Navy had these PBMR's (I think that was the designation)… they looked like converted
LST's with battery after battery of 122 MM rockets deck mounted. These were big
suckers and it was awesome to see them fire off… just like in the movies; with sound
affects! They just hammered the coastline with these things. It was reassuring to us
Marines… that this would not be a "hot beach" when we landed.
Unfortunately… many of the locals decided to form a welcoming committee and got
wiped out in the process. They knew we were coming, just didn't know the rockets and
Naval Gunfire would arrive before we did. I can't remember how many were killed, but it
was a lot. Of course today, it would have been an international incident of the first order.
Like I've said, War is an ugly business.
The landing was in two phases… we rode in on helo's and the rest of the battalion came
ashore in landing craft… just like "John Fucking Wayne". Mike boats, LCM's and
AMTRAC's.
We set up a base camp just inside an estuary… and sent out patrols from there. You know,
sometimes in the middle of all the crap… you just couldn't help but stop and think what a
beautiful place this was if there wasn't a war going on. The area we were in was right out
of a Hollywood movie set… for a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road show! We had a lagoon
and tidal pool area, complete with coconut palms that leaned over the water and lush
tropical vegetation all around… in the dead calm of an afternoon, you half expected Mitzi
Gaynor or some other starlet to come out of the jungle with a simian wrapped around
her… it was that beautiful.
Instead, we got the Viet Cong version of "Bed Check Charlie"… Some where in that
beautiful setting… there was a little Gomer… that did his utmost to ruin our day. Just
about everyday at sunset, this guy would pop up out of a spider hole somewhere and fire
off about two or three rounds. He never did hit anybody, got close a couple of times, but
he was more of a nuisance than a threat. We sent out numerous patrols to look for him,
but we never found him. One day, Jack finally had enough of him and decided that we'd
make an all out effort to silence him once and for all. We waited for him to shoot… and
he did… one guy thought he saw a muzzle flash and we laid it all on the spot… mortars,
105's and a true "mad moment" of machine gun and recoilless rifle fire… it went on for
about 15 minutes. We succeeded in rendering the beautiful setting into another type…
and we waited. No more shots were fired and Jack was confident we'd finally gotten the
son of a bitch.
The next afternoon… he was back. Jack was really pissed now and laid it on again… this
time it went on for about 20 minutes… when it was over… our pristine maritime forest
now looked like a moonscape…Jack finally said out loud; "That ought to take care of the
bastard"! I think half the area heard him say it… and then; "Ping"!... Our little gomer
sends a little forget me not… that ricocheted off an amtrac… and believe it or not… a
cheer went up from all the Marines. We just had to admire the spunk of this little
character… he had guts, even though he was a shitty shot. I guess he appreciated our
good humor, for he never shot at us again. I hope he lived a long life.
About the third day on the beach, the new X.O. and I go up on an aerial recon… he was
new in country and wanted a look at the area. While airborne, one of our patrols came
into contact and was asking for an extraction. They felt they were sufficiently
outnumbered so as to be in peril. We were right near their position, so we flew over to see
if we could be of help. They had set up a perimeter on this little hilltop, surrounded by
elephant grass. As we flew over, we could see them, but no enemy. Meantime, I'm trying
to co-ordinate the extraction.
To the new X.O…. it looked pretty benign. I'm sure he thought the young lieutenant was
over-reacting and he looks over at me and says, "Why don't we land and see if we can
help them out"? I looked over at him and immediately thought to myself, now what the
fuck do you think you and I can help with, when we have two .45 pistols between us? I
didn't say it though and we had the helo go in for a landing to drop us off… just as we go
into a hover… the shit hits the fan and we take round after round of incoming fire. We
jump out and the helo takes off!
It wasn't the first time a new guy had conspired to ruin my day… We're there about a
minute and there was heavy contact along the south side of the hill… the X.O. then looks
at me and says, "I think you should change that extraction from a "priority to an
emergency"… No shit!
Thankfully, the firing died down… but we knew they were still there and they knew
where we were too. Shortly, I received a call that there were five H-34's coming our way.
We passed the word to the troops and separated everyone into groups of 6 or 8 (I can't
remember). Naturally we send the X.O. out on the first bird… but since I was controlling
the aircraft, I would be on the last bird out with a fire team for support.
Now I knew there was a medium to heavy machine gun on the south side of the hill… so
I instructed the helicopters to land from the north… and after they were loaded, to either
roll left or right off the hill or pedal turn and go back out the way they'd come in… each
pilot acknowledged my instructions and did as suggested. The first three birds came in
and lifted off without a hitch… as the fourth one came in, he started taking heavy fire…
our little piece of real-estate was fast becoming an even hotter "LZ". Things were getting
a little exciting. I called the last helo and suggested they get in quick, as we didn't know
exactly how many of them there were… but we damn sure knew we were few. He "rogered"
and came on down… He took fire coming in, but oddly not as much as the helo
before him (maybe they were re-loading).
As he touched down and we scrambled to the helo… it dawned on me that I had not told
this particular pilot about the machine gun… but I assumed he'd heard my other
transmissions… but to be sure, as I climbed in the door, I grabbed the crew chief and
yelled at him over the din of the noise and told him to remind the pilot to go left, right or
back out… he shook his head, spoke into his mike and I looked up to the pilot on the
right and saw a thumbs up. I then felt the old 1820 straining and we started to lift off. I'm
still standing in the door with the crew chief… about ten feet above the ground I started
feeling a vibration and noise that just didn't seem right… the blades started to cavitate
and it felt like we were losing lift! All at once, the pilot dumped the collective and we
went straight down the hill… exactly where I'd told him not to go!
The crew chief and I were still standing in the door… as we reached the elephant grass at
the bottom of the hill, we're picking up speed and finally we bottomed out just above the
elephant grass and started to climb… just then, right before our eyes, this Gomer jumps
up out of the deep grass with one of these barrel fed machine guns and lets loose… he
couldn't have been more than 30 yards away!
Instinct… is a funny thing. Both the crew chief and I had the exact same reaction! As the
rounds started hitting the helicopter… both of us ducked and threw our arms up in front
of our faces… like that would do a damn bit of fucking good! A milli-second later… I
looked up and saw the M-60 in the door and yelled at him… "Shoot the son of a bitch"!
By the time he reacted, we were outta there… We then checked to see if anyone was
hit… incredibly, no one had gotten a scratch even though the helicopter was riddled. We
continued climbing and I finally sat down on one of the canvas seats and strapped in. I
marveled at the little bullet holes in the helicopters skin… still amazed no one was hit.
We finally got up to about 1500 feet… Just as I was thinking about how the sounds of the
bullets hitting the helicopter reminded me of the butts on the rifle range… I look out the
big door and see billows of smoke! Holy Shit!
The crew chief yells out above the noise to strap in tight, "We're going down"! Funny
how your mind works in a time like this? My mind flashed on the H-34 that I'd seen take
a hit from a 105 round at the Rockpile… that magnesium son of a bitch burnt out before
it hit the ground. I said a silent prayer to the Big Guy, "God, please don't let us catch on
fire". It was absolutely terrifying!!!
A second later, the engine quit and the nose pushed over… Two things… first I was
amazed on how much residual noise the transmission produced… and second, as I stared
out the door, trying to keep breathing… I couldn't help but notice how the horizon had
moved up into the top right hand corner of the door… just like one of those little pictures
on the AQT/FAR Exam for flight training I'd taken and passed before leaving for
Vietnam!
Now if somebody can tell me how or why the mind works in such a way, in a situation
like that… I'll kiss his butt in Grand Central Station… give me an hour with a
tambourine to draw up a crowd! Amazing what goes through your mind when you think
you're gonna die. Those were my honest to God thoughts.
The next thing I thought of was… this is going to hurt… real bad! We're coming out of
the sky like a falling rocket! As the ground gets closer… I see water… and I think maybe
the pilot is as afraid of fire as much as I was… and was going to put us in the drink…
then just as I anticipated impact… the helicopter goes into a 2 to 3 "G" pull up… that was
absolutely terrifying when you weren't expecting it (I know all about auto-rotations now)
… the horizon now jumps to the top left hand corner of the door and it feels almost like
we've stopped; suspended in the air… the nose then slowly comes down and I feel the
tail wheel hit something… followed by the main mounts hitting the sand. We were down!
I un-hooked my seat belt and scrambled toward the door… just as I'm on my way out, the
crew chief grabs me and yells; "The rotor blades, the rotor blades"!
In all the excitement… he was still doing his job… It'd have been a hell of a thing to
have survived this and then get hit in the head with a rotor blade… I acknowledged him
with a head nod and looked out the door… and there was the pilot; laying face down in
the sand… I looked over my left shoulder and saw the co-pilot reaching over his head,
pulling on a handle that I was later to learn was the rotor brake… at the same instant, I
can hear snapping and crackling like we were burning, I looked back at the pilot and said
to myself, "Fuck this, I'm outta here too"… and I dove to the sand along side my new
hero… we lay there for a moment or two… listening to the rotors winding down and the
engine snap, crackling and popping… we finally rolled over and I looked at him and said,
"Sir, I thought we were fuckin' dead"! He said, "You don't know the half of it, I can't
believe we didn't catch on fire"... We actually hugged each other!
The rest of it was anti-climatic… we'd taken multiple hits in the oil tank and lines…
that's where all the smoke was coming from… it was spraying on the exhaust. The pilot
had shut the engine down before it seized… but I have to tell you, it was absolutely core
chilling, terrifying in the cabin… when you didn't know what was going on… I've hated
helicopters every since.
Over the years I have been haunted by this event and the other helicopter getting hit and
burning… often in my dreams, there has been not only smoke, but fire in our crash…
Why we didn't catch on fire is beyond me… and obviously the pilot as well… when we
talked about it afterwards and he had the same fears I did.
After another chopper picked us up and returned us to base camp… Westerman and the
XO met the helicopter and seemed genuinely concerned about my well being. Blackjack
must have been feeling a little guilty about bringing me along on this Operation while
letting others stay in Okinawa who weren't as close to rotation as I was… and the XO for
making a stupid decision to get involved with the platoon. I was just happy to be alive…
what the fuck… just another day in beautiful Vietnam.
Shadow
Note from YP
Dangerous FNG's, Senior variety: For those of us who went thru the Scoot RAG in the early 60's, we had a conventional weapons delivery called "Low and Slow." Half flaps, 180 knots, close maneuvering around a target. Holeee Chit! Wot a stupid frabbing notion, quickly proved by Gomer downing airplanes doing conventional deliveries with elastic flung rice balls.
Sure 'nuff, some USN CAPT staffie turned up touring Yankee Station with his way to win the war: LOW AND SLOW. Senior leadership was smart enough to prescribe even speaking to the bastid, as if any of us potential sacrificial lambs might have.
Fortunately, it was my XO's third war, doing the same job, and my Skipper was wise enough to listen to him.
I will always believe that his council saved a lot of young hinies.
I was fortunate enough to stay outta helos, a number of which I escorted during RESCAP.
VR, YP
Note from Barrett
Some CCs may remember Randy Clark, aka Pogo the ace of the Miramar base.
He flew army helos Over There (the other transfer I knew was an AZ ANG F-16 aviator). Randy said in his unit, you weren't shot down unless you spent the night on the ground. He played lethal possum for an NVA who stuck a bayonet in his back. Randy rolled over and fed him .45 calibers of lead....
BT
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This Day in U S Military History
February 2
1812– Staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West, Russians establish Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco. As a growing empire with a long Pacific coastline, Russia was in many ways well positioned to play a leading role in the settlement and development of the West. The Russians had begun their expansion into the North American continent in 1741 with a massive scientific expedition to Alaska. Returning with news of abundant sea otters, the explorers inspired Russian investment in the Alaskan fur trade and some permanent settlement. By the early 19th century, the semi-governmental Russian-American Company was actively competing with British and American fur-trading interests as far south as the shores of Spanish-controlled California. Russia's Alaskan colonists found it difficult to produce their own food because of the short growing season of the far north. Officials of the Russian-American Company reasoned that a permanent settlement along the more temperate shores of California could serve both as a source of food and a base for exploiting the abundant sea otters in the region. To that end, a large party of Russians and Aleuts sailed for California where they established Fort Ross (short for Russia) on the coast north of San Francisco. Fort Ross, though, proved unable to fulfill either of its expected functions for very long. By the 1820s, the once plentiful sea otters in the region had been hunted almost to extinction. Likewise, the colonists' attempts at farming proved disappointing, because the cool foggy summers along the coast made it difficult to grow the desired fruits and grains. Potatoes thrived, but they could be grown just as easily in Alaska. At the same time, the Russians were increasingly coming into conflict with the Mexicans and the growing numbers of Americans settling in the region. Disappointed with the commercial potential of the Fort Ross settlement and realizing they had no realistic chance of making a political claim for the region, the Russians decided to sell out. After making unsuccessful attempts to interest both the British and Mexicans in the fort, the Russians finally found a buyer in John Sutter. An American emigrant to California, Sutter bought Fort Ross in 1841 with an unsecured note for $30,000 that he never paid. He cannibalized the fort to provide supplies for his colony in the Sacramento Valley where, seven years later, a chance discovery ignited the California Gold Rush
1887 – People began gathering at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., to witness the groundhog's search for its shadow.
1944 – The 4th Marine Division, as part of the first assault on islands controlled by the Japanese before the start of World War II, captured Namur and eight other islands in the Kwajalein Atoll. Almost all of the 3700 Japanese defenders on these islands have been killed. American casualties number 740 killed and wounded. Japanese forces on Kwajalein continue to resist.
1945 – American USAAF B-24 and B-29 bombers raid Iwo Jima in preparation for the landings later in the month. They drop a daily average of 450 tons of bombs over the course of 15 days (6800 tons).
1962 – The first U.S. Air Force plane is lost in South Vietnam. The C-123 aircraft crashed while spraying defoliant on a Viet Cong ambush site. The aircraft was part of Operation Ranch Hand, a technological area-denial technique designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong. U.S. personnel dumped an estimated 19 million gallons of defoliating herbicides over 10-20 percent of Vietnam and parts of Laos from 1962 to 1971. Agent Orange–so named from the color of its metal containers–was the most frequently used. The operation succeeded in killing vegetation but not in stopping the Viet Cong. The use of these agents was controversial, both during and after the war, because of questions about long-term ecological impacts and the effect on humans who handled or were sprayed by the chemicals. Beginning in the late 1970s, Vietnam veterans began to cite the herbicides, especially Agent Orange, as the cause of health problems ranging from skin rashes to cancer and birth defects in their children. Similar problems, including an abnormally high incidence of miscarriages and congenital malformations, have been reported among the Vietnamese people who lived in the areas where the defoliate agents were used.
1974 – The F-16 Fighting Falcon flies for the first time. The General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are still being built for export customers. The Fighting Falcon has key features including a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, a seat reclined 30 degrees to reduce the effect of G-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system helps to make it a nimble aircraft. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper starfighter. In addition to active duty U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
JEWETT, ERASTUS W.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company A, 9th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Newport Barracks, N.C., 2 February 1864. Entered service at: St. Albans, Vt. Birth: St. Albans, Vt. Date of issue: 8 September 1891. Citation: By long and persistent resistance and burning the bridges kept a superior force of the enemy at a distance and thus covered the retreat of the garrison.
LIVINGSTON, JOSIAH O.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, and Adjutant, 9th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Newport Barracks, N.C., 2 February 1864. Entered service at: Marshfield, Vt. Birth: Walden, Vt. Date of issue: 8 September 1891. Citation: When, after desperate res1stance, the small garrison had been driven back to the river by a vastly superior force, this officer, while a small force held back the enemy, personally fired the railroad bridge, and, although wounded himself, ass1sted a wounded officer over the burning structure.
PECK, THEODORE S.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company H, 9th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Newport Barracks, N.C., 2 February 1864. Entered service at: Burlington, Vt. Birth: Burlington, Vt. Date of issue: 8 September 1891. Citation: By long and persistent resistance and burning the bridges, kept a superior force of the enemy at bay and covered the retreat of the garrison.
*HUTCHINS, CARLTON BARMORE
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Off California Coast, 2 February 1938. Born: 12 September 1904, Albany, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. Citation: For extraordinary heroism as the pilot of the U.S. Navy Seaplane PBY-2 No. 0463 (11-P-3) while engaged in tactical exercises with the U.S. Fleet on 2 February 1938. Although his plane was badly damaged, Lt. Hutchins remained at the controls endeavoring to bring the damaged plane to a safe landing and to afford an opportunity for his crew to escape by parachutes. His cool, calculated conduct contributed principally to the saving of the lives of all who survived. His conduct on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.
*DYESS, AQUILLA JAMES
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 11 January 1909, Augusta, Ga. Appointed from: Georgia. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines (Rein), 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, 1 and 2 February 1944. Undaunted by severe fire from automatic Japanese weapons, Lt. Col. Dyess launched a powerful final attack on the second day of the assault, unhesitatingly posting himself between the opposing lines to point out objectives and avenues of approach and personally leading the advancing troops. Alert, and determined to quicken the pace of the offensive against increased enemy fire, he was constantly at the head of advance units, inspiring his men to push forward until the Japanese had been driven back to a small center of resistance and victory assured. While standing on the parapet of an antitank trench directing a group of infantry in a flanking attack against the last enemy position, Lt. Col. Dyess was killed by a burst of enemy machinegun fire. His daring and forceful leadership and his valiant fighting spirit in the face of terrific opposition were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*KNIGHT, JACK L.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Mars Task Force. Place and date: Near LoiKang, Burma, 2 February 1945. Entered service at: Weatherford, Tex. Birth: Garner, Tex. G.O. No.: 44, 6 June 1945. Citation: He led his cavalry troop against heavy concentrations of enemy mortar, artillery, and small arms fire. After taking the troop's objective and while making preparations for a defense, he discovered a nest of Japanese pillboxes and foxholes to the right front. Preceding his men by at least 10 feet, he immediately led an attack Single-handedly he knocked out 2 enemy pillboxes and killed the occupants of several foxholes. While attempting to knock out a third pillbox, he was struck and blinded by an enemy grenade. Although unable to see, he rallied his platoon and continued forward in the assault on the remaining pillboxes. Before the task was completed he fell mortally wounded. 1st Lt. Knight's gallantry and intrepidity were responsible for the successful elimination of most of the Jap positions and served as an inspiration to officers and men of his troop.
SORENSON, RICHARD KEITH
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 4th Marine Division. Place and date: Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll Marshall Islands, 1 -2 February 1944. Entered service at: Minnesota. Born: 28 August 1924, Anoka, Minn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with an assault battalion attached to the 4th Marine Division during the battle of Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, on 1-2 February 1944. Putting up a brave defense against a particularly violent counterattack by the enemy during invasion operations, Pvt. Sorenson and 5 other marines occupying a shellhole were endangered by a Japanese grenade thrown into their midst. Unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Pvt. Sorenson hurled himself upon the deadly weapon, heroically taking the full impact of the explosion. As a result of his gallant action, he was severely wounded, but the lives of his comrades were saved. His great personal valor and exceptional spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
*MAXAM, LARRY LEONARD
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. place and date: Cam Lo District, Quang Tri province, Republic of Vietnam, 2 February 1968. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 9 January 1948, Glendale, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a fire team leader with Company D. The Cam Lo District Headquarters came under extremely heavy rocket, artillery, mortar, and recoilless rifle fire from a numerically superior enemy force, destroying a portion of the defensive perimeter. Cpl. Maxam, observing the enemy massing for an assault into the compound across the remaining defensive wire, instructed his assistant fire team leader to take charge of the fire team, and unhesitatingly proceeded to the weakened section of the perimeter. Completely exposed to the concentrated enemy fire, he sustained multiple fragmentation wounds from exploding grenades as he ran to an abandoned machine gun position. Reaching the emplacement, he grasped the machine gun and commenced to deliver effective fire on the advancing enemy. As the enemy directed maximum firepower against the determined marine, Cpl. Maxam's position received a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade, knocking him backwards and inflicting severe fragmentation wounds to his face and right eye. Although momentarily stunned and in intense pain, Cpl. Maxam courageously resumed his firing position and subsequently was struck again by small-arms fire. With resolute determination, he gallantly continued to deliver intense machine gun fire, causing the enemy to retreat through the defensive wire to positions of cover. In a desperate attempt to silence his weapon, the North Vietnamese threw hand grenades and directed recoilless rifle fire against him inflicting 2 additional wounds. Too weak to reload his machine gun, Cpl. Maxam fell to a prone position and valiantly continued to deliver effective fire with his rifle. After 11/2 hours, during which he was hit repeatedly by fragments from exploding grenades and concentrated small-arms fire, he succumbed to his wounds, having successfully defended nearly half of the perimeter single-handedly. Cpl. Maxam's aggressive fighting spirit, inspiring valor and selfless devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 2, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
2 February
1911: The Moisant International Aviators, a company formed to give aerial demonstrations, opened an exhibition at San Antonio, Tex. Flying Bleriot airplanes, they cooperated with Brig Gen Ralph W. Hoyt, the Fort Sam Houston commander in Texas, and Lt Benjamin D. Foulois on problems of reconnaissance, anti-aircraft fire, and bombardment. (24)
1925: President Calvin Coolidge signed the Kelly Act to authorize contracts to move mail by air. It represented the first legislative action to create an US airline industry. (24)
1944: Operation FRANTIC. Stalin approved US use of Soviet bases for "shuttle raids" against Germany. The operation allowed bombers based in the west to attack German targets beyond the point of safe return and then recover in the Soviet Union. To support those operations, ATC aircraft flew round-trip missions between Tehran, Iran, to bases near Kiev, Ukraine. (4)
1960: In a 2,000-mile flight test, a Titan I's second stage successfully separated and ignited. (24)
1962: FIRST USAF LOSS IN VIETNAM/Operation RANCH HAND. The first USAF aircraft loss in South Vietnam occurred when a C-123 crashed while spraying defoliant on a Viet Cong ambush site. The crew of three died. (17)
1965: The USAF announced that Minuteman IIs could be launched by radio signal from an airborne command post. (8: Feb 90)
1966: Nick Piantanida set an unofficial manned balloon altitude record of 123,000 feet at Sioux Falls, S. Dak. (5)
1968: TAC received its first O-2A for training. (16)
1971: The USAF launched NATO's second communications satellite, NATO-B. A Thor-Delta booster carried it into a 22,000-mile-high synchronus orbit over the Atlantic Ocean. (16)
1974: The General Dynamics YF-16 fighter prototype made its first official full-scale flight at Edwards AFB; it attained 400 MPH and 30,000 feet in altitude. (3) (12)
1976: The USAF awarded contract to General Electric and Hughes Aircraft for DSCS III R&D. (12) Grumman Aerospace Company received a $6.88 million contract to develop an operational Satellite Attack Warning System. (12)
1977: General Electric received a contract to build and test a qualification model satellite and two flight model satellites for the DSCS III program. (12)
1983: F-16 pilot training began at Luke AFB. (16) (26)
1993: USAF aircraft began aeromedical evacuation flights to move noncombatant victims of the Bosnian war to the US for reconstructive surgery. (16) (26)
1996: With KC-10 and KC-135 refueling support, a C-17 left Travis AFB on a nonstop 14.5-hour flight to Tuzla AB, Bosnia, to deliver 40 tons of fence posts to mark mine fields in the Balkans. The KC-10 support came from the 305 AMW at McGuire AFB, N. J., while the 100th Air Refueling Wing (AREFW) Tanker Task Force at RAF Mildenhall, UK, and the 101 AREFW at Bangor ANGB, Maine, provided the KC-135 support. (18)
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