Good Saturday Morning February 17, 2024. .The weather was great yesterday and I got a good hunk of the weed patch down from waist high to ankle high. I noticed that the new batteries last longer and are twice as heavy as the old ones. I started looking for it to quit so I could take a break but it did not and I quit before it did. Today it was drizzly and over cast so I will do inside chores today. I actually knew it was going to do this since I had one of the cars cleaned up inside and out yesterday.
Regards,
skip
HAGD
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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/
. This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
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1864
While at anchor off Charleston, S.C., the Steam Sloop of War USS Housatonic is attacked by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley using a spar torpedo. USS Housatonic is recorded as the first warship to be sunk by a submarine.
1942
The first Construction Battalion (Seabees) arrives in the Pacific during World War II at Bora Bora, Society Islands.
1944
USS Nicholas (DD 449) sinks the Japanese submarine I-11 in the Marshall Islands.
1944
During Operation Hailstone, aircraft from the nine aircraft carriers of Task Force 58 attack the Japanese fleet at Truk. During the 2-day strike, 33 Japanese vessels are destroyed and nine more damaged.
1945
While wounded and gravely weakened, Medal of Honor Recipient Lt Rufus G. Herring takes the helm of the Landing Craft Infantry Gunboat (LCI(G)-449), which was heavily hit by Japanese counter-fire, rallies his men, and keeps the ship in action protecting UDT swimmers.
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THIS DAY IN WORLD HISTORY
February 17
1454 At a grand feast, Philip the Good of Burgundy takes the "vow of the pheasant," by which he swears to fight the Turks.
1598 Boris Godunov, the boyar of Tarar origin, is elected czar in succession to his brother-in-law Fydor.
1720 Spain signs the Treaty of the Hague with the Quadruple Alliance ending a war that was begun in 1718.
1801 The House of Representatives breaks an electoral college tie and chooses Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr.
1864 The Confederate submarine Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
1865 The South Carolina capital city, Columbia, is destroyed by fire as Major General William Tecumseh Sherman marches through.
1909 Apache chief Geronimo dies of pneumonia at age 80, while still in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1919 Germany signs an armistice giving up territory in Poland.
1925 The first issue of Harold Ross' magazine, The New Yorker, hits the stands, selling for 15 cents a copy.
1933 The League of Nations censures Japan in a worldwide broadcast.
1935 Thirty-one prisoners escape an Oklahoma prison after murdering a guard.
1938 The first color television is demonstrated at the Dominion Theatre in London.
1944 U.S forces land on Eniwetok atoll in the South Pacific.
1945 Gen. MacArthur's troops land on Corregidor in the Philippines.
1951 Packard introduces its "250" Chassis Convertible.
1955 Britain announces its ability to make hydrogen bombs.
1959 The United States launches its first weather station in space, Vanguard II.
1960 Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested in the Alabama bus boycott.
1963 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visits the Berlin Wall.
1969 Russia and Peru sign their first trade accord.
1973 President Richard Nixon names Patrick Gray director of the FBI.
1975 Art by Cezanne, Gauguin, Renoir, and van Gogh, valued at $5 million, is stolen from the Municipal Museum in Milan.
1979 China begins a "pedagogical" war against Vietnam. It will last until March.
1985 Murray Haydon becomes the third person to receive an artificial heart.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 12 February 2024 and ending Sunday, 18 February 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 5 May 2019… "Ho Chi Minh Trail Reviewed: Vietnam Death March," by Keith B. Richling (Washington Post, 26 April 1990)
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
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From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Saturday 17 February
17: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2808
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 Mugs
Tucker Carlson: The Moscow Subway Station
WORTH YOUR TIME.....THIS IS A 3 MINUTE TC VIDEO OF A MOSCOW SUBWAY STATION. THERE WAS A DAY WHEN "AMERICAN" WAS THE WORLD STANDARD. YOU'LL SEE THAT OTHER NATIONS....LIKE RUSSIA .... HAVE PASSED US SITTING STILL. THINK OF THE FECES/NEEDLE FILLED SIDEWALKS OF SAN FRANCISCO OR THE TENT CITIES OF MAJOR METROPOLITAN CENTERS. WE'RE BECOMING A THIRD WORLD NATION WITH NO STANDARDS AND MOST DON'T EVEN SEE IT. SO SAD!
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
. The world's largest underground city housed more than 20,000 people.
WORLD HISTORY
DERINKUYU CAVE CITY
Building an 18-level underground city may sound like the project of an advanced future society, but the world's largest underground metropolis was actually constructed around 1200 BCE. The ancient subterranean city of Elengubu, now called Derinkuyu, lies in the semi-arid region of Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey. Tourists can meander tunnels and walk among subterranean rooms, stables, schools, wineries, and even a chapel — all underground. At its peak, during Islamic raids on the Byzantine Empire in the seventh century, Derinkuyu housed up to 20,000 people.
While the origin of the site remains a mystery, experts theorize that the Hittites, a superpower of the Bronze Age, likely built the first few levels while under attack from the Phrygians, who expanded the project when they moved into Central Anatolia after the Hittites' collapse. Although the Phrygians were skilled architects, the surrounding landscape also aided in this ambitious construction effort. Due to the area's semi-arid nature, Cappadocia's soil is easily malleable and its rock easily moldable. Three volcanoes — Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, and Mount Melendiz — formed the region millions of years ago, and the pyroclastic material found in the area could be carved with simple tools and little effort. Today, for 60 Turkish lira (about $2), visitors can once again descend into this subterranean world and experience life underground.
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A year ago when I totaled my 1996 Impala SS I was in the show room and there was one of these tricked out beasts there with a starting price of $88,000. It was big and black and impressive and out of my price range by a mile or two. I think the tires came up to my chest and figured I would need three men and a small boy to change one. 720 HP was probably not going to get the gas mileage was looking for either…Sigh!!!
Thanks to Mike
Marine vet credits Raptor for saving his life in crash — and Ford
Bravo Zulu Ford!
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/marine-vet-credits-raptor-saving-121131729.html
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Thanks to George and Dutch
About a month ago I was at our local VA for my annual "oil change and tire rotation" and while I was waiting for an Rx fill at the Pharmacy I was challenged by this little old lady behind a walker demanding "where were you at and when?" I responded and then told her "I remember you, you were the nurse who was at Lai Khe, We met here two years ago." Lucy had been a Young nurse, based where no woman should be, in the Central Highlands, and she had worked alongside Martha Raye, and also had gone bar hopping with her while on leave. Martha's specialty was visiting the isolated boondock camps generally not considered safe for USO visits.
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Thanks to Micro
7 Degrees of Blonde. No offense to natural blondes....
7 degrees of Blonde
FIRST DEGREE
A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning. The very blonde wife picked up the phone, listened a moment and said 'How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!' and hung up.
The husband said, 'Who was that?'
The wife answered, 'I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear.'
SECOND DEGREE
Two blondes are walking down the street. One notices a compact on the
sidewalk and leans down to pick it up. She opens it, looks in the mirror and says, 'Hmm, this person looks familiar.'
The second blonde says, 'Here, let me see!'
So, the first blonde hands her the compact. The second blonde looks in the mirror and says, 'You dummy, it's me!'
THIRD DEGREE
A blonde suspects her boyfriend of cheating on her, so she goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and when she opens the door she finds him in the arms of a redhead. Well, the blonde is really angry. She opens her purse to take out the gun, and as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.
The boyfriend yells, 'No, honey, don't do it!!!'
The blonde replies, 'Shut up, you're next!'
FOURTH DEGREE
A blonde was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals.
She proudly says, 'Go ahead, ask me, ... I know 'em all.'
A friend says, 'OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin ?'
The blonde replies,'Oh, that's easy .. it's W.'
FIFTH DEGREE
Q: What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
A: 'Is it mine?'
SIXTH DEGREE
Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA Freshman, sat in her US
Government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.
Bambi pondered the question; then, finally, said, 'That was the decision
George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware.'
SEVENTH DEGREE
Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit, patrolling nearby, was the first to respond.
As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the steps. Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, 'I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman!'
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Thanks to History Facts
Ancient Greeks invented an alarm clock that used flowing water.
SCIENCE & INDUSTRY
Thousands of years before mechanical timepieces existed, as far back as the 16th century BCE, water clocks were among the most accurate ways to tell time. These early clocks controlled the flow of water from one container to another in order to measure the passage of time with remarkable precision — and unlike sundials, they could be used at night. Civilizations all over the world used water clocks, but the ancient Greeks in particular were known for improving the mechanism with a timepiece they called "klepsydra," or "water thief."
The philosopher Plato is credited with one particularly ahead-of-its-time innovation: In the fourth century BCE, he built a set of klepsydra alarm clocks meant to rouse the students at his academy. The clocks had two basins, one emptying into the other, and would run throughout the night. When the second basin filled with water in the morning, it would trigger a sound. One of the clocks had a container that made a whistling sound when air was forced out of it. Another had pebbles rigged over the second tank that would fall and rattle when it was full. Aristotle was a student at Plato's academy, so it's possible he was roused by these very clocks. In the third century BCE, Greek inventor Ctesibius of Alexandria took the design a step further. He added a top tank with an overflow valve that allowed a lower tank to rise to keep time, making little noises on the way up like a cuckoo clock.
By the Numbers
Atomic clocks used to determine coordinated universal time (UTC)
~450
Years that Aristotle spent at Plato's academy
20
Years the NIST-F2 atomic clock could run without gaining or losing a second
300 million
Local times in use around the world
38
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DID YOU KNOW?
Galileo used a water clock for scientific measurements.
Italian scientist Galileo Galilei lived a couple hundred years after mechanical clocks were invented, but when he was conducting experiments on rates of acceleration, he relied on the accuracy of his water clock. He would time balls rolling down an inclined plane by allowing water to flow into a container, then weigh the water to compare different time measurements. At the time, mechanical clocks were far less accurate than they are today, and the water clock helped Galileo ensure he was comparing the time each ball took to roll down the incline as precisely as possible.
Ancient Greeks invented an alarm clock that used flowing water.
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From the archives
Working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier at sea
. Like many of you out there I spent many years on the flight deck of a number of aircraft carriers and saw many small and large accidents. The deck handlers were quite a group and they paid the price of a second of inattention. The F-8 Crusader was a dangerous one on the deck and I almost swallowed my plane captain one day on the USS Hancock. He was giving me my control checks and was in front of the nose and as I saw him start moving from my left to my right I heard something rattle down the intake under my seat and immediately shut off the engine as other flight deck folks started running toward my aircraft. He had been sucked into the intake and managed to get a hand on each side of the intake and held himself out for the fraction of time it took me to shut the engine down. What I heard was his helmet and gear being sucked off him and clatter down the intake. He was ok skip
Thanks to Billy … Including F-35 ops ... via Dr. Rich
One of most hazardous jobs on the planet - the carrier deck hands! — — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N4TUN_WijI
Want a lesson on the hand signals? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As7zQPkkv8c
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Thanks to Barrel
Alaska Airlines commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZf0bNDWH4s
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This Day in U S Military History….17 February
1900 – In response to an ambush that has killed two Philippine based Marines the day before, the gunboat USS Manileno was present and willing to help but broken down, so Captain Draper, the local commander, prevailed upon the master of a native steamer to tow the gunboat with himself and a force of 107 men aboard to the village of Moron a little after midnight on the morning of 17 February. Surprising the defenders, he took the town without much resistance, destroyed a store of ammunition, and burned the blockhouse. On the afternoon of the same day he ordered the inhabitants of Benictican and Baton to move into Olongapo, where the Marines were based, within three days or be declared outlaws. All obeyed his order except six families, who, according to his information, moved to another town.
1909 – Apache chief Geronimo dies of pneumonia at age 80, while still in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The slaughter of Geronimo's family when he was a young man turned him from a peaceful Indian into a bold warrior. Originally Goyathlay ("One Who Yawns") joined a fierce band of Apaches known as Chiricahuas and with them took part in raids in northern Mexico and across the border into U.S. territory which are now known as the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Geronimo was the last Apache fighting force. He became the most famous Apache of all for standing against the U.S. government and for holding out the longest. He was a great Apache medicine man, a great spiritual leader. Geronimo was highly sought by Apache chiefs for his wisdom. He is said to have had magical powers. He could see into the future and walk without creating footprints. He could even prevent dawn from rising to protect his people. In 1876, Federal authorities captured and forced Geronimo and his band onto a U.S. reservation at San Carlos, Arizona. It was described as "Hell's Forty Acres." He soon escaped and fled to Mexico to resume the life that he loved. Geronimo roamed Arizona and New Mexico and was persued relentlessly by more than five-thousand U.S. troops. Exhausted and hopelessly out numbered, Geronimo surrendered in 1886. His band consisted of a handful of warriors, women, and children. Geronimo, along with a few hundred of his fellow Apaches, were shipped by box-car to Florida for imprisonment. Geronimo was relocated to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and, as a prisoner of war, unable to return to his much loved homeland, died of pneumonia. He is buried in the Apache cemetery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1944 – Operation Catchpole is launched as American troops devastate the Japanese defenders of Eniwetok and take control of the atoll in the northwestern part of the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Central Pacific Campaign was formulated during the August 1943 Quebec Conference. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed on, among other things, a new blueprint for fighting in the Pacific: an island-hopping strategy; the establishment of bases from which to launch B-29s for a final assault on Japan; and a new Southeast Asia command for British Adm. Louis Mountbatten. The success of the island-hopping strategy brought Guadalcanal and New Guinea under Allied control. Though those areas were important, the Allies also still needed to capture the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the Gilbert Islands, which had comprised an inner defensive perimeter for the Japanese. Each was a group of atolls, with between 20 to 50 islets, islands, and coral reefs surrounding a lagoon. The Allies planned an amphibious landing on the islands–all the more difficult because of this unusual terrain. On February 17, a combined U.S. Marine and Army force under Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner made its move against Eniwetok. Air strikes, artillery and naval gunfire, and battleship fire 1,500 yards from the beach gave cover to the troops moving ashore and did serious damage to the Japanese defenses. Six days after the American landing, the atoll was secured. The loss for the Japanese was significant: only 64 of the 2,677 defenders who met the Marine and Army force survived the fighting. The Americans lost only 195. The position on Eniwetok gave U.S. forces a base of operations to finally capture the entirety of the Marianas. Eniwetok was also useful to the United States after the war–in 1952 it became the testing ground for the first hydrogen bomb.
1944 – American forces attack the Japanese base at Truk and nearby shipping. Three groups of Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) and one group of Task Forces 50 (Admiral Spruance) engage. The operation is under the command of Spruance. In total 9 carriers and 6 battleships as well as cruisers, destroyers and submarines are involved.
1968 – American officials in Saigon report an all-time high weekly rate of U.S. casualties–543 killed in action and 2,547 wounded in the previous seven days. These losses were a result of the heavy fighting during the communist Tet Offensive.1972 – President Nixon departed on his historic 10-day trip to China.
1974 – Private First Class Robert K. Preston, US Army, a helicopter pilot who had washed out of training, crept across the tarmac at Fort Meade, Maryland, and boarded a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter. The aircraft was unarmed and, as was usual, was kept fueled on the flight line. With the practiced hand of his training, he quickly went through the start up sequence. Without clearance, he pushed in the power, pulled up on the controls and took off into the night. For a time, he orbited the base at night, enjoying the view and hovering over base housing. Finally, bored with this, he set out for a new destination — the White House. When PFC Preston arrived in Washington, he took a flight down the Anacostia River, turned north at the Capitol Street Bridge and then flew directly to the White House. It was about 1:00 am. At first the Secret Service was somewhat miffed. He buzzed the White House itself and then hovered overhead for six long minutes. At the time, policy was that they would not fire on a helicopter or other aerial intruder if it might endanger innocent bystanders, and so they waited. Finally, he flew down the South Lawn and landed about 100 yards toward the south fence. The Washington Monument towered in the background and he remained there on the ground for a minute. Two Maryland Police helicopters that had flown down from around Baltimore hovered nearby. Suddenly, PFC Preston took back off into the night skies and the police gave close pursuit. An extended tail chase ensued at low level. In fact, it turned out that PFC Preston was indeed quite an expert pilot after all, as he managed to not only outmaneuver the two helicopters at every turn but even managed to drive one down in the process. The second helicopter broke off but stayed nearby after what officials called, "a modern day dogfight". PFC Preston returned to the White House once more. It was nearly 2:00 am and he had led the officials on a prolonged chase — certainly, his fuel was running low. This time he flew up to the Washington Monument, hovering at seven feet of altitude along the base for a bit before flying back straight north onto the White House's South Lawn. There too he hovered just a few feet over the grass and it seemed to officials that this time he might be preparing to make a dash to crash into the building. The second Maryland Police helicopter set down quickly between him and the White House as Secret Service agents moved toward the helicopter. Then, without warning, they opened fire with handguns and shotguns hoping to cripple the helicopter. They also fired and hit PFC Preston with a shotgun blast, injuring slightly. He landed the damaged helicopter at once — though it seemed also that the damage from the gunfire had knocked the aircraft out of the sky, leaving the Secret Service to conclude that it had downed the helicopter. Once on the ground, the Secret Service and Maryland Police rushed in. PFC Preston jumped clear and fought them hand to hand, though he was badly outnumbered. It wasn't long before he was subdued, however. Handcuffed, he was taken into the White House for questioning before being transferred to Walter Reed hospital for treatment for his light injuries — mainly shotgun pellets. The following day, when being escorted into a police car, he was smiling. When asked why he had flown back to the White House a second time, he said that he knew it was wrong to fly over the White House so he had flown back "to turn himself in". The Secret Service ordered psychological testing. Ultimately, all civil charges were dropped and he was left to the military court system. In the end, PFC Preston had proven two things — first, he was a pretty darn good helicopter pilot after all; and second, that he was certainly not up to the moral and ethical standards of the US Army. He was sentenced to a year in prison.
1988 – Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins, an American officer, and veteran of Vietnam, serving with a United Nations truce monitoring group, was kidnapped in southern Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorists. He was later slain by his captors. His remains were recovered and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1999, the Navy named an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer for him.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HAMMERBERG, OWEN FRANCIS PATRICK
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 31 May 1920, Daggett, Mich. Accredited to: Michigan. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a diver engaged in rescue operations at West Loch, Pearl Harbor, 17 February 1945. Aware of the danger when 2 fellow divers were hopelessly trapped in a cave-in of steel wreckage while tunneling with jet nozzles under an LST sunk in 40 feet of water and 20 feet of mud. Hammerberg unhesitatingly went overboard in a valiant attempt to effect their rescue despite the certain hazard of additional cave-ins and the risk of fouling his lifeline on jagged pieces of steel imbedded in the shifting mud. Washing a passage through the original excavation, he reached the first of the trapped men, freed him from the wreckage and, working desperately in pitch-black darkness, finally effected his release from fouled lines, thereby enabling him to reach the surface. Wearied but undaunted after several hours of arduous labor, Hammerberg resolved to continue his struggle to wash through the oozing submarine, subterranean mud in a determined effort to save the second diver. Venturing still farther under the buried hulk, he held tenaciously to his purpose, reaching a place immediately above the other man just as another cave-in occurred and a heavy piece of steel pinned him crosswise over his shipmate in a position which protected the man beneath from further injury while placing the full brunt of terrific pressure on himself. Although he succumbed in agony 18 hours after he had gone to the aid of his fellow divers, Hammerberg, by his cool judgment, unfaltering professional skill and consistent disregard of all personal danger in the face of tremendous odds, had contributed effectively to the saving of his 2 comrades. His heroic spirit of self-sacrifice throughout enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
HERRING, RUFUS G.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Naval Reserve, LCI (G) 449. Place and date: Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945. Entered service at: North Carolina. Born: 11 June 1921, Roseboro, N.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of LCI (G) 449 operating as a unit of LCI (G) Group 8, during the preinvasion attack on Iwo Jima on 17 February 1945. Boldly closing the strongly fortified shores under the devastating fire of Japanese coastal defense guns, Lt. (then Lt. (j.g.)) Herring directed shattering barrages of 40mm. and 20mm. gunfire against hostile beaches until struck down by the enemy's savage counterfire which blasted the 449's heavy guns and whipped her decks into sheets of flame. Regaining consciousness despite profuse bleeding he was again critically wounded when a Japanese mortar crashed the conning station, instantly killing or fatally wounding most of the officers and leaving the ship wallowing without navigational control. Upon recovering the second time, Lt. Herring resolutely climbed down to the pilothouse and, fighting against his rapidly waning strength, took over the helm, established communication with the engineroom, and carried on valiantly until relief could be obtained. When no longer able to stand, he propped himself against empty shell cases and rallied his men to the aid of the wounded; he maintained position in the firing line with his 20mm. guns in action in the face of sustained enemy fire, and conned his crippled ship to safety. His unwavering fortitude, aggressive perseverance, and indomitable spirit against terrific odds reflect the highest credit upon Lt. Herring and uphold the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
JOHNSTON, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 180th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Padiglione, Italy, 1719 February 1944. Entered service at: Colchester, Conn. Birth: Trenton, N.J. G.O. No.: 73, 6 September 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On 17 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, he observed and fired upon an attacking force of approximately 80 Germans, causing at least 25 casualties and forcing withdrawal of the remainder. All that day he manned his gun without relief, subject to mortar, artillery, and sniper fire. Two Germans individually worked so close to his position that his machinegun was ineffective, whereupon he killed 1 with his pistol, the second with a rifle taken from another soldier. When a rifleman protecting his gun position was killed by a sniper, he immediately moved the body and relocated the machinegun in that spot in order to obtain a better field of fire. He volunteered to cover the platoon's withdrawal and was the last man to leave that night. In his new position he maintained an all-night vigil, the next day causing 7 German casualties. On the afternoon of the 18th, the organization on the left flank having been forced to withdraw, he again covered the withdrawal of his own organization. Shortly thereafter, he was seriously wounded over the heart, and a passing soldier saw him trying to crawl up the embankment. The soldier aided him to resume his position behind the machinegun which was soon heard in action for about 10 minutes. Though reported killed, Pfc. Johnston was seen returning to the American lines on the morning of 19 February slowly and painfully working his way back from his overrun position through enemy lines. He gave valuable information of new enemy dispositions. His heroic determination to destroy the enemy and his disregard of his own safety aided immeasurably in halting a strong enemy attack, caused an enormous amount of enemy casualties, and so inspired his fellow soldiers that they fought for and held a vitally important position against greatly superior forces.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 17 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
17 February
1911: In a Navy first, Glenn H. Curtiss flew a Curtiss seaplane from North Island to land alongside the armored cruiser, the USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), in the harbor at San Diego, Calif. The ship then hoisted the aircraft aboard by a launch crane. Later Curtiss took off from the water and flew back to North Island. (24)
1912: The Army published its first pilot physical exam requirements. (4) SECOND CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. Robert G. Fowler flew the second cross county trip in a Wright biplane, flying 2,520 miles from Los Angeles to Pasadena, Yuma, Tucson, Douglas, El Paso, Sweetwater, Fort Worth, Houston, Orange, New Iberia, New Orleans, Biloxi, Flomstom, Evergreen, Troy, Bainbridge, Quitman, and Pablo Beach. (9)
1913: The Army tested Lawrence Sperry's Gyrostabilizer, or automatic pilot, for the first time. (21)
1938: Through 27 February, Lt Col Robert D. Olds completed a round-trip goodwill flight with six B-17s between Langley Field, Va., and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The trip to Buenos Aires took 33 hours 30 minutes, while the return flight took 33 hours 35 minutes for the longest nonstop flight in Air Corps history to date. (24)
1944: The USS Enterprise launched 12 TBF-1Cs to attack Truk, in the first night bombing attack in carrier aviation history. (24)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force flew 695 sorties, cratering rail tracks in over 50 locations, damaging a train and 15 rail cars near Huichon, strafing a convoy of trucks near Sinanju, and destroying supply buildings and dumps between Kumsong and Sibyon-ni. (28)
1956: Lockheed's first production F-104 Starfighter made its first flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (12)
1958: From a DB-47, a 445th Bombardment Squadron crew from Pinecastle AFB, Fla., launched the prototype Rascal missile over the Atlantic Missile Range for the first time. (The DB-47 was a drone director.) (6)
1959: The US Navy launched its Vanguard II weather-reporting satellite into an earth orbit. (16) A one-third scale Minuteman missile fired for the first time at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
1965: The last operational KB-50 retired from the Tactical Air Command to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB. (5) The largest balloon ever constructed by the Air Force, 450 feet in height, completed a 26-hour flight with a 450-pound payload of instruments to a record 142,000 feet. At that height, the balloon's dimensions were 270 feet high and 330 feet in diameter. (5)
1972: Air Force One, a VC-137 aircraft assigned to the 89th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB, Md., carried President Nixon on his historic trip to China to meet Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai. (2)
1978: The 64th Flying Training Wing, Reese AFB, Tex., became the first Air Training Command command pilot training base with a fully operational instrument flight simulator program. That capability allowed training for both the T-37 and T-38. (16)
1999: Lockheed's first C-130J transport arrived at Keesler AFB, Miss., for assignment with the 403d Wing. (21) With the expiration of US treaty rights in the Canal Zone, the Air National Guard held closing ceremonies for Operation Coronet Oak at Howard AFB, Panama. The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve had conducted the Coronet Oak (originally Operation Volant Oak) C-130 airlift operation in Panama since October 1977. Operations transferred to Puerto Rico. (32) Air National Guard KC-135s began air refueling support for fighter movements to Europe and air cargo missions to position people and supplies for a possible war with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the latter's actions in Kosovo. (32)
2007: The 45th Space Wing supported the launch of a Delta II booster from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., carrying five National Air and Space Administration 'THEMIS" probes to study auroral substorms, an avalanche of solar wind powered magnetic energy that intensifies the northern and southern lights. This was the largest number of National Air and Space Administration scientific satellites launched on a single booster. THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions in Substorms. (AFNEWS, "Air Force Supports NASA Mission to Study Auroras," 18 Feb 2007.)
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I have been trying to stay out of politics but VDH has some points here
The Strange Disconnect Between Israel and Ukraine
victorhanson.com/the-strange-disconnect-between-israel-and-ukraine
February 15, 2024
Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
The Ukrainian and Israeli wars are similar and yet also different conflicts—but in more ways than we can imagine.
Ukraine was invaded by a huge Russian state, with a population three-and-a-half times greater, a gross national product ten times larger, and an area thirty times its size.
Hamas, by contrast, is a terrorist clique of about 50,000-70,000 gunmen and terrorist kingpins who run Gaza. It is dwarfed by the Israeli population (20 times larger), economy (27 times greater), and area (60 times larger).
Both Russia and Hamas started the wars. Russia was convinced it would easily crush the smaller neighbor. Hamas hoped to spark a pan-Islamic jihad against the Jewish state.
Most of Europe, the United States, and the West understandably supported arming Ukraine to repel Vladimir Putin's Russian aggression.
By contrast, such support for democratic Israel was strangely mixed.
In many elite, political, academic, and media circles, Israel is criticized for its massive retaliation after October 7, 2023.
The Western attitude toward the two wars grows even more inconsistent, if not incoherent.
There are constant calls for Israel to be "proportionate" in Gaza following the massacres of nearly 1,200 Jews, the vast majority civilians.
But Westerners understandably seek to give Ukraine more and better arms than Russia to ensure a disproportionate response necessary to win the war.
Israel is faulted for collateral damage from its efforts to destroy Hamas—even though terrorists are burrowed in and beneath hospitals, mosques, and schools.
Israeli hostages are used as human shields to protect Hamas gunmen.
No matter. Israel is expected to text or drop leaflets warning Gazan civilians to keep clear of impending air attacks, despite Hamas launching 7,000 rockets with no such warnings into civilian centers in Israel.
On October 7, Hamas, along with some Gazan civilians, tortured, decapitated, raped, and murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians to start the war.
By contrast, no one in the West asks the Ukrainians to warn surrounding civilian populations in occupied Ukraine or inside Russia to keep clear of their intended targets. To do so, apparently, would lessen the surprise effect of Ukrainian attacks.
The West has relentlessly hammered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his supposedly right-wing government and its "disproportionate" retaliation in Gaza.
He is closely watched by his American patrons for any sign of absolutist rule or failure to create an inclusive wartime cabinet representative of a wide diversity of Israeli political figures.
Yet, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not only suspended elections during the war but also declared martial law over his entire country.
Instead of facing Western censure, Zelensky remains a rock star in the West. Few seem bothered that he suspended most political parties, blurring the higher-ground difference between autocratic Russia and a supposedly democratic Ukraine.
Note that Israel, like the United States during World War II, has not declared martial law. Instead, it has formed a bipartisan coalition government with members of the opposition.
The U.S. keeps lecturing Israel to restrain its response to avoid a wider regional war in the Middle East. It fears Israeli retaliation for October 7 is apparently more incendiary than Hamas' unprovoked invasions and murder of Israelis.
Yet, supplying a Ukrainian proxy to attack Russia, sometimes on the Black Sea or inside Russia, appears a far more dangerous gambit.
Hamas' allies lack the 6,000 nuclear weapons of Russia and have no allies comparable to those now aligning with Moscow, such as China and North Korea.
Western media and politicians correctly discount Russian propaganda emanating from Moscow, especially its unsubstantiated claims of relative Russian and Ukrainian casualties or Ukrainian setbacks or atrocities.
Yet many of these same Westerners oddly take Hamas' casualty totals at face value.
They have been gullible enough even to swallow Hamas lies that the Islamic jihad rocket that hit a Gazan hospital was an Israeli bomb.
By any fair standard, Hamas has proven to be no more honest, and perhaps far more inaccurate, than even Russian state-controlled media.
So what accounts for these strange disconnects in Western attitudes toward these two wars?
It certainly has nothing to do with consistently siding against those who started the war, or standing always with the more democratic power—or even logically against the side that is more likely to commit atrocities.
The answers seem as obvious as they are disturbing.
Many in the West have a bias against the Jewish state, as anti-Semitism rebounds in Europe and the U.S.
Popular Western culture often romanticizes Hamas killers as freedom fighters and demonizes collectively the Russian people as stereotyped Hollywood villains.
Middle-East oil money and massive immigration into Western countries dwarf the influence of an ailing Russia.
Left-wing politicians in Europe and the US court their growing Muslim constituents and have no worry about a commensurate Russian lobby.
And so the disconnect grows into absurdity.
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