To All,
Good Saturday morning July 6, 2024
I hope that you all have a great weekend. Our Bubba Breakfast was great yesterday with the addition of 8 relatives of Admiral Gillcrist. Three of them will hit the boat for the first time in a few weeks and receive their wings. What a legacy.
Off to the other house again today. We were there until after 7 last night. …I need a combat nap.
Warm 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/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 83 H-Grams
On This Day in Naval and Marine Corps History July 5
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
July 6
1747
John Paul Jones is born in Arbigland, Scotland. Originally appointed to the Continental Navy in 1775, he is known for his quote, Ive not yet begun to fight! during the battle between Continental frigate, Bonhomme Richard, and HMS Serapis on Sept. 23, 1779.
1898
During the Spanish-American War, the auxiliary-cruiser USS Dixie captures the Spanish vessels, Three Bells, Pilgrim, and Greeman Castle, off Cape Cruz, Cuba.
1943
Following the Allied landing on New Georgia, the Japanese attempt to land reinforcements with 10 destroyers, resulting in the Battle of Kula Gulf. In the battle, USS Helena (CL 50) is hit by three torpedoes, breaks apart, and sinks, with nearly 170 of her crew lost.
1944
USS Paddle (SS 263) attacks a Japanese convoy northwest of Halmahera and sinks destroyer Hokaze off Sangi Island. Also on this date, USS Sealion (SS 315) attacks a Japanese convoy in the East China Sea and sinks merchant passenger cargo ship Setsuzan Maru off Ningpo, China while USS Tang (SS 306) sinks Japanese freighter Dori Maru in Chosen Bay.
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Today in History: July 6
1415 Jan Hus, a Czech who spoke out against Church corruption, is burned at the stake as a heretic.
1519 Charles of Spain is elected Holy Roman emperor in Barcelona.
1535 Sir Thomas More is beheaded in England for refusing to swear allegiance to King Henry VIII as head of the Church.
1536 Jacques Cartier returns to France after discovering the St. Lawrence River in Canada.
1685 James II defeats James, the Duke of Monmouth, at the Battle of Sedgemoor, the last major battle to be fought on English soil.
1770 The entire Ottoman fleet is destroyed by the Russians at the Battle of Chesma.
1788 10,000 troops are called out in Paris as unrest mounts in the poorer districts over poverty and lack of food.
1835 John Marshall, the third chief justice of the Supreme Court, dies at the age of 79. Two days later, while tolling in his honor in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell cracks.
1836 French General Thomas Bugeaud defeats Abd al-Kader's forces beside the Sikkak River in Algeria.
1854 The Republican Party is officially organized in Jackson, Michigan.
1885 Louis Pasteur gives the first successful anti-rabies inoculation.
1944 Lieutenant Jackie Robinson of the U.S. Army, while riding a civilian bus from Camp Hoo, Texas, refuses to give up his seat to a white man.
1945 B-29 Superfortress bombers attack Honshu, Japan, using new fire-bombing techniques.
1945 Operation Overcast begins in Europe--moving Austrian and German scientists and their equipment to the United States.
1982 President Ronald Reagan agrees to contribute U.S. troops to the peacekeeping unit in Beirut.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for Monday, 1July continuing through Sunday, 7 July 2024…
Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 30 June 1969… "Fighting while talking," the Vietnam peace talks move forward with the speed of a "glacier."…Sulzberger…
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
(Please note the eye-watering ongoing revamp of the RTR website by Webmaster/Author Dan Heller, who has inherited the site from originators RADM Bear Taylor, USN, Retired, and Angie Morse, "Mighty Thunder")…
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. .Micro is the one also that goes into the archives and finds these inputs and sends them to me for incorporation in the List. It is a lot of work and our thanks goes out to him for his effort.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 6 July
July 6: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=666
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members 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 Dr. Rich
e-STOL - ELECTRA - hybrid aircraft
Thanks to Caroline ...
[Pretty complicated as a hybrid …. but maybe worth it? RS]
[Pretty soon someone is going to complain about all the ozone generated … 😳🤣]
3 MIN, 50 Video shows new hybrid aircraft complete mind-blowing test flight with 'almost no runway': 'An incredible achievement'
With a range of 500 miles plus a 45-minute reserve, the eSTOL doesn't need ground-based charging infrastructure, allowing for longer flights without interruptions. Electra aims to have a nine-passenger commercial eSTOL aircraft in service by 2028.
Kristen Lawrence -- Wed, July 3, 2024
SEE VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esTykmreHuQ&t=1s
The next-gen aerospace company Electra has achieved a remarkable milestone with its hybrid-electric test aircraft, which took off in under 170 feet on its first test flight — around 10% of the typical length of conventional airplane runways.
In a company news release, Electra said that test flights of its hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, the EL-2 Goldfinch, took place earlier this year at several Virginia airports. Although the vehicle is designed to take off and land on airstrips about the size of a soccer field (300 feet by 100 feet), as New Atlas described, it needed "almost no runway" to take flight.
During the two-month testing period, the Goldfinch consistently took to the skies in just over half the maximum space needed, reaching an altitude of 6,500 feet before landing in under a 114-foot stopping distance.
According to the news release, it flew at about 28 miles to 29 miles per hour on takeoff and landing, but thanks to its patented "blown-lift design" using eight small electric-powered propellers, it doesn't need much speed to get off the ground.
And because it runs partially on clean electric energy, the Goldfinch is much quieter than traditional airplanes, producing a noise level of just 75 decibels at around 300 feet, per New Atlas.
In addition to being less of a disturbance for communities, the hybrid aircraft also reduces pollution, burning 40% less fuel on a standard 100-mile route compared to similar aircraft, per Electra. This makes the air healthier to breathe while also curbing the planet-overheating gases that are driving more extreme weather.
Watch now: Danone executive shares how the company leverages 'rescued fruit' to create some of its products
With a range of 500 miles plus a 45-minute reserve, the eSTOL doesn't need ground-based charging infrastructure, allowing for longer flights without interruptions. Electra aims to have a nine-passenger commercial eSTOL aircraft in service by 2028.
As aircraft manufacturers worldwide continue to make breakthroughs in aerospace technology, flights powered by clean energy may become a reality sooner than we think, ushering in a new era of pollution-free travel that's better for us and the planet.
"Today's milestone is an incredible achievement as we've proven that our eSTOL aircraft has the capability to do what we said it could do — operate from spaces shorter than 300 feet," said Electra vice president and general manager JP Stewart in the release.
"We'll continue to develop our technologies … and further improve the STOL takeoff and landing performance in the ongoing test campaign."
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Thanks to Mike This is awesome
Subject: SM-6 Standard ARM adapted to FA-18
Skip, the following is from The War Zone. Very interesting, the ship-launched SM-6 now flying on FA-18s...
We can say with confidence that a weapon with massive potential and huge tactical repercussions that we knew existed for years now — at least for undisclosed conceptual testing purposes, but which has gone totally unacknowledged by the U.S. Navy — is indeed more than just an isolated enigma. Not only that, we now also know its official designation.
The air-launched version of the hugely versatile SM-6 missile, also known as the RIM-174, has appeared on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters at the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world's largest international maritime exercise. The missiles are clearly sporting the designation AIM-174B, indicating a (very long-range) air-to-air missile, although, as we have discussed in the past, the weapon also has the potential to strike high-priority ground targets, such as air defense sites, and warships, acting as a quasi-ballistic missile. You can read what we previously knew about this phantom of a missile in this previous report. With XAIM-147B missiles under each wing, an F/A-18E from Strike Fighter Squadron 192 (VFA-192), the "Golden Dragons," is seen at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, yesterday. aeros808
The missiles themselves — which have the NAIM-174B designation prominently applied at the forward end — are painted gray, in contrast to the previous, orange-colored examples we have seen in the past. The missiles are marked as inert (meaning no warhead is fitted) and also carry blue bands to denote this and that they do not have a live motor. A black and yellow marking close to the center of the missile body appears to be a calibration marking — making it easier to study the behavior of the missile after it is released or for captive-carry tests.
The fact that these missiles have appeared during RIMPAC is intriguing, to say the least. This may be indicative of tactics testing, but it could also suggest that a live AIM-174B may be used as part of a live-fire exercise. This could be in the air-to-air role, but we also believe that the ex-USS Tarawa, a decommissioned U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship, is likely to be sunk off the coast of Hawaii during the exercise. This would be a significant occurrence, being the first time in more than a decade that a big-deck amphibious assault ship of any kind is sent beneath the waves in a U.S.-led SINKEX exercise.
If the AIM-174B retains the surface strike capability of the SM-6, as we have posited in the past, and live missiles do exist at this time, the opportunity to test it against a target of this size during a major multinational live-fire event could be very useful and it would send a powerful message to adversaries.
We have reached out to the U.S. Navy for more details on what is, so far, a very shadowy program.
The Super Hornet and SM-6/AIM-174B combination was first spotted three years ago but, as we mentioned earlier, it has never been officially acknowledged by the Navy.
Clearly, the missile has been under test or at least under conceptual evaluation for a long time now. The fact that fleet aircraft are now seen carrying them — although test pilots could still potentially be at the controls — in their new standard colors also points to this capability maturing into an operational one.
We still don't know, however, what kinds of targets the AIM-174B is primarily intended to counter, although its designation is telling. Air-to-air is clearly a key capability, but what about the other, secondary abilities of the SM-6? The surface-launched SM-6 was originally designed to tackle air-breathing aerial threats at long ranges as well as ballistic missiles in their terminal stages of flight. Now it also has a capability against hypersonic weapons, under specific circumstances.The ability for the standard SM-6 to be used against high-priority ground and sea targets is a huge value add. This capability could well also extend to the AIM-174B, which would put it in the quasi-ballistic missile class, a category of weapon that is becoming increasingly relevant in the air-launched realm.
The SM-6 is also 'networked' with the ability to receive critical data from an array of platforms that can provide remote targeting that is not organic to the missile's launch platform. In this sense, it would be able to exploit the various benefits of the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air concept, or NIFC-CA, which is increasingly bringing together the complementary capabilities of platforms such as the F-35 stealth fighter, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane, Aegis-equipped warships, and weapons like the SM-6. For example, this architecture should allow a Super Hornet to use the AIM-174B to engage targets that are beyond the range of its own radar as well as target sets that it cannot otherwise handle, like ballistic missiles.
As an air-to-air weapon, the AIM-174B would provide the Super Hornet with the ability to engage a wide variety of aerial threats at distances of over hundreds of miles, a significant advantage over the current AIM-120 AMRAAM and likely also beyond the range of the still-in-development AIM-260 JATM. Air launch at speed and altitude by a fighter means it will have significantly greater range and enhanced kinematics over the surface-launched variant, although it does not have the booster that the standard SM-6 utilizes. The surface-launched SM-6's range is currently thought to be around 230 miles, but this depends on many factors, including the mode in which it is being used.
Such a long-range missile would be a huge advantage considering China is now fielding its own very long-range air-to-air missiles. Using AIM-174B against airborne early warning, reconnaissance, maritime patrol, aerial refueling, and bomber/cruise missile carrier aircraft at extreme ranges would be a major enhancement in the Navy's air combat capabilities and a huge threat to these lumbering enemy aircraft. This would be one key way the U.S. could help counter a portion of China's looming anti-access infrastructure.
Against ground or maritime surface targets, the AIM-174B would also give the Super Hornet a means of striking over considerable distances with a weapon that is notably hard to intercept. Reaching a velocity close to or in excess of hypersonic speed during the terminal stage of its flight makes the missile a major challenge to defend against. That same speed means that it also hits very hard and can be used against some fortified target sets.
We do have to also make clear that this missile could be used as a training and testing surrogate, to emulate an adversary's capabilities, such as an air-launched ballistic missile. While this is quite possible, the designation surely doesn't point in that direction nor does the secrecy that has surrounded the program. Still, an air-launched SM-6 could also serve as a surrogate threat target as well as an operational weapon.
Clearly, these kinds of capabilities would be extremely relevant to a future potential conflict with China in the Pacific, which the U.S. military expects to be dominated by very long-range 'kill chains,' something that is sure to be demonstrated during this iteration of RIMPAC.The bottom line is that this latest development strongly suggests that an air-launched version of the SM-6 is either an operational reality or it's close to becoming one. If that ends up being the case, the Navy is about to realize a major capability leap.
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"This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
July 6, 1950
James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, Daedalian Founder Member #107, was named "Aviator of the Decade" by the Harmon Aviation Awards Committee.
July 7, 1942
A Lockheed A-29 Vega of the 369th Bombardment Squadron attacked and sank the German submarine U-701 off the coast of Cherry Point, North Carolina, the first such victory by an Army Air Forces aircraft.
July 8, 1978
The Naval Air Test and Evaluation Museum opened its doors to the public at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland; it is now known as the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
July 9, 1943
Operation Husky: The invasion of Sicily began with the first major Allied airborne assault using gliders and paratroops. Many C-47s were lost due to friendly fire incidents.
July 10, 1942
Test pilot Benjamin Odell Howard took the prototype Douglas XA-26-DE light bomber, serial number 41-19504, for its first flight at the Douglas Aircraft Company El Segundo Division. The XA-26 was a twin-engine mid-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear. Douglas had proposed the design to the U.S. Army Air Corps as a replacement for three different airplanes: The Douglas A-20, the North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell, and the Martin B-26 Marauder. It was to be operated by a pilot, navigator/bombardier and a gunner. The XA-26's maximum speed was 322 knots (370 miles per hour) at 17,000 feet and it had a service ceiling of 31,300 feet. A second prototype, designated XA-26A, was developed as a night fighter. It carried air-intercept radar in the nose and armament in a pod under the fuselage. The third prototype, the XA-26B, was a ground attack aircraft. Like the XA-26A, it had a solid nose, but was armed with a fixed 75-millimeter cannon in the nose, and forward-firing Browning .50-caliber machine guns. When ordered into production, the XA-26 became the A-26C Invader, while the ground attack design was assigned A-26B.
July 11, 1967
Martin Marietta rolled out the X-24A, a manned, flat-iron shaped wingless lifting body for reentry studies, powered by a rocket engine.
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This Day in US Military History
JULY 6
1779 – The Battle of Grenada took place during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron, the grandfather of Lord Byron, had sailed in an attempt to relieve Grenada, which the French forces of the Comte D'Estaing had just captured. Incorrectly believing he had numerical superiority, Byron ordered a general chase to attack the French as they left their anchorage at Grenada. Because of the disorganized attack and the French superiority, the British fleet was badly mauled in the encounter, although no ships were lost. Naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan described the British loss as "the most disastrous … that the British Navy had encountered since Beachy Head, in 1690." Despite the French victory, d'Estaing did not follow up with further attacks, squandering any tactical advantage the battle gave him.
1945 – Some 600 US B-29 Superfortress bombers struck Osaka, Kofu, Chiba, Shimizu (near Tokyo), Shimotsu and Akashi, all on Honshu. Nearly 4000 tons of bombs are dropped.
1945 – Operation Overcast began in Europe–moving Austrian and German scientists and their equipment to the United States.
1964 – At Nam Dong in the northern highlands of South Vietnam, an estimated 500-man Viet Cong battalion attacks an American Special Forces outpost. During a bitter battle, Capt. Roger C. Donlon, commander of the Special Forces A-Team, rallied his troops, treated the wounded, and directed defenses although he himself was wounded several times. After five hours of fighting, the Viet Cong withdrew. The battle resulted in an estimated 40 Viet Cong killed; two Americans, 1 Australian military adviser, and 57 South Vietnamese defenders also lost their lives. At a White House ceremony in December 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Captain Donlon with the first Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War.
1976 – In Annapolis, Maryland, the United States Naval Academy admits women for the first time in its history with the induction of 81 female midshipmen. In May
1980, Elizabeth Anne Rowe became the first woman member of the class to graduate. Four years later, Kristine Holderied became the first female midshipman to graduate at the top of her class. The U.S. Naval Academy opened in Annapolis in October 1845, with 50 midshipmen students and seven professors. Known as the Naval School until 1850, the curriculum included mathematics, navigation, gunnery, steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French. The Naval School officially became the U.S. Naval Academy in 1850, and a new curriculum went into effect requiring midshipmen to study at the Academy for four years and to train aboard ships each summer–the basic format that remains at the academy to this day.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
See the note at the end of this one on the four that were awarded yesterday
*VAN VOORHIS, BRUCE AVERY
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. Born: 29 January 1908, Aberdeen, Wash. Appointed from: Nevada. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Squadron Commander of Bombing Squadron 102 and as Plane Commander of a PB4Y-I Patrol Bomber operating against the enemy on Japanese-held Greenwich Island during the battle of the Solomon Islands, 6 July 1943. Fully aware of the limited chance of surviving an urgent mission, voluntarily undertaken to prevent a surprise Japanese attack against our forces, Lt. Comdr. Van Voorhis took off in total darkness on a perilous 700-mile flight without escort or support. Successful in reaching his objective despite treacherous and varying winds, low visibility and difficult terrain, he fought a lone but relentless battle under fierce antiaircraft fire and overwhelming aerial opposition. Forced lower and lower by pursuing planes, he coolly persisted in his mission of destruction. Abandoning all chance of a safe return he executed 6 bold ground-level attacks to demolish the enemy's vital radio station, installations, antiaircraft guns and crews with bombs and machinegun fire, and to destroy 1 fighter plane in the air and 3 on the water. Caught in his own bomb blast, Lt. Comdr. Van Voorhis crashed into the lagoon off the beach, sacrificing himself in a single-handed fight against almost insuperable odds, to make a distinctive contribution to our continued offensive in driving the Japanese from the Solomons and, by his superb daring, courage and resoluteness of purpose, enhanced the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
DONLON, ROGER HUGH C.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army. Place and date: Near Nam Dong, Republic of Vietnam, 6 July 1964. Entered service at: Fort Chaffee, Ark. Born: 30 January 1934, Saugerties, N.Y. G.O. No.: 41, 17 December 1964. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while defending a U.S. military installation against a fierce attack by hostile forces. Capt. Donlon was serving as the commanding officer of the U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment A-726 at Camp Nam Dong when a reinforced Viet Cong battalion suddenly launched a full-scale, predawn attack on the camp. During the violent battle that ensued, lasting 5 hours and resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, Capt. Donlon directed the defense operations in the midst of an enemy barrage of mortar shells, falling grenades, and extremely heavy gunfire. Upon the initial onslaught, he swiftly marshaled his forces and ordered the removal of the needed ammunition from a blazing building. He then dashed through a hail of small arms and exploding hand grenades to abort a breach of the main gate. En route to this position he detected an enemy demolition team of 3 in the proximity of the main gate and quickly annihilated them. Although exposed to the intense grenade attack, he then succeeded in reaching a 60mm mortar position despite sustaining a severe stomach wound as he was within 5 yards of the gun pit. When he discovered that most of the men in this gunpit were also wounded, he completely disregarded his own injury, directed their withdrawal to a location 30 meters away, and again risked his life by remaining behind and covering the movement with the utmost effectiveness. Noticing that his team sergeant was unable to evacuate the gun pit he crawled toward him and, while dragging the fallen soldier out of the gunpit, an enemy mortar exploded and inflicted a wound in Capt. Donlon's left shoulder. Although suffering from multiple wounds, he carried the abandoned 60mm mortar weapon to a new location 30 meters away where he found 3 wounded defenders. After administering first aid and encouragement to these men, he left the weapon with them, headed toward another position, and retrieved a 57mm recoilless rifle. Then with great courage and coolness under fire, he returned to the abandoned gun pit, evacuated ammunition for the 2 weapons, and while crawling and dragging the urgently needed ammunition, received a third wound on his leg by an enemy hand grenade. Despite his critical physical condition, he again crawled 175 meters to an 81mm mortar position and directed firing operations which protected the seriously threatened east sector of the camp. He then moved to an eastern 60mm mortar position and upon determining that the vicious enemy assault had weakened, crawled back to the gun pit with the 60mm mortar, set it up for defensive operations, and turned it over to 2 defenders with minor wounds. Without hesitation, he left this sheltered position, and moved from position to position around the beleaguered perimeter while hurling hand grenades at the enemy and inspiring his men to superhuman effort. As he bravely continued to move around the perimeter, a mortar shell exploded, wounding him in the face and body. As the long awaited daylight brought defeat to the enemy forces and their retreat back to the jungle leaving behind 54 of their dead, many weapons, and grenades, Capt. Donlon immediately reorganized his defenses and administered first aid to the wounded. His dynamic leadership, fortitude, and valiant efforts inspired not only the American personnel but the friendly Vietnamese defenders as well and resulted in the successful defense of the camp. Capt. Donlon's extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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From the Archives
Biden awards Medal of Honor to 4 soldiers for Vietnam War heroism
By Darlene Superville, The Associated Press Jul 5, 09:56 AM
President Joe Biden speaks during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the
East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday bestowed the nation's highest military honor to four Army soldiers for heroism during the Vietnam War, bravery that he said had not diminished even with the passage of time.
Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, Spc. Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Spc. Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Maj. John J. Duffy. Speaking at a ceremony in the White House East Room, Biden praised their heroism, noting that many like them don't receive "the full recognition they deserve."
"Today, we're setting the record straight. We're upgrading the awards of four soldiers who performed acts of incredible heroism during the Vietnam conflict," Biden said.
"It's just astounding when you hear what each of them have done," he said. "They went far above and beyond the call of duty. It's a phrase always used but ... it takes on life when you see these men."
President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to Spc. Dwight Birdwell
for his actions on Jan. 31, 1968, during the Vietnam War, during a
ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 5, 2022,
in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Addressing the three living soldiers and relatives of Kaneshiro, who is deceased, the president said, "I'm proud to finally award our highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor, to each of you."
Biden noted that more than 50 years had passed "since the jungles of Vietnam where, as young men, these soldiers first proved their mettle. But time has not diminished their astonishing bravery, their selflessness in putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude that we as a nation owe them."
Four soldiers to receive Medals of Honor for actions in Vietnam The
men will be recognized in a White House ceremony on July 5.
By Leo Shane III
Kaneshiro, killed in action by hostile gunfire in Vietnam in 1967, received his honor posthumously for a Dec. 1, 1966 raid where his unit came under fire by North Vietnamese troops. His actions were credited with helping his unit withdraw from the village where they were fighting. Kaneshiro was born and raised in Hawaii, a son of Japanese immigrants.
President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to retired Maj. John
Duffy for his actions on April 14-15 1972, during the Vietnam War,
during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July
5, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Birdwell was honored for actions helping to head off an assault and evacuate wounded at Tan Son Nhut Airbase near Saigon on Jan. 31, 1968, despite injuries to his torso and face, during an opening salvo in what is known as the Tet Offensive, an especially bloody period of the war.
Birdwell, a member of the Cherokee Nation and a lawyer in Oklahoma City, had received a Silver Star for his actions. Biden said it took Birdwell's commanding officer decades to realize that Birdwell had not received the proper recognition and took steps, even in retirement, to "make this day possible."
"At long last, long last, your story is being honored as it should have been always," Biden told Birdwell.
President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward
Kaneshiro for his actions on Dec. 1, 1966, during the Vietnam War, as
his son John Kaneshiro accepts the posthumous recognition during a
ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 5, 2022,
in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Fujii received a Medal of Honor for actions over four days in February 1971 treating wounded and directing air strikes against enemy positions after his air ambulance was forced to crash land.
Duffy was recognized for leading troops who came under ambush after their commander was killed in action, repelling attackers and evacuating wounded, despite his own injuries. Duffy went on to become an author and once was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
"He is the definition of a warrior poet," Biden said.
The list of Duffy's awards is most impressive. I will try to find it again. Four tours in Vietnam. 19 major awards and 8 purple hearts. There were so many awards on his chest that he may have affected any wet compass near him.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 6, FFIRSTS, LASTS, AND
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF
HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE
AGENCY
6 July
1908: The Signal Corps appointed the Aeronautical Board to conduct
tests on dirigibles, balloons, and airplanes being built under
contract. (12) (24)
1915: Capt V. E. Clark, the first air officer to graduate from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Doctor of Engineering,
reported to North Island. (24)
1924: Maj Henry H. Arnold set a new speed record by flying 500 miles between Rockwell Field and San Francisco in 4 hours 25 minutes.
1945: The North American XP-82 Twin Mustang first flew. (12)
1950: KOREAN WAR/FIRST STRATEGIC ATTACK. Nine B-29s conducted the
first strategic air attacks of the Korean War by bombing the Rising
Sun oil refinery at Wonsan and a chemical plant at Hungman in North
Korea. (21) (28) The Harmon International Aviation Awards Committee
named James H. Doolittle the Aviator of the Decade, Jacqueline Cochran
the Outstanding Aviatrix, and Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl the
top aeronaut (lighter-than-air). (16) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A 43 AREFS aircrew flew a KB-29M in the first combat
air refueling operation. It refueled four RF-80s flying reconnaissance
missions over North Korea. (1) (26) (28)
1953: Operation KINDERLIFT. USAFE began an airlift of children from
Berlin to West Germany for a summer vacation in German and American
homes. (4)
1954: The Lockheed XF-104 made its first flight. 1961: An Atlas-E,
launched from Cape Canaveral, set a US record by flying 9,050 miles
and dropping a 1.5-ton payload on target, 1,000 miles southeast of
Capetown, South Africa. (24)
1967: The Chaparral monorail sled set a record, when it reached
6,834.2 feet per second (4,750 MPH). The two-stage sled was 21 feet
long, 12 inches high, and weighed about 780 pounds. An Atlas D booster
successfully launched an Advanced Ballistic Reentry Vehicle System
(ABRES) vehicle from Vandenberg AFB. (16)
1982: A MAC C-130 left Rhein-Main AB for Kano, Nigeria, with two
crews, maintenance personnel, an airlift control element, parts,
rations, satellite communications, and water. After setting up an
operating base, the aircraft flew to N'Djamena, Chad, where the crews
began alternating flights to Abe'che' and Faya-Largeau. In a week, the
C-130 carried 113 tons of food supplies to Chadian civil war refugees.
(2)
1989: Under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, the US destroyed
its last MGM-31 Pershing 1A missile, the 169th, at the Longhorn Army
Ammunition Plant, Karnack, Tex. (20) President George Bush presented
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award
to Gen James H. Doolittle (retired) at the White House. (26)
2005: The 305 AMW at McGuire AFB received the 13th and last C-17 (tail
number 04-4137), when Lt Gen Walter Buchanan III, the Ninth Air Force
and US Central Command Air Forces commander at Shaw AFB delivered the
C-17 from the Boeing in Long Beach, Calif. The first C-17 had been
delivered to the 305th on 24 September 2004. (22)
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