To All,
Good Friday Morning July 26. Another beautiful clear day here this morning. Please see below from Admiral Kerr on Viper's celebration of life. If you want to send the response to me I will forward on to the family.
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
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Thanks to Admiral Kerr
VIPER'S CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Below is part of an email I got from Katy (Pete's daughter) as the family is trying to get some idea of how many people will show up at the Midway on August 19th. My concern for the family is there will be A LOT of attendees at the celebration. If you could publish any of this content below, to include the link, it would be very helpful to the family.
"On behalf of the Pettigrew family, I can't tell you all how much we appreciate your condolences, support, and guidance as we organize the memorial service and Celebration of Life for my dad. I am including all of you in this email as you have been a point of contact for our family. We don't know how many people to expect and we need your help in getting a more accurate count, if possible. I have created a Google form for people to complete if they are planning to attend and it has the details of the service. I know some of you have received RSVPs from people. Can you let me know what that number is so I can keep track? Moving forward, feel free to share this link:"
https://forms.gle/9djv7Lcn2XtJQuxF9
Thanks, John Ed
John Kerr
858 784-1213 (cell)
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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
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
July 26
1812 USS Essex captures the British brig, HMS Leander, off Newfoundland. Engaging British vessels the following week, USS Essex burns the brig, HMS Hero, and captures the ship, Nancy, also off Newfoundland on August 2.
1852 John P. Kennedy takes office as the 21st Secretary of the Navy, serving until 7 March 1853.
1912 The first tests of an airborne wireless are conducted near Annapolis, Md. using the Wright (B 1) piloted by Lt. John Rodgers. On one flight, Ensign Charles H. Maddox, who is giving technical assistance to the aviators, sends messages to USS Stringham (TB 19) at a distance of about one and a half miles.
1946 Joy Bright Hancock is promoted to Captain and is appointed Director of the WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. She guides WAVES in the later 1940s the early 1950s, a period that also witnesses the Navy's women achieve status as part of the Regular Navy. Capt. Hancock retires from active duty in June 1953 and dies on Aug. 20, 1986.
1948 President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, desegregating the Armed Services.
1954 Two AD Skyraiders of Air Group 5 from USS Philippine Sea (CVA 47) are attacked by two Chinese (LA 7) aircraft while the Skyraiders are searching for survivors of Cathay Pacific airline, which was shot down three days prior off Hainan Island. Returning fire, the Skyraiders splash both attackers.
2003 USS Mustin (DDG 89) is commissioned at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is the second to be named Mustin, but the first to be named for the distinguished family of that name: Capt. Henry D. Mustin (1874-1923; Vice Adm. Lloyd M. Mustin (1911-1999), Vietnam War veteran Vice Adm. Henry C. Mustin II and Lt. Cmdr. Thomas M. Mustin. The first USS Mustin, DD-413 of World War II era, was named for the family patriarch: Capt. Henry D. Mustin (1874-1923), who piloted the first aircraft ever catapulted from a ship, and flew the first combat missions of American aircraft from Mississippi during the Mexican campaign in 1914.
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Today in History July 26
657 Mu'awiya defeats Caliph Ali in the Battle of Siffin in Mesopotamia.
1526 Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon and colonists leave Santo Domingo for Florida.
1529 Francisco Pizarro receives a royal warrant to "discover and conquer" Peru.
1758 British forces capture France's Fortress of Louisbourg after a seven-week siege.
1759 The French relinquish Fort Ticonderoga in New York to the British under General Jeffrey Amherst.
1775 The Continental Congress establishes a postal system for the colonies with Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general.
1790 An attempt at a counter-revolution in France is put down by the National Guard at Lyons.
1794 The French defeat an Austrian army at the Battle of Fleurus, France.
1830 King Charles X of France issues five ordinances limiting the political and civil rights of citizens.
1847 Liberia becomes the first African colony to become an independent state.
1848 The French army suppresses the Paris uprising.
1886 William Gladstone is replaced by Lord Salisbury as Prime Minister of England.
1918 Britain's top war ace, Edward Mannock, is shot down by ground fire on the Western Front.
1920 The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified.
1948 In an Executive Order, President Harry Truman calls for the end of discrimination and segregation in the U.S. armed forces.
2005 The shuttle Discovery launches on mission STS-114, marking a return to space after the shuttle Columbia crash of 2003.
Some other notables
26 July 1944 ME-262 Scores first operational victory
1945 Potsdam Declaration is issued to the Japanese instructing them to surrender unconditionally or face total destruction
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 22 July 2024 and ending Sunday, 28 July 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 21 July 1969… The week our astronauts walked on the Moon and Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge and left Mary Jo to drown.
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 26 July You all have to read this one. It is the story of an Air Force RF-4c pilot and his shoot down and rescue and very well written..skip
July 26: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=705
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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The birth of the US Air Force
I remember watching my dad getting his brand new blue uniform ready for his first day in it. Putting all the ribbons and insignia on and making the hat. I was not that keen on the blue. What is really neat about these pictures is that I saw and remembered all these aircraft while growing up at Air Force bases all over the country. One sound you will never forget is a B-36 taking off and then you can hear it droning up at 35,000 feet. One thing I will always remember is going with my dad to the airshow at the base and he would talk to me about each airplane. One day he stopped at a funny looking airplane with no propeller and told me very soon most of the airplanes would be built like that Skip
Thanks to Carl
The US Air Force at 75: From early jets to stealth aircraft
40 Photos with details in link! Enjoy!
In 1947, the flyboys broke away from the US Army to establish the Air Force as a separate branch. Here's a look back at the aircraft of those seven decades.
https://www.cnet.com/pictures/us-air-force-at-70-from-early-jets-to-stealth-aircraft/
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
What animals bop their heads to music?
Rats bop their heads in time to music.
Most rats live their lives entirely unseen by humans. As kings of the background, they often scurry through human environments just out of sight or after dark, looking for leftover morsels. But researchers believe rats might be picking up more than just our food crumbs — they could also be picking up on the beats in our music. A study published in 2022 suggests rats may have a humanlike sense of rhythm, which they express by bopping their heads to the beat. Scientists once believed that few animals were beat-sensitive (aside from some birds), but rats exposed to music made microscopic head movements that were picked up by tiny, wireless motion detectors. The researchers hypothesized that rats would prefer faster jams thanks in part to their rapid heartbeats, though surprisingly, lab rats synced up best with music in the 120 to 140 beats-per-minute range — just like humans.
Humans have long wondered if animals respond to music the way we do. Charles Darwin's studies examined the relationship between animals and music, believing rhythm could be found throughout nature and may have been the precursor to music. Today, some experts believe only certain species have the ability to really respond to changing beats — notably bats, birds, dolphins, and elephants, which all have the complex ability to learn and repeat new sounds. However, some studies show other animals interact with music, too; one experiment found that pigs exposed to certain music became playful and wagged their tails. Additionally, many farmers report their cows are calmer when the radio is on, with a supporting study reporting that dairy cows produce 3% more milk while listening to slow tunes (fast music had no effect). And when it comes to our best pet companions, music is known to soothe anxious dogs in shelters and adoption centers, though felines — known for being a bit finicky — couldn't care less about human music. However, they do respond positively to tailored tunes that use beats and frequencies similar to their own meows.
Numbers Don't Lie
Average number of baby rats born per litter, with up to 12 litters per year
8-9
Length (in feet) of the slender-tailed cloud rat Phloeomys cumingi, the largest rat species
3
Average lifespan (in years) of a domesticated pet rat
2-4
Number of American households reporting unwanted rodents in 2020
14.8 million
Rats are picky eaters.
If you've ever been hesitant about trying a new food, you have something in common with rats. That's because rats are known for being picky eaters. These discerning rodents are cautious for good reason — they're unable to vomit, so avoiding potential poisoning is top of mind with every new food they find, since they can't purge toxins the way humans do. Wild rats are known to test out new foods in small amounts, taking a few nibbles and waiting hours to see if they have any unfortunate side effects before diving into their scavenged meals. And just like humans, rats appear to gain more sophisticated palates as they age; younger rats seem to prefer sugary treats, though they eventually learn to enjoy more bitter flavors as they get older.
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Thanks to Shadow
When I read this I realized that I had seen it before and it was on 16 July and in the List. It turns out that Shadow was the original author. I just got off the phone with him and here is his lead in to the story
Years ago, I was asked to make some comments about the F-4 for Flight Journal for a special on the F-4. I tried to give it my honest appraisal. First. I mentioned that the Phantom was not what I would call a beautiful airplane… in fact when viewed from different angles, it could look downright ugly. Seen from up above it looked squat and broad, like a down lineman in football. When I think of beautiful airplanes, the F-86, A-4 and Vigilante always came to mind… as I segued into how it performed… I said that coming from the A-4 to the F-4… I found the controls were heavy and not nearly as responsive as the Skyhawk. That was somewhat disappointing. But the two areas it really excelled in was acceleration/speed and the most rock solid tactical jet I ever flew in the landing configuration. Piece of cake at the boat. I finally summed it up with she was the jack of all trades and the master of none. (Actually that was what I'd said to Burt Rutan decades ago when he asked me what I thought of the Phantom. Burt laughed and said… "Finally, an honest Phantom pilot"!).
As I finished the article… I was tasked to come up with a title for my short write up, with a suggestion to make it "catchy". Now that set my mind to wandering… catchy… what the hell does a Marine know about catchy? In my life I've always loved music and it was just natural that I'd think about a song that could indicate how I felt about the F-4. In a moment of serendipity… I happened think about a little song from the sixties by Jimmy Soul. Had kinda of a calypso beat… "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life… Never make a pretty woman your wife". Think most of you would remember it. There was one verse in the song that inspired me… at one point a friend of Jimmy's sang out… "Hey man, I saw your wife the other day… and she's uggly…."! Jimmy responds… "Yeah man, she's ugly but she sure can cook"!
And that's my friends… sums up my feeling about the Phantom. She was ugly… but she sure could haul ass (cook)! With the bonus of being the best plane ever, coming aboard the boat.
Now comes the funny part… unbeknownst to me… Flight Journal had a female editor… and she... went absolutely apoplectic at my suggested title for the article! No way Jose… no way in hell! That's demeaning to women she said… I won't allow it! I finally surrendered and suggested she just say… "It sure could cook", as a compromise. She even rejected that. So I don't think there ever was a title for the article.
In conclusion… like any other guy who flew it, she gave me thrills… and at times some chills… some of which I could have done without like a total gyro failure on a night cat shot… and a few others. But all in all, I enjoyed it.
Shadow
P.S.
Someone asked… what about an afterburner on an A-4? Well, I got the answer from the Horses's mouth. I knew Ed Heinemann through Harry Gann. One day in his office at Long Beach, Ed looked at me and asked what I thought of the A-4 and what changes I would have made to make it better if I could. I'm no original thinker, but I responded with what a thousand other A-4 Drivers had dreamed of… an afterburner and a flying tail. Ed smiled, got up and took down a model of an airplane and said… "Here it is… we submitted it to NAVAIR and they rejected it. Said every Attack Pilot in the fleet would be out kicking F-4's asses (He actually said doing ACM) instead of dropping bombs… we like it just the way it is". True story...
PHANTOM REMINISCENCE
There's no use in stonewalling this any longer. It's way past time to bid farewell to a once mighty, but bygone, warhorse. A farewell written as if a eulogy, because even the solicitation mailers for those large coffee-table books, whose words and pictures chronicled our stallions' service, have stopped arriving. In truth, those coffee-table book solicitations stopped arriving decades ago. A tacit proof that our formerly famous fighter is now nearly forgotten. Or if not quite forgotten, our metal-steed is, at best, relegated to our memories of the 20th Century.
Young once, we aged together. So, even these many years removed, I feel it is appropriate to voice an overdue homage, and to acknowledge belatedly that one of the most capable Navy fighter aircraft to dominate contested skies flies no more.
The F-4 Phantom.
Big.
Ugly.
Beautiful.
Beast.
Our Navy's Phantoms enjoyed a thirty-six-year operational run, bookended by combat in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. Few airplanes in the history of aviation have adapted so well to warfare's changing tactical landscape.
The Phantom's departure ordained our loss of variable jet-intakes, of sawtooth-wing leading edges, of positive-dihedral wingtips, of negative-dihedral slatted-stabilators, and a high of 2.2 Mach topping a fighter cockpit Mach-number gauge. Departing F-4's also carried away a large chunk of what made my life fulfilling.
In retrospective, the plane was designed in the 1950's by the McDonnell Aircraft Company as a fighter-interceptor. A successor to the Navy's underpowered F-3 Demon, the new F-4 needed to be a more robust aerial platform, thrust by strong engines to power aloft an advanced, air-to-air, radar missile system. Bottom line, the Phantom was originally designed to engage high-and-fast inbound Bandits.
Which meant that initially the F-4 launched from Navy flight decks as a long-range air-superiority fighter designed to extend the horizons of fleet defense. The earliest Phantom missions were flown chiefly as fighter-interceptors flying Combat Air Patrol for the Carrier Task Group (CTG), and launching also to fly shotgun on the long-range Soviet "Bear" and "Badger" bombers seeking out the CTG. Then the Vietnam War exploded, and the F-4's missions expanded. Phantoms now carried bombs under their wings and proved they were capable of beating up the dirt as effectively as their A-4 and A-7 attack-aircraft brethren. Flying sorties into North Vietnam, the Phantoms were often tasked to speed ahead, and to strike the lethal SAM sites and anti-aircraft batteries before our slower attack-aircraft arrived over the target. Thus, for many years the Phantom, sporting a two-man crew and a sophisticated radar-system wedded to its high-speed strike-fighter capabilities, became the air-superiority platform of choice for any high-threat environment.
Time never sleeps, and the Phantom's decades-long superiority eventually ended.
My emotions still churn in the face of this reality, because we served and matured together. Thousands of hours of my adult life were spent strapped into the cockpit of that brutish fighter. It was there that combat was flown, life-long friendships were forged, and America's will, enforced. Airborne, from that lofty perch, I had gazed up star-struck at the heavens and had also looked down warily on hostile lands. I didn't always realize it then (youth, of course, being wasted on the young), but each F-4 sortie flown was a gift. Likewise, the time spent in the company of so many exceptional squadron-mates.
Phantom Phlyers.
Phantom Pherrets.
Phantom Phixers.
I remember the tie-down-chain laden Plane Captains and the hard-working Maintenance Technicians who respected the airplanes as much as we aircrews did. I recall the maintenance Chief Petty Officers who taught young nuggets like me not only how the Phantom's innards worked, but how to better acquit myself as an officer and a leader. Paid neither enough nor near their worth, our Phantom Phixers demanded little in return except for the opportunities to earn our flight-crews' respect for their professional contributions, and to serve our squadron well. Etched in the tired creases of their faces at the close of each demanding day, though, I read the depth of my commissioned leadership responsibilities.
As I flip through the yellowed pages of my tattered flight-logbooks and see the officers' names recorded there, I recall the requisite aircrew skills shared between the Phantom's two cockpits ― Pilot and Radar Officer, Stick and Scope, Phantom Phlyer and Phantom Pherret. The complementary teamwork between our front and rear cockpits was one of the unique qualities that made flying the F-4 so rewarding. Phantom Stick-Scope collaboration and operating from carrier flight decks were two of the most dynamic and defining characteristics of my aviation life. I know few things as surely as I know that U.S. Navy carrier-based aviators are the best in the world. It feels good to reassert that fact, even decades removed from the rigors of the experience, because it is not braggadocio if performance exceeds swagger.
And what about the down times between our carrier sorties? I remember living shipboard with fellow junior officers in our six- or eight-man bunkrooms, where all manner of JO issues (be it work or play) were discussed and resolved. That tight comradeship reinforced mutual trust; it also taught me the worth of true friendship. My squadron-mates partnered with me in the long deployments at sea and in the dangers of combat. Moreover, in that shared performance crucible, I learned that I would weather well the unknown future ordeals of my life, because anything that I might do after my Navy flight career would, in comparison, be so much easier.
If via fond memories I hustle top-side from my below-decks JO bunk room to those yesteryear carrier flight decks, I can close my eyes and almost hear the clack-clack-clack of the catapult's shuttle as it moves aft to a ready-position for the next aircraft's launch. Then thundering jet engine roar soon eclipses all other sound.
My recall now freshly triggered, vivid recollections of Phantom flight-deck prelaunch dynamics gush forth. The Air Boss in Pri-Fly orders, "Start engines!" Jet exhaust stings our nostrils until we lower our canopies, shutting out the burnt JP-5 fumes. In a planned starting sequence, a "huffer" lights our Phantom to life. Our engines spool up and start. Our aircraft systems power on. Preflight checks are performed with our brown-shirted Plane Captain and our white-shirted Troubleshooters. Then comes a release of our aircraft tie-down chains. Pull our chocks. Taxi the deck. Soon we're spotted just behind the catapult, awaiting our turn for launch. We signal the green-shirted Weight-Board Bearer: thumbs-up on our bird's 56,000 pounds of launch-weight. 56,000 pounds. 28 tons of deadly fighter. Grasp that, if you can.
The plane in front of us launches, leaving wisps of steam whistling aft from the catapult track. The jet-blast deflector comes down, and, splitting the slotted cat track with our two nose-strut tires, we taxi over the shuttle and onto the catapult. We spread our folded wingtips. Then, despite years of this same prelaunch routine, our anticipation starts to spike as we whisk through the regimen unique to the Phantom's launch. The nose strut extends, granting our fighter the nose-high attitude of a predator preparing to leap into the air. The shuttle's launch-bridle is attached to our fuselage's twin belly-hooks located at the forward wing-roots. The shuttle slides forward, taking up the bridle-cable slack and tensioning our bridled bird against the holdback-fitting. Our hands are then held high, held visibly away from any cockpit switches as our squadron's red-shirted Ordnance-men scramble beneath the F-4 to pull our missiles' safety-pins and arm our weapons.
Our ordnance now fully armed and our flaps lowered, the yellow-shirted Catapult Officer signals us for engine run up. The bird's throttles are pushed forward to military power and controls cycled: stick forward, then aft, then left and right. Rudder, deflected left and right.
"You ready, Scope?"
"Right behind you, Stick."
The yellow-jersey clad Catapult Officer signals for full afterburner.
The throttles are pushed all the way forward into their AB detent. Gauges checked a final time. We're good to go.
We position our heads supportively back against the top of our ejection seats because it's going to be one helluva terrific kick in the ass when the holdback breaks and the steam catapult hurls us off the flight deck.
The Catapult Officer returns the F-4 pilot's salute. Then he points forward, reaches down and touches the deck to signal, "Shoot 'em." to the green-jersey-clad Catapult Crew stationed in the flight deck's catwalk.
One potato, two potato, and we're roaring down the cat.
Sweet shot. 1.2 seconds later (and in less than 300 feet of travel) 56,000 pounds of Phantom and two stoked flyers are airborne. Rotate the nose up a few degrees. Raise the landing gear and flaps. Come out of 'burner. Climb. Sweet bird.
And for the next couple of hours we stand ready to use this glorious Phantom, this mighty machine of American know-how, for whatever our aerial mission demands. Or perhaps today is not our day to save the world, so we barrier-patrol for our Carrier Task Group while running air-intercepts against our wingman. Later, our mission flown and fuel permitting, as we vector back for home-plate, we might honor one of the CTG picket-ships' request for a high-speed low-level fly-by. Or vaporize some hoarded fuel in a few minutes of post-patrol turn-and-burn dogfight head-to-head against our wingman. Or fly tail-chase together among the clouds. Or fly through a low-altitude rain squall a couple of times just to fresh-water wash our birds. Or push up the throttles and punch through the sound barrier for the same reason that a dog licks his balls … just because he can.
We are flying the Phantom. The finest aerial champion of its era.
Alas, these are recollections of days long past. Because all that remains of this once great fighter, a plane that gave my professional life its purpose, is now generally found as an empty-shell static-display bird in either aviation museums, or mounted outside in front of air-station main gates across America. In a thirty-six-year blink of an eye the Phantom became obsolete. Me too. Because I have become that balding, wrinkly-faced gent, who you might see wearing a weathered squadron ball cap and an ill-fitting old flight jacket. That garrulous elderly warrior who bores anyone within earshot with his tales of last-century fighter derring-do.
1960 through 1996 marked the halcyon years of the Navy's Phantom fighter squadrons ― the Chargers, Pacemakers, Silver Kings, Vigilantes, Fighting Falcons, Jolly Rogers, Pukin' Dogs, Grim Reapers, Top Hatters, Red Rippers, Sundowners, Freelancers, Tomcatters, Screaming Eagles, Aardvarks and Black Knights to name but a few of the many. Moreover, the Phantom thrilled airshow audiences worldwide during its five-year tenure as the thundering glossy bird of the Navy's Blue Angels.
Nowadays I hear assurances of a bright future for the Navy's newest strike-fighter, the F-35 Lightning, but my time in the arena was spent with the Phantom. And when an airplane possesses that much character and longevity, it ceases to be inanimate for those who strapped into it on a regular basis. We who knew it well miss its strength and raw power. In its day, it bowed to no other fighter.
PS: For all of us who revered the Phantom, war-correspondent Ernest Hemingway's poetic words ― quoted from a 1944 Collier's Magazine article that he wrote while posting stories from London during WWII ― might best describe our sentiments.
"You love a lot of things if you live around them,
but there isn't any woman and there isn't any horse,
not any before, nor any after,
that is as lovely as a great airplane.
And men who love them are faithful to them
even though they leave them for others.
A man has only one virginity to lose in fighters,
and if it is a lovely plane he loses it to,
there his heart will ever be."
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This Day in U S Military History…….July 26
1942 – About 400 miles southeast of Fiji, the American aircraft carriers Wasp, Enterprise and Saratoga rendezvous with the invasion force for Guadalcanal. It is the most powerful force the US Navy has yet assembled in the Pacific.
1942 – Actor Gene Autry is sworn into the Army Air Corps on the air, during his regular radio show, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. He served as an officer until 1945, when he resumed his show. Autry was born in Tioga, Texas, in 1907, the son of a livestock and horse trader who was also a Baptist minister. The family later moved to Oklahoma. In high school, Autry worked as a railway telegrapher at the local railroad depot, where he spent slow moments strumming his $8 guitar and singing. Passing through the depot one day, a stranger-who turned out to be Will Rogers-suggested that Autry try singing on the radio. Inspired, Autry traveled to New York City to look for a singing job but had no luck. Back home, he began working for a local radio station and found success as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy." Eventually, Autry and railroad dispatcher Jim Long wrote several country songs, including the world's first gold record, "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." Autry became a regular on National Barn Dance, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1934, producer Nat Levine was looking for an actor who could sing and ride a horse. Autry wasn't an actor but had already established a loyal radio audience, so Levine put him in numerous B-grade westerns. Playing the lead role in a long-running series of Saturday matinee films, Autry became America's favorite singing cowboy. In 1940, his musical-variety radio show, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, debuted; it ran until 1956. He became America's favorite TV cowboy in 1950 when he debuted The Gene Autry Show, which ran through 1956. In each episode, he and his sidekick, Pat Buttram, rode from town to town, maintaining law and order. From "Back in the Saddle Again" to yuletide mainstays such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," Autry's music became part of American life. He was also an entrepreneur, owning hotels, gas stations, and the California Angels baseball team, among other ventures. He also owned a television production company and was proud of discovering "Annie Oakley" star Gail Davis, whom he featured in dozens of his movies and television program episodes and who had performed in his traveling rodeo. Her appearances spun off into her own series, which Autry's company produced. Autry was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969. Autry died in 1998.
1972 – Although South Vietnamese paratroopers hoist their flag over Quang Tri Citadel, they prove unable to hold the Citadel for long or to secure Quang Tri City. Fighting outside the city remained intense. Farther to the south, South Vietnamese troops under heavy shelling were forced to abandon Fire Base Bastogne, which protected the southwest approach to Hue. North Vietnamese troops had captured Quang Tri City on May 1 as part of their Nguyen Hue Offensive (later called the "Easter Offensive"), a massive invasion by North Vietnamese forces that had been launched on March 31. The attacking force included 14 infantry divisions and 26 separate regiments, with more than 120,000 troops and approximately 1,200 tanks and other armored vehicles. The main North Vietnamese objectives, in addition to Quang Tri in the north, were Kontum in the Central Highlands, and An Loc farther to the south. Initially, the South Vietnamese defenders were almost overwhelmed, particularly in the northernmost provinces, where they abandoned their positions in Quang Tri. At Kontum and An Loc, the South Vietnamese were more successful in defending against the attacks, but only after weeks of bitter fighting. Although the defenders suffered heavy casualties, they managed to hold their own with the aid of U.S. advisors and American airpower. Fighting continued all over South Vietnam into the summer months. The heavy fighting would continue in the area of Quang Tri and Hue until September, when the South Vietnamese forces finally succeeded in recapturing Quang Tri. With the communist invasion blunted, President Nixon declared that the South Vietnamese victory proved the viability of his "Vietnamization" program, which he had instituted in 1969 to increase the combat capability of the South Vietnamese armed forces so U.S. troops could be withdrawn.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
COREY, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1853, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 215, 9 August 1876. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Navy Yard, New York, 26 July 1876. Showing heroic conduct, Corey endeavored to save the life of one of the crew of that ship who had fallen overboard from aloft.
GIDDING, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1853, Bangor, Maine. Accredited to: Maine. G.O. No.: 215, 9 August 1876. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Gidding showed heroic conduct in trying to save the life of one of the crew of that ship, who had fallen overboard from aloft at the Navy Yard, New York, 26 July 1876.
KERSEY, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1847, St. Johns, Newfoundland. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 215, 9 August 1876. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Plymouth at the Navy Yard, New York, 26 July 1876, Kersey displayed bravery and presence of mind in rescuing from drowning one of the crew of that vessel.
BATSON, MATTHEW A.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Calamba, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 26 July 1899. Entered service at: Carbondale, Ill. Birth: Anna, Ill. Date of issue: 8 March 1902. Citation: Swam the San Juan River in the face of the enemy's fire and drove him from his entrenchments.
McGRATH, HUGH J.
Rank and organization: Captain, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Calamba, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 26 July 1899. Entered service at: Eau Claire, Wis. Birth: Fond du Lac, Wis. Date of issue: 29 April 1902. Citation: Swam the San Juan River in the face of the enemy's fire and drove him from his entrenchments.
WILSON, LOUIS HUGH, JR.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, Commanding Rifle Company, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Fonte Hill, Guam, 25-26 July 1944. Entered service at: Mississippi. Born: 11 February 1920, Brandon, Miss. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of a rifle company attached to the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Fonte Hill, Guam, 25-26 July 1944. Ordered to take that portion of the hill within his zone of action, Capt. Wilson initiated his attack in mid-afternoon, pushed up the rugged, open terrain against terrific machinegun and rifle fire for 300 yards and successfully captured the objective. Promptly assuming command of other disorganized units and motorized equipment in addition to his own company and 1 reinforcing platoon, he organized his night defenses in the face of continuous hostile fire and, although wounded 3 times during this 5-hour period, completed his disposition of men and guns before retiring to the company command post for medical attention. Shortly thereafter, when the enemy launched the first of a series of savage counterattacks lasting all night, he voluntarily rejoined his besieged units and repeatedly exposed himself to the merciless hail of shrapnel and bullets, dashing 50 yards into the open on 1 occasion to rescue a wounded marine Iying helpless beyond the frontlines. Fighting fiercely in hand-to-hand encounters, he led his men in furiously waged battle for approximately 10 hours, tenaciously holding his line and repelling the fanatically renewed counterthrusts until he succeeded in crushing the last efforts of the hard-pressed Japanese early the following morning. Then organizing a 17-man patrol, he immediately advanced upon a strategic slope essential to the security of his position and, boldly defying intense mortar, machinegun, and rifle fire which struck down 13 of his men, drove relentlessly forward with the remnants of his patrol to seize the vital ground. By his indomitable leadership, daring combat tactics, and valor in the face of overwhelming odds, Capt. Wilson succeeded in capturing and holding the strategic high ground in his regimental sector, thereby contributing essentially to the success of his regimental mission and to the annihilation of 350 Japanese troops. His inspiring conduct throughout the critical periods of this decisive action sustains and enhances the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 26, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 July
1915: Through 29 July, Capt Benjamin D. Foulois and his 1st Aero Squadron with 8 JN-2 airplanes traveled from San Diego by train to Fort Sill, Okla. There they participated in observation and fire control experiments with the Field Artillery School. (24)
1937: Jacqueline Cochran, flying a Beechcraft, set the women's US record of 203.895 MPH for 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). (24)
1939: A B-17 Flying Fortress, carrying a 1,123-pound load, set a 204-MPH average speed record over a closed triangular course of 1,000 kilometers. 1943: A flight of 10 P-47s destined for various units in the United Kingdom, supported by two B-24s and one C-87, flew from Presque Isle, Me., to Prestwick, Scotland, with stops at Goose Bay, Labrador, Bluie West One, Greenland, and Reykjavik, Iceland. The formation lost one P-47 in a landing accident at Greenland, while a second P-47 developed a mechanical problem on the last leg to Prestwick and had to return to Iceland. When the eight P-47s landed at Prestwick on 11 August, the pilots achieved the first, last, and only flight of single-engine fighters (reciprocating engines) across the Atlantic in World War II. The P-47 with mechanical problems made the flight to Prestwick on 12 August. The P-47 pilots from the 2d Ferrying Group at Newcastle Army AB in Wilmington, Del., included Capt Barry Goldwater, who ran as the Republican nominee for President in 1964.
1949: The National Military Establishment announced production of the Sikorsky H-5H, the first amphibian helicopter.
1951: The US services created Project LINCOLN, an Armed Forces-supported and MIT-managed study of the air defense program. (24)
1958: Explorer IV, a US Army satellite, placed in orbit. (16) (24) Capt Iven C. Kincheloe, a Korean War ace who set a 126,200-foot altitude record in 1956, died in a F-104 crash at Edwards AFB. In September 1959, the Air Force renamed Kinross AFB, Mich., as Kincheloe AFB. (24)
1960: The Pershing I missile first launched from a mobile tactical launcher. (16) (24)
1963: The launch of Syncon 2 placed the first satellite in a geosynchronous orbit. The satellite's speed matched the earth's rotation, which allowed it to remain over the same geographic area. (21)
1970: In a Schleicher ASW-12 sailplane, Ben Green and Wallace A. Scott and set a new glider record of 717 miles for straight-line distance between Odessa, Tx., and Columbus, N. Mex.
1971: APOLLO XV. The Apollo XV Endeavor capsule carried David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, Jr., and James B. Irwin, on the fourth moon mission from Kennedy Space Center. The lunar module Falcon separated from the Endeavor and landed in the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region near Salyut Crater on 30 July. It left on 2 August and landed in the Pacific on 7 August. Apollo XV had two firsts: use of a lunar rover and first deep space walk. The mission also set three FAI records: greatest mass lifted from the earth to lunar orbit, 76,278 pounds; time outside a spacecraft on the moon, Scott with 18 hours 18 minutes; and distance traveled on the moon, 16,470 feet in the Lunar Rover. (9)
1972: North American Rockwell selected to develop a $2.6 billion space shuttle and space transportation system. (12)
2005: The Space Shuttle Discovery made the first "Return to Flight" flight into space (STS-114) after the 1 February 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. On 9 August, the Discovery returned from its successful trip to resupply the International Space Station. Prolonged bad weather in Florida caused Mission Commander Eileen Collins to land at Edwards AFB. The external tank debris problem that destroyed Columbia unexpectedly recurred during Discovery's launch. As a result, on July 27 NASA postponed future flights to make additional modifications to the flight hardware. On 4 July 2006, NASA resumed shuttle flights with STS-121. (3)
2006: A C-17 from the 62 AW at McChord AFB airdropped a 72,000 pound mockup of a 65-foot long rocket booster over Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB. The airdrop was the third in a series of airdrop tests flown to verify the C-17's ability to safely release at launch altitude the AirLaunch Company's QuickReach rockets, which carried small satellites into low-earth orbit under the Falcon Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program. This was the heaviest weight ever dropped by a C-17 and a new record for the heaviest single item ever dropped from an aircraft. (3)
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