To All,
Good Monday Morning August 5. I hope that you all had a great weekend. Looks like we are headed to 92 again today. Not going outside much. Enjoy the day wherever you are.
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
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
August 5
1832 USS Potomac, becomes the first U.S. Navy ship to entertain royalty, King and Queen of Sandwich Islands
1858 The last bit of cable is laid by USS Niagara and British ship Agamemnon to complete the first trans-Atlantic cable. Niagara's boats carried the end of the cable ashore at Brills Mouth Island, Newfoundland, and the same day Agamemnon landed her end of the cable at England. The first message flashed across August 16 when Queen Victoria sent a cable to President James Buchanan.
1864 Rear Adm. David G. Farragut successfully navigates through a deadly torpedo field Confederates lay in order to block the channel into Mobile Bay. During the battle, Farragut gives his famous quote, Damn the Torpedoes, Full speed ahead!
1882 The first US Navy steel warships (USS Atlanta, USS Boston, USS Chicago and USS Dolphin), are authorized by Congress, beginning the New Navy. Subsequently known as the A, B, C, D ships, they are built at Chester, Pa. USS Dolphin is commissioned first in 1885, followed by USS Atlanta (1886), USS Boston (1887), and USS Chicago (1889).
1921 The Yangtze River Patrol Force is established as a command under the Asiatic Fleet. The force serves in the area until December 1941 when the force is disestablished with many of the ships captured, or scuttled, and the crews taken prisoner by the Japanese.
1944 USS Barbel (SS 316) sinks Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship, Miyako Maru, off Tokuno Jima while USS Cero (SS 225) attacks a Japanese convoy off Minanao and sinks oiler, Tsurumi, in Davao Gulf. Also on this date, PBY aircraft sinks small Japanese cargo vessel No.2, Eiko Maru, off Taoelahat.
1990 Operation Sharp Edge begins, with the Navy and Marines evacuating U.S. citizens and foreign nationals from Liberia during its civil war.
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This Day in World History
5 August
1391 Castilian sailors in Barcelona, Spain set fire to a Jewish ghetto, killing 100 people and setting off four days of violence against Jews.
1762 Russia, Prussia and Austria sign a treaty agreeing on the partition of Poland.
1763 Colonel Henry Bouquet decisively defeats the Indians at the Battle of Bushy Run in Pennsylvania during Pontiac's rebellion.
1815 A peace treaty with Tripoli--which follows treaties with Algeria and Tunis--brings an end to the Barbary Wars.
1858 The first transatlantic cable is completed.
1861 Congress adopts the nation's first income tax to finance the Civil War.
1864 The Union Navy captures Mobile Bay in Alabama.
1892 Harriet Tubman receives a pension from Congress for her work as a nurse, spy and scout during the Civil War.
1914 The first electric traffic signal lights are installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
1914 The British Expeditionary Force mobilizes for World War I.
1915 The Austro-German Army takes Warsaw, in present-day Poland, on the Eastern Front.
1916 The British navy defeats the Ottomans at the naval battle off Port Said, Egypt.
1921Mustafa Kemal is appointed virtual ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
1941 The German army completes taking 410,000 Russian prisoners in the Uman and Smolensk pockets in the Soviet Union.
1951 The United Nations Command suspends armistice talks with the North Koreans when armed troops are spotted in neutral areas.
1962 Actress Marilyn Monroe dies under mysterious circumstances.
1964 President Lyndon Johnson begins bombing North Vietnam in retaliation for the Gulf of Tonkin incident and asks Congress to go to war against North Vietnam.
1974 President Richard Nixon admits he ordered a cover-up for political as well as national security reasons
1981 President Ronald Reagan fires 11,500 striking air traffic controllers.
1992 Four police officers are indicted on civil rights charges in the beating of Rodney King.
1995 Croatian forces capture the city of Knin, a Serb stronghold, during Operation Storm.
1997 The mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Yousef, goes on trial.
2012 A gunman in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, opens fire in a Sikh temple, killing six before committing suicide.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 5 August 2024 and concluding Sunday, 11 August 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 4 August 1969… A bit about Bob Scott's book "God Is My Copilot," with a link to Barrett Tillman's superb 2018 short bio: "Colonel Robert Lee Scott, Jr: God's Pilot."… also: remembering the hundreds of heroic Forward Air Controllers who were killed in action in SEAsia…
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 5 August
5-Aug: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=208
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/ )
Please read this one about Col. Robert L Scott thanks to Barrett and his exceptional writing skills Be sure to open the link below .
I read all his books…… Skip
COLONEL ROBERT LEE SCOTT, Jr., did!!! The ace was flying P-40 Warhawks with the "Flying Tigers" in 1942. On his first mission as group commander he tangled with a Japanese fighter and took several hits. Wounded in the cockpit he managed to get his damaged P-40 back to base. He became the patient of the famous missionary DR. FRED PRUDENCE MANGET. Great aviation writer BARRETT TILLMAN tells the story. "With no anesthetic, Scott endured the pain as the medical missionary extracted the (steel) splinters (from Scott's back). During the prolonged process, Manget's Chinese aide asked Scott, 'Colonel, you fly plane, shoot guns, talk radio, all time flight barbarian. You do all these things alone?' Biting down the pain, Scott snapped back, 'Where in hell would anybody else sit? No, I don't need any help. I'm a fighter pilot!'…
"Dr. Manget interrupted his alcohol swabbing to confront his patient, eye to eye. 'You're wrong there, son,' he said softly. 'You are never alone up there. Not with all the things you came through. You have the greatest copilot in the world even if there is just room for one in that fighter ship.' When he sat up, Scott reeled figuratively and literally. He visualized illuminated figures dancing on a black velvet screen. They resolved themselves into a phrase: 'God is my copilot.'…"
I URGE YOU ALL TO READ the following about Robert L Scott I think you will find it entertaining
https://www.historynet.com/col-robert-l-scott-gods-pilot.htm
https://www.historynet.com/col-robert-l-scott-gods-pilot.htmhttps://www.historynet.com/col-robert-
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Hot Weather
Sunny California FACT: The July average 24-hour temperature of Death Valley was108.5 F. The average high temperature in Death Valley was 121.9 F.
Is it too early to start whining about the heat?
It's officially "unsticking your thighs from plastic chairs" season!
My air conditioner's been keeping me awake at night. Oh, not the noise…the thought of what this month's bill will look like.
It was such a hot day, so I took all my clothes off and opened every window. I felt so much better, although the other people on the bus didn't seem so pleased!
It is officially too hot when the lure of jumping in a cold pool is finally stronger than the horror I feel when I see myself in a swimsuit.
My favorite outdoor activity is going back inside.
How about when you get into a car that's hot, and your arm touches the metal part of the seatbelt?
Dear Weatherman, When I said I'd like to see 105 again, I meant my weight!
I'm not saying it's too hot, but I'm pretty sure the wall thermometer read "Satan's Smiling."
My summer bucket list:
Go inside.
Shut windows and close curtains.
Turn A/C on coldest setting.
Stay inside.
Remember to drink lots of water and stay indoors between 11:00 AM and November 1st.
Lately, driving with the windows down is like staring into a hair dryer.
Dear summer…Stop showing off. We get it. You're hot.
It is brain damage hot outside. For some of you, I'm afraid it's already too late.
Why yes, I do love winter! Because being hot, stinky, sweaty, sunburned, and being eaten alive by bugs is just not my thing!
I'm thinking about joining the cicadas this summer and just screaming for six weeks straight.
Remember that time I wasn't sweating? Me neither.
Being an optimist, let's enjoy the gorgeous summer weather before it somehow tries to murder us.
To be honest, I love everything about summer except the long days, heat, humidity, vacations, carnivals, picnics, fireworks, and kids being off school.
I need to either get a new air conditioner or move into my refrigerator.
I'm pretty sure some humans were intended to hibernate all summer. I'm sure that I'm one of those humans. Wake me in October!
How hot is it?
It's so hot my dream house in any house in Alaska.
It's so hot I saw a funeral procession pull through a Dairy Queen.
It's so hot cows are giving evaporated milk.
It's so hot, asphalt has a liquid state.
It's so hot I saw a bird pull a worm out of the ground with an oven mitt.
It's so hot the Statue of Liberty was asked to lower her arm.
It's so hot, chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs.
It's so hot, E.L. James titled her next book Fifty Shades of Red.
It's so hot they installed a fan in the debt ceiling.
It's so hot, polar bears are wearing sunscreen.
It's so hot granny broke wind just to have a little breeze.
It's so hot, I started putting ice-cubes in my waterbed.
It's so hot Siri asked to be dipped in a glass of ice water.
It's so hot bums are holding signs that read, "Will work for shade."
It's so hot fire ants are really on fire.
It's so hot, hot water comes out of both taps.
It's so hot, I get condensation on my backside from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
It's so hot, the Betty Ford Clinic opened a wet bar.
It's so hot, Jehovah's Witnesses started telemarketing.
Hope you are staying cool,
Al
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Thanks to Mugs
Gail was a great CO…skip
Wanted to make sure you guys knew about this. I thought Gail was a very good commander for VFP-63, and I kept up with him through the years via email, when that became a thing.
Jim
Dear Friends and Family of Gail Bailey,
In case you weren't on the first email we sent, we are sending an obituary for our Dad, see attached.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories of Dad, they were wonderful to read! And if you still want to share something, we'd love to hear from you!
love,
Sheila, Lisa and Leigh
Gail Robert Bailey
Gail Robert Bailey, age 92, passed away on July 13, 2024 in Tulsa, OK. He was born August 31, 1931 in Coffeyville, Kansas to George Thomas Bailey Jr. and Elva Olive Boren Bailey. Gail grew up in Texarkana, Texas, had a paper route, graduated from Texas High School in 1949, and attended Texarkana Junior College before transferring to Texas A&M University.
While growing up, Gail had the opportunity to fly with a close family friend during visits to their Colorado wheat ranch. This brought about a love of flying inspiring him to pursue a career as a pilot. He left college and joined the U.S. Navy as a NAVCAD, completing Naval Flight Training in Pensacola Florida and earning his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1954. He later earned a degree in political science at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California.
While stationed at Moffet Field near San Jose, California, Gail met Charlotte Mortson in the summer of 1956. She was a flight attendant for TWA stationed in San Francisco. Their social circle included a large group of airline stewardesses and Navy pilots who became lifelong friends. Gail and Charlotte were married in January of 1957 and had four daughters, all born in California.
In the Navy, Gail flew multiple jet aircraft including the Vought F-8 Crusader. He flew over Vietnam and served onboard several aircraft carriers including the USS Ticonderoga, USS Oriskany, USS Bon Homme Richard, and USS Hancock. The F8 Crusader was known to be a very challenging aircraft to land due to its high landing speed. Night carrier landings were especially challenging. He had a few close calls, one was while landing on the carrier after having lost his nose wheel. Gail received a Navy Commendation Medal for Heroic Achievement in 1965, two Citations for "heroic and meritorious achievement in aerial flight" in 1965 and 1966, two Vietnam Service Medals in 1966 and 1967, a National Defense Service Medal in 1966, and a Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding service in 1972. Gail was the Commanding Officer of VFP-63 in 1971-1972, a photo squadron stationed at NAS Miramar, and later served as Air Boss on the USS Hancock. He retired from the Navy as a Commander in 1974, having served tours in Brunswick GA, San Diego CA, Norfolk VA, Alameda CA, and Irving TX as a test pilot. Gail was proud of his service in the Navy. He had a Fighter Pilot ego along with a great sense of humor.
Upon Gail's Navy retirement, the Bailey family made their final move from California to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1974. Gail and his sister had recently inherited Bailey Inspection Service, a tank car business, from their father. He worked with his father's former business partner at Mallard Transportation Company to better
learn the tank car business. Gail bought a Mooney Super 21 four-seater airplane soon after moving to Tulsa. He enjoyed business trips as well as fly-in events with other pilots. He and Charlotte would often fly the Mooney for visits to friends and family. They also took a few trips to explore Egypt, Spain and Portugal flying on commercial airlines.
Gail was an avid tennis player and golfer, though he loved flying more than anything. He enjoyed schmoozing with other pilots, including his aircraft mechanic, at Riverside Airport near Jenks, Oklahoma where he kept his airplane. Gail purchased a 21-foot Venture sailboat in the late 1970s. He and Charlotte sailed mostly at Fort Gibson Reservoir in addition to other lakes in the area. He spent time tinkering in the garage, working in the yard, and watching sports on TV. He also enjoyed managing his investments. Gail was known by the neighbor kids as Mr. B.
Although he did not communicate it directly, Gail was proud of his daughters. Sheila flew helicopters in the Navy, Lisa earned a degree in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University, and Leigh became a Hydrologist with the US Forest Service. He was also very proud of his late wife Charlotte who earned a law degree from Tulsa University when she was in her early 50s. Gail was practical, valued situational awareness and common sense, was outgoing, and generously shared his life stories and advice.
Gail was a good friend and didn't hesitate to pick up the phone and call people to keep in touch. He attended many of his high school and Navy reunions. He had lifelong friends from childhood and the Navy for whom he felt a great loss as he outlived many of them. He will be missed by those he left behind. Gail is survived by his four daughters: Sheila Bailey, Lisa Bailey, Paula Bailey and Leigh Bailey, three grandchildren: Ian Bass, Suzanna York, and Terra Miller, and two great grandsons: Dominic and Rhone York. He is preceded in death by his wife Charlotte, his sister Norma Ware, and many close friends.
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From the Archives
Thanks to Mac
Subject: Contemporary Conundrum
As a man or woman, I used to think I was pretty much just a regular person, but I was born white, into a two-parent household which now, whether I like it or not, makes me privileged, a racist, and responsible for slavery.
I am a fiscal and moral conservative, which by today's standards, makes me a fascist because I plan, budget, and support myself.
I went to High School, and have always held a job. But I now find out that I am not here because I earned it, but because I was "advantaged".
I am heterosexual, which according to gay folks, now makes me a homophobe.
I am not a Muslim, which now labels me as an infidel.
I am older than 70, making me a useless parasite who doesn't understand Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat.
I think and I reason, and I doubt much of what the 'main stream' media tells me, which makes me a Right-wing conspiracy nut.
I am proud of my heritage and our inclusive American culture, making me a xenophobe.
I believe in hard work, fair play, and fair compensation according teach individual's merits, which today makes me an anti-socialist.
I believe our system guarantees freedom of effort - not freedom of outcome or subsidies which must make me a borderline sociopath.
I believe in the defense and protection of the United States for and by all citizens, now making me a militant.
I am proud of our flag, what it stands for, and the many who died to let it fly, so I stand during our National Anthem - so I must be a racist.
Please help me come to terms with the new me because I'm just not sure who I am anymore !
Funny - it all took place over the last 7 or 8 years! If all this nonsense wasn't enough to deal with, now I don't even know which restroom to use... and these days I gotta go more frequently.
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Thanks to History Facts
Only two people have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice.
A longside the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in America. An average of roughly 10 awards per year have been bestowed since the honor was first created by John F. Kennedy in 1963 (though some presidents award more medals than others), and only two people have received more than one: Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell. The former, a career diplomat who served six different U.S. presidents as the ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, and South Vietnam, received his in 1963 and 1967, both of them with distinction — an additional level of veneration reserved for approximately 8% of recipients.
Powell, meanwhile, earned his awards in 1991 and 1993, the second with distinction. He received the first from George H.W. Bush and the second from Bill Clinton, both of whom he served under as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he had previously been Ronald Reagan's national security adviser and later became secretary of state for George W. Bush. While presenting Powell with his first medal at the end of the Gulf War, the elder President Bush said, "Your commitment and good counsel, your deep compassion for every one of the thousands of men and women under your command, will always be remembered."
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Thanks to STRATFOR and Brett
THE WEEKLY RUNDOWN
RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL SHAPE THE COMING WEEK
KEY DEVELOPMENTS WE'RE TRACKING
Potential attacks against Israel and U.S. targets following deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Heightened regional tensions and Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran's vowed retaliations following the July 30 and July 31 assassinations of senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr and Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh portend retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. targets in the upcoming days. The retaliatory attacks will likely be aimed at inflicting damage on Israel and target military and/or infrastructure targets near major cities in the country, like Haifa and Tel Aviv. But the attacks are unlikely to intentionally target densely populated civilian targets as high casualties would increase the likelihood of a broader regional war. In case of a large barrage of strikes, the United States, the United Kingdom and some U.S. regional allies like Jordan would likely intercept many of the projectiles launched by Iran and its proxies, but such an attack from multiple fronts is more likely to overwhelm Israel's defense capabilities and could, in turn, inflict substantial damage. In addition, Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq will likely attack U.S. military targets due to the United States' support for Israel. The scale of the retaliation will likely factor into an Israeli response, portending another cycle of tit-for-tat strikes that risk threatening regional escalation.
Harris to announce VP pick after securing Democratic nomination for U.S. president. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to soon announce her running mate after she passed the delegate threshold needed to formally clinch the Democratic Party's nomination for president on Aug. 2. Harris is planning to hold her first campaign rally with the new Democratic nominee for vice president on Aug. 6. There are a number of names being floated as a potential pick, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly seen as the most likely candidates. Harris' selection will likely be aimed at helping her shore up support among moderates and potentially, if Shapiro or Walz is selected, support in key Midwest battleground states. From a policy standpoint, however, her running mate selection will likely only have a modest impact on her administration if she wins the election.
U.S. and Australia to hold annual meeting in Annapolis. Top defense and foreign affairs officials from Australia and the United States will meet in Annapolis, Maryland, on Aug. 6 for the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue. This follows a meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., in October 2023, during which the two pledged cooperation on infrastructure in the Pacific Islands, critical minerals supply chains, and drone production with Japan. Biden also stressed the importance of multilateral groupings in preserving Indo-Pacific stability — namely, AUKUS (which includes Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad (which includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Defense cooperation on Indo-Pacific issues will likely remain a focus of discussions at AUSMIN 2024. Though Washington aims to secure greater participation by South Korea and Japan in groups like the Quad and AUKUS, the Australian government under Albanese has been more circumspect, partly due to scope creep and partly due to hesitation to stoke Chinese fears of regional containment amid the warming of previously frigid China-Australia trade ties over the past year.
More countries to recognize the Venezuelan opposition's electoral victory. Some European and Latin American countries will likely recognize opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela's president-elect in the coming days after the United States moved to do so on Aug. 1 amid overwhelming evidence that the opposition received more votes in the July 28 election than President Nicolas Maduro, despite Maduro claiming victory. Still, international pressure will not be enough for Maduro to cede power as he retains control over the country's institutions and military and has survived similarly turbulent events in the past. Pro- and anti-government demonstrations will occur in the coming days (including on Aug. 3), and the degree of the government's repression and political persecution of opposition leaders will be key factors driving international reaction, including the imposition of sanctions. In the short term, the United States will likely resort to individual sanctions and travel bans on government officials involved in the electoral process while maintaining licenses allowing certain companies to operate in Venezuela's oil and gas sector, at least until the U.S. presidential election in November.
MOST READ ANALYSIS FROM THE WEEK
The Middle East Descends Deeper Into Conflict With Israel's Killing of Hezbollah, Hamas Leaders
Iran and Hezbollah will respond to Israel's assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, and while both will aim to avoid a regional war, incidental miscalculations could cause rapid escalation that could nonetheless lead to such an outcome, especially as Israel will likely continue to conduct escalatory operations. On July 30 and 31, Israel carried out two major assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. First, on July 30, Israel struck a Hezbollah stronghold in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, killing Fuad Shukr, one of the group's most prominent commanders and senior members of its Jihad Council, Hezbollah's military leadership. In the early morning hours of July 31, Israel assassinated the chief of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, who was in Tehran, Iran, attending the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The attack was likely carried out by air using a projectile launched from an undetermined location and targeted at an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) residential compound in the capital where Haniyeh was present. In a statement, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Iran itself would take revenge given that the attack occurred on its soil. In addition, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a statement noting that Haniyeh's killing had ''escalate[d] the war to a new level'' and would have ''enormous consequences for the entire region.'' In the wake of the Shukr assassination, Hezbollah is reportedly gearing up for retaliation as well, though as of writing, the group had not yet publicly commented on the attack. Separately on July 30, the United States conducted airstrikes in Baghdad, Iraq, for the first time since February, targeting Iraqi militias and killing at least four prominent Iranian-aligned Kataib Hezbollah commanders.
In China, Water Security Comes With High Costs
China's strategy to address water stress offers Beijing opportunities to become a world leader in water management technologies, but it also threatens Beijing's debt mitigation efforts, relations with Southeast Asia and attempts to attract foreign investment. July and August have heralded severe floods and droughts in China for the past three years, prompting new response measures as Beijing attempts to address China's water stress issues. In the aftermath of recent extreme weather events, Beijing launched investigations into officials' neglect of duty, dispatched emergency response teams for early harvesting to stem crop losses, and released billions of yuan in funds to ward off follow-on disasters, like pest infestations. Extreme weather is already hitting this summer, with the central rail hub of Zhengzhou receiving 9.2 inches (23.4 centimeters) of water in just three hours on July 8; videos on social media showed cars submerged on main roads, and local authorities closed tourist sites, urged residents to stay home, and moved to prevent flooding in the subway system.
What Maduro Clinging To Power Means for Venezuela
Electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro won the Venezuelan presidential election amid vast indications of fraud and pushback from the opposition and the international community, which will fuel political volatility, U.S. sanctions and risks of unrest in the coming months. Maduro won his third term with 51.2% of the vote while main opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 44.2%, according to Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE, in Spanish), which Maduro's government controls. Opposition leaders denounced that their representatives had not been allowed to monitor the vote count in multiple sites, and declared Gonzalez the winner. The election took place amid multiple indicators of widespread fraud, with armed paramilitary groups (known as ''colectivos'') harassing opposition supporters, voting centers remaining open for longer than they were supposed to, and multiple blackouts, which interfered with electronic ballots, while the CNE's website remained offline for several hours. Prominent opposition leader Maria Corina Machado stated the opposition would take the necessary measures to ensure Gonzalez is declared the winner and called for their supporters to peacefully take the streets with their families. Although social mobilization from both sides did not escalate to widespread unrest on July 28, local media reported that pro-government paramilitary groups killed one man in the state of Tachira.
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This Day in U S Military History……. August 5
1864 – Rear Admiral Farragut took his squadron of 18 ships, including four monitors, against the heavy Confederate defenses of Mobile Bay. Soon after 6 a.m., the Union ships crossed the bar and moved into the bay. The monitors Tecumseh, Manhattan, Winnebago, and Chickasaw formed a column to starboard of the wooden ships in order to take most of the fire from Fort Morgan, which they had to pass at close range. The seven smaller wooden ships were lashed to tile port side of the larger wooden screw steamers, as in the passage of Port Hudson, Mississippi River. Shortly before 7 o'clock, Tecumseh, Commander T.A.M. Craven, opened fire on Fort Morgan. The action quickly became general. The Confederate squadron under Admiral Buchanan, including the heavy ram Tennessee (6 guns) and the smaller ships Gaines (6 guns), Selma (4 guns), and Morgan (6 guns), moved out to engage the attackers. Craven headed Tecumseh straight at Tennessee, bent on engaging her at once. Suddenly, a terrific explosion rocked the Union monitor. She careened violently and went down in seconds, the victim of one of the much-feared torpedoes laid by the Confederates for harbor defense. Amidst the confusion below decks as men struggled to escape the sinking ship, Craven and the pilot, John Collins, arrived at the foot of the ladder leading to the main deck. The captain stepped back. "After you, pilot," he said. Collins was saved, but there was no afterwards for the heroic Craven. He and some 90 officers and men of Tecumseh's crew of 114 went down with the ship. Captain Alden called them "intrepid pioneers of that death-strewed path." Alden, in Brooklyn, was to Tecumseh's port when the disaster occurred; the heavy steamer stopped and began backing to clear "a row of suspecious-looking buoys" directly under Brooklyn's bow. The entire line of wooden vessels was drifting into confusion immediately under the guns of Fort Morgan. Farragut, lashed in the rigging to observe the action over the smoke billowing from the guns, acted promptly and resolutely, characteristic of a great leader who in war must constantly meet emergencies fraught with danger. The only course was the boldest through the torpedo field. "Damn the torpedoes," he ordered; "full speed ahead " (Flag Lieutenant John C. Watson later recalled that Farragut's exact words were: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead, Drayton! Hard astarboard; ring four bells! Eight bells! Sixteen bells!") His flagship Hartford s wept past Brooklyn into the rows of torpedoes; the fleet followed. The torpedoes were heard bumping against the hulls but none exploded. The Union force steamed into the bay. Hardly past one hazard, Farragut was immediately faced with another: Buchanan attempted to ram Hartford with Tennessee. The Union ship slipped by her slower, clumsier antagonist, returning her fire but also being raked by the fire of gunboat C.S.S. Selma, Lieutenant Peter U. Murphey. Wooden double-ender U.S.S. Metacomet, Lieutenant Commander Jouett, engaged Selma and, though sustaining considerable damage, compelled her to strike her colors shortly after 9 a.m. Meanwhile, Tennessee also attempted in vain to ram Brooklyn. C.S.S. Gaines, Lieu-tenant John W. Bennett, advanced to engage the Union ships as they entered the bay, but she suffered a steering casualty early in the action. ". . . subjected to a very heavy concentrated fire from the Hartford, Richmond, and others at short range . . . , Bennett soon found his command in a sinking condition. He ran her aground near Fort Morgan and salvaged most of the ammuni-tion and small arms before she settled in two fathoms. C.S.S. Morgan, Commander George W. Harrison, briefly engaged Metacomet to assist Selma prior to her surrender, but as the action took place at high speed, Morgan could not maintain her position and faced the possibility of being cut off and captured by two Union ships. Harrison determined to take her under Fort Morgan's guns and later he saved her by boldly running the gauntlet of Federal ships to Mobile. Meanwhile, 300-ton side-wheeler U.S.S. Philippi, Acting Master James T. Seaver, "wishing to be of assistance to the fleet in case any vessels were disabled," grounded near Fort Morgan attempting to get into the bay. The fort's heavy guns quickly found the range and riddled Philippi with shot and shell, forcing Seaver and his crew to abandon ship. A boat crew from C.S.S. Morgan completed her destruction by setting her afire. The Union fleet, having steamed up into the bay, anchored briefly. Buchanan heroically carried the fight to his powerful opponents alone. Farragut reported: "I was not long in comprehending his intention to be the destruction of the flagship. The monitors and such of the wooden vessels as I thought best adapted for the purpose were immediately ordered to attack the ram, not only with their guns, but bows on at full speed, and then began one of the fiercest naval combats on record." For more than an hour the titanic battle raged. Steam sloop of war Monongahela struck Tennessee a heavy blow but succeeded only in damaging herself. Lackawanna rammed into the Confederate ship at full speed but, said Farragut, "the only perceptible effect on the ram was to give her a heavy list." A shot from Manhattan's 15-inch gun, however, made a greater impression on those on board Tennessee. Lieutenant Wharton, CSN, reported: "The Monongahela was hardly clear of us when a hideous-looking monster came creeping up on our Port side, whose slowly revolving turret revealed the cavernous depths of a mammoth gun. 'Stand clear of the Port side!' I shouted. A moment after a thundrous report shook us all, while a blast of dense, sulpherous smoke covered our port-holes, and 440 pounds of iron, impelled by sixty pounds of powder, admitted daylight through our side, where, before it struck us, there had been over two feet of solid wood, covered with five inches of solid iron. This was the only 15-inch shot that hit us fair. It did not come through; the inside netting caught the splinters, and there were no casualties from it. I was glad to find myself alive after that shot." Hartford struck a glancing blow and poured a broadside into Tennessee from a distance of ten feet Chickasaw pounded the ram with heavy shot; steam sloops Lackawanna and Hartford had collided, but had regained position and, with Ossipee and Monongahela, were preparing to run down Buchanan's ship. The intrepid Confederate Admiral had been seriously wounded and relinquished command to Commander James D. Johnston. The rain of shells knocked out the ironclad's steering. Unable to maneuver and taking on water, Tennessee struggled on against her overwhelmingly superior foes despite the terrible cannonade that pounded her mercilessly. Ultimately, Buchannan and Johnston concurred that Tennessee must surrender to prevent loss of life to no fruitful end. At 10 o'clock a white flag was hoisted. Farragut acknowledged the tenacity and ability with which the Confederate seamen had fought: "During this contest with the rebel gunboats and Tennessee . . . we lost many more men than from the fire of the batteries of Fort Morgan
1945 – On Tinian, at about 0210 hours, seven American aircraft take off for Japan. One of the aircraft is the specially modified B-29 Superfortress — the Enola Gay — carrying the "Little Boy" atomic bomb and heading for Hiroshima.
1945 – Aircraft from the US 5th and 7th Air Forces, based in Okinawa, raid Tarumizu in the south. About 325 planes take part in the attack. Another 12 Japanese cities have leaflets dropped on them by B-29 bombers, warning of coming raids. During the night, American bombers strike Imabari, Ube, Mayobashi, Saga, Nishinomiya and Mikage, fulfulling the threat made by leaflet drops.
1950 – The USS Philippine Sea arrived in Korean waters – the second carrier to enter the war.
1950 – Major Kenneth L. Reusser was awarded a gold star in lieu of a second Navy Cross and became the first Marine to be decorated for valor during the Korean War.
1952 – USAF Major Robinson Risner scored his first aerial victory of the Korean War. He later became a POW during the Vietnam War and retired as a brigadier general.
1964 – F-8 Crusaders, A-1 Skyraiders, and A-4 Skyhawks, from the carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation stationed in the South China Sea, fly 64 sorties against North Vietnamese coastal targets as part of Operation Pierce Arrow in retaliation for the Tonkin Gulf incidents of August 2 and 4. The U.S. warplanes destroyed or damaged 25 North Vietnamese PT boats (claimed by U.S. officials to be about one-half of the North Vietnamese Navy) at bases at Hon Gai, Loc Ghao, Phuc Loi, and Quang Khe; destroyed seven anti-aircraft installations at Vinh; and severely damaged an oil storage depot at Phuc Loi. Two U.S. planes were shot down. One pilot, Lieutenant j.g. (or "junior grade") Everett Alvarez, parachuted to safety, but broke his back in the process and was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese. He was the first of some 600 U.S. airmen who would be captured during the war and not released until the cease-fire agreement was signed in 1973.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
There were 100 MOH awarded this day 97 were for the battle of Mobile Bay only a couple here
WORAM, CHARLES B.
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Oneida in the engagement at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Acting as an aid to the executive officer, Woram carried orders intelligently and correctly, distinguishing himself by his cool courage throughout the battle which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram Tennessee and the damaging of Fort Morgan.
YOUNG, EDWARD B.
Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1835, Bergan, N.J. Accredited to: New Jersey. G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Calena during the attack on enemy forts at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Securely lashed to the side of the Oneida which had suffered the loss of her steering apparatus and an explosion of her boiler from enemy fire, the Calena aided the stricken vessel past the enemy forts to safety. Despite heavy damage to his ship from raking enemy fire, Young performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action.
McDONALD, FRANKLIN M.
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 11th U.S. Infantry Place and date: Near Fort Griffin, Tex., 5 August 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Bowling Green, Ky. Date of issue: 31 August 1872. Citation: Gallantry in defeating Indians wlho attacked the mail.
*REESE, JAMES W.
Rank and organization. Private, U.S. Army, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date. At Mt. Vassillio, Sicily, 5 August 1943. Entered service at: Chester, Pa. Birth: Chester, Pa. G.O. No.: 85, 17 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life. above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with the enemy. When the enemy launched a counterattack which threatened the position of his company, Pvt. Reese, as the acting squad leader of a 60-mm. mortar squad, displaying superior leadership on his own initiative, maneuvered his squad forward to a favorable position, from which, by skillfully directing the fire of his weapon, he caused many casualties in the enemy ranks, and aided materially in repulsing the counterattack. When the enemy fire became so severe as to make his position untenable, he ordered the other members of his squad to withdraw to a safer position, but declined to seek safety for himself. So as to bring more effective fire upon the enemy, Pvt. Reese, without assistance, moved his mortar to a new position and attacked an enemy machinegun nest. He had only 3 rounds of ammunition but secured a direct hit with his last round, completely destroying the nest and killing the occupants. Ammunition being exhausted, he abandoned the mortar. seized a rifle and continued to advance, moving into an exposed position overlooking the enemy. Despite a heavy concentration of machinegun, mortar, and artillery fire, the heaviest experienced by his unit throughout the entire Sicilian campaign, he remained at this position and continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy until he was killed. His bravery, coupled with his gallant and unswerving determination to close with the enemy, regardless of consequences and obstacles which he faced, are a priceless inspiration to our armed forces.
*SEBILLE, LOUIS J.
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Air Force, 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, 5th Air Force. Place and date: Near Hanchang, Korea, 5 August 1950. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 21 November 1915, Harbor Beach. Mich. Citation: Maj. Sebille, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. During an attack on a camouflaged area containing a concentration of enemy troops, artillery, and armored vehicles, Maj. Sebille's F-51 aircraft was severely damaged by antiaircraft fire. Although fully cognizant of the short period he could remain airborne, he deliberately ignored the possibility of survival by abandoning the aircraft or by crash landing, and continued his attack against the enemy forces threatening the security of friendly ground troops. In his determination to inflict maximum damage upon the enemy, Maj. Sebille again exposed himself to the intense fire of enemy gun batteries and dived on the target to his death. The superior leadership, daring, and selfless devotion to duty which he displayed in the execution of an extremely dangerous mission were an inspiration to both his subordinates and superiors and reflect the highest credit upon himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the armed forces of the United Nations.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for August 5, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
5 August
1911: Lincoln Beachey won the New York to Philadelphia race for the Gimbel $5,000 purse in 1 hour 50 minutes 18 seconds with one stop for fuel. (24)
1922: Lt Clayton Bissell began first model airway night flight from Washington DC to Dayton and return. (24)
1937: The XC-35, first aircraft with a pressurized cabin, made its first performance flight at Wright Field.
1944: FIRST ATTACK AGAINST PHILIPPINES. Night raids began when the 63d Bombardment Squadron from Fifth Air Force launched a single radar-equipped B-24 Snooper. It conducted an ineffective attack on the Sasa airdrome, north of Davao, Mindanao. (17
1950: KOREAN WAR/MEDAL OF HONOR. Maj Louis J. Sebille, the 67 FBS Commander, died near Hamchang, Korea, when he crashed his severely damaged F-51 into an enemy position. Major Sebille received the first Medal of Honor for an USAF member in the Korean War posthumously. (16) (26) In the first SA-16 rescue operation of the war, Captain Charles E. Shroder led a crew in saving a Navy pilot who had crashed into the sea off the Korean coast. (28)
1951: Richard H. Johnson set a world record for single-place gliders, covering 535.69 miles from Odessa, to Salina, Kans.
1954: A production-model B-52 flew for the first time. (12)
1964: The National Academy of Sciences set up a 10-man committee to study sonic boom effects in the development of supersonic transports. The FAA managed this program with support from NASA and the USAF. (5) (16) The JCS established the Yankee Team Tanker Task Force (renamed the Foreign Legion on 3 September) with eight KC-135s at Clark AB to support combat operations in the area. (1) SOUTHEAST ASIA FORCE DEPLOYMENTS. The USAF deployed more squadrons of tactical fighters, bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft to Southeast Asia. On 5 August, B-57s from Clark AB deployed to Bien Hoa AB and additional F-100s moved to Da Nang AB. On 6 August, 18 F-105s from the 36 TFS from Yokota AB deployed to Korat RTAFB. Tactical Air Command provided three tactical fighter squadrons, two troop carrier squadrons, and six reconnaissance aircraft to the battle zone. (17)
1965: The 321 SMW at Grand Forks AFB accepted the first Minuteman II to arrive in the field. (6)
1968: A 1,095-foot long STOLPORT (short takeoff and landing strip) opened at LaGuardia Airport, N.Y.
1971: American Airlines flew the first McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flight between Los Angeles and Chicago in 3 hours 18 minutes.
1975: The X-24B became the first lifting body to land on a concrete runway.
1983: EXERCISE AHUAS TARA II: Through 31 December, for exercises with Honduran forces, MAC moved 6,000 passengers and 4,000 tons of cargo to Honduras. (2)
1994: Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs destroyed an armored vehicle near Sarajevo after the Serbs took heavy weapons from a UN compound. The weapons were returned. (16) (26)
1997: After a 747 Korean Airlines jetliner crashed on Guam, a C-141 from the 305 AMW at McGuire AFB flew a 31-member team of the National Transportation Safety Board from Andrews AFB to Fairchild AFB, where they boarded a 92 AREFW KC-135 for the flight to Andersen AFB. A second C-141 from the 305 AMW took medical equipment and seven physicians from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe, Hawaii, to Guam to help treat the crash survivors, while a C-141 from the 62 AW at McChord AFB airlifted Red Cross, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and FAA representatives from Hawaii to Guam. Additionally, a joint Army-Air Force critical care team, consisting of two Critical Care Air Transport Teams, each augmented by a second critical care nurse, and two burn teams from the Brooke Army Medical Center's Institute of Surgical Research, left for Guam on 6 August. (22)
2000: AFRC C-141s from the 452 AMW at March ARB and 445 AW at Wright-Patterson AFB joined two active-duty C-141s from the 62 AW at McChord AFB to move firefighters and equipment to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where they were bused to Clear Creek, Idaho, to fight raging wildfires.Two AFRC C-130s from the 302 AW at Peterson AFB and two ANG C-130s from the 146 AW at Channel Islands ANG Station, Calif., dropped fire retardant on wildfires near Los Angeles and Fresno. The 145 AW (ANG) at Charlotte, N. C., and the 153 AW (ANG) at Cheyenne, Wyo., flew sorties from Hill AFB to drop fire retardant over the wildfires in California. (22)
2005: Through 7 August, AMC participated in an unusual rescue operation. A C-5 returning to Travis AFB diverted to NAS North Island in San Diego to pick up a 32 US Navy sailors and two Super Scorpio Remotely Operated Vehicles. The C-5 then carried the Navy team 3,700 nautical miles nonstop for 10 hours to Yelizovo Airport, near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Kamchatka Peninsula, to help rescue seven sailors from a stranded Russian AS-28 mini-sub that became entangled in fishing net during a 4 August military exercise. On 6 August, three AMC aircraft landed at Yelizovo Airport with more people and equipment, including a C-17 Globemaster III from the 172d Airlift Wing (Mississippi ANG) that flew non-stop from New Orleans NAS to Russia with 95,000 pounds of equipment and personnel. On 7 August, the US and British rescue specialists freed the submarine from the fish nets, and all seven Russians survived. A KC-10 Extender from the 60 AMW at Travis AFB, a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 939 AREFW (AFRC) at Portland, and two KC-135s from the 168 AREFW (ANG) at Eielson AFB provided four refuelings to support the operation. (22)
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