To All,
Good Saturday Morning August 31. Lots going on here today. Yard work, moving junk (I hope) and some in house fixes. Have a great weekend.
Warm Regards,
skip
Make it a good Day
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
August. 31
1842—Congress replaces the Board of Navy Commissioners, a group of senior officers who oversee naval technical affairs, with the five technical Bureaus, ancestors of the Systems Commands. One of the 1842 Bureaus, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, continues to serve under its original name.
1862—The daily rum issued to US Navy sailors on board vessels is abolished. On July 14, by an Act of Congress, the spirit ration ceases Sept. 1. Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles issues a further order requiring captains of naval vessels to remove all distilled liquors from their ships except those that serve as medical stores.
1911—USS Utah (BB 31) is commissioned. During World War I, she serves in the Atlantic protecting convoys. In 1931, she is converted to a radio-controlled target ship and is redesignated (AG 16). Utah spends the rest of her career in this role, with additional duties as an anti-aircraft gunnery training ship beginning in the mid-1930s. On Dec. 7, 1941, while moored at Pearl Harbor, Utah is hit by a Japanese aerial torpedo attack, rolls over and sinks. A few years later, her hull is partially righted and moved closer to Ford Island, where she remains today.
1942—USS Reid (DD 369) and PBY Catalinas from VP-42 and VP-43 sink Japanese submarine RO-61 off Atka, Aleutians.
1962—The last flight of a Navy airship was made at Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, N.J.
1990—Iraqi merchant vessel, Al Karamah, is boarded by the crew of USS Biddle (CG 34) in the first interception during Operation Desert Shield.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in World History: August 31
1303 The War of Vespers in Sicily ends with an agreement between Charles of Valois, who invaded the country, and Frederick, the ruler of Sicily.
1756 The British at Fort William Henry, New York, surrender to Louis Montcalm of France.
1802 Captain Meriwether Lewis leaves Pittsburgh to meet up with Captain William Clark and begin their trek to the Pacific Ocean.
1864 At the Democratic convention in Chicago, General George B. McClellan is nominated for president.
1919 The Communist Labor Party is founded in Chicago, with the motto, "Workers of the world unite!"
1928 Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera opens in Berlin.
1940 Joseph Avenol steps down as Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
1942 The British army under General Bernard Law Montgomery defeats Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps in the Battle of Alam Halfa in Egypt.
1944 The British Eighth Army penetrates the German Gothic Line in Italy.
1949 Six of the 16 surviving Union veterans of the Civil War attend the last-ever encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1951 The 1st Marine Division begins its attack on Bloody Ridge in Korea. The four-day battle results in 2,700 Marine casualties.
1961 A concrete wall replaces the barbed wire fence that separates East and West Germany, it will be called the Berlin wall.
1965 US Congress creates Department of Housing & Urban Development.
1968 The Dasht-e Bayaz 7.3 earthquake in NE Iran completely destroys five villages and severely damages six others.
1970 Lonnie McLucas convicted of torturing and murdering fellow Black Panther Party member Alex Rackley in the first of the New Haven Black Panther Trials.
1980 Polish government forced to sign Gdansk Agreement allowing creation of the trade union Solidarity.
1985 Police capture Richard Ramirez, dubbed the "Night Stalker" for a string of gruesome murders that stretched from Mission Viejo to San Francisco, Cal.
1986 A Russian cargo ship collides with cruise ship Admiral Nakhimov, killing 398.
1987 Longest mine strike in South Africa's history ends, after 11 people were killed, 500 injured and 400 arrested.
1990 Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become first father and son to play on same team simultaneously in professional baseball (Seattle Mariners).
1990 East and West Germany sign the Treaty of Unification (Einigungsvertrag) to join their legal and political systems.
1994 Last Russian troops leave Estonia and Latvia.
1994 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announces a "complete cessation of military operations," opening the way to a political settlement in Ireland for the first time in a quarter of a century.
1997 New York Yankees retire Don Mattingly's #23 (first baseman, coach, manager).
1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a Paris car crash along with her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul while fleeing paparazzi.
2006 Edvard Munch's famed painting The Scream recovered by Norwegian police. The artwork had been stolen on Aug. 22, 2004
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 26 August 2024 continuing through Sunday, 1 September 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 25 August 1969… Includes two great stories: The saga of "Balky Company A" and the 40 year search for her missing Marine by a wife who never gave up…
(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 31 August This is an exceptional read about a daring rescue and a Medal of Honor.
31-Aug: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1921
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
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Johnny
Clever
Today I was in a shoe store that sells only shoes, nothing else. A young girl with a tattoo and green hair walked over to me and asked, "What brings you in today, I looked at her and said, "I'm interested in buying a refrigerator." She didn't quite know how to respond, had that deer in the headlights look.
I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.
When people see a cat's litter box they always say, "Oh, have you got a cat" I just say, "No, it's for company!"
Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write, "An ambulance."
The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
Have you ever noticed: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.
The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he knows when he's really in trouble.
Did you ever notice that when you put the 2 words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "Theirs"
Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
Some people try to turn back their "odometers." Not me.
I want people to know why I look this way.
I've traveled a long way and a lot of the roads were not paved.
Ah! Being young is beautiful but being old is comfortable.
Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
May you always have:
Love to share,
Cash to spare,
Tires with air,
And friends who care.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the archives
Thanks to Carl
http://www.legion.org/convention/217026/%E2%80%98almost-doomed-get-go%E2%80%99
'Almost doomed from the get-go'
By Steve B. Brooks - August 28, 2013
Michael Durant, decorated U.S. Army pilot, told attendees to the Legion's 95th National Convention in Houston his personal account of the incident chronicled in "Black Hawk Down." (Photo by Eldon Lindsay)
It's said hindsight is 20-20, and in Michael Durant's case, it's also very analytical. The U.S. Army pilot – made famous worldwide when he became an 11-day prisoner of war in Somalia in 1993 – looks back on the U.S. mission to capture a Somali warlord and end a civil war in which hundreds of thousands of Somalis were killed by starvation, and has no trouble pointing out critical flaws that led to the deaths of 18 U.S. servicemembers.
"This mission was, unfortunately, as you look at it now, almost doomed from the get-go," Durant told a packed hall of delegates to The American Legion National Convention on Aug. 27 in Houston. "You've got to be decisive, (and) you've got to act when the time is right. When we don't act when the time is right is when situations get out of control and become much more difficult to deal with."
Durant's story and that of the raid were chronicled in the "Black Hawk Down" book and movie – the latter, Durant said, was "accurate enough." But on the national convention floor, Durant gave a first-person account outside of the Hollywood lens.
U.S. forces landed in Mogadishu and within two weeks secured nearly one-third of the city, the port and airport facilities. "Unfortunately, we decided back here in the state that, after about six months, that that success needed to be built upon," Durant said. "We changed the scope of the mission, and that is where we start to get in trouble. The leadership decided we were going to get into nation building, and we all know – certainly after 10-plus years in Iraq and Afghanistan – the challenges involved in those types of missions. It's culture-changing, and cultures don't change in days. They don't change in weeks. They don't change in months. They often time takes generations for cultures to truly change."
"The leadership certainly has the authority and the latitude to do what they want to do, but at the end of the day, it's the sergeant major and the platoon leaders and the people at the point of the spear that have to turn it into reality. In this case, the tactical leadership decides the best way to start this process in motion is to disarm the city of Mogadishu. That is the right first step, but it's also a very difficult thing to take on. That is a very large city."
The decision eventually was made to go after warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the self-proclaimed president of Somalia. But Durant said it took 90 days to get that order, causing the U.S. to lose the element of surprise. "He went underground," Durant said of Aidid. "He never slept twice in the same place. It makes a guy who was fairly easy to track down and capture at the outset very, very difficult to track down and capture later on."
The long wait to attack allowed Aidid's forces to adapt to U.S. tactics. They began using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) – eventually shooting 125 during the Battle of Mogadishu, taking down five Black Hawks (three made it back to the U.S. airfield).
Another hurdle faced by the Americans was leadership's decision to start drawing down U.S. forces, Durant said. "So we went from a high of 28,000 U.S. troops to less than 1,500," he said. "Now 1,500 people is not a very large force to try to do all the things that this task force had assigned to it."
Also gone were all the AC-130 gunships, as well as all the tanks – "The things you want to be in if you're going to travel in a city where there's a threat present," Durant said. "It really, unfortunately, took away a large part of our probability of success."
The inability to use tanks particularly is upsetting to Durant, who said that the Somalis' growing use of RPGs made it simple common sense to bring tanks back. "We realized that those RPGs were a significant threat," he said. "What you've got to do when you see those changes occur on the battlefield is figure out, 'What do we need to do to counter that change in the situation?' What we would have typically done if we lose an aircraft – we've been doing it for 50 or 60 years – is send in a search-and-rescue bird, a recovery aircraft, to get that crew and those passengers out. But in this particular case, when you're in an urban environment... the likelihood of the threat being right there is very high. So sending in another helicopter to replace the first one is probably not a good idea.
"Our leadership recognized that and decided we needed to do something different. The conclusion was the right solution was to use a tank."
But that didn't fly with the leaders back home. "We sent the request for a tank up the chain of commander," Durant said. "As much as I hate to say it, that request – making it all the way to (Secretary of Defense Lee Aspin's) office – came all the way back down denied. It wasn't denied because we didn't have tanks. It was denied for political reasons. It was denied because we had begun to withdraw the force, and to put resources back in would send a bad message to the American people.
"I'm going to tell you – that is the unforgiveable sin. If you ask me was there was a lesson learned from Somalia – which should have been learned in Vietnam – it's all about resourcing the commanders on the ground. It is our obligation as American citizens, and certainly our leaders' obligation, to do everything in our power to make sure those resources our provided."
Durant said that prior to the mission, everyone involved on the ground felt comfortable enough they could execute the mission. And everything was going well during the Oct. 3 Operation Gothic Serpent until the first Black Hawk was shot down. Durant's MH60 Black Hawk – which already had dropped off 18 U.S. Army Rangers into the target area, went in to replace that helicopter; his also was shot down.
The crew survived the crash, and two Delta Force snipers – Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart – saw movement at the crash site and a mob of Aidid's forces heading toward the crash and asked three times for permission to be dropped at the site to provide protection for the crew. They were finally granted permission and were able to hold off the overwhelming force for nearly a half hour before being killed, along with the rest of Durant's crew. Gordon and Shughart both would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Durant – who suffered a broken back and leg during the crash – was captured and held hostage for 11 days by hostile forces. His image as a POW appeared in media outlets around the world; the Somalis also would force him to make a video that appeared in 127 countries.
"Captivity is a very, very difficult and challenging thing for any American and any of our allies," Durant said. "We are victimized, quite frankly, by these people who are very angry. They are very anti-U.S. by this point. They broke my cheekbone, my nose, my eye socket. They shot me the next day in captivity. They were threatening me all night."
Durant had gone through survival school and credited it with helping him survive the ordeal. The United States would end up sending former U.S Ambassador to Somalia Robert Oakley, who Durant said had already had earned credibility with the Somalis. Durant said that Oakley was very matter-of-fact with the Somalis. "When he went in and met with them, he said, 'You have two choices: You can let him go within 48 hours, or not. If you choose not to, we will figure out where he is eventually, and when we do we're coming with everything we got," Durant said.
After being freed, Durant worked his way through recovery and resumed flying with the 160th SOAR, retiring in 2001 with more than 3,700 flight hours. He now serves as president of Pinnacle Solutions Inc., a simulation and training company in Huntsville, Ala. During his Army career, he earned the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Valor device, Distinguished Service Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster.
"It got through it all... because the military takes care of our own," Durant said. "We've gotten so good at that, and I think it's a big part of why we have no issues whatsoever filling the ranks of an all-volunteer force. We can never deviate from taking care of our own."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Forks were considered sinful in the Middle Ages.
FORK AND KNIFE TABLE SETTING
While forks are now a mundane and commonplace item at most dining room tables, they were once quite controversial. In the Middle Ages, many Christian Europeans considered the act of eating with a fork to be a sinful affront to God. According to some clergymen of the time, God had already given human beings 10 natural forks, in the form of the fingers on their own hands, so daring to use an artificial accessory to spear food was an offense to the Lord and his divine gifts. Not only did using a fork insult the fingers that God gifted to humanity, the thinking went, but it also insulted the food God had provided: To use a fork meant you thought the Lord's bounty was unworthy of being touched by your hands. Forks were so frowned upon in medieval European society that when a Byzantine princess living in Venice died of the plague, her death was said to be God's punishment for her ostentatious and hubristic custom of eating her food with a fork. The supposedly sinful nature of forks is likely one reason it took so long for the utensils to become widely accepted by European society. While forks had existed since the days of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, they were predominantly used for cooking, and rarely, if ever, appeared for personal use at the dinner table. Using forks for eating wasn't a regular practice in Europe until the 17th century, and even then their popularity was limited largely to the aristocracy. It wasn't until the late 19th century that forks became widely accepted at all levels of European society as the everyday eating utensils we know today.
By the Numbers
Height (in feet) of the world's tallest fork, located in Fairview, Oregon
37
Albums the music blog Pitchfork has rated a perfect 10 since its 1995 launch
11
Types of forks present at a standard formal dinner (salad fork, dinner fork, and dessert fork)
3
Amount paid at auction for a silver spoon made by Paul Revere
$32,500
Chopsticks became popular in part because Confucius was opposed to knives.
The evolution of eating utensils took a different path in Asia than it did in Europe, and one of the most notable distinctions between the two culinary cultures is the widespread use of chopsticks in Asian cooking and dining. Archaeological evidence suggests that chopsticks were used in ancient Chinese societies dating back to at least 1200 BCE, when they were used to pull food from boiling pots. Much like the fork, chopsticks made a gradual migration from the kitchen to the dining table. By 400 CE, a shortage of cooking fuel across Asia forced chefs to chop food into smaller pieces that would cook faster, and as a result, diners began using chopsticks to eat, as there was no need for knives. This practice was also expedited due to the teachings of the influential philosopher Confucius (551 to 479 BCE), who wrote that "the honorable and upright man… allows no knives on his table." Confucius preached a philosophy of nonviolence, and viewed both forks and knives as violent weapons that were more suitable for killing than for eating. The use of chopsticks became deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, and soon became ubiquitous in countries across Asia.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to History Facts
Why is Joan of Arc important?
Amid the bloodshed of the Hundred Years' War in the 14th and 15th centuries rose a figure who seems as much of a shadowy legend as King Arthur, but was very much a real person. Somehow, an illiterate teenage woman not only convinced the dauphin of France that she was sent by divine forces to place him on the throne, but also actually helped achieve exactly that, by spurring royal forces to a string of victories despite not having a shred of military training. While most everyone knows the name Joan of Arc, few know more than the vague outlines of her accomplishments from a distant era. Here's a look at her remarkable life story, from its humble beginnings to its troubled conclusion and her reemergence as one of history's most celebrated figures.
Joan of Arc was born around 1412 in Domrémy, a village in northeastern France that sat in disputed territory between subjects loyal to Henry VI of England and those devoted to Charles of Valois, the dauphin of France, and the Burgundians loyal to the Duke of Burgundy and Henry VI of England. The daughter of a tenant farmer father and a devout Catholic mother, Joan learned the skills of a shepherdess and absorbed the teachings of the church. At around age 13, she began hearing what she determined to be the voices of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria. These voices initially told her to live piously, but eventually provided more explicit instructions that she was to see the dauphin Charles crowned the rightful king of France.A few years later, Joan sought to gain an audience with Charles by meeting with intermediaries at the nearby stronghold of Vaucouleurs. Initially rejected, she eventually convinced the garrison captain of her divine inspiration. In February 1429, Joan cut off her hair and donned men's clothing to make an 11-day journey with an armed escort to the dauphin's castle in Chinon, France.
Unsure of what to make of this peasant girl who was rumored to be the prophesied virgin who would save France, Charles devised a test in which he disguised himself and blended in with the 300 courtiers gathered at his castle. Not fooled, Joan quickly picked him out from the crowd, and allegedly relayed surprising knowledge of private information about the dauphin. Following further questioning by trusted church authorities, Charles agreed to make use of her passion for his military campaigns.In late April 1429, Joan traveled with a French army to the city of Orléans, which had been under siege by Anglo-Burgundian forces since the previous October. After successfully attacking surrounding forts, the French side turned to the besieged city, with Joan a conspicuous presence in her white armor. Although she never actually took up arms, Joan outlined strategies and served as a motivational figure by standing near the fighting, exhorting the men as she waved her banner. Recovering from an arrow to the shoulder, she claimed triumph when the siege was lifted on May 8.
While Charles' advisors urged him to take the fighting to Normandy, Joan instead convinced the dauphin to travel to Reims, the traditional site for the investiture of French royalty. That meant clearing a path through the heavily fortified Anglo-Burgundian Loire Valley, where Joan continued to turn the tide of the war by pushing French forces through skirmishes at Jargeau, Meung-sur-Loire, and Beaugency.On July 17, 1429, Joan saw her mission fulfilled when the dauphin was crowned King Charles VII at Reims. However, Charles neglected to immediately take up Joan's advice that they seize the momentum and march on Paris, which gave the city's pro-Henry forces time to fortify their position. By the time Charles finally sent Joan and his army to Paris in September, they were unable to penetrate the city's defenses.Following the end of a temporary truce for territories north of the river Seine, Joan led efforts to dismantle a Burgundian siege of Compiègne in May 1430. However, she was thrown from her horse amid the fighting and stranded as the town gates closed. Her attempts to escape confinement failed, and she was sold to the English for 10,000 francs, with Charles VII making little effort to intervene.
The highly publicized trial of Joan of Arc began in Rouen, Normandy, on January 9, 1431. Over the course of six public and nine private examinations, she deftly answered questions from the ecclesiastic interrogators about her divine guiding voices, her obedience to the church, and her penchant for wearing men's clothing. Although most of the original 70 articles of accusation were dropped, the judges ultimately settled on 12 charges of heresy.Faced with the prospect of execution, Joan initially abjured her claims to earn a reduced sentence of life imprisonment. However, she recanted her abjuration after being found wearing men's clothes again a few days later, and was declared a relapsed heretic. On May 30, 1431, Joan was led to the Rouen town square and tied to a pyre, where she gazed at a crucifix held high as flames engulfed her body.
After Rouen fell into French hands in 1449, Charles VII ordered an examination of the records that documented Joan's legal proceedings. The investigation eventually reached Rome, with Pope Callixtus III consenting to a rehabilitation trial for the deceased Joan. On July 7, 1456, after it was found that the original trial had violated church law, Joan's sentence was formally annulled.While the exoneration made Joan a martyr, it would be another four centuries before the Maid of Orléans, as she became known, underwent another round of rehabilitation that propelled her to mythical status. Following the call for her canonization by Bishop Dupanloup of Orléans, Joan of Arc was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909, and declared a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Meanwhile, she became a symbol of French nationalism during the Franco-Prussian War, an image that carried through the country's involvement in both world wars of the 20th century.
Today, along with her place among the holy figures of the Catholic Church, Joan of Arc is recognized as a patron saint of France, soldiers, prisoners, and those ridiculed for their faith. She is honored with celebrations such as the St. Joan of Arc Feast Day, and continues to be memorialized in art, literature, and music. Given the magnitude of her accomplishments before reaching adulthood, and her devotion to her ideals until the very end, it's easy to see why Joan of Arc remains a source of inspiration more than 600 years after she first swore allegiance to the uncrowned king of a fractured land.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Interesting Facts
August 31, 2024
The human skull never fully stops growing.
By the time most of us reach age 20 or so, the bones in our body are pretty much done growing. The growth plates that cause us to put on inches in our youth are now hardened bone, and in fact, adults tend to drop an inch or two in height as worn-out cartilage causes our spines to shrink over time. However, there are a few bones that buck this biological trend. Skulls, for example, never fully stop growing, and the bones also shift as we age. A 2008 study from Duke University determined that as we grow older, the forehead moves forward, while cheek bones tend to move backward. As the skull tilts forward, overlying skin droops and sags.
The skull isn't the only bone that has a positive correlation with age. Human hips also continue to widen as the decades pass, meaning those extra inches aren't only due to a loss of youthful metabolism. In 2011, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine discovered that hips continue to grow well into our 70s, and found that an average 79-year-old's pelvic width was 1 inch wider than an average 20-year-old's. So while it's mostly true that humans stop growing after the age of 20, nature always likes to throw in a few exceptions to the rule.
The largest skull ever discovered belongs to a T. rex. The world's largest skull does belong to a dinosaur — just not a T. rex. The record-breaking skull, standing some 10 feet, 6 inches tall, belongs to a Cretaceous Period Pentaceratops, currently on display at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
Numbers Don't Lie
Number of bones in an adult human skull, including eight cranial bones and 14 facial bones
22
Max amount of time (in months) it takes for the anterior fontanelle in a baby's skull to close
26
Year the band Grateful Dead created their famous blue-and-red skull logo
1969
Estimated number of skulls discovered in 2001 at the now-famous Brno Ossuary in Czechia
50,000
The pirate flag bearing a skull and crossbones is famously known as the Jolly Roger.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
. This Day in U S Military History…..August 31
1864 – General William T. Sherman launches the attack that finally secures Atlanta, Georgia, for the Union, and seals the fate of Confederate General John Bell Hood's army, which is forced to evacuate the area. The Battle of Jonesboro was the culmination of a four-month campaign by Sherman to capture Atlanta. He had spent the summer driving his army down the 100-mile corridor from Chattanooga, Tennessee, against a Confederate force led by General Joseph Johnston. General Hood, who replaced Johnston in July on the outskirts of Atlanta, proceeded to attack Sherman in an attempt to drive him northward. However, these attacks failed, and by August 1 the armies had settled into a siege. In late August, Sherman swung his army south of Atlanta to cut the main rail line supplying the Rebel army. Confederate General William Hardee's corps moved to block Sherman at Jonesboro, and attacked the Union troops on August 31, but the Rebels were thrown back with staggering losses. The entrenched Yankees lost just 178 men, while the Confederates lost nearly 2,000. On September 1, Sherman attacked Hardee. Though the Confederates held, Sherman successfully cut the rail line and effectively trapped the Rebels. Hardee had to abandon his position, and Hood had no choice but to withdraw from Atlanta. The fall of Atlanta was instrumental in securing the reelection of Abraham Lincoln in the fall.
1865 – The US Federal government estimated the American Civil War had cost about eight-billion dollars. Human costs have been estimated at more than one-million killed or wounded.
1939 – At noon, despite threats of British and French intervention, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler signs an order to attack Poland, and German forces move to the frontier. That evening, Nazi S.S. troops wearing Polish uniforms staged a phony invasion of Germany, damaging several minor installations on the German side of the border. They also left behind a handful of dead German prisoners in Polish uniforms to serve as further evidence of the alleged Polish attack, which Nazi propagandists publicized as an unforgivable act of aggression. At dawn the next morning, 58 German army divisions invaded Poland all across the 1,750-mile frontier. Hitler expected appeasement from Britain and France–the same nations that had given Czechoslovakia away to German conquest in 1938 with their signing of the Munich Pact. However, neither country would allow Hitler's new violation of Europe's borders, and Germany was presented with an ultimatum: Withdraw by September 3 or face war with the Western democracies. At 11:15 a.m. on September 3, a few minutes after the expiration of the British ultimatum, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain appeared on national radio to announce solemnly that Britain was at war with Germany. Australia, New Zealand, and India immediately followed suit. Later that afternoon, the French ultimatum expired, and at 5:00 p.m. France declared war on Germany. The European phase of World War II began.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
KOUMA, ERNEST R.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant (then Sfc.) U.S. Army, Company A, 72d Tank Battalion. Place and date: Vicinity of Agok, Korea, 31 August and 1 September 1950. Entered service at: Dwight, Nebr. Born: 23 November 1919, Dwight, Nebr. G.O. No.: 38, 4 June 1951. Citation: M/Sgt. Kouma, a tank commander in Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His unit was engaged in supporting infantry elements on the Naktong River front. Near midnight on 31 August, a hostile force estimated at 500 crossed the river and launched a fierce attack against the infantry positions, inflicting heavy casualties. A withdrawal was ordered and his armored unit was given the mission of covering the movement until a secondary position could be established. The enemy assault overran 2 tanks, destroyed 1 and forced another to withdraw. Suddenly M/Sgt. Kouma discovered that his tank was the only obstacle in the path of the hostile onslaught. Holding his ground, he gave fire orders to his crew and remained in position throughout the night, fighting off repeated enemy attacks. During 1 fierce assault, the enemy surrounded his tank and he leaped from the armored turret, exposing himself to a hail of hostile fire, manned the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the rear deck, and delivered pointblank fire into the fanatical foe. His machine gun emptied, he fired his pistol and threw grenades to keep the enemy from his tank. After more than 9 hours of constant combat and close-in fighting, he withdrew his vehicle to friendly lines. During the withdrawal through 8 miles of hostile territory, M/Sgt. Kouma continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy and exhausted his ammunition in destroying 3 hostile machine gun positions. During this action, M/Sgt. Kouma killed an estimated 250 enemy soldiers. His magnificent stand allowed the infantry sufficient time to reestablish defensive positions. Rejoining his company, although suffering intensely from his wounds, he attempted to resupply his tank and return to the battle area. While being evacuated for medical treatment, his courage was again displayed when he requested to return to the front. M/Sgt. Kouma's superb leadership, heroism, and intense devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
*LYELL, WILLIAM F.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company F, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Chup'a-ri, Korea, 31 August 1951. Entered service at: Old Hickory, Tenn. Birth: Hickman County, Tenn. G.O. No.: 4, 9 January 1953. Citation: Cpl. Lyell, a member of Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. When his platoon leader was killed, Cpl. Lyell assumed command and led his unit in an assault on strongly fortified enemy positions located on commanding terrain. When his platoon came under vicious, raking fire which halted the forward movement, Cpl. Lyell seized a 57mm. recoilless rifle and unhesitatingly moved ahead to a suitable firing position from which he delivered deadly accurate fire completely destroying an enemy bunker, killing its occupants. He then returned to his platoon and was resuming the assault when the unit was again subjected to intense hostile fire from 2 other bunkers. Disregarding his personal safety, armed with grenades he charged forward hurling grenades into 1 of the enemy emplacements, and although painfully wounded in this action he pressed on destroying the bunker and killing 6 of the foe. He then continued his attack against a third enemy position, throwing grenades as he ran forward, annihilating 4 enemy soldiers. He then led his platoon to the north slope of the hill where positions were occupied from which effective fire was delivered against the enemy in support of friendly troops moving up. Fearlessly exposing himself to enemy fire, he continuously moved about directing and encouraging his men until he was mortally wounded by enemy mortar fire. Cpl. Lyell's extraordinary heroism, indomitable courage, and aggressive leadership reflect great credit on himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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/.
Aug. 30, 1979
The first prototype of an SH-60B Seahawk was unveiled at the Sikorsky Aircraft Division in Stratford, Connecticut.
Aug. 31, 1956
The first production Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, 55-3118, named City of Renton, made its first flight with company test pilots Alvin Melvin "Tex" Johnston and Richards Llewellyn "Dix" Loesch Jr. on the flight deck on Aug. 31, 1956. Built as an aerial refueling tanker to support the U.S. Air Force fleet of B-52 strategic bombers, an initial order for 29 tankers was soon followed by three additional orders, bringing the total to 275 airplanes by the end of Fiscal Year 1958. Eventually 732 KC-135As were built by Boeing, and an additional 81 of other versions. The first production airplane, 55-3118, was used for flight testing. It was later modified into an EC-135K Head Dancer airborne command post. Today, it is on display at the front gate of McConnell AFB, Kansas.
Sept. 1, 1909
Cmdr. Frederick L. Chapin, the Naval Attaché at Paris, reported his observations at the Reims aviation meet and opined that "the airplane would have a present usefulness in naval warfare, and that the limits of the field will be extended in the near future." He also noted two means by which aircraft were to be operated from naval vessels—the use of the Wright launching device (a catapult) to launch planes from the cleared quarterdeck of battleships, and the construction of a floor (flight deck) over the deck houses of auxiliary ships to provide the clear space required for takeoff runs and landings.
Sept. 2, 1977
The first 10 female officers to graduate from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training did so on this date in Class 77-08 at Williams AFB, Arizona. The women were: Captains Connie Engel, Kathy La Sauce, Mary Donahue, Susan Rogers and Christine Schott; 1st Lieutenants Sandra Scott and Victoria Crawford; and 2nd Lieutenants Mary Livingston, Carol Scherer and Kathleen Rambo.
Sept. 3, 1945
Film and photos taken of the surrender ceremony in Tokyo, Japan, were placed onboard a C-54 Skymaster, which arrived in Washington, D.D., a record 31 hours and 25 minutes later. Ironically, due to crossing the international dateline en route, the flight starts and finishes on the same calendar day.
Sept. 4, 1944
Brig. Gen. William H. Tunner was appointed commander of Air Transport Command at Kunming, China; he orchestrated the conveyance of thousands of gallons and bombs over the "Hump" in the Himalayas.
Sept. 5, 1944
Capt. William H. Allen of the 55th Fighter Group bagged five enemy fighters over Germany in a few minutes, becoming an ace. The rest of his flight downed an additional 11 aircraft in the same dust up.
USCG Aircrew Receives Nation's Highest Award for Heroism in Aviation
On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard recognized two SAR helicopter crewmembers with the nation's highest award for heroism in aviation for their role in a high-stakes rescue during last year's California wildfire season. Pilot Cmdr. Derek Schramel and rescue swimmer PO1 Graham McGinnis received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the same award first granted to pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh. Their crewmates, Lt.j.g. Adam Ownbey and PO3 Tyler Cook, received the Air Medal, a military award for heroic or meritorious service in flight.
Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay accepted a request for assistance from the USFS and dispatched Cmdr. Schramel's helicopter crew. When they arrived on scene, they found the victims were located within 10 yards of the fire line in a clearing that the fire crew had cut in the forest to allow for an extraction. After assessing the scene and making some adjustments, the helicopter crew approached the extraction zone and made a high-altitude, tree-top hoist from 240 feet, near its maximum hoist range. The crew took both patients aboard and delivered them safely for treatment.
"It was just the best example of what we aspire to in naval aviation, in Coast Guard rescuing and in lifesaving operations," said Rear Adm. Brian Penoyer, the Eleventh Coast Guard District commander. "This aircrew did [everything required] in the worst conceivable conditions that you can imagine.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for August 31, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
31 August
910: Glenn H. Curtiss flew over Lake Erie between Euclid Beach and Cedar Point, Ohio. He covered the 64.8 miles in 1 hour 18 minutes to win a $5,000 prize from the Cleveland Press. (24)
1925: The Navy tried to fly from San Francisco to Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, in a seaplane, but Cmdr John Rodgers (Naval Aviator No. 2) and his crew of four missed their mark. They ran out of gas and were lost at sea for 10 days despite an extensive air and sea search. Rodgers had the crew rig a sail out of wing fabric and they sailed for Kaui Island. On 10 September, they were spotted by a submarine and rescued 10 miles from Kaui. They were rewarded with a FAI record for flying 1,841 statute miles in 25 hours 23 minutes to their forced landing spot. (9)
1931: At the National Air Race meet in Cleveland, Mrs. Phoebe Omlie won the women's division of the handicap transcontinental derby. (24)
1932: Capt Albert W. Stevens and Lt C. D. McAllister (Army Air Corps) flew five miles above the earth's surface at Fyreburge, Minn., to photograph a solar eclipse. (24)
1943: Navy Task Force 15 attacked Japanese installations on Marcus Islands. The battle featured the first use of Essex and Independence class carriers and the first use of Grumman's F6F Hellcat fighters, which flew with VF-5 on the USS Yorktown. (8) (24)
1950: KOREAN WAR. After a 10-day lull in ground fighting, N. Korean forces launched a coordinated attack along the entire Pusan perimeter. Fifth Air Force provided close air support for the defending UN troops, while 74 B-29s bombed mining facilities, metal industries, and marshalling yards at Chinnampo in the largest strategic bombing mission of August. The targets included aluminum and magnesium plants. (28)
1956: The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker flew its maiden flight. (12)
1963: Benjamin Greene set a new distance record for single-place gliders for a 457.97-mile flight from Marfa, Tex., to Boise City, Okl. Through 16 September, two Ranch Hand UC-123s flew 17 insecticide spray sorties in Thailand to help control destructive locusts. (17)
1965: First Minuteman II missile emplaced in a 447 SMS silo.
1967: The Air Force awarded McDonnell-Douglas a contract for eight C–9A medium-range jets to carry 30 litter patients, 40 ambulatory patients, or a combination of both. (18)
1981: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with winglets completed its first flight from the company's Long Beach factory to Edwards AFB. The winglets reduced drag and lowered fuel use by as much as 250,000 gallons an aircraft per year. (3)
1986: From an operationally configured launch facility, Vandenberg AFB launched the first operationally configured Peacekeeper missile. (16)
1987: Through 9 September, eight C-130 Hercules aircraft and even more C-141s carried 2,511 tons of fire retardant and a contingent of firefighters to coastal area in Oregon and California to fight forest fires in 970 square miles of forest, brush, and scrub lands. The effort helped the firefighters to bring the fires under control. (16) (26)
1992: A C-141 flew 70 children suffering from cancer in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident from Minsk, Byelarus, to Brussels, Belgium, for medical treatment. (18)
1994: The Air Force's third operational B-2 (#8-0328), the Spirit of Texas, joined the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman. (15) Operation SAFE HAVEN. Through 10 September, USAF aircraft and other military services moved Cuban and Haitian refugees from overcrowded camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Panama for shelter. (16) Through 8 September, Russian, American, British, and French military forces withdrew from Berlin after 49 years. (26)
2001: Operation CORONET NIGHTHAWK. All ANG fighter operations ended, but the deployed fighters remained in 24-hour alert status until they left Curacao. The operation began in 1990 using fighters to help monitor and interdict illegal drug traffic in the Caribbean region. (32)
2007: The last two upgraded T-38Cs arrived at Randolph AFB, Tex. The aircraft received so many changes that the Air Force redesignated it as the T-38C. The delivery ended an 11-year avionics upgrade program, commonly called Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP). The modifications, along with an ongoing propulsion modernization, an ejection seat upgrade, and an improved braking system, extended the T-38C's life cycle through 2020. (AFNEWS, "Last Two T-38s Get Avionic Upgrade," 5 Sep 2007.)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm2TCTJdauUK7M-rqDxDjKmmnnq9%2BvUx7jdQU65dmf02Sw%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.