To All,
Good Monday Morning September 30, 2024. .Well tomorrow I am leaving with my son to make another run to Idaho to carry a load of things that they can use up there from toys to tools and a lot in between.
We drive up in two days and I will fly home on 5 October. I plan on taking my computer but the list will be spotty. I get to spend time with my two granddaughters that live up there and that will be a lot of fun. May even get to throw a few down range in the BLM lands not far away.
I will teach classes tonight and the Black belts will take care of Thursday.
The windows guys come on Wednesday to replace a bunch of sliding doors and windows but we have to move a bunch of stuff away from the back o the house before we leave. It will be entertaining for the next 30 hours.
Regards,
skip
Make it a good Day
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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
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History.
September 30
1800 French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and American envoys sign the Treaty of Mortefontaine that releases the United States from its Revolutionary War alliance with France and ends the Quasi-War.
1918 During World War I, German submarine U-152 sinks USS Ticonderoga. Seriously wounded early in the battle, commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. James J. Madison remains on the bridge controlling the ships fight until she is abandoned. The lost included 112 Sailors and 101 Soldiers and was the greatest combat loss of life on any US Navy ship during World War I. For his "exceptionally heroic service" during this action, Lt. Cmdr. Madison is awarded the Medal of Honor.
1943 USS Bowfin (SS 287) delivers supplies and evacuates people from Siquijor Island, Philippines and sinks Japanese cargo ship, Mitake Maru. Also on this date, USS Harder (SS 257) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.3 Shosei Maru, while USS Pogy (SS 266) sinks Japanese army transport, Maebashi Maru, 300 miles east of Palau.
1944 USS Nautilus (SS 168) lands 95 tons of supplies, 70 drums of gasoline, and four drums of oil at designated spot on Panay, Philippine Islands and embarks 47 evacuees (seven servicemen, 10 women, five civilian males, and 25 children).
1944 USS Fessenden (DE 142) depth charges and sinks German submarine, (U 1062), south of the Cape Verde Islands.
1954 The world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN 571), is commissioned at Groton, Conn. On Aug. 3, 1958, she is the first U.S. vessel to transit across the geographic North Pole. Nautilus now serves as the historic ship at the Submarine Force Museum at Groton.
1981 USS La Jolla (SSN 701) is commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Conn., before transferring to its new homeport of Naval Submarine Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif. The Los Angeles-class attack submarine is ideally suited for covert surveillance, intelligence gathering and Special Forces missions.
1995 USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) is commissioned at Julia Street Wharf in New Orleans, La. The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship is the second U.S. Navy ship to be named for the historical estate in Clarke County, Va., built by Nathaniel Burwell to honor his grandfather, Robert King Carter, a wealthy plantation owner and acting governor of Virginia in 1726-27.
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Today in World History September 30
1399 Richard II is deposed.
1568 Eric XIV, king of Sweden, is deposed after showing signs of madness.
1630 John Billington, one of the original pilgrims who sailed to the New World on the Mayflower, becomes the first man executed in the English colonies. He is hanged for having shot another man during a quarrel
1703 The French, at Hochstadt in the War of the Spanish Succession, suffer only 1,000 casualties to the 11,000 of their opponents, the Austrians of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.
1791 Mozart's opera The Magic Flute is performed for the first time in Vienna
1846 The first anesthetized tooth extraction is performed by Dr. William Morton in Charleston, Massachusetts.
1864 Confederate troops fail to retake Fort Harrison from the Union forces during the siege of Petersburg.
1911 Italy declares war on Turkey over control of Tripoli.
1918 Bulgaria pulls out of World War I.
1927 Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run of the season off Tom Zachary in Yankee Stadium, New York City.
1935 George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess opens at the Colonial Theatre in Boston.
1938 Under German threats of war, Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign an accord permitting Germany to take control of Sudetenland--a region of Czechoslovakia inhabited by a German-speaking minority.
1939 The French Army is called back into France from its invasion of Germany. The attack, code named Operation Saar, only penetrated five miles.
1943 The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps becomes the Women's Army Corps, a regular contingent of the U.S. Army with the same status as other army service corps.
1949 The Berlin Airlift is officially halted after 277,264 flights.
1950 U.N. forces cross the 38th parallel separating North and South Korea as they pursue the retreating North Korean Army.
1954 NATO nations agree to arm and admit West Germany.
1954 The first atomic-powered submarine, the Nautilus, is commissioned in Groton, Connecticut.
1955 Actor and teen idol James Dean is killed in a car crash while driving his Porsche on his way to enter it into a race in Salinas, California.
1960 Fifteen African nations are admitted to the United Nations.
1962 U.S. Marshals escort James H. Meredith into the University of Mississippi; two die in the mob violence that follows.
1965 The 30 September Movement unsuccessfully attempts coup against Indonesian government; an anti-communist purge in the aftermath results in over 500,000 deaths.
1965 President Lyndon Johnson signs legislation that establishes the National Foundation for the Arts and the Humanities.
1966 Bechuanaland ceases to be a British protectorate and becomes the independent Republic of Botswana.
1972 Pro baseball great Roberto Clemente hits his 3,000th—and final—hit of his career.
1975 The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter makes its first flight.
1994 Aldwych tube station (originally Strand Station) of the London Underground transit system closes after 88 years.
1999 Japan's second-worst nuclear accident occurs at a uranium processing facility in Tokaimura, killing two technicians.
2009 Earthquakes in Sumatra kill more than 1,115 people.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Thanks to the Bear
I have provided access to archive entries covering Commando Hunt operations .
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/commando-hunt-post-list/
(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 30 September
30-Sep: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1968
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
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--English
Funny Oxymorons…
Found missing
Open secret
Small crowd
Act naturally
Fully empty
Pretty ugly
Original copy
Only choice
Liquid gas
Social distancing
100 years ago, everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars.
Today, everyone has a car and only the rich have horses.
Oh, how the stables have turned.
Overheard at a grocery store by someone waiting in line behind a woman speaking on her cellphone in another language. Ahead of her was a white man. After the woman hangs up, he speaks up.
The man says, "I didn't want to say anything while you were on the phone, but you're in America, now. You need to speak English."
She replies, "Excuse me?"
He restates, "If you want to speak Mexican, go back to Mexico. In America, we speak English."
She retorts, "Sir, I was speaking Navajo. If you want to speak English, go back to England."
Minute and minute shouldn't be spelled the same.
I'm not content with this content.
I object to that object.
I need to read what I read again.
Excuse me but there's no excuse for this.
Someone should wind this post up and throw it in the wind.
Homophones that drive dogs crazy…
Walk and Wok
Ball and Bawl
Bacon and Bakin'
'Laid' is pronounced like 'paid' but not 'said'.
And 'said' is pronounced like 'bread' but not 'bead'.
And 'bead' is pronounced like 'lead' but not 'lead'.
More reasons why English is weird…
The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
Half a grate weak,
Al
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Thanks to Mugs this is really interesting…Skip
USAF Declared SR-72 Darkstar Is Finally Ready To Fly……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYa9ODNCa3g
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For the Bubbas. This Friday is a Bubba Breakfast
From the Archives
Thanks to Clint and Bob. Rick and Saundra and others sent it to me but I can't send videos unless they are in this format. The server has a max size limit. skip
Brings back a lot of great memories. Most of the guys look sorta familiar, but then again we were all pretty cool dudes. Great shots, with the exception of the F-14…..Ace of the Base, on the rails, deadeye…….Bob
"Kerosene Cowboy" song by Jeff Weber
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Thanks to Runt
Reporting from Helene landfall
Skip, Runt here on the Suwannee River and had a wild night. Lost power, like all of Dixie County where we still sing the song. Fortunately first thing I did was install a genset. Estimating six tons of round lumber in the yard but my boat is still afloat and I am dry. Probably will take a week to chainsaw the bigger stuff and get in the back of the truck to take to the dump. A limb the size of a large tree fell in the fish pond and the Koi ain't happy. Peak winds at the house of 120 but fortunately we reroofed last year. The only thing I can think to describe the night was multiple night cats followed by multiple traps all below minimums with the ass end of the boat doing wooferdils. Been there done that and like last night great to have survived.
Runt
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Follow on to Yesterday's item about Brown Bear's flight
Thanks to Barrett
Here's Dick's engagement from the Dogfights segment. I narrated part of it but Paul Gillcrist closes suitably: "Those MiG pilots probably had a cold beer and said, We just met the biggest maniac in the U.S. Navy!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUdS_a5cA_Y
Dogfights: Top Gun Duel! F8 Crusader vs. MiG-17 (Season 1)
Skilled fighter pilots Paul Speer and Phil Wood, tackles the fierce North Vietnamese MiG over the killing skies of Vietnam. They fly the U.S. Navy's top fighter, the F8 Crusader. In one of the longest, gut-wrenching dogfights on record, Lt. Commander Richard Schaffert--out of missiles and with his guns jammed--takes on a lethal MiG-17 and the ...
The episode also included Paul Speer and Phil Wood.
Probably my fave of the 11 or 12 I was in!
Barrett
PS: I'd forgotten that the Iron Hand covered a mining mission—probably a rarity in 1967.
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Thanks to Interesting facts
Among the most memorable U.S. landmarks is the iconic Hollywood sign that sits on the steep hillside of Mount Lee in Los Angeles, part of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the decades, the sign has become an internationally recognized symbol of the glitz and glamour associated with the movie industry. It is a remnant of the early days of Hollywood's golden era in the early to mid-20th century, and has been featured in countless films, television shows, and photographs. Visible for miles, the towering letters serve as a place marker for both L.A. and Hollywood, representing the hopes and dreams of all who have ventured there to pursue careers in show business. As the Hollywood sign passes the century mark looking better than ever, here are six fun facts about this beloved landmark.
The Hollywood Sign Started Out as a Real Estate Ad
The sign that has become a symbol for the entertainment industry actually started out as a real estate billboard. In 1923, 12 years after the first Hollywood studio opened on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler and his real estate partners spent $21,000 (about $375,000 today) to commission an electric sign to advertise their new upscale housing development in the Hollywood Hills. The sign was constructed of metal squares connected by a frame of scaffolding, pipes, telephone poles, and wires to form 13 letters that were each approximately 30 feet wide by 43 feet tall, spelling out "Hollywoodland." The sign was outfitted with 4,000 20-watt bulbs spaced 8 inches apart, guaranteeing it would be the brightest "star" in the night sky as it blinked: "Holly," "wood," "land," and finally, "Hollywoodland."
There Used to Be a White Dot Under the Sign
In 1924, a large, white dot, 35 feet in diameter and ringed with lights, was added under the "Hollywoodland" sign. It was an eye-catching addition to an already famous sign, but it also served as a political statement, reflecting the "good business conditions" of Los Angeles, a status that was noted with a white dot on a grayscale map produced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Chandler began referring to Los Angeles as a "White Spot of America," boasting that it was without crime, communism, and corruption. Thus, the white dot was added to the "Hollywoodland" sign, and the tagline "Keep the White Spot White" was used to promote investments in the area. The slogan had other connotations, as well, particularly in a city that was both anti-union and racially segregated at the time.
The Sign Was Supposed to Be Temporary
Originally, the plan was to leave the "Hollywoodland" billboard in place for about a year and a half, but the sign drew so much attention that it stayed up — albeit in various states of disrepair over time. The Hollywoodland real estate area was called a "haven, peaceful and filled to overflowing with contentment," but even it was not impervious to effects of the Great Depression. Chandler's real estate syndicate was dissolved in 1933 and the sign's new owner, the M.H. Sherman Company, abandoned the billboard because the cost of electricity was too expensive to maintain. The sign went through long periods of neglect and the natural elements took their toll, causing several letters to collapse under strong winds. In 1944, the sign, along with the 425-acre site around it, was donated to the city of Los Angeles. After several years of debate about what to do with the structure, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took the lead on restoration, removing the letters "land" and repairing the sign by the end of 1949.
The Sign Was Almost Destroyed
With no regular maintenance after the 1949 refurbishment, the sign fell into decline once again and began to deteriorate — the "O" and "D" letters even fell down the side of the mountain. In the early 1970s, local residents launched another restoration campaign, and as a result the sign was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and "Save the Sign" campaigns were launched. In 1978, thanks to pledges from celebrities and entertainment leaders — including Alice Cooper, Andy Williams, Gene Autry, Hugh Hefner, and Warner Bros. Records — the original sign was replaced with a steel and concrete structure that could better withstand the elements. The new structure measured 45 feet tall by 450 feet long, establishing it as the largest sign in the world. That same year, the Hollywood Sign Trust was established to ensure the landmark would be maintained and preserved to promote Hollywood as the world capital of film and cinema arts.
The Sign Was Changed to "HOLLYWeeD" — Twice
Though it's illegal to make physical changes to the Hollywood sign or the surrounding area, that hasn't stopped pranksters from taking a few liberties with the landmark over the years. Case in point: The sign has been altered twice, in 1976 and again in 2017, to read "HOLLYWeeD" in honor of new laws reducing restrictions around marijuana use. There have been other unofficial changes to the sign over the years, too. One came in 1983, the only year the Army-Navy football game was hosted on the West Coast. A group of Navy midshipmen covered a few of the letters so the sign would read GO NAVY. Navy won the game 42-13.
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Thanks to 1440
Helene Ravages Southeast
Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation since making landfall last week, killing over 100 people across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for; more than 4 million people have experienced power outages.
A leading danger has come from floods and mudslides. In Tennessee, a bridge collapsed and a dam narrowly avoided failure. In North Carolina, entire towns and cities were cut off, with Asheville (population 94,000) largely isolated for days, requiring emergency supplies to be airlifted in. Atlanta witnessed the heaviest downfall of rain in a 48-hour period in its history. Dozens of people across multiple states have been rescued by helicopter. See photos of the storm's impact here.
Part of the impact can be explained by the storm's relatively large width (see previous write-up). As Helene was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, the system continued to cause storm surges and historic floodwaters.
Hezbollah Leader Killed
An Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah's longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, over the weekend. The strike involved 80 tons of bunker-buster bombs, killing Nasrallah at a meeting of senior leaders below residential buildings south of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
The 64-year-old Nasrallah helmed the group, designated a terrorist organization by the US, for more than 30 years. During that time, he was seen as a spiritual leader for Hezbollah's supporters (up to roughly one-third of Lebanon's population) and a pivotal player in the Iranian proxy group's transformation into a regional power (see overview). The group led the 2006 war against Israel and has carried out ongoing strikes across the Lebanon-Israel border since Oct. 8—a show of support for Hamas following its Oct. 7 attacks and amid Israel's war in Gaza.
Israel has significantly expanded attacks across the region, killing other top Hezbollah commanders (see list) over the past week. It also struck Iran-backed Houthi rebels yesterday, its second such strike in Yemen.
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Thanks to History Facts
The U.S. Presidents' Favorite Foods
From hearty steaks to sugary snacks, the culinary preferences of U.S. presidents have always fascinated the American public. That's perhaps no surprise, as the quirks of presidential palates offer a unique glimpse into the personalities behind the Oval Office. And when it comes to comfort foods and guilty pleasures, be it FDR's love of grilled cheese sandwiches or Ronald Reagan's obsession with jelly beans, you might find that presidents are more like us than you'd think. Here are the favorite foods of 14 U.S. presidents.
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George Washington: Hoecakes With Honey
George and Martha Washington often hosted guests at their home at Mount Vernon, with large spreads laid out for hungry visitors. Washington's favorite dish was surprisingly simple and reflected his farming roots: He loved hoecakes, a type of cornmeal pancake. According to Martha Washington's granddaughter Nelly Custis, he preferred them "swimming in butter and honey," and would regularly eat them for breakfast.
Thomas Jefferson: Macaroni
Thomas Jefferson's fondness for macaroni began during his time in France, and upon his return to America he imported a pasta machine to make his own. A recipe for macaroni written in Jefferson's own hand still exists, and his instructions for creating something similar to modern mac and cheese is credited with popularizing the dish in the United States.
Abraham Lincoln: Apples
Abe Lincoln was known for his frugal eating habits, often to the dismay and concern of his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Some sources note his fondness for two particular dishes: chicken fricassee with biscuits, and oyster stew. But Lincoln's favorite food might well have been apples, which, according to his friends, he ate with gusto on a daily basis.
William Howard Taft: Steak Breakfasts
William Howard Taft, who weighed 354 pounds when he took his oath of office, remains the heaviest person to ever occupy the White House. His weight owes much to his breakfast habits. According to his head housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray, he began each day by eating a "thick, juicy 12-ounce steak" served alongside two oranges, buttered toast, and a "vast quantity of coffee, with cream and sugar."
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Grilled Cheese
FDR's White House was known for serving terrible food, due in part to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's well-intentioned desire to show solidarity with regular Americans during the Great Depression. It was slim pickings for FDR, but he did very much enjoy classic grilled cheese sandwiches. He also liked hot dogs, which were infamously served to the visiting king and queen of England.
John F. Kennedy: New England Fish Chowder
JFK was particularly fond of soup, and New England fish chowder was a favorite. In 1961, a young girl named Lynn Jennings wrote to President Kennedy asking what he liked to eat. He promptly replied and passed along the recipe for his preferred fish chowder. Kennedy was also known to be a fan of waffles for breakfast; in fact, his family waffle recipe is preserved in the National Archives.
Lyndon B. Johnson: Texas-Style Barbecue
LBJ's love of barbecue was legendary. In the 1950s and '60s, he and Lady Bird Johnson hosted large Texas-style barbecues at their ranch along the Pedernales River in the Texas Hill Country. The president served brisket, ribs, and his favorite Texas-style chili to hundreds of guests from around the world.
Richard Nixon: Cottage Cheese and Ketchup
Richard Nixon was a cottage cheese devotee, initially as part of his diet regimen. It appears he grew to love the stuff and ate it on a daily basis, often alongside fresh fruit, wheat germ, and coffee. In one of the stranger presidential food combos, he also enjoyed his cottage cheese topped with ketchup and black pepper.
Gerald Ford: Pot Roast and Red Cabbage
Gerald Ford preferred hearty, homestyle cooking. His favorite meal was a pot roast with red cabbage, followed by butter pecan ice cream for dessert.
Jimmy Carter: Cheese Grits
Jimmy Carter's Southern roots showed in his love of grits — especially cheese grits. In 1976, his daughter Amy told The New York Times, "Daddy makes grits for breakfast, then breaks a couple of eggs into it and adds some cheese, and it's yummy." The family dog was even named Grits.
Ronald Reagan: Jelly Beans
Ronald Reagan began eating jelly beans as part of his successful attempt to give up pipe smoking, but then his candy consumption became something of an obsession. While he was president, Reagan placed a standing order of 720 bags of jelly beans per month — that's 306,070 total jelly beans — to be distributed among the White House, Capitol Hill, and other federal buildings.
George H.W. Bush: Pork Rinds
During his 1988 presidential campaign, George H.W. Bush expressed his love for pork rinds, which he at times enjoyed with a splash of Tabasco sauce. Sales of the fried pig skins soared, despite some sections of the media claiming his comment was nothing more than Bush attempting to appear down-to-earth, and that he actually preferred popcorn and martinis.
Bill Clinton: Jalapeño Cheeseburgers
Before his heart issues and subsequent switch to veganism, Bill Clinton was famous for his love of fast food; he even took reporters on jogs to McDonald's. He particularly enjoyed jalapeño cheeseburgers with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, pickles, and onions.
George W. Bush: Cheeseburger Pizza
In 2007, White House chef Cristeta Comerford told reporters about George W. Bush's fondness for a peculiar pizza topping. "For dinner," she explained, "the president loves what we call homemade 'cheeseburger pizzas' because every ingredient of a cheeseburger is on top of a margherita pizza." Soon after, the topping could be found in pizzerias across the nation
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
. 6 Animal Species Rescued From the Brink of Extinction
It's easy enough to find reports of animals facing extinction — more than 37,400 species are currently headed toward this fate, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. But there are some real conservation success stories, too. Whether it's thousands of bald eagles now soaring the skies or fin whales returning to the ocean, these are cases in which governments and conservationists have worked diligently to protect some of the world's most vulnerable critters. And while there's still work to be done, it's worth taking a moment to celebrate these victories for species both big and small.
Giant Panda
The story of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a major conservation triumph. Once critically threatened by poaching and habitat loss, the bamboo-munching black-and-white bears benefited from a series of laws and treaties starting in the 1980s that banned illegal hunting and the trade in panda skins. In 1992, the Chinese government also established a network of panda reserves, which today number 67. Conservation programs aimed at enriching forests and halting erosion have also benefited pandas by banning logging in the forests where they live. According to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the most recent panda census, conducted in 2014, found more than 1,860 pandas alive in the wild — a rise of 17% compared to 2004. In 2016, the Red List changed the panda's status from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable." While conservation work is still necessary to protect these majestic creatures, their numbers are at last moving in the right direction.
American Alligator
Alligators have existed on Earth for 200 million years, but their population was at a record low when the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was listed as an endangered species in 1967. The Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the wildlife agencies of Southern U.S. states, banned hunting of the species, and alligator populations bounced back quickly. In 1987, the Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced the American alligator fully recovered and removed it from the endangered species list — an early conservation success story. American alligators are now found across the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast, as well as the Florida Everglades.
Bald Eagle
In the middle of the 20th century, things weren't looking good for America's national bird. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) faced habitat loss, illegal hunting, and contamination of their food with the pesticide DDT, which weakened their eggshells, endangering chicks. By 1963, the birds' numbers had fallen to only about 400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. The U.S. government responded with a series of measures that prohibited harming or killing the birds, and in 1973, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT. That same year, bald eagles became one of the original species protected by the Endangered Species Act. By 2007, the U.S. population of bald eagles had grown to 10,000 nesting pairs, and the animals were finally removed from the endangered species list. More recently, their numbers have really soared — during the 2019 breeding season, there were an estimated 316,700 bald eagles flying the skies of the lower 48.
Gray Wolf
By the early 20th century, gray wolves (Canis lupis) had almost disappeared from the lower 48 states. Since wolves have a tendency to kill cattle, ranchers targeted the creatures, bringing them close to extinction. When the wolves were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, their numbers had dwindled to about 1,000, mostly located in northern Minnesota. But in the mid-1990s, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and Idaho — and their numbers began to rebound. Today, the gray wolf population stands at more than 6,000. There's currently talk of removing them from Endangered Species Act protection, but the move is controversial among conservationists and biologists, who argue there's still more work needed to protect the species and its habitat.
Fin Whale
Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), the second-largest species of whales, were historically hunted for their blubber, meat, oil, and bone. As was the case with other large whales, their populations severely declined by the mid-20th century, thanks to overexploitation from commercial whaling. But since the 1970s, the worldwide population of fin whales has roughly doubled, thanks to international whaling bans in the North Pacific and Southern Hemisphere, as well as reductions in North Atlantic catches. Today, the IUCN Red List lists them as "Vulnerable" worldwide (an improvement over their previous "Endangered" status), although they are still listed as endangered in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act. According to NOAA, their greatest threat in the U.S. now comes from vessel strikes.
Echo Parakeet
The beautiful bright-green echo parakeet (Psittacula eques echo) lives only on the island nation of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. While the birds once thrived, less than a dozen remained by the 1980s, a result of habitat destruction and a rise in invasive predators. Starting in the 1970s, conservationists launched a serious rescue effort that included treating echo parakeet nests with insecticide to ward off flies that were killing young chicks; improving nest boxes to keep out rats and monkeys; providing supplemental food; and, starting in 1993, a captive breeding and release program. After decades of effort, there are now more than 750 echo parakeets in the wild. The IUCN Red List, which had once listed the birds as Critically Endangered, now considers them "Vulnerable." Conservation efforts to protect them continue, but their numbers are increasing, and they don't seem likely to disappear any time soon.
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This Day in U S Military History
September 30
1857 – Unable to obtain trading privileges in Vietnam through diplomacy, the French begin their campaign to take Vietnam. They attack Danang and take the city in early 1858. This fails to foment the uprising of oppressed Christians that they had expected. Decimated by disease, they push south to take Saigon by 1861. Vietnam is divided by a strong popular rebellion in the north, and under the weak Emperor Tu Duc, regional risings against the French are never coordinated successfully. Hanoi falls in 1883. So the French started it ALL
1944 – USS Nautilus (SS-168) lands supplies and evacuates some people from Panay, Philippine Islands.
1945 – American Marines of the US 3rd Amphibious Corps start landing at Tientsin, in the north, to disarm 630,000 Japanese.
1946 – U.S. Government announces that U.S. Navy units would be permanently stationed in the Mediterranean to carry out American policy and diplomacy.
1946 – An international military tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, found 22 top Nazi leaders guilty of war crimes. Ribbentrop and Goering were sentenced to death. American psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn interviewed many of the participants and in 2004 the interviews were published as "The Nuremberg Interviews: An American Psychiatrist's Conversations with the Defendants and Witnesses."
1949 – After 15 months and more than 250,000 flights, the Berlin Airlift officially comes to an end. The airlift was one of the greatest logistical feats in modern history and was one of the crucial events of the early Cold War. In June 1948, the Soviet Union suddenly blocked all ground traffic into West Berlin, which was located entirely within the Russian zone of occupation in Germany. It was an obvious effort to force the United States, Great Britain, and France (the other occupying powers in Germany) to accept Soviet demands concerning the postwar fate of Germany. As a result of the Soviet blockade, the people of West Berlin were left without food, clothing, or medical supplies. Some U.S. officials pushed for an aggressive response to the Soviet provocation, but cooler heads prevailed and a plan for an airlift of supplies to West Berlin was developed. It was a daunting task: supplying the daily wants and needs of so many civilians would require tons of food and other goods each and every day. On June 26, 1948, the Berlin Airlift began with U.S. pilots and planes carrying the lion's share of the burden. During the next 15 months, 277,264 aircraft landed in West Berlin bringing over 2 million tons of supplies. On September 30, 1949, the last plane–an American C-54–landed in Berlin and unloaded over two tons of coal. Even though the Soviet blockade officially ended in May 1949, it took several more months for the West Berlin economy to recover and the necessary stockpiles of food, medicine, and fuel to be replenished. The Berlin Airlift was a tremendous Cold War victory for the United States. Without firing a shot, the Americans foiled the Soviet plan to hold West Berlin hostage, while simultaneously demonstrating to the world the "Yankee ingenuity" for which their nation was famous. For the Soviets, the Berlin crisis was an unmitigated disaster. The United States, France, and Great Britain merely hardened their resolve on issues related to Germany, and the world came to see the Russians as international bullies, trying to starve innocent citizens
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
ROBB, GEORGE S.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 369th Infantry, 93d Division. Place and date: Near Sechault, France, 29-30 September 1918. Entered service at: Salina, Kans. Born: 18 May 1887, Assaria, Kans. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. Citation: While leading his platoon in the assault 1st Lt. Robb was severely wounded by machinegun fire, but rather than go to the rear for proper treatment he remained with his platoon until ordered to the dressing station by his commanding officer. Returning within 45 minutes, he remained on duty throughout the entire night, inspecting his lines and establishing outposts. Early the next morning he was again wounded, once again displaying his remarkable devotion to duty by remaining in command of his platoon. Later the same day a bursting shell added 2 more wounds, the same shell killing his commanding officer and 2 officers of his company. He then assumed command of the company and organized its position in the trenches. Displaying wonderful courage and tenacity at the critical times, he was the only officer of his battalion who advanced beyond the town, and by clearing machinegun and sniping posts contributed largely to the aid of his battalion in holding their objective. His example of bravery and fortitude and his eagerness to continue with his mission despite severe wounds set before the enlisted men of his command a most wonderful standard of morale and self-sacrifice.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for September 30, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
30 September
1906: Lt Frank P. Lahm and Maj Henry B. Hersey won the first James Gordon Bennett balloon race, flying 402 miles from Paris to Scarborough, England. (24)
1911: After an Aero Club of America air meet at Nassau Boulevard, Lt Henry H. Arnold became the "stunt man" for the movie, The Military Air Scout. (24)
1944: FIRST ATTACKS ON BALIKPAPAN. Dutch-built refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo, provided the Japanese with their aviation gasoline and other petroleum products. On 30 September, 69 Thirteenth Air Force B-24s from Noemfoor Island, 1,030 nautical miles distant from the target, struck the oil refineries. Four more raids followed with the last raid occurring on 18 October. The raids caused considerable destruction but no permanent damage. They did, however, provide both Fifth and Thirteenth Air Forces much valuable long-range experience.
1949: Operation VITTLES. The last flight took place to end the Berlin Airlift. Results show 2,343,301.5 tons of supplies carried on 277,262 flights. US planes carried 1,783,826 tons. (4)
1951: KOREAN WAR. The 315th Air Division flew daily airlift sorties, transporting cargo, medical evacuees, and troops. During September, C-54s airlifted more passengers and cargo tonnage than those carried by all other 315th aircraft combined. (28)
1952: Bell Aircraft's Rascal GAM-63 air-to-surface strategic missile completed its first powered flight at Holloman AFB. (6) (24)
1955: North American Aviation won the contract to build the X-15 high-altitude, high-speed research aircraft. (8: Sep 90)
1958: The DoD announced an agreement with Italy to build Jupiter missile bases on Italian soil. (6)
1961: The USAF transferred all of TAC's base rescue mission and corresponding aircraft to the MATS. (11)
1963: SAC declared the 66 SMS at Ellsworth AFB operational, making it the first Minuteman I (Model B) unit to reach that status. (6)
1964: The Titan II's acquisition phase ended when AFLC assumed engineering support responsibilities. At Edwards AFB, the YF-12 was unveiled.
1965: SECDEF McNamara directed USAF to develop and produce the C-5A transport. Early plans called for a gross weight of nearly 350 tons--twice that of existing largest plane-to carry loads of 250,000 pounds for 3,200 miles or 100,000 pounds nonstop across the Pacific Ocean. (12)
1968: The world's largest commercial jet, the Boeing 747 rolled out of the factory at Everett, Wash., for the first time. . "Go Get Em," a 13 TFS F-4D at Udorn AB flew 80 combat sorties over North Vietnam during September to break all existing records for the number of sorties in a month by an F-4. (17)
1969: Cannon AFB and the 27 TFW received the first F-111E. (11)
1975: OPERATION HIGH NOON: Through 2 October, Gen Russell E. Dougherty, the SAC Commander, decided not to hold an annual bombing competition. Instead, he exercised SAC's ability to carry out contingency operations with minimum preparation. The test included RAF Vulcan bombers and six TAC F-111s. It also involved two crews and aircraft from 21 bomb wings and 26 air refueling squadrons. The 92d BMW at Fairchild AFB won the outstanding SAC unit award for the competition. (1)
1977: The first C-141 transatlantic mission without a navigator aboard traveled from Charleston AFB to Rota NAS, Spain. The aircraft used the Delco inertial navigation system. (16) (26)
1981: In October 1981, President Reagan ordered the deactivation of the Titan II weapon system. The missile in Site 571-6 of the 390 SMW at Davis Monthan AFB became the first to be removed from alert for deactivation. (1) H. Ross Perot, Jr., and Jay Coburn flew a Bell 206L Longranger on the first helicopter flight around the world. They started and finished at Fort Worth.
1983: Boeing Aerospace Company received a contract to produce 330 ALCMs between 1 November 1984 and 31 October 1985. (12)
1984: The 37 TFW at George AFB achieved an initial operating capability (IOC) with the AGM-88 High Speed Antiradiation Missile. (11)
1986: The USAF bought the 120 Gates Learjet and Beech Aircraft it leased in 1984. (16)
1989: TAC declared an initial operating capability for the F-15E with the 336 TFS at SeymourJohnson AFB. (30)
1990: MAC transferred its C-23A Sherpas to AFSC at Edwards AFB; the USA at Redstone Army Airfield, Alabama; and the United States Forest Service, Boise, Idaho. (18)
1995: The 93d Bomb Wing, the first B-52 wing in the Air Force, inactivated after 47 years of continuous service. Castle AFB closed at the same time. (16) (26)
2001: The AFFTC at Edwards AFB deployed the EC-135C "Big Crow" electronic combat research aircraft, along with personnel from two flight test squadron detachments and maintenance technicians, to support Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. This was the first AFMC unit deployment to the area of operations. (3)
2005: The final C-141 Starlifter mission into a combat zone ended when C-141C (tail no. 66-0132) returned from Balad AB, Iraq, with 24 litter patients, 23 ambulatory patients, and 3 attendants to Ramstein AB. The C-141, flown by Lt Col Timothy W. Baldwin, belonged to the 445 AW at Wright-Patterson AFB. (22) The 181st Fighter Wing (Indiana ANG) deployed 350 members and 12 F-16s to Kadena AFB to fill in for an active duty USAF F-15 squadron that moved elsewhere to support the "Global War on Terrorism." (32)
2007: Operations ENDURING FREEDOM/IRAQI FREEDOM. September was a record-breaking month for the air component mobility fleet as the aircraft transported more than 115,000 passengers and more than 20,000 short tons of cargo in, out and around the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. That effort included a record high for the C-17 Globemaster IIIs, which carried more than 52,000 passengers. (AFNEWS, "October 2 Airpower Summary," 3 Oct 2007.)
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