To All,
Good Friday Morning October 25, 2024.. Another great day but the weather guessers are saying we are going cloud up for a couple of days starting this afternoon. I hope you all have a good weekend.
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 thanks to NHHC
October 25
1812 The frigate United States, commanded by Capt. Stephen Decatur, captures the British frigate Macedonian, commanded by John S. Carden, west of the Canary Islands. During battle, United States broadsides the British frigate and destroys her mizzen top mast, which let her driver gaff fall. This advantage allows United States to riddle the enemy methodically with shot. After surrender, Macedonian is eventually repaired and entered into U.S. naval service.
1813 Congress, commanded by Capt. John Smith, captures and burns the British merchant ship Rose in the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil.
1944 U.S. and Australian warships maul the advancing enemy with torpedoes and heavy guns during the Battle of Surigao Strait in the midst of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese lose battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, plus three destroyers. The Battle of Surigao Strait marks the end of an era in naval warfare -- it was the last engagement of a battle line.
1944 During the Battle off Samar in the midst of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, four Japanese battleships, eight cruisers and 11 destroyers surprise U.S. Navy Task Unit 77.4.3 consisting of six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts. Despite their great inferiority in numbers, speed and fire power, U.S. airmen and surface sailors fight heroically to defend their carriers.
1944 During the Battle off Cape Engaño, 3rd Fleet carrier aircraft, surface ships and submarines strike the Japanese Northern Force off northeastern Luzon. The Japanese lose aircraft carriers Zuikaku, Zuiho, Chitose and Chiyoda, as well as a light cruiser and two destroyers.
1967 A Zuni 5-inch rocket ignites during a routine test in the forward assembly area aboard USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) burning nine sailors, three critically. All nine casualties were flown for treatment to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.
1970 Amphibious assault ship Okinawa (LPH 3), dock landing ship Anchorage (LSD 36), amphibious transport dock Duluth (LPD 6), and Sailors and marines from shore establishments complete four days of assistance to thousands of people following Typhoon Joan, which left 600 people dead and 80,000 without shelter across southern Luzon and Catanduanes Island, Philippines.
1979 Former Navy lieutenant, Edward Hidalgo becomes the 64th Secretary of the Navy and first Hispanic male to hold the position
1983 Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, West Indies) begins. By Nov. 2, all military objectives are secured. The next day, hostilities are declared to be at an end. Grenadians put their country back in order--schools and businesses reopen for the first time in at least two weeks.
1986 USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is commissioned at Newport News, Va.
1994 Pilot Lt. Kara S. Hultgreen and radar intercept officer Lt. Matthew P. Klemish of VF-213 crash an F-14A Tomcat, BuNo 160390, while attempting to land aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) off San Diego. Hultgreen becomes the first naval female pilot to die in an aircraft accident. Klemish ejects and survives with minor injuries.
2008 Virginia class submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) is commissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.
2014 Virginia class submarine USS North Dakota (SSN 784) is commissioned at Groton, Conn.
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In the world history below it reminds us of the Battle of Agincourt…..Here are some more thoughts We veterans have ties to warriors throughout history. We understand them. We have a bond. Most people don't know the story behind the most famous such connection. It actually occurred in the year 1415. King Henry V of England took an Army to modern-day France to take possession of land that England claimed. At a famous battle in a muddy, plowed field near Agincourt on October 25th, a holiday known as St. Crispin's Day, King Henry, leading an army estimated to be outnumbered five-to-one soundly defeated the French. The French lost thousands of men; the English lost 112.
In the hours before the battle, Henry was asked about waiting to try to get more men rather than fight against such odds. Knowing that reinforcements couldn't reach them in time, he knew he needed to inspire his men. As recorded in 1599 by Shakespeare, King Henry said:
The fewer men, the greater share of honour… But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.
Even though they were already desperately short of men, he said that, if anyone didn't have the stomach to fight, he wanted them to leave. In fact, he would give them permission to leave and pay for their passage home because:
We would not die in that man's company…
Then he said:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd … He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say "These wounds I had on Crispian's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day…
This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
So, that is a tiny glimpse of what it means to be a veteran.
To my brothers: thank you for your service, and thank you for honoring all of us with your friendship, your sacrifice, your citizenship, and your presence here tonight.
Today in World History
October 25
1415 An English army under Henry V defeats the French at Agincourt, France. The French out number Henry's troops 60,000 to 12,000 but British longbows turn the tide of the battle.
1760 George III of England is crowned.
1854 During the Crimean War, a brigade of British light infantry is destroyed by Russian artillery as they charge down a narrow corridor in full view of the Russians.
1916 German pilot Rudolf von Eschwege shoots down his first enemy plane, a Nieuport 12 of the Royal Naval Air Service over Bulgaria.
1923 The Teapot Dome scandal comes to public attention as Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana, subcommittee chairman, reveals the findings of the past 18 months of investigation. His case will result in the conviction of Harry F. Sinclair of Mammoth Oil, and later Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, the first cabinet member in American history to go to jail. The scandal, named for the Teapot Dome oil reserves in Wyoming, involved Fall secretly leasing naval oil reserve lands to private companies.
1941 German troops capture Kharkov and launch a new drive toward Moscow.
1944 The Japanese are defeated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the world's largest sea engagement. From this point on, the depleted Japanese Navy increasingly resorts to the suicidal attacks of Kamikaze fighters.
1950 Chinese Communist Forces launch their first-phase offensive across the Yalu River into North Korea.
1951 In a general election, England's Labour Party loses to the Conservatives. Winston Churchill becomes prime minister and Anthony Eden becomes foreign secretary.
1954 President Dwight Eisenhower conducts the first televised Cabinet meeting.
1958 The last U.S. troops leave Beirut.
1960 Martin Luther King, Jr., is sentenced to four months in jail for a sit-in.
1962 Adlai Stevenson shows photos to the UN Security Council that prove Soviet missiles have been installed in Cuba.
1962 In South Africa, civil rights activist Nelson Mandela is sentenced to 5 years in prison.
1971 The United Nations expels the Republic of China and seats the People's Republic of China.
1983 1,800 U.S. troops and 300 Caribbean troops land on Grenada. U.S. forces soon turn up evidence of a strong Cuban and Soviet presence–large stores of arms and documents suggesting close links to Cuba.
1991 The last soldiers of the Yugoslav People's Army leave the Republic of Slovenia.
2009 Terrorist bombings in Baghdad kill over 150 and wound over 700.
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Thanks to the Bear. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Wednesday October 25
25-Oct: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1423
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Thanks toBarrett
Skip, just a bit premature but here's my Leyte (Battle off Samar) article, begun as a chapter in the presumptive Gambier Bay Book. I accompanied the assn. To the Philippines in '77 but eventually The Board decided on edward p. Hoytferpetesake. He didn't know the diff between .50 caliber and 50mm...and it showed!
Anyway, still among my best work:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/october/gambier-bays-final-hours
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
Theoretically, you could drive to space in about an hour.
Space stretches out in all directions (at least as far as we can tell) for some 46 billion light-years, but it doesn't take all that long to get to where it begins. In fact, if you had a car that could somehow drive skyward toward the Kármán line — the barrier that marks the beginning of space — you'd arrive there in little more than an hour (and that's while cruising at a leisurely 60 mph). The Kármán line, named after Hungarian American physicist Theodore von Kármán, was set by the Fédération aéronautique internationale (FAI), a world governing body for air sports, and exists at 62 miles above sea level.
But Earth's atmosphere doesn't just abruptly end — it slowly fades away, making the definition of "space" a bit murky. NASA, for example, classifies anything 50 miles above sea level as space, even though the outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere, the exosphere, stretches much farther. In fact, the International Space Station (ISS) actually travels within the Earth's thermosphere (the layer below the exosphere), at about 250 miles above sea level. But just because these areas are part of the Earth's atmosphere doesn't mean they can't be considered space. Air density in the thermosphere and exosphere is so low, most agree that these regions contain essentially the same conditions as space. If you wanted to take your hypothetical space car completely beyond Earth's atmosphere, all the way to the region known as "outer space," it'd be an epic road trip to the end of the exosphere, some 6,200 miles from Earth.
At sea level pressure, the ozone layer would be only 3 millimeters thick.
The ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere protects all life on Earth from harmful UV radiation. Without it, life on this planet simply wouldn't be possible. The ozone layer is so important — and so fragile — that when scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica in 1985, the world sprung into action to restrict the use of aerosols containing chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Although described as a "layer," the ozone is actually spread throughout the lower atmosphere, reaching peak concentrations around the 16-mile altitude mark. The ozone is measured using Dobson units, named after Oxford University meteorologist Gordon Dobson, who devised a method to measure ozone in a column of air if it was squeezed into a single layer. At 300 Dobson units, the ozone layer would measure about 3 millimeters (a thickness of about two pennies) if squeezed into a layer under sea level pressure. You, me, and every living thing on Earth — past, present, and future — owe our existence to this small-but-mighty atmospheric shield.
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Thanks to MIcro
A repeat, but worth it: BEER AND WHEELS...
Beer and Wheels
The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel.
Beer required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.
The wheel was invented to get man to the beer and vice versa. These two were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were less skilled at hunting (called 'vegetarians' which was an early human word meaning 'bad hunter') learned to live off the Conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hairdressing. This was the beginning of the liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men "evolved" into women. Others became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that Conservatives provided.
Over the years Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant.
Liberals are symbolized by the jackass for obvious reasons.
Modern Liberals like special flavored beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine spritzers or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: many liberal women have higher testosterone levels than their men.
Most college professors, social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, film makers in Hollywood, group therapists and community organizers are liberals. Liberals meddled in our national pastime and invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink real beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are members of the military, big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, airline pilots, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other Conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when Conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.
Here ends today's lesson in world history. It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to this post.
A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be shared immediately to other true believers and also to just irritate a bunch of liberals. And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self, I'm going to grab a few beers and grill some steaks.
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Great Story. Thanks to Mike
Fwd: USMC F-4s Nearly Shoot Down Cuban Migs
"Lancer" Involved...5,000 hours in the F-4 - bet you knew him!
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A COUPLE FROM THE ARCHIVES
Thanks to Carl
What a 15-foot hurricane surge looks like - Fort Myers, FL Pay attention to the foreground at the beginning. Very scary!
In case you haven't seen this Ian time-lapse video --
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1575665861914169344/pu/vid/1280x720/5uSklNuTfQDQec0y.mp4?tag=14
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Thanks to Mugs
I didn't write it, but I agree!
Mugs
Just an observation…
When everything went to hell in Florida after Hurricane Ian, I didn't see a lot of Priuses, windmills or social justice warriors coming to save the day. I saw diesel trucks, combustion generators, heavy tractors, fuel tankers and a whole lotta bearded good ol' boys putting some of that "toxic masculinity' to work saving lives and rebuilding society. God bless the backbone of America:
the hardworking men and women of the middle class!!
Or put more succinctly
When the shit hits the fan, nobody calls the pronoun people for help.
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A couple from1440
Need To Know
Strikes Continue, Talks Resume
Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 59 people over two days, including 17 who were reportedly seeking shelter at a school. The strikes come a week after Israeli forces killed Hamas' military head and leader, Yahya Sinwar, and as the militant group continues searching for a successor. See war updates here.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli negotiators are expected to travel to Qatar's capital, Doha, this weekend to renew stalled talks over a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. The US saw Sinwar as an obstacle in negotiations, but it isn't clear if Hamas is willing to return to the table. Options for a plan reportedly include one from Egypt, which calls for a two-week pause in fighting in exchange for the release of six hostages. Roughly 97 hostages taken Oct. 7, 2023, are still in Hamas' captivity.
In neighboring Lebanon, Israeli and Hezbollah forces continued to trade fire (see updates, w/maps), particularly in the southern part of the country. Hezbollah has also lost both its leader and presumed successor.
Dodgers versus Yankees
Game 1 of the World Series begins tonight (FOX, 8 pm ET) in Los Angeles as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers—the league's two largest teams by market—face off in a historic championship for a 12th time. Current betting odds give the Dodgers a slight edge in what many commentators are calling a toss-up.
The series pits the American League and National League's No. 1 teams against each other for the first time since 2013 and only the fifth occasion in 30 seasons. The matchup also features some of the sport's best players, with five former Most Valuable Players expected to play—the most ever. That group includes each league's home run leader (the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani) for the first time since 1956.
Together with the Yankees' Juan Soto, the trio makes up the sport's top batters—by weighted runs created plus, a metric that attempts to weigh a variety of factors—the first such appearance of the top three offensive leaders at the Fall Classic. See more historic stats here.
The Yankees seek their record-extending 28th championship title, while the Dodgers seek their eighth—and to avoid adding to their most-ever 14 title losses.
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This Day in U S Military History
October 25
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the Japanese army again attempt attacks on the southern perimeter of the American positions. They are thrown back with heavy losses. Meanwhile, the Japanese navy mounts a major operation to support the offensive on Guadalcanal. Four battleships and the carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, Zuiho and Junyo as well as numerous cruisers and destroyers. The carriers contain aircraft for use at Henderson Field airstrip when the Japanese capture it. A report to that effect has brought the carriers this close to the islands. The Americans have two carriers in the area, Hornet and Enterprise, with an attending battleship USS South Dakota close enough to provide anti-aircraft cover. The Japanese force is split into four for the operation. Numerically the number of planes are close, the Japanese have 212, the Americans have 171. The Americans discover the Japanese force first launching an attack which doesn't find the Japanese ships.
1944 – On land, the US 1st Cavalry Division continues advancing on the northeast coast of Leyte. Other elements of US 10th and US 24th Corps, to the south, are inactive because of a lack of supplies. At sea, the Japanese Southern Force (Nishimura) and the 2nd Striking Force (Shima) engage American forces, commanded by Admiral Oldendorf, blocking the Surigao Strait. After suffering losses the Japanese withdraw. The Center Force (Kurita) passes through the San Bernardino Strait and engages US Task Force 77.4.3 (Sprague) which is then reinforced by aircraft from TF77.4.2 as it attempts to retreat. Center Force suffers some losses and Admiral Kurita chooses to withdraw because he believes the aircraft are from US Task Force 38. While Center Force turns back, TF77.4.3 is struck by Kamikaze strikes which sink 4 escort carriers. These are the first significant Kamikaze attacks recorded. At the same time, TF77.4.1 is also attacked by Kamikazes. Meanwhile, the Northern Force (Ozawa) is attacked TF38. Only the carrier-battleships (Ise and Hyuga) survive the day. During the engagement, two groups of TF38 turn back to attack Center Force but fail to arrive in time.
1944 – The USS Tang under Richard O'Kane (the top American submarine captain of World War II) is sunk by the ship's own malfunctioning torpedo.
1966 – Operation Sea Dragon logistics interdiction began. North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong guerrillas were not exempt from this time-honored adage. They were dependent on the vast quantities of food and munitions smuggled across South Vietnam's shores and waterways. It was because of this waterborne logistic highway that the destroyers Mansfield and Hanson sailed north toward the 17th parallel before dawn on October 25, 1966. At 0500 hours, the ships entered North Vietnamese waters and opened a new phase of the war, attacking WBLC (pronounced "wib-lic" and meaning waterborne logistic craft) and coastal lines of communication targets still in Communist waters. As part of Operation Sea Dragon, Seventh Fleet destroyers, cruisers and eventually one battleship participated in this new mission between October 1966 and November 1968.
1983 – 1,800 U.S. Marines and Rangers, assisted by 300 soldiers from six Caribbean nations, invaded Grenada at the order of President Reagan, who said the action was needed to protect U.S. citizens there. Helicopters touched down at Pearls Airport at 5 a.m. on 25 Oct., the PRA–People's Revolutionary Army–greeted the Marines with bursts from small arms and machine guns. In pairs, the Marines scrambled out of the helos and immediately dug in, waiting for the choppers to leave. Three Soviet-made 12.7mm guns on a nearby hill fired at helicopters bringing in the second assault–Marines of Fox Company–to the town of Grenville, just south of Pearls, at 6 a.m. Sea- Cobra attack helicopters were called in to silence the guns and Fox Company landed amid light mortar fire. Echo and Fox companies moved slowly and cautiously after their landings; after a couple of hours, most of the resistance at Pearls and Grenville was beaten down. Army Rangers, arriving at the airfield at Point Salines at dawn the same day in C-130 [Hercules] aircraft, met much stiffer resistance than the Marines were encountering at Pearls. To avoid the anti-aircraft fire, the Rangers jumped from a very low altitude–500 feet. Machine-gun fire blasted at aircraft and Rangers on the ground. But US Air Force AC-130 [Spectre] gunships silenced the hostile fire with devastatingly accurate blasts. The airfield at Point Salines was blocked, a clear sign an assault was expected. There had been reports in the press on Saturday (Oct. 22) that the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States had met. It was probable that someone passed the word to Grenada that the United States and a Caribbean peacekeeping force would invade. Word had been put out on Grenada radio that the invasion would occur on Sunday. On Sunday, however, the United States was still discussing the risks of the operation and trying to ascertain how much resistance the Caribbean peace keeping force would meet. There were three or four dozen Cuban Army regulars in Grenada not organized into a regular military unit, but were primarily advisers and instructors to the Grenadian military as well as a handful of paramilitary Cubans–such as police and secret service types. There were also about 600 Cuban construction workers, all militarily trained, armed and trained. Even before securing Point Salines airfield on the first day, Rangers had moved to evacuate American students at the True Blue campus of St. George's Medical Center. The campus, located at one end of the 10,000-foot runway the Cubans had been building, was reached easily and the students were rescued. A second campus at Grand Anse was farther away, and retreating Cubans and PRA units blocked the Rangers from the students. By afternoon the Point Salines air field was secured from all but sporadic mortar and small arms fire, and Rangers were moving against PRA positions near St. George's, the capital. Other Rangers removed obstacles on the Point Salines runway, and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division flew in to add more people and heavier weapons to the assault. Meanwhile, Fox and Echo companies merged north of St. George's and secured a flat, stadium-like area called the Queen's Racecourse, which the Marines dubbed "LZ Racetrack." The battalion landing team commander set up headquarters there. During the evening, Marines of Golf Company, from the tank landing ships Manitowoc and Barnstable County, landed at Grand Mal beach, just north of St. George's, with 13 amphibious vehicles and five tanks. Throughout the first night, a constant stream of logistics aircraft landed and took off from the partially completed runway at Point Salines. Gunfire roared from ships and aircraft.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
YOUNG, CAVALRY M.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company L, 3d lowa Cavalry. Place and date: At Osage, Kans., 25 October 1864. Entered service at: Hopeville, Clark County, lowa. Birth: Washington County, Ohio. Date of issue: 4 April 1865. Citation: Gallantry in capturing Gen. Cabell.
BASILONE, JOHN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, N.Y. Accredited to: New Jersey. Other Navy award: Navy Cross. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machineguns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
CHOATE, CLYDE L.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. Place and date: Near Bruyeres, France, 25 October 1944. Entered service at: Anna, 111. Born: 28 June 1920, West Frankfurt, 111. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He commanded a tank destroyer near Bruyeres, France, on 25 October 1944. Our infantry occupied a position on a wooded hill when, at dusk, an enemy Mark IV tank and a company of infantry attacked, threatening to overrun the American position and capture a command post 400 yards to the rear. S/Sgt. Choate's tank destroyer, the only weapon available to oppose the German armor, was set afire by 2 hits. Ordering his men to abandon the destroyer, S/Sgt. Choate reached comparative safety. He returned to the burning destroyer to search for comrades possibly trapped in the vehicle risking instant death in an explosion which was imminent and braving enemy fire which ripped his jacket and tore the helmet from his head. Completing the search and seeing the tank and its supporting infantry overrunning our infantry in their shallow foxholes, he secured a bazooka and ran after the tank, dodging from tree to tree and passing through the enemy's loose skirmish line. He fired a rocket from a distance of 20 yards, immobilizing the tank but leaving it able to spray the area with cannon and machinegun fire. Running back to our infantry through vicious fire, he secured another rocket, and, advancing against a hail of machinegun and small-arms fire reached a position 10 yards from the tank. His second shot shattered the turret. With his pistol he killed 2 of the crew as they emerged from the tank; and then running to the crippled Mark IV while enemy infantry sniped at him, he dropped a grenade inside the tank and completed its destruction. With their armor gone, the enemy infantry became disorganized and was driven back. S/Sgt. Choate's great daring in assaulting an enemy tank single-handed, his determination to follow the vehicle after it had passed his position, and his skill and crushing thoroughness in the attack prevented the enemy from capturing a battalion command post and turned a probable defeat into a tactical success.
*EVANS, ERNEST EDWIN
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy. Born: 13 August 1908, Pawnee, Okla. Accredited to: Oklahoma. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Bronze Star Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Johnston in action against major units of the enemy Japanese fleet during the battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. The first to lay a smokescreen and to open fire as an enemy task force, vastly superior in number, firepower and armor, rapidly approached. Comdr. Evans gallantly diverted the powerful blasts of hostile guns from the lightly armed and armored carriers under his protection, launching the first torpedo attack when the Johnston came under straddling Japanese shellfire. Undaunted by damage sustained under the terrific volume of fire, he unhesitatingly joined others of his group to provide fire support during subsequent torpedo attacks against the Japanese and, outshooting and outmaneuvering the enemy as he consistently interposed his vessel between the hostile fleet units and our carriers despite the crippling loss of engine power and communications with steering aft, shifted command to the fantail, shouted steering orders through an open hatch to men turning the rudder by hand and battled furiously until the Johnston, burning and shuddering from a mortal blow, lay dead in the water after 3 hours of fierce combat. Seriously wounded early in the engagement, Comdr. Evans, by his indomitable courage and brilliant professional skill, aided materially in turning back the enemy during a critical phase of the action. His valiant fighting spirit throughout this historic battle will venture as an inspiration to all who served with him.
GIUNTA, SALVATORE A.
Rank: Staff Sergeant, Organization: U.S. Army, Company: Battle Company, 2nd Battalion, Division: Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, Born: 21 January 1985, Clinton, Iowa, Departed: No, Entered Service At: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, G.O. Number: , Date of Issue: 11/16/2010, Accredited To: Iowa, Place / Date: Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, 25 October
2007. Citation: Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007. While conducting a patrol as team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, Specialist Giunta and his team were navigating through harsh terrain when they were ambushed by a well-armed and well-coordinated insurgent force. While under heavy enemy fire, Specialist Giunta immediately sprinted towards cover and engaged the enemy. Seeing that his squad leader had fallen and believing that he had been injured, Specialist Giunta exposed himself to withering enemy fire and raced towards his squad leader, helped him to cover, and administered medical aid. While administering first aid, enemy fire struck Specialist Giunta's body armor and his secondary weapon. Without regard to the ongoing fire, Specialist Giunta engaged the enemy before prepping and throwing grenades, using the explosions for cover in order to conceal his position. Attempting to reach additional wounded fellow soldiers who were separated from the squad, Specialist Giunta and his team encountered a barrage of enemy fire that forced them to the ground. The team continued forward and upon reaching the wounded soldiers, Specialist Giunta realized that another soldier was still separated from the element. Specialist Giunta then advanced forward on his own initiative. As he crested the top of a hill, he observed two insurgents carrying away an American soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other. Upon reaching the wounded soldier, he began to provide medical aid, as his squad caught up and provided security. Specialist Giunta's unwavering courage, selflessness, and decisive leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American soldier from the enemy. Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 25, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
25 October
1911: Lts Theodore G. Ellyson and John H. Towers (USN) set an unofficial nonstop seaplane record of 138.2 miles from Annapolis to Buckroe Beach, Va., in 2 hours 27 minutes. (24)
1923: Lt Harold R. Harris and crew flew a Barling Bomber to several records: weight of 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds) in 1 hour 19 minutes 11.8 seconds, and altitude of 5,344 feet. (24) In the first aerial-refueled flight between two points, Lts. L. H. Smith and J. P. Richter flew an Army Air Service DH-4B flew nonstop from Camas, Wash., to Tijuana, Mexico. Tankers positioned at Eugene, Oregon, and Sacramento, Calif., provided the three air-to-air refuelings required during the 1,280-mile mission. (18)
1924: Navy fliers at Bayshore Park, Md., set 17 world records for Class C seaplanes. (24)
1925: The court-martial of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell for insubordination began. He was found guilty on 17 December and sentenced to five years' suspension from active duty without pay or allowances. After reviewing the sentence, President Coolidge made it five years' suspension at half pay. On 1 February 1926, Mitchell resigned his commission. During the trial Mitchell succeeded in championing the cause of air power as a separate entity. (18)
1930: Transcontinental Air and Western Air, Inc., opened the first cross-country through air service simultaneously from New York City and Los Angeles. (24)
1942: American bombers raided Hong Kong and damaged the Kowloon Docks in the first raid on the former British colony since the Japanese occupation. (24)
1950: Mr. Kaufman Keller, President of Chrysler Corp., became the first Director of Guided Missiles for the US Armed Forces. (24)
1950: KOREAN WAR. Due to the lack of B-29 targets in Korea, FEAF Bomber Command temporarily ended combat missions. FEAF removed restrictions on close air support missions near the Yalu River, which allowed fighter operations all the way to the Chinese border. FEAF's Combat Cargo Command set a new daily record by airlifting 1,767 tons of equipment within Korea. (28)
1951: KOREAN WAR. In an effective close air support strike, F-51 Mustangs inflicted nearly 200 casualties on enemy troops in the I Corps sector. Enemy small arms fire hit an H-5 rescue helicopter picking up a downed UN pilot. The H-5 made a forced landing in enemy territory. The next day, two other H-5s hoisted all four men to safety from the mountainside where they had hidden from communist troops during the night. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force B-26s and fighter-bombers attacked the Kumgang Political School, starting fires and almost completely destroying the installation. (28)
1961: William Wesson (Class 62-B) was the last aviation cadet pilot to graduate from a program that began in World War II.
1969: C-5A No.2 set a record by landing at Edwards AFB with a gross weight of 712,000 pounds.
1973: For the first time since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, the DoD imposed DEFCON 3 worldwide in response to Soviet reactions to the Mideast war between Israel and Egypt. On 27 October, the DoD resumed DEFCON 4, the peacetime condition. (17)
1983: Operation URGENT FURY. Through 2 November, MAC airlifted 15,374 tons of cargo and 35,911 passengers on 52 C-5, 653 C-141, and 286 C-130 missions to support an effort to rescue Americans in Grenada. MAC flew 709 civilians from Grenada to the US on 16 C-141s, 1 C-5, and 2 C-130s, and 164 wounded soldiers to US hospitals on 17 C-130s, 5 C-141s, and 5 C-9s. Several KC-135s and KC-10s provided refueling support throughout the operation. During the redeployment phase from 4 November into December, 292 airlift missions transported 12,098 passengers and 4,859 tons of cargo. (2) (18) MACKAY TROPHY. In Urgent Fury, while flying a 1st Special Operations Wing MC-130, Lt Col James L. Hobson, Jr., conducted the first drop of combat paratroopers from an altitude of 500 feet over Point Salines, Grenada. Flying through a hail of anti-aircraft fire, Hobson then dove his aircraft to 100 feet above ground level to leave the area. For that event, he earned the 1984 Mackay Trophy. (18)
1984: F-4E Phantoms assigned to the 86 TFW took part in USAFE's first joint live fire missile exercise with the US Navy at the Salto Di Quirra Range, off the east coast of Sardinia. (16)
1985: The USAF accepted its 80th and last C-21A from Gates Learjet Corporation at Scott AFB. This delivery completed the transition to the C-12F and C-21A for operational support airlift. (18)
1988: The 31 ARRS used two HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters to rescue 27 residents of Marikina, Republic of Philippines, following a flood caused by Typhoon Ruby. The four-flight mssion took 8 hours to accomplish. (26)
1992: A C-141 evacuated Americans and other foreign nationals from Tajikistan after civil disturbances erupted in the former Soviet republic. (16) (26)
2003: Through 26 October, an AFFTC B-1B set official world records in 50 categories during an Open House at Edwards AFB. The bomber flew speed dashes over 100-kilometer, 500- kilometer, and 1,000-kilometer closed-circuit courses, and a 15-kilometer speed dash in eight cargo categories per speed record. Altogether, the B-1 set 45 new FAI world records and broke five previously-existing records. (3)
2004: AFFTC dropped chaff and flares in CV-22 countermeasures safe separation test flights over Edwards AFB. The tests cleared the CV-22s for operational use by the AF Special Operations Command. (3)
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