To All,
Good Saturday Morning November 9, 2024 . Saturday morning November 9, 2024.The weather guessers are saying that we are going to have another great day here with clear and sunny skies and 77 degrees.
On another subject. Over the last few days I have received number of letters from some of you that contained cash or checks of various amounts. I do not know how to thank each of you but I will contact you personally over the next few days to thank you. Your generosity has over whelmed me. I will use the money to make sure that I have a computer that will last many years and not have the threat of it breaking down and leave me unable to continue to provide the List for many more years. Tomorrow will be number 7000 and in February the List will be 25 years old. Thanks to Shadow and cowboy who pulled this off without me knowing about it. To date I have received 40 letters.
The List is not just a daily but a repository of names that keeps us all connected so that we can reach out to old friends. If you are trying to track down an old friend or squadron mate we have good success in finding them.
I also have folders that contain a lot of history on many subjects and when I go into my archives it is like walking though time. Just to make sure we get a book out of Shadow his folder has over 1000 entries.
And do not forget Cowboy who saved the list many years ago and who keeps it running every day to get out to each of you.
I hope that your weekend is a good one wherever you are.
I tried to get this out earlier because my good friend Mac and I have breakfast each Saturday morning and he just back from his 10 day fishing trip and he got 18.
But the dogs and the chickens had to be fed before I left.
Regards,
skip
Make it a GREAT Day .
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Today in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
November 9
1822 The brig Alligator, commanded by Lt. William H. Allen, recaptures several merchant ships from pirates off Matanzas, Cuba, but Allen dies in battle. Boats from Alligator capture all the pirate vessels except one schooner that manages to escape.
1863 During the Civil War, the side wheel steamer James Adger, commanded by Cmdr. Thomas H. Patterson, captures blockade runner Robert E. Lee off Cape Lookout, Shoals, N.C.
1921 USS Olympia (C 6) arrives at the Washington Navy Yard from France carrying the body of the Unknown Soldier of World War I for internment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
1944 USS Barbero (SS 317) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the merchant ship Shimotsu Maru about 250 miles west of Manila while USS Queenfish (SS 393) also attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the gunboat Chojusan Maru about 50 miles west of Kyushu. Additionally on this date, USS Haddo (SS 255) sinks the Japanese tanker No.2 Hishu Maru in Mindoro Strait.
1950 Task Force 77 makes its first attack on the Yalu River bridges. In the first engagement between MIG-15 and F9F jets, Lt. Cmdr. William T. Amen, commanding officer of VF-111, based on board USS Philippine Sea (CV 47), shoots down a MiG and becomes the first Navy pilot to shoot down a jet aircraft.
1956 Secretary of the Navy Charles S. Thomas proposes the Polaris missile program to Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson.
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This Day in World History
November 9
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte participates in a coup and declares himself dictator of France.
1848 The first U.S. Post Office in California opens in San Francisco at Clay and Pike streets. At the time there are only about 15,000 European settlers living in the state.
1900 Russia completes its occupation of Manchuria.
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt leaves Washington, D.C., for a 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico, becoming the first president to make an official visit outside of the United States.
1914 The Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney wrecks the German cruiser Emden, forcing her to beach on a reef on North Keeling Island in the Indian Ocean.
1918 Germany is proclaimed a republic as the kaiser abdicates and flees to the Netherlands.
1935 Japanese troops invade Shanghai, China.
1938 Nazis kill 35 Jews, arrest thousands and destroy Jewish synagogues, homes and stores throughout Germany. The event becomes known as Kristallnacht, the night of the shattered glass.
1965 Roger Allen LaPorte, a 22-year-old former seminarian and a member of the Catholic worker movement, immolates himself at the United Nations in New York City in protest of the Vietnam War.
1965 Nine Northeastern states and parts of Canada go dark in the worst power failure in history, when a switch at a station near Niagara Falls fails.
1967 NASA launches Apollo 4 into orbit with the first successful test of a Saturn V rocket.
1972 Bones discovered by the Leakeys push human origins back 1 million years.
1983 Alfred Heineken, beer brewer from Amsterdam, is kidnapped and held for a ransom of more than $10 million.
1989 The Berlin Wall is opened after dividing the city for 28 years.
1993 Stari Most, a 427-year-old bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is destroyed, believed to be caused by artillery fire from Bosnian Croat forces.
1994 The chemical element Darmstadtium, a radioactive synthetic element, discovered by scientists in Darmstadt, Germany.
1998 Largest civil settlement in US history: 37 brokerage houses are ordered to pay $1.3 billion to NASDAQ investors to compensate for price fixing.
2007 German Bundestag passes controversial bill mandating storage of citizens' telecommunications traffic date for six months without probable cause.
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November 1 1968 was the last Day of rolling Thunder. The Bear will continue shortly with a history of Commando Hunt. The war has another 4 years to go.
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
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. Many are exciting tales of bravery and perseverance by many of the men involved and this one is no exception and it resulted in the awarding of the Medal of Honor ………Skip
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Thursday November 9
9-Nov: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1450
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.
https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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A GREAT REPEAT ARTICLE FROM SHADOW
Thanks to Shadow for another great note with Veteran's Day on the 11th and the USMC Birthday AND Shadow's tomorrow the 10th.
Those were the days
When you think about it… I firmly believe we all shared one of the most exciting, fulfilling and incredible lives than the other 99.9999% of the human race. We saw Mother Earth as few ever have… we saw beautiful skies like no others have… we traveled the world over. We were lucky enough to interface with magical machines and learned to master them! We knew the thrill of the catapult, the joy of an "OK Three Trap" and the concentration required to make a night trap at minimums. We saw the moon and stars at their most vivid best, experienced the awesome power of a level Five Boomer and witnessed incredible lightening at night from above it. Exhilarating low levels around mountain peaks, down in incredible canyons and the beautiful and incredible sentinels of Monument Valley as they burst from the desert floor. We saw skiers from above as they came down a mountain on fresh powder snow, leaving beautiful twisting trails behind them. I'll never forget the night I saw my wingman flying into the largest Harvest Moon I'll ever see and the incredible silhouette of his magnificent machine as it appeared to be suspended in space, like he was part of the moonscape itself. We saw the earth as few people have… incredible shorelines, marshes, limestone escarpments, incredible mountain ranges… great canyons around the world and the eerie but beautiful shadows of islands, cast upon the waters from a setting sun… and speaking of the sun… I dare say we have seen the most beautiful sunsets one could ever see from a vantage point that only us very few will ever experience.
We knew the thrill of adventure… and the smugness of taking off at sunrise as the nine to five drones down below were just awakening… bursting through a low cloud cover to be greeted by a magnificent rising sun framed by mountain peaks. I was often reminded of a Jack London quote I first read as a youth; "Tis the easiest thing in the world to live a placid and complacent life… but to do so... is to have never lived at all"! My friends, we didn't have that problem.
We have memories like no others… and in my mind I still reflect and say to myself, one of the greatest gifts I received from it all... was the other incredible human beings that shared the experience that I got to meet along the way! You were special… we were special!
We were blessed!
Shadow
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. Thanks to Carl
Veterans Day Profiles of Valor: Black Hawk Down | The Patriot Post
MARK ALEXANDER NOVEMBER 8, 2023
Veterans Day Profiles of Valor: Black Hawk Down
"Without a doubt, I owe my life to those two men and their bravery."
"I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means." —John Adams (1776)
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, as memorialized in the film "Black Hawk Down," a very compressed version of the 24-hour fight.
The Operation Gothic Serpent mission that began with a joint-force operation, primarily Army Rangers but also some Navy SEALS and Air Force Pararescue operators, to apprehend two top lieutenants of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's regime, ended in a bloody fight after two of our UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in the heart of Aidid's urban territory. There were 18 Americans killed and 73 wounded, with one man captured. It is estimated that our forces responding to the rescue efforts of those helicopter crews killed between 300 and 700 of Aidid's fighters.
I invite you to revisit the extraordinary scarifies of that battle ahead of our national observance of Veterans Day Saturday, when we pause at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in honor of all American veterans.
In the spirit of Veterans Day, allow me to tell you a bit about two veterans who represent the best of American warriors — Maine native son Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, who served with 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, and Nebraska native son Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, who served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Delta Force.
As background, in August 1993 prior to standing up Task Force Ranger in Magadishu, four U.S. soldiers were killed by an IED remotely detonated by Aidid's terror squads. A week before the main battle, another Black Hawk was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, crashing and killing three American service personnel onboard.
My East Tennessee friend MG Gary Harrell (RIP), who retired as Deputy Commanding General of the Army Special Operations Command, was probably best known for his leadership as a then-Lt. Col. of C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, during the Battle Mogadishu. He was severely wounded, but Gary was a rock — and he recovered. (Ironically, he had previously almost met his end in a helicopter crash during operations in Panama.)
Conversations with Gary, who advanced the names of Master Sgt. Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Shughart for the posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor, provided firsthand insights into the courage and character of these men. Gary's account of their heroic actions was bolstered in subsequent conversations with others who fought there, including Lt. Gen. William Boykin (USA, Ret.) and Col. Danny McKnight (USA, Ret.), who commanded 450 soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Mogadishu.
They all confirmed that our warriors were hamstrung by restrictive rules of engagement imposed by then "Commander-in-Chief" Bill Clinton, who apparently did not learn anything from the bad example of his predecessor, LBJ, whose advisors also endeavored to micromanage combat — in his case in Vietnam — from the basement of the White House.
Perhaps the most visceral account of the actions that day is from CW4 Michael Durant (USA, Ret.), who was the pilot of Super Six Four, the second MH-60L Black Hawk shot down while trying to provide cover after Super Six One was downed. Durant authored a detailed account of that day and night in his book In the Company of Heroes.
After repeated denials of their request to get on the ground and defend Durant and his crew, Gordon and Shughart were inserted by Super Six Two into a battleground with insurmountable odds of survival. They killed numerous Somalis before they ran out of ammunition and were killed in their valorous defense of their fellow warriors, becoming the first Medal of Honor recipients since the Vietnam War.
Their respective Medal of Honor citations detail their actions.
M/Sgt. Gordon distinguished himself by action above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. M/Sgt. Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault, and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When M/Sgt. Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, M/Sgt. Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused him to abort the first attempt, M/Sgt. Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and pistol, M/Sgt. Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. M/Sgt. Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. M/Sgt. Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. M/Sgt. Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. M/Sgt. Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded, and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, M/Sgt. Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words "Good Luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, MSgt. Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. M/Sgt. Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
Sfc. Shughart distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sfc. Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sfc. Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sfc. Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sfc. Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while travelling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sfc. Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sfc. Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
According to Michael Durant, who was severely injured in the crash of his helicopter and taken prisoner and held him captive for 11 days: "Without a doubt, I owe my life to those two men and their bravery. Those guys came in when they had to know it was a losing battle. If they had not come in, I wouldn't have survived."
Reading the account of the actions that day, and considering every other Medal of Honor citation and the heroic actions of so many more, it is clear that never in our nation's history has the contrast between those who have defended our legacy of American Liberty with their blood and life stood in such stark contrast with the domestic enemies of Liberty.
One of the most disgraceful but exemplary illustrations of that contrast would be the actions of anti-Semite Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (D-MN), who was born in Mogadishu and was 11 years old when the lives of Gordon and Shughart were taken. Two years later, in 1995, Omar arrived in the United States, where she and her family were granted asylum. They settled in Minneapolis, which has a large Islamic population and has earned the title of terrorist-recruiting capital of the U.S..
It is from that cesspool of hatred that the now-40-year-old Omar was elected to the U.S. House in 2018. She is a consummate hater whose anti-Semitic sentiments were exposed most recently after the Hamas attack on Israel. She is a charter member of the uber-leftist, America-hating "Squad" — eight Marxists who are leading the socialist surge in the Democrat Party.
Omar owes her life and existence to those who have defended the country she loathes, and yet has been on the forefront of the "systemic racism" lie and the Marxist so-called "Black Lives Matter" radicals it spawned.
I mention this not only by way of her connection to Mogadishu and the contrast in character, but because the hatred that Omar and her ilk invoked in 2020 has been tied to the desecration of Master Sgt. Gordon's gravesite in Maine.
Their disgraceful behavior and lack of gratitude notwithstanding, we American Patriots set aside Veterans Day to honor the service and sacrifice of generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who have carried forward the banner of Liberty since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. Millions of American Patriots have, for generations, honored their oaths "to support and defend" the freedom "endowed by our Creator" as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Constitution.
Amid all the political rancor that dominates the public discourse and news cycles, we should remind others of the following observation from Army veteran Charles M. Province:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
At one point in their lives, every veteran wrote a blank check made payable to "The People of the United States of America" for an amount up to and including their life.
Finally, to genuinely demonstrate gratitude to military veterans and those still serving, Patriots who have and continue to defend the Liberty we enjoy, here is my suggestion: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.
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. The most common written word in English is "the."
English words today come from a variety of languages, originating from Greek, French, Latin, and many others. But perhaps the most important of them all is German, whose words form the backbone of English. That's why English is considered a Germanic language, as opposed to a Romance language like French (although English also shares a considerable number of similarities with French, thanks to the Normans). Taking a look at the most commonly written words in English around the world, as compiled by the Oxford English Dictionary, illustrates German's indelible influence.
At the top of the list of the most common written words is, unsurprisingly, "the," related to German's gendered der, die, and das. Germanic function words, such as "and," "but," and "that," pepper the rest of the list. English's most-written noun ("time"), verb ("be"), and adjective ("good") are also Germanic in origin. Today, English borrows liberally for its vocabulary — scholars estimate that words from more than 350 languages have entered English — but the roots of its linguistic tree are considered Western Germanic. English-speakers are far from alone: Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian (spoken in parts of the Netherlands and Germany), Yiddish, and of course German also developed from the same West Germanic roots. In total, these tongues are spoken as primary languages by about 450 million people throughout the world.
English has twice as many non-native speakers as native ones.
English is one of the most universal languages in human history, thanks to the former expanse of the British empire, the dominance of the U.S. post-World War II, and other factors. It's because of this ubiquity that it has the strange distinction of having twice as many non-native speakers (753 million) as native ones (379 million). When factoring in both of these numbers, English has (just barely) more speakers than Mandarin, which has 918 million native speakers — by far the most in the world — but only 199 million non-native speakers. In total, English is spoken by 1.5 billion speakers around the world, compared to Mandarin's 1.1 billion.
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. From the archives
Thanks to Chuck. Something to get your blood running I ran into a live performance on the Danish National Orchestra (video) playing the soundtrack of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly….It is magnificent. Share with The List…sure most will enjoy. Big screen and turn up the volume are recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enuOArEfqGo
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. Thanks to Doctor Rich
This one will put a smile on your face and goosebumps all over!!
NINE YEARS OLD - Incredible control and range. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66-A2MyVDbU&list=TLPQMDYxMTIwMjLhQL8MzT9NVg&index=1
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Thanks to Dutch
Thanks to Marathon
This has been around before and some of the names at the bottom may have changed, but the logic is the same, thanks to Craig
THIS SEEMS VERY LOGICAL…
RATTLESNAKE LOGIC
As long as we insist on maintaining the "moral high ground", we will NEVER win the war on terrorism! We're in a conflict which we absolutely INSIST on playing by the rules - against a maniacal group who have NO rules!
Rattlesnake Logic in dealing with terrorists.
After the Boston bombing the news media spent days and weeks trying to determine why these men did what they did. They want to know what America did to make these brothers so angry with us.
They want to know why these men were not arrested before they did something so terrible.
The media is in a tizzy about this new era of home-grown radicals and about why and how they can live among us and still hate us.
A Texan explained it:
Here in west Texas , I have rattlesnakes on my place, living among us.
I have killed a rattlesnake on the front porch. I have killed a rattlesnake on the back porch.
I have killed rattlesnakes in the barn, in the shop and on the driveway.
In fact, I kill every rattlesnake I encounter. I kill rattlesnakes because I know a rattlesnake will bite me and inject me with poison. I don't stop to wonder WHY a rattlesnake will bite me;
I know it WILL bite me because it's a rattlesnake and that's what rattlesnakes do.
I don't try to reason with a rattlesnake or have a "meaningful dialogue" with it. I just kill it.
I don't try to get to know the rattlesnake better so I can find a way to live with the rattlesnakes and convince them not to bite me.. I just kill them.
I don't quiz a rattlesnake to see if I can find out where the other snakes are, because (a) it won't tell me and (b) I already know they live on my place. So, I just kill the rattlesnake and move on to the next one.
I don't look for ways I might be able to change the rattlesnake to a non-poisonous rat snake. I just kill it. Oh, and on occasion, I accidentally kill a rat snake because I thought it was a rattlesnake at the time.
Also, I know for every rattlesnake I kill, two more are lurking out there in the brush. In my lifetime I will never be able to rid my place of rattlesnakes.
Do I fear them? Not really. Do I respect what they can do to me and my family? Yes!
And because of that respect, I give them the fair justice they deserve. I kill them. As a country, we should start giving more thought to the fact that these jihadists' are telling the world their goal is to kill Americans and destroy our way of life.
They have posted graphic videos on the Internet showing them beheading Americans. They are serious. They are exactly like rattlesnakes. It is high time for us to start acting accordingly!
I love this country. It's the damn government I'm afraid of! Why?
Look who's new in the White House!
Arif Alikhan, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Mohammed Elibiary, Homeland Security Adviser
Rashad Hussain, Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Salam al-Marayati, Obama adviser and founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and is its current executive director
Imam Mohamed Magid, Obama's Sharia Czar from the Islamic Society of North America
Eboo Patel, Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships
This is flat-out scary! The foxes are now officially living in the hen house...
And our borders are letting these in by the thousands BUY MORE AMMO
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This Day in U.S. Military History
November 9
1620 – Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
1780 – In the Battle of Fishdam Ford a force of British and Loyalist troops fail in a surprise attack against the South Carolina Patriot militia under Brigadier General Thomas Sumter. The Battle of Fishdam Ford was an attempted surprise attack by British forces under the command of Major James Wemyss against an encampment of Patriot militia around 1 am, late in the American Revolutionary War. Wemyss was wounded and captured in the attack, which failed because of heightened security in Sumter's camp and because Wemyss did not wait until dawn to begin the attack.
1861 – Gunboats of Flag Officer Du Pont's force took possession of Beaufort, South Carolina, and, by block¬ing the mouth of Broad River, cut off this communication link between Charleston and Savannah. Major General Robert E. Lee wrote Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin regarding the effects of the Union Navy's victory at Port Royal: "The enemy having complete possession of the water and inland navigation, commands all the islands on the coast and threatens both Savannah and Charleston, and can come in his boats, within 4 miles of this place [Lee's headquarters, Coosawhatchie, South Carolina]. His sloops of war and large steamers can come up Broad River to Mackay's Point, the mouth of the Pocotaligo, and his gunboats can ascend some distance up the Coosawhatchie and Tulifinny. We have no guns that can resist their batteries, and have no resources but to prepare to meet them in the field."
1862 – General US Grant issued orders to bar Jews from serving under him. The order was quickly rescinded.
1989 – East German officials today opened the Berlin Wall, allowing travel from East to West Berlin. The following day, celebrating Germans began to tear the wall down. One of the ugliest and most infamous symbols of the Cold War was soon reduced to rubble that was quickly snatched up by souvenir hunters. The East German action followed a decision by Hungarian officials a few weeks earlier to open the border between Hungary and Austria. This effectively ended the purpose of the Berlin Wall, since East German citizens could now circumvent it by going through Hungary, into Austria, and thence into West Germany. The decision to open the wall was also a reflection of the immense political changes taking place in East Germany, where the old communist leadership was rapidly losing power and the populace was demanding free elections and movement toward a free market system. The action also had an impact on President George Bush and his advisors. After watching television coverage of the delirious German crowds demolishing the wall, many in the Bush administration became more convinced than ever that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's statements about desiring a new relationship with the West must be taken more seriously. Unlike 1956 and
1968, when Soviet forces ruthlessly crushed protests in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, respectively, Gorbachev actually encouraged the East German action. As such, the destruction of the Berlin Wall was one of the most significant actions leading to the end of the Cold War.
2001 – Northern Alliance forces, under the command of Dostum and Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor, overcame resistance crossing the Pul-i-Imam Bukhri bridge, and seized the city of Mazar e Sharif's main military base and airport. U.S. Special Forces Operational Detachment A-595, CIA paramilitary officers and United States Air Force Combat Control Team[137][138][139] on horseback and with close air support, took part in the push into Mazari Sharif. After a bloody 90-minute battle, Taliban forces withdrew after holding the city since 1998, triggering celebrations. The fall of the city was a "body blow" to the Taliban and ultimately proved to be a "major shock",[141] since the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had originally believed that the city would remain in Taliban hands well into the following year and any potential battle would require "a very slow advance". Following rumors that Mullah Dadullah was headed to recapture the city with as many as 8,000 fighters, a thousand American 10th Mountain Division personnel were airlifted into the city, providing the first solid position from which Kabul and Kandahar could be reached.[144][145] While prior military flights had to be launched from Uzbekistan or aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea, the Americans now had an airport that allowed them to fly more sorties for resupply missions and humanitarian aid. These missions allowed shipments of humanitarian aid to be immediately shipped to Afghans facing starvation on the northern plain. American-backed forces began immediately broadcasting from Radio Mazar-i-Sharif, the former Taliban Voice of Sharia channel, including an address from former President Rabbani.
2001 – The Battle of Mazar-e Sharif may also mark the last use of hoseback mounted tactics by US troops. US Special Forces operators, blending modern and ancient, rode with Northern Alliance allies while using modern communications to direct air support.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*SIJAN, LANCE P.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 4th Allied POW Wing, Pilot of an F-4C aircraft. Place and date: North Vietnam, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 13 April 1942, Milwaukee, Wis. Citation: While on a flight over North Vietnam, Capt. Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than 6 weeks. During this time, he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food. After being captured by North Vietnamese soldiers, Capt. Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a prisoner of war camp. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered 1 of his guards and crawled into the jungle, only to be recaptured after several hours. He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length. During interrogation, he was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. Capt. Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner. During his intermittent periods of consciousness until his death, he never complained of his physical condition and, on several occasions, spoke of future escape attempts. Capt. Sijan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
TAYLOR, JAMES ALLEN
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Troop B, 1st Cavalry, Americal Division. Place and date: West of Que Son, Republic of Vietnam, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Born: 31 December 1937, Arcata, Calif. Citation: Capt. Taylor, Armor, was serving as executive officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron. His troop was engaged in an attack on a fortified position west of Que Son when it came under intense enemy recoilless rifle, mortar, and automatic weapons fire from an enemy strong point located immediately to its front. One armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit immediately by recoilless rifle fire and all 5 crewmembers were wounded. Aware that the stricken vehicle was in grave danger of exploding, Capt. Taylor rushed forward and personally extracted the wounded to safety despite the hail of enemy fire and exploding ammunition. Within minutes a second armored cavalry assault vehicle was hit by multiple recoilless rifle rounds. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire, Capt. Taylor moved forward on foot to rescue the wounded men from the burning vehicle and personally removed all the crewmen to the safety of a nearby dike. Moments later the vehicle exploded. As he was returning to his vehicle, a bursting mortar round painfully wounded Capt. Taylor, yet he valiantly returned to his vehicle to relocate the medical evacuation landing zone to an area closer to the front lines. As he was moving his vehicle, it came under machinegun fire from an enemy position not 50 yards away. Capt. Taylor engaged the position with his machinegun, killing the 3-man crew. Upon arrival at the new evacuation site, still another vehicle was struck. Once again Capt. Taylor rushed forward and pulled the wounded from the vehicle, loaded them aboard his vehicle, and returned them safely to the evacuation site. His actions of unsurpassed valor were a source of inspiration to his entire troop, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army
YOUNG, GERALD O.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 37th ARS Da Nang AFB, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Khesanh, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Colorado Springs, Colo. Born: 9 May 1930, Chicago, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Young distinguished himself while serving as a helicopter rescue crew commander. Capt. Young was flying escort for another helicopter attempting the night rescue of an Army ground reconnaissance team in imminent danger of death or capture. Previous attempts had resulted in the loss of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire. The endangered team was positioned on the side of a steep slope which required unusual airmanship on the part of Capt. Young to effect pickup. Heavy automatic weapons fire from the surrounding enemy severely damaged 1 rescue helicopter, but it was able to extract 3 of the team. The commander of this aircraft recommended to Capt. Young that further rescue attempts be abandoned because it was not possible to suppress the concentrated fire from enemy automatic weapons. With full knowledge of the danger involved, and the fact that supporting helicopter gunships were low on fuel and ordnance, Capt. Young hovered under intense fire until the remaining survivors were aboard. As he maneuvered the aircraft for takeoff, the enemy appeared at point-blank range and raked the aircraft with automatic weapons fire. The aircraft crashed, inverted, and burst into flames. Capt. Young escaped through a window of the burning aircraft. Disregarding serious burns, Capt. Young aided one of the wounded men and attempted to lead the hostile forces away from his position. Later, despite intense pain from his burns, he declined to accept rescue because he had observed hostile forces setting up automatic weapons positions to entrap any rescue aircraft. For more than 17 hours he evaded the enemy until rescue aircraft could be brought into the area. Through his extraordinary heroism, aggressiveness, and concern for his fellow man, Capt. Young reflected the highest credit upon himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the Armed Forces of his country.
WHITE, KYLE J.
Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and Date: November 9, 2007, Aranas, Afghanistan. Born: March 27, 1987. Departed: No. Entered Service At: Seattle, Washington. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 05/13/2014. Accredited To: Washington. Citation: Specialist Kyle J. White distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio telephone operator with Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on November 9, 2007. On that day, Specialist White and his comrades were returning to Bella Outpost from a shura with Aranas Village elders. As the soldiers traversed a narrow path surrounded by mountainous, rocky terrain, they were ambushed by enemy forces from elevated positions. Pinned against a steep mountain face, Specialist White and his fellow soldiers were completely exposed to enemy fire. Specialist White returned fire and was briefly knocked unconscious when a rocket-propelled grenade impacted near him. When he regained consciousness, another round impacted near him, embedding small pieces of shrapnel in his face. Shaking off his wounds, Specialist White noticed one of his comrades lying wounded nearby. Without hesitation, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire in order to reach the soldier and provide medical aid. After applying a tourniquet, Specialist White moved to an injured Marine, similarly providing aid and comfort until the Marine succumbed to his wounds. Specialist White then returned to the soldier and discovered that he had been wounded again. Applying his own belt as an additional tourniquet, Specialist White was able to stem the flow of blood and save the soldier's life. Noticing that his and the other soldier's radios were inoperative, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire yet again in order to secure a radio from a deceased comrade. He then provided information and updates to friendly forces, allowing precision airstrikes to stifle the enemy's attack and ultimately permitting medical evacuation aircraft to rescue him, his fellow soldiers, Marines and Afghan Army soldiers. Specialist Kyle J. White'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 C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 9, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 November
1918: The 155th Night BMS became the last American unit assigned to the armies before the end of World War I. (24)
1930: Capt Roy W. Ammel of Chicago, flying a Lockheed Sirius, the "Blue Flash," powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine, began the first solo nonstop flight from New York to the Panama Canal Zone. On the flight, Ammel flew 2,700 miles in 24 hours 35 minutes. (21)
1935: The US Navy flew the first mass seaplane flight from Honolulu to French Frigate Shoal, flying 759 miles nonstop in 6 hours 10 minutes. (24)
1944: MEDAL OF HONOR. 1Lt Donald J. Gott and 2Lt William E. Metzger's B-17 received several bad flak hits while flying in a group formation. With only one engine operable, the pilots jettisoned the bombs and made for Allied territory. The rest of the crew parachuted, leaving the pilots and the radio operator, who was too injured to jump, to try a crash landing. As Gott banked into a final landing approach at about 100 feet, the fire from three engines reached the fuel tank and the bomber exploded and crashed, killing all three occupants. Gott and Metzger received Medals of Honor for their action. (4)
1950: KOREAN WAR. In the Navy's first encounter with MiGs in the Korean War, Lt Cmdr W. T. Amen became the first Navy pilot in history to shoot down a jet aircraft. [After the breakup of the Soviet Union, historians found evidence that this event may also be the first jet-to-jet aerial victory. See 8 November 1950.] (16) (24) A 91 SRS gunner, Sgt Harry J. Levene, scored the first B-29 jet victory in the war by destroying an attacking MiG-15. The RB-29 limped back to Japan, where five crewmen died in the crash landing. (28)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A C-47 landed on the beach of Paengnyong-do Island off the southwest coast of North Korea and rescued 11 crewmen of a downed B-29. The 19 BG attacked marshalling yards at Hwang-ju, Kowon, and Yangdok; the Saamcham Airfield; and a barracks area. In other night attacks, 98 BW B-29s bombed Taechon Airfield, flew five close support sorties and a leaflet sortie, and struck Hungnam. (28)
1956: SUEZ CRISIS: Through December, C-121s, C-124s, and other aircraft moved over 1,500 members of the UN peacekeeping force and some 170 tons of cargo to the Middle East. (18)
1959: The USAF awarded Dyna Soar development contracts to Boeing and Martin. (12)
1960: The US Post Office demonstrated a new use for the ECHO I satellite. It sent a "speed mail" letter from Washington DC to Newark by bouncing a microwave beam off the satellite. (24)
1961: Maj Robert M. White attained 4,093 MPH (Mach 6.04) in the X-15A-2 while flying at full throttle at 101,600 feet in altitude above Edwards AFB. (3) (9)
1962: At NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in the first full-duration, full-thrust, static firing test of a Saturn C-1 stage I, the booster produced 1.5 million pounds of thrust. (24)
1964: Vandenberg AFB launched the last Minuteman I (Model A) operational test missile. (6)
1966: A F-111A fighter-bomber achieved a first for American aircraft by flying faster than the speed of sound for 15 minutes at a constant ground clearance of less than 1,000 feet. (16)
1967: Saturn V completed its first test by launching Apollo IV. The 36-story high rocket performed without a flaw. MEDAL OF HONOR. An ARRS member, Capt Gerald O. Young, earned the Medal of Honor as an HH-3 pilot in a combat rescue mission near Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Despite intense ground fire that damaged one HH-3, Captain Young and his crew (Capt Ralph Bower, SSgt Eugene L Clay, and Sgt Larry W. Maysey) tried to rescue the remaining reconnaissance team. Wounded with second and third degree burns over one-fourth of his body, Young prevented the capture of the survivors. Some 17 hours after the crash and six miles from the crash site, Young finally escaped the North Vietnamese and signaled for a pick up. Clay and Maysey received an Air Force Cross posthumously, while Young received the Medal of Honor. (18) (21) MEDAL OF HONOR. Ejecting from his F-4C Phantom over North Vietnam, Capt Lance P. Sijan successfully evaded capture for more than six weeks. Enemy forces captured him, but the severely weakened and injured Sijan managed to escape. After his recapture and torture, he contracted pneumonia and died. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously. (21)
1988: A 709 MAS C-5 flew a mobile dental clinic and two ambulances to Niamey, Niger, on a humanitarian mission. (26)
1989: Over Edwards AFB, the NB-52D carried Pegasus, an air-launched space booster, on its first captive-carry flight. The flight examined the vehicle's guidance, navigation, control, and tele-metry systems. (8: Jan 90)
2006: SECEF Michael W. Wynne announced the selection of Boeing to provide 141 HH-47 helicopters as the new Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle (CSAR-X). The Air Force planned to replace HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters with the HH-47s. (Pentagon Press Release, "Air Force Selects Developer for Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle," 9 Nov 2006) The Air Force activated the first MQ-9 Reaper unit, the 42d Attack Squadron, at Creech AFB. The single-engine, propeller-driven Reaper (formerly the Predator B) could carry 3,000 pounds of bombs and missiles, while remaining airborne for 24 hours. The smaller MQ-1 Predator carried 500 pounds of weaponry. (USAF Aimpoints, "First Reaper Squadron Stands Up," 9 Nov 2006)
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