TheList 7015

The List 7015     TGB

To All,

Good Sunday morning 24 November. I hope your weekend is going well. Toni and I went through a lot of boxes and tubs yesterday and put the results in boxes labeled keep, donate, trash or sell. That was only the tip of the iceberg. Once again the weather guessers that provide that service on my phone were out to lunch. The quote was NO precipitation in the last 24 hours and none expected in the next 10 days. The ground out side is fully covered in something that looks a lot like rain.

Make it a GREAT Day

Regards,

Skip

 

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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 84 H-Grams  .

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History

November 24

1862 During the Civil War, the screw steam gunboat Monticello destroys two Confederate salt works near Little River, N.C., while the screw steam gunboat Sagamore captures two British blockade runners, schooner Agnes and sloop Ellen, in Indian River, Fla.

1877 While en route to Cuba to collect scientific information, the screw steam gunboat Huron wrecks in a storm near Nag's Head, N.C. The crew attempts to free their ship but it soon heels over, killing 98 officers and men.

1943 Japanese submarine I-175 sinks USS Liscome Bay (CVE 56) southeast of Makin Island. Though 272 of her crew are rescued, she loses 55 officers and 591 enlisted men, including Navy Cross recipient Cook 3rd Class Doris Miller.

1943 USS Nautilus (SS 168) and USS Gansevoort (DD 608) shell Japanese positions on Abemama Atoll, Gilbert Islands.

1964 USS Princeton (LPH 5) completes seven days of humanitarian relief delivering 1,300 tons of supplies to the Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh provinces of South Vietnam which suffered damage from typhoon and floods.

1991 The United States returns Subic Bay Naval Base to the control of the Philippines. Subic Bay had been an important point for the resupply of Naval vessels.

 

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This Day in World History November 24

1542 The English defeat the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss in England.

1859 Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. The first printing of 1,250 copies sells out in a single day.

1863 In the Battle Above the Clouds, Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's forces take Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1864 Kit Carson and his 1st Cavalry, New Mexico Volunteers, attack a camp of Kiowa Indians in the First Battle of Adobe Walls.

1874 Joseph Glidden receives a patent for barbed wire.

1902 The first Congress of Professional Photographers convenes in Paris.

1912 Austria denounces Serbian gains in the Balkans; Russia and France back Serbia while Italy and Germany back Austria.

1927 Federal officials battle 1,200 inmates after prisoners in Folsom Prison revolt.

1938 Mexico seizes oil land adjacent to Texas.

1939 In Czechoslovakia, the Gestapo execute 120 students who are accused of anti-Nazi plotting.

1944 American B-29s flying from Saipan bomb Tokyo.

1949 The Iron and Steel Act nationalizes the steel industry in Britain.

1950 UN troops begin an assault into the rest of North Korea, hoping to end the Korean War by Christmas.

1961 The United Nations adopts bans on nuclear arms over American protests.

1963 Jack Ruby fatally shoots the accused assassin of President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, in the garage of the Dallas Police Department.

1977 Greece announces the discovery of the tomb of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.

1979 The United States admits that thousands of troops in Vietnam were exposed to the toxic Agent Orange.

1992 US Congress passes the Brady Bill requiring a 5-day waiting period for handgun sales; the bill is named for Pres. Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was left partially paralyzed by a bullet during an assassination attempt on Reagan.

1995 Ireland votes 50.28% to 49.72% to end its 70-year-old ban on divorce.

2012 A fire at a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, kills over 110 people.

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Thanks to the Bear. .

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER ….

. 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. ……Skip

From Vietnam Air Losses site for Sunday November 24

November 24: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=25

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 Service members Killed in the Vietnam War

The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.

 

  https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )

 

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Thanks to Shadow….

AFTERMATH

From a couple of comments I received… I think I need to expound on my criticism of the

Flag Community from those days… and to clarify… I was not saying the war was unwinnable…

Quite the contrary… I think it could have been won in nine months to a year

if we'd done in the beginning what we did in the end… Bomb the living shit out of

them… Take out the industrial centers, the bridges and dikes, blockade the coast and

mine the harbors. Which is exactly what Adm. U.S. Grant Sharpe, CINCPAC…

advocated doing back in 1965! Read his book!

Now for my anger… I'll give three examples, one Marine, one Navy and one Army… Of

true leadership in the military and how doing the right thing… saved a lot of lives and

money.

In the 1950's… the Navy was trying to develop an aircraft called the F7U-3 Cutlass. The

"Gutless Cutlass"… as it became known… was arguably two things… if nothing else…

First, it was perhaps the most beautiful aircraft of its' era… way ahead of its' time… with

twin tails and two after-burning engines. It had a huge wing and high nose and was

simply beautiful. Second, it was also the worst piece of shit jet airplane… that ever went

into production. The Navy, realizing that they had the "Mother of all Turkeys" on their

hands… decided that they would pawn this piece of crap… off on the Marine Corps.

Marion Carl… WW II Ace and national hero… besides being a world famous test pilot

and record holder… got wind of this and stormed the Pentagon… He basically threatened

to resign on the Pentagon steps if the Navy persisted in trying to shove this "killer plane"

off on the Marine Corps… and tell the whole world what a piece of crap this plane was.

The Navy knew Carl was a man of principal… and would do exactly what he said he

would… They folded. The Cutlass has the dubious distinction of being the only aircraft I

am aware of… to be flown direct from the factory… to be relegated to monument status

in various communities and bases around the country… brand new airplanes became

monuments at various VFW's and gate guards at some bases. Carl's direct and sincere

threat… saved countless Marine pilots' lives.

One of the most revered Admirals in Naval Aviation… was Adm. Tom Connelly. He was

Chief of Naval Aviation during McNamara's first years. McNamara's pet project in those

days was the F-111. He wanted the Air Force and the Navy… to both operate this aircraft.

Conventional wisdom dictates that it isn't hard to convert an aircraft designed for carrier

use to land base use… but it is almost impossible to go the other way without disastrous

results. Mr. Strange knew he was smarter than the rest of the world and insisted that the

Navy embrace the aircraft anyway. As predicted, it was a total failure. The Navy version

was so over-weight and underpowered… it was like the Cutlass reincarnate.

But that was just one of the problems it had. McNamara continued to press for the

program and absolutely forbid anyone in the Navy from saying critical things about it.

During one of the Senate Armed Service's Committee meetings… McNamara was asked

by Senator John Stennis… if the rumors of problems with the F-111B (the Navy version)

were true. McNamara said that the only major problem would be solved with the

development of a new… higher thrust… engine… soon to be delivered (a bald faced lie).

Stennis was a cagey old poll… He knew McNamara was full of shit. He looked back and

saw Adm. Connelly in the audience and asked McNamara if he could call the Admiral

forward to address the question… McNamara supposedly glared at Connelly and then

Stennis and finally said sure… Connelly came forward and sat down next to McNamara.

Stennis then asked the question again… "Admiral, you are the head of Naval Aviation… I

want your personal opinion… Do you think these new higher thrust engines will make

this aircraft suitable for carrier operations"?

Connelly looked the Senator right in the eye… and said the following… "Senator, with

all due respect… There is not enough thrust… in all of Christendom… to make that

aircraft suitable for carrier operations"! The audience gasped out loud… McNamara

turned beat red… and shortly left the room. Connelly was asked (told) to retire as soon as

he got back to the Pentagon… but his honesty and courageous stand… saved the lives of

many men and a program that was a disaster in the making.

Gen. John Singlaub… Commander of U. S. Forces in South Korea… went public and

repudiated policy being formulated by President Jimmy Carter (another illustrious

product of the Naval Academy and the most incompetent president of our lifetime).

President Carter wanted to pull all US troops from the Korean Peninsula. Singlaub

rightly… and publicly stated this was a policy of disaster… if we pulled out, the North

Korean's would surely invade the south once again and all of Korea would be

Communist… mitigating the entire Korean War… and upsetting the entire balance of

power in the orient. Now Singlaub was fired by Carter… for doing this… but it started

the debate and forced Carter to re-consider… as a result, South Korea is still free today

and the North, while still a threat to world peace, is at least held at bay. Too bad our

General in the Canal Zone was not as brave.

My point about all this… is that here were three men… who when confronted with policy

being driven by the civilian sector of government… that they knew was a disaster waiting

to happen… They stepped up to the bar… put their careers on the line… and said, "Yo

basta"! (Enough!)… and they succeeded in stopping those programs and policy's dead in

their tracks… and saved countless lives and money in the process. It cost them their

careers… but that was a small price to pay in exchange for the lives saved.

If just one of the members of the Joint Chief's of Staff, during the Vietnam years… had

shown the same commitment and courage as any of these three men… I believe in my

heart of hearts… that the out come of our dirty little war would have been dramatically

different. The national debate could have been shifted from anti-war… to a debate about

the prosecution of the war. The public would have been better informed and even the

average Joe Six Pack… would have seen what a disaster it was and would have

demanded that we either do it right… or get the hell out.

Instead they (the Admirals and Generals) remained silent… and day after day… sent you

and me… and our brothers into harm's way… in a half-hearted effort to fight a war that

they knew… we could not possibly win in the manner it was being fought. They sat on

their thrones in the Pentagon… out of harm's way… and not a single one of them had the

courage or fortitude… to come clean with the American people… or the "Men of

Honor"… that they commanded. They were and are… a national disgrace as far as I'm

concerned. Perhaps even more so… than the politicians they were lackeys for.

One last anecdotal event… When Hartley was killed… after arriving back at Alpha's

perimeter… a young PFC... I didn't even know his name… came up to me and asked

with tears in his eyes, "What about the Lieutenant"? I looked at this guy and said, "He's

not coming back". He was devastated… his shoulders slopped and he turned away,

sobbing.

In total frustration, I wrenched my helmet off and threw it as hard as I could. Westerman

saw this and grabbed me… pulled me into a tent and starts bracing me up… "Listen

goddammit… Don't you ever fly off the handle like that again… these other folks look

up to you and you're setting a bad example". I said, "Colonel, this whole thing was

fucked up". He then said something that has stuck in my craw for decades… "Listen you

little son of a bitch… You think you're so smart… But there are people who are a whole

lot smarter than you or me… who are running this thing… and they have the big

picture… If you knew what the big picture was… then you'd know why we do the things

we do… and quit second guessing everything that happens… Now get a hold of

yourself"!

Ten years later… when all the memoir's came out… and the truth was finally told…

Even Blackjack would have to admit… that they… were more fucked up… than this 21

year old… could have ever imagined!

Now I'm not relating this for some form of self-glorification… or some ego trip… I'm

just trying to explain that if we in the field… young men in our late teens and early

twenties could see the folly of what we were doing… What the fuck were those men in

the Pentagon thinking? I can forgive Blackjack for what he did… but I can never forgive

the assholes at the top… If there is blame to be laid… You need look no further than at

the top… the JCS and the various service chiefs… They are the one's who failed us…

and America and the Vietnamese people.

I got sidetracked here today… but I thought I needed to clarify the last segment a little

more.

Later, Shadow

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Watching "You Bet your life" on our old Crosley small black and white TV was a treat. You never knew what was coming.  Skip

Thanks to Boysie ...

 

Groucho Marx Quotes

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."

"Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot."

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."

"We in the industry know that behind every successful screenwriter stands a woman. And behind her stands his wife."

"It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy"

"She got her good looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon."

"Military justice is to justice what military music is to music"

"Remember men you are fighting for the ladies honour, which is probably more than she ever did."

In a restaurant to a waitress: "Do you have frogs legs or do you always walk like that..."

"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot"

"Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy"

"I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They're upstairs in my socks"

"You've got the brain of a four-year-old boy, and I'll bet he was glad to get rid of it"

"My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been one"

"Ice Water? Get some Onions - that'll make your eyes water!"

"I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members"

"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?"

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana"

"While hunting in Africa, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How an elephant got into my pajamas I'll never know"

"I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury"

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made."

"I must say that I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book"

"Room service? Send up a larger room"

"Either he's dead or my watch has stopped"

"From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it"

"As soon as I get through with you, you'll have a clear case for divorce and so will my wife"

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"

"Marriage is the chief cause of divorce."

"In America you can go on the air and kid the politicians, and the politicians can go on the air and kid the people"

"If I held you any closer I would be on the other side of you"

Man: "I would like to say goodby to your wife". Groucho: "Me too"

"Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted"

"Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough"

"The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open"

"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five"

Marilyn Monroe: "What can I do for you?". Groucho: "What a silly question!!!"

"Good sex is like good Bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand."

 

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. Thanks to Barrett

Mayflower, in American colonial history, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they established the first permanent New England colony in 1620. Although no detailed description of the original vessel exists, marine archaeologists estimate that the square-rigged sailing ship weighed about 180 tons and measured 90 feet (27 metres) long. In addition, some sources suggest that the Mayflower was constructed in Harwich, England, shortly before English merchant Christopher Jones purchased the vessel in 1608.

What happened to the Mayflower after Plymouth?

Some of the Pilgrims were brought from Holland on the Speedwell, a smaller vessel that accompanied the Mayflower on its initial departure from Southampton, England, on August 15, 1620. When the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and was twice forced to return to port, the Mayflower set out alone from Plymouth, England, on September 16, after taking on some of the smaller ship's passengers and supplies. Among the Mayflower's most-distinguished voyagers were William Bradford and Captain Myles Standish.

Mayflower II

The Mayflower II, a replica of the Mayflower.

Chartered by a group of English merchants called the London Adventurers, the Mayflower was prevented by rough seas and storms from reaching the territory that had been granted in Virginia (a region then conceived of as much larger than the present-day U.S. state of Virginia, at the time including the Mayflower's original destination in the area of the Hudson River in what is now New York state). Instead, after a 66-day voyage, it first landed November 21 on Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, and the day after Christmas it deposited its 102 settlers nearby at the site of Plymouth. Before going ashore at Plymouth, Pilgrim leaders (including Bradford and William Brewster) drafted the Mayflower Compact, a brief 200-word document that was the first framework of government written and enacted in the territory that would later become the United States of America. The ship remained in port until the following April, when it left for England. The true fate of the vessel remains unknown; however, some historians argue that the Mayflower was scrapped for its timber, which was then used in the construction of a barn in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England. In 1957 the historic voyage of the Mayflower was commemorated when a replica of the original ship was built in England and sailed to Massachusetts in 53 days

 

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Thanks to Interesting Facts

National animals

Scotland's national animal is the unicorn.

America has the eagle, England has the lion, and Scotland has the unicorn. And while the horned mythological creature may not actually exist, the traits it represents certainly do: Purity, independence, and an untamable spirit are all qualities Scotland has long cherished. Unicorns appeared on the country's coat of arms starting in the 12th century, and were officially adopted as Scotland's national animal by King Robert I in the late 14th century. For many years, the coat of arms included two of the legendary beings, but in 1603 one was replaced by a lion to mark the Union of the Crowns. Fittingly for the then-newly united England and Scotland, folklore had long depicted the two creatures as butting heads to determine which one was truly the "king of beasts."

Scottish kings also displayed that fighting spirit, which may be why unicorns were generally depicted in Scottish heraldry as wearing gold chains — only the land's mighty monarchs could tame them. Unicorns remain popular in Scotland to this day, with renditions found on palaces, universities, castles, and even Scotland's oldest surviving wooden warship.

Royals used to test their food for poison with faux-unicorn horns.

Neither unicorns nor their horns are real, but that hasn't stopped people from attributing mystical properties to them for centuries. One case in point: European nobility circa the Middle Ages, who used so-called unicorn horns (also known as alicorn) to determine whether or not the meal they were about to consume had been poisoned. The "horns" were actually narwhal tusks in most cases, and were believed to sweat or change color if poison had been detected. Rhinoceros and walrus horns were also used — and all of these stand-ins could cost 10 times their weight in gold. Belief in their powers was widespread for centuries, with no less a monarch than Queen Elizabeth I being a devotee.

 

6 Countries With Unusual National Animals

Did you know there are at least eight countries around the world with an eagle as their national animal? There's only one country, however, that honors the Dodo bird. From mythical creatures to religious representations, here are six countries where a strange or unusual beast is a national symbol.

 

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Mauritius: Dodo Bird

Mauritius, a tiny island nation east of Madagascar, was once home to the famed dodo bird. First seen in the early 1500s by Portuguese sailors, the dodo likely died out by the end of the following century. While the large, flightless, and ever-so-strange bird has been extinct for many years, Mauritius still honors its memory. Images of the dodo are found throughout the country — on the coat of arms, in tourist shops, and on government stamps. There's even a full skeleton of the creature at the Natural History Museum of Mauritius, one of just a few such skeletons in the world.

 

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China: Red-Crowned Crane

China's national bird, the red-crowned crane, also happens to be one of the rarest cranes in the world. Named for the patch of red skin at the very top of its head, the omnivorous bird feasts on grasses and plants in addition to fish, crustaceans, and amphibians. Unfortunately, the bird's population has been threatened by habitat loss. But since the red-crowned crane is synonymous with good luck, loyalty, and longevity, it is fiercely loved and protected by the Chinese people, as well as international conservation groups.

 

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Bhutan: Takin

Bhutan's national animal, the takin, is sometimes called a goat antelope, although it has more in common with wild sheep. Their powerful bodies and nimble legs help the creatures traverse the mountainous country, which is located in the Himalayas. According to legend, the shaggy creature was created by a Tibetan saint named Lama Drukpa Kunley, who arrived in Bhutan around the 15th century. Asked to perform a miracle, he rearranged the bones from his lunch of cow and goat meat so that the goat's head was atop the cow's carcass. With a snap of his fingers, the strange animal came to life. Today, although its population is vulnerable, the takin can still be found grazing in higher elevations of the country's northwest and far northeast.

 

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Belize: Baird's Tapir

Although it may look a little like an anteater, Baird's tapir is more closely related to a rhinoceros. The largest land animal native to Central America is surprisingly agile, however. It can swim in rivers, climb up steep embankments, and walk for miles in search of food. As an herbivore, it dines on grasses, aquatic plants, leaves, and fruits native to Belize. Its long, flexible snout and flat teeth make it easy to forage for hard-packed snacks, like twigs and nuts. Although the nocturnal animal is partial to nighttime ranging, it can sometimes be spotted in natural forest preserves throughout Belize.

 

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Papua New Guinea: Dugong

The dugong, the national animal of Papua New Guinea, is cousins with the freshwater manatee. Often called a "sea cow," this large, gentle creature can be found grazing on seagrass in bays, mangroves, and reefs. Dugongs have long played an important role in the lives of native Papua New Guineans, as the marine animal has been hunted for its hide, meat, and oil for centuries. Today, dugongs are protected by the nation, with the exception of traditional hunting.

 

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Pakistan: Markhor

The markhor is a large, wild goat that lives in the Himalayas of Pakistan, as well as the neighboring countries of India, Afghanistan, and Turkestan. As the national animal of Pakistan, markhors are recognized as a protective symbol of the nation. In fact, the word "markhor" means "snake-eater" in Persian, which may refer to the goat's ability to crush snakes with its large hooves or the animal's serpentine horns. Unfortunately, this species is critically endangered — they're often poached for their beautiful horns, which are believed to have healing purposes in certain traditional medicines.

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This Day in U S Military History

24 November

1943 – The USS Liscome Bay is torpedoed near Tarawa and sinks, killing 650 men.

1944– 111 U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers raid Tokyo for the first time since Capt. Jimmy Doolittle's raid in 1942. Their target: the Nakajima aircraft engine works. Fall 1944 saw the sustained strategic bombing of Japan. It began with a reconnaissance flight over Tokyo by Tokyo Rose, a Superfortress B-29 bomber piloted by Capt. Ralph D. Steakley, who grabbed over 700 photographs of the bomb sites in 35 minutes. Next, starting the first week of November, came a string of B-29 raids, dropping hundreds of tons of high explosives on Iwo Jima, in order to keep the Japanese fighters stationed there on the ground and useless for a counteroffensive. Then came Tokyo. The awesome raid, composed of 111 Superfortress four-engine bombers, was led by Gen. Emmett "Rosie" O'Donnell, piloting Dauntless Dotty. Press cameramen on site captured the takeoffs of the first mass raid on the Japanese capital ever for posterity. Unfortunately, even with the use of radar, overcast skies and bad weather proved an insurmountable obstacle at 30,000 feet: Despite the barrage of bombs that were dropped, fewer than 50 hit the main target, the Nakajima Aircraft Works, doing little damage. The upside was that at such a great height, the B-29s were protected from counter-attack; only one was shot down. One Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded as a result of the raid. It went to Captain Steakley.

1963 – At 12:20 p.m., in the basement of the Dallas police station, Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is shot to death by Jack Ruby, a Dallas strip club owner. On November 22, President Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in an open-car motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas. Less than an hour after the shooting, Lee Harvey Oswald killed a policeman who questioned him on the street. Thirty minutes after that, he was arrested in a movie theater by police. Oswald was formally arraigned on November 23 for the murders of President Kennedy and Officer J.D. Tippit. On November 24, Oswald was brought to the basement of the Dallas police headquarters on his way to a more secure county jail. A crowd of police and press with live television cameras rolling gathered to witness his departure. As Oswald came into the room, Jack Ruby emerged from the crowd and fatally wounded him with a single shot from a concealed .38 revolver. Ruby, who was immediately detained, claimed that rage at Kennedy's murder was the motive for his action. Some called him a hero, but he was nonetheless charged with first-degree murder. Jack Ruby, originally known as Jacob Rubenstein, operated strip joints and dance halls in Dallas and had minor connections to organized crime. He also had a relationship with a number of Dallas policemen, which amounted to various favors in exchange for leniency in their monitoring of his establishments. He features prominently in Kennedy-assassination theories, and many believe he killed Oswald to keep him from revealing a larger conspiracy. In his trial, Ruby denied the allegation and pleaded innocent on the grounds that his great grief over Kennedy's murder had caused him to suffer "psychomotor epilepsy" and shoot Oswald unconsciously. The jury found him guilty of the "murder with malice" of Oswald and sentenced him to die. In October 1966, the Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision on the grounds of improper admission of testimony and the fact that Ruby could not have received a fair trial in Dallas at the time. In January 1967, while awaiting a new trial, to be held in Wichita Falls, Ruby died of lung cancer in a Dallas hospital. The official Warren Commission report of 1964 concluded that neither Oswald nor Ruby were part of a larger conspiracy, either domestic or international, to assassinate President Kennedy. Despite its seemingly firm conclusions, the report failed to silence conspiracy theories surrounding the event, and in 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in a preliminary report that Kennedy was "probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy" that may have involved multiple shooters and organized crime. The committee's findings, as with those of the Warren Commission, continue to be widely disputed.

1965 – U.S. casualty statistics reflect the intensified fighting in the Ia Drang Valley and other parts of the Central Highlands. In their first significant contacts, U.S. forces and North Vietnamese regulars fought a series of major battles in the Highlands that led to high casualties for both sides. A record 240 American soldiers were killed and another 470 were wounded during the previous week. These figures were a portent of things to come–U.S. and North Vietnamese forces began to engage each other on a regular basis shortly thereafter.

1985– The hijacking of an Egypt Air jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently as Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers. Ali Rezaq of the Abu Nidal terrorist group was imprisoned in Malta for 7 years and then released. The US FBI apprehended him in Nigeria in 1993 and he was convicted by a US federal jury in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison.

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

KAPPESSER, PETER

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 149th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Lookout Mountain, Tenn., 24 November 1863. Entered service at: Syracuse, N.Y. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 28 June 1865. Citation: Capture of Confederate flag (Bragg's army).

KIGGINS, JOHN

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 149th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Lookout Mountain, Tenn., 24 November 1863. Entered service at: Syracuse, N.Y. Birth: Syracuse, N.Y. Date of issue: 12 January 1892. Citation: Waved the colors to save the lives of the men who were being fired upon by their own batteries, and thereby drew upon himself a concentrated fire from the enemy.

POTTER, NORMAN F.

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company E, 149th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Lookout Mountain, Tenn., 24 November 1863. Entered service at: Pompey, N.Y. Birth: Pompey, N.Y. Date of issue: 24 June 1865. Citation: Capture of flag (Bragg's army).

WILLIAMS, ANTONIO

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1825, Malta. Citation: For courage and fidelity displayed in the loss of the U.S.S. Huron, 24 November 1877.

*KNIGHT, NOAH O.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kowang-San, Korea, 23 and 24 November 1951. Entered service at: Jefferson, S.C. Born: 27 October 1929, Chesterfield County, S.C. G.O. No.: 2, 7 January 1953. Citation: Pfc. Knight, a member of Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He occupied a key position in the defense perimeter when waves of enemy troops passed through their own artillery and mortar concentrations and charged the company position. Two direct hits from an enemy emplacement demolished his bunker and wounded him. Disregarding personal safety, he moved to a shallow depression for a better firing vantage. Unable to deliver effective fire from his defilade position, he left his shelter, moved through heavy fire in full view of the enemy and, firing into the ranks of the relentless assailants, inflicted numerous casualties, momentarily stemming the attack. Later during another vicious onslaught, he observed an enemy squad infiltrating the position and, counterattacking, killed or wounded the entire group. Expending the last of his ammunition, he discovered 3 enemy soldiers entering the friendly position with demolition charges. Realizing the explosives would enable the enemy to exploit the breach, he fearlessly rushed forward and disabled 2 assailants with the butt of his rifle when the third exploded a demolition charge killing the 3 enemy soldiers and mortally wounding Pfc. Knight. Pfc. Knight's supreme sacrifice and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 24,  FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

 

24 November

1930: Ruth Nichols left Mineola in a Lockheed Vega airplane and flew to California. Mechanical troubles, however, grounded her plane several times and kept her from reaching Burbank until 1 December. Still, her 16-hour, 59-minute, 30-second flight time set a new east-west, cross county record for women. (24)

1944: From the Marianas, 88 B-29s flew the first very heavy bomb strike from the Marianas Islands on Tokyo and the Japanese home islands. The XXI Bomber Command, under the leadership of Brig Gen Haywood S. Hansell, Jr., conducted this attack as its first mission. (21)

1947: White Sands Proving Ground launched the first live Aerobee rocket to 190,000 feet. (12) (26)

1950: KOREAN WAR. B-29s attacked N. Korean communications, supply centers, and bridges over the Yalu River, while Fifth Air Force fighters intensified its close air support missions. FEAF Combat Cargo Command aircraft dropped ammunition to front-line troops. (28)

1951: In night operations, the 98 BW bombed Taechon airfield, the marshalling yard at Tongchon and flew five close support sorties; 307 BW bombed marshalling yard at Hambusong-ji; and 19 BG bombed Namsi airfield, the Hoeyang highway bridge, and the marshalling yards at Munchon and Hambusong-ji. (28)

1956: Operation QUICK KICK. For 2 days, 4 B-52s from the 93 BMW at Castle AFB and 4 B-52s from the 42 BMW at Limestone AFB flew a nonstop flight around the North American perimeter. One 93 BMW bomber, flown by Lt Col Marcus L. Hill, Jr., covered the 13,500 miles from Castle to Baltimore in 31 hours 30 minutes with four KC-97 inflight refuelings. (1)

1959: The X-18 tiltwing airplane, a C-122 modified by Hiller Aircraft Corporation to investigate VTOL operations for cargo aircraft, completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)

1969: The USAF announced that the Arnold Engineering and Development Center had completed testing on the TF-39, 41,000-pound thrust turbofan engine, destined for the C-5A Galaxy.

1970: North American Rockwell pilot Edward A. Gillespie flew a modified T-2C with a supercritical wing configuration at Columbus. The wing promised to delay transonic separation, buffeting, and other undesirable aerodynamic phenomena to give aircraft greater flexibility at supersonic speeds.

1974: President Gerald R. Ford and General Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation accord. This agreement limited the deployment of strategic delivery vehicles and Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). (6)

1975: Operation DEEP FREEZE. A C-141 crew from Travis AFB airlifted 100 penguins from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to Miramar, Calif. (18)

1981: Boeing Aerospace Company held a rollout ceremony for its first full-scale production ALCM in Seattle. (12)

1987: A B-1B successfully launched an ALCM for the first time. (16) (26)

2004: The AFFTC supported Burt Rutan's Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, a unique aircraft built by Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., to make the first solo nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world. AFFTC provided personnel, airspace and runway use. The overloaded jet needed the entire length of the Edwards runway for a safe takeoff. (3)

 

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