To All,
Good Monday morning December 30..The weather is supposed to clear up for most of the day today with temps from 45 to 68. Looks like a good time to fill up the green cans from some of the piles I have stacked around the yard. Since we have had very little rain this year I am hoping that the weed population will be very low. Last year we had more rain than I remember and the weed population went wild. Instead of remembering to fill the pool I spent more time pumping it lower so it would not over flow.
See the attachment from Joe
Warm Regards,
Skip
Make it a GREAT Day
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 85 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
December 30
1920—USS John D. Ford (DD 228) is commissioned. She serves in both the Atlantic and the Pacific during World War II and receives a Presidential Unit Citation, specifically honoring her "extraordinary heroism in action" during the Java Campaign, Jan. 23 – March 2, 1942 and four battle stars.
1942—USS Greenling (SS 213) attacks a Japanese convoy 180 miles northeast of Manus, Admiralty Islands and sinks Army cargo ship Hiteru Maru and damages cargo ship Ryufuku Maru while USS Thresher (SS 200) sinks the Japanese freighter Haichan Maru west of Mata Siri Island, off the southern tip of Borneo.
1943—USS Bluefish (SS 222) sinks Japanese oiler Ichiyu Maru in the Java Sea.
1944—USS Block Island (CVE 106) is commissioned, serving until decommissioned in 1954. Struck from the Navy list in 1959, ex-Block Island is sold to Kowa Koeki Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Naka, of Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo and scrapped a year later.
1944—USS Razorback (SS 394) attacks a Japanese convoy going from Manila to Takao, about 60 miles southeast of Formosa, and sinks the destroyer Kuretake in the Bashi Channel. The Japanese cargo ships Brazil Maru and Oi Maru are also damaged during this attack.
1959—The first fleet ballistic missile submarine, USS George Washington (SSBN 598), is commissioned.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in World History: December 30
1460 The Duke of York is defeated and killed by Lancastrians at the Battle of Wakefield.
1803 The United States takes possession of the Louisiana area from France at New Orleans with a simple ceremony, the simultaneous lowering and raising of the national flags.
1861 Banks in the United States suspend the practice of redeeming paper money for metal currency, a practice that would continue until 1879.
1862 The draft of the Emancipation Proclamation is finished and circulated among President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet for comment.
1905 Governor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho is killed by an assassin's bomb.
1922 Soviet Russia is renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1932 The Soviet Union bars food handouts for housewives under 36 years of age. They must now work to eat.
1947 Romania's King Michael is forced to abdicate by Soviet-backed Communists. Communists now control all of Eastern Europe.
1965 Ferdinand E. Marcos is sworn in as the Philippine Republic's sixth president.
1972 After two weeks of heavy bombing raids on North Vietnam, President Nixon halts the air offensive and agrees to resume peace negotiations with Hanoi representative Le Duc Tho.
1976 Governor Carey of New York pardons seven inmates, closing the book on the Attica uprising.
2006 Saddam Hussein, former Iraq dictator, is executed by hanging for crimes committed against his own people during his rule.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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 "Monday 30 December
30-Dec: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2793
This is one that has the information from HC-7 the rescue Helicoptor
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.
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
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. 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
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Monday Morning Humor thanks to Al
Monday Morning Thoughts for the New Year
New Year's reflections--
Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
I contemplate what brought me joy,
And I think of my loved ones and my friends.
Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives,
I reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.
And when I ponder those who do,
I immediately think of you.
Thanks for being one of the reasons why I had a good year, and hope we all have a better, happier and healthier 2025
Try This Recipe…
Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.
Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don't do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.
When I was a young man I had a love-hate relationship with my car. I loved that I had a vehicle that could get me where I needed to go, but I hated just about everything else about it. First it was over 20 years old. It was the size of a tank and got about the same gas milage as one. It would sputter when I accelerated and backfire when I turned the engine off. It leaked and burned oil. The old tires blew out on more than one occasion. The radio tuned in mostly static and I only had one cassette tape to play in the player. The windshield wipers didn't work at all and I sometimes had to pull over in a heavy rain. My co-workers even teased me that they saw buzzards circling my car in the parking lot.
The only one who hated my car more than me was my dad. He was a mechanic and kept the car going for years longer than it should have lasted. As soon as he fixed one thing, however, something else would break down. I could hear him swearing every time he had to work on it. Still, this old, rusty piece of junk was all I could afford at the time so I kept driving it praying it would hang on for one more day. Then finally one morning I turned it on, put it in gear, and the transmission fell out of it. That was the end of my old car and I was happy to see it go.
These days I hate to admit that I am starting to have the same feelings about my own body. I feel like a young soul driving an aging clunker around. My back hurts daily. My teeth, eyesight, memory, and energy aren't as good as they used to be. I am doing my best to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep just to slow down the decay. But each day it gets a little older.
Yet, in the end I know these bodies we drive around aren't who we really are. We are the spirit within. We are beloved children of God put here to live, learn, and love. And when our car does finally break down for good, we will be happy to let it go and return home again.
I know current events can be scary, and that the financial outlay of the holidays can be intimidating and overwhelming. But please consider that regardless of what faith you may or may not possess, there is an inherent call to good and companionship in the air.
With all the division, anger, and frustration bubbling up worldwide, this is an opportunity for a real break. Ignoring the calls especially to excesses in consumerism, and simply being with the folks you love, stepping back from work and the circuses of broadcast and social could be so good for so many of us.
To seek and embrace love, joy, and warmth.
To reach out to old friends and neighbors, to reconnect and reconcile. To carry the gratitude of what matters. Times like this can, if we let them, solidify our foundation as people.
It is so easy to be angry, to be sad, and to be scared. The tension that looms is tangible for many. But that will be what it will be. Far beyond my capacity to change, and likely yours as well. And that is okay. We can only affect that which is in our reach.
So why not breathe. Embrace the love and joy you have. And if you find yourself feeling as though there is none left for you, if life has made you feel alone.
Find a way to do something kind for someone. Help someone, somehow. My Pops always says, 'If you feel bad, help someone. Even if you still feel bad, at least you did something good."
I know the world is full of irrational hate, I try to find equally irrational love. I don't always succeed but I find it is better to try.
When friends go through a rough time, such as illness, surgery, or grieving, I used to tell them, "Let me know if I can help."
They would rarely take me up on my offer.
But now I do something different and they almost always ask me to help. I write them a card. I list specific ways I can help.
For example, "Go grocery shopping, make phone calls, research on the internet, bring a meal, repair/hem clothes, run errands."
My friends have thanked me and told me it makes them feel so much more comfortable asking me for help.
(I also tell them to feel free to ask me to do other things, and if I can't do it, I'll let them know.)
Instructions for Life
• Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Follow the three Rs: Respect for self. Respect for others. Responsibility for all your actions.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
• Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
• Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Spend some time alone every day.
• Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
• Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
• Be gentle with the earth.
• Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
• Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
• Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
A New Year's Prayer (Anonymous)
Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. Amen.
Not to be a "downer", but maybe share these with someone who you think might need them…
Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.
The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand. Bob? Bob from church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow. Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform. "Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."
"Hello, Jack." No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."
"Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good.
"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once."
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct."
Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics. "What'd you clock me at?"
"Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?"
"Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
"Please, Jack, in the car."
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
"Dear Jack,
Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it-a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left.
Bob"
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road.. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
Life is precious. Handle with care. This is an important message; please pass it along to your friends. Drive safely and carefully. Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.
Went to a Party, Mom
I went to a party, and remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom, so I had a Sprite instead.
I felt proud of myself, the way you said I would,
That I didn't drink and drive, though some friends said I should.
I made a healthy choice, and your advice to me was right,
The party finally ended, and the kids drove out of sight.
I got into my car, sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mom, something I expected least.
Now I'm lying on the pavement, and I hear the policeman say,
The kid that caused this wreck was drunk, Mom, his voice seems far away.
My own blood's all around me, as I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say, this girl is going to die.
I'm sure the guy had no idea, while he was flying high,
Because he chose to drink and drive, now I would have to die.
So why do people do it, Mom, knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me like a hundred stabbing knives.
Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom, tell Daddy to be brave,
And when I go to heaven put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone should have taught him that it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had, I'd still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, Mom, I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments and I'm so unprepared.
I wish that you could hold me Mom as I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say, "I love you, Mom!" so I love you and good-bye.
Wednesday is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.
I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025 and beyond,
Al
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
FROM: Joe C.
SUBJ: NAMPOW & WW RR Bill Wilson's Recollections of 29 MARCH 1973
Bill Wilson's remarks bring the Operation Linebacker email series to a fitting close.
This will be one of two messages dealing with the experiences of leaving Hanoi. This key message will be the first. It deals with the recollections of Bill Wilson upon his release from captivity in the Hanoi Hilton following his shoot down and capture 22DEC72 in his F-111A during Operation Linebacker II.
As a part of the conclusion of the LB II series of emails I have included the "Dogpatch" phase.
Bill Wilson's Recollection of 29MAR73
On the 29th of March, I was on the last bus out of the Zoo to be released. Our guards on the bus told us not to make any noise. As we went out the gate there was a fairly large crowd watching our exit and our bus was hit by a rock or two which surprised me. I was looking for bomb damage since I knew that the NVN were claiming lots of collateral damage but it didn't see any. We After we crossed the Paul Doumer bridge and heading for Gia Lam airport, I was looking out the left side of the bus. The road took us right next to the rail road yard that had been the main rail road yard in Hanoi. I knew it was a rail road yard because there were multiple big steam locomotives, the kind that pulled freight cross country, completely turned upside down and others laying on their sides. The area was completely plowed just like a freshly plowed Iowa farm in the spring but not yet harrowed. The area was a real mess. There wasn't a single rail car recognizable although there was also lots of twisted rails at various angle sticking up the into the air. On the right side of the road there were a few strings of bomb craters but absolutely nothing compared the to the accuracy on the rail yard on the left. Amazing bombing from 33,000 feet! I was surprised that the NVN let us see that destruction of a true military target. I was amazed but no one spoke about it on the bus. I guess no one wanted to push it with the NVN most likely because there was still the uncertainty that we would be released today. We were supposed to be released yesterday but there was some problem with the release of our guys in the south. I did not breath easily until the pilot announced that we were out of NVN air space and were being escorted by our fighters then I cheered loudly as did the rest of us.
Bill Wilson recounting the fate of the Jolly Green that tried to rescue him
Here is the info on the HH-53 Jolly Green that almost rescued me on the 27th. It was normally called Jolly 788 but once committed to the rescue the call sign became Jolly 01. (See attached "Pasted Graphic)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
OOOPS
Thanks to Boysie ...and Dr.Rich
Who's Your Daddy?
A very elderly couple is having an elegant dinner to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary.
The old man leans forward and says softly to his wife; "Dear, there is something that I must ask you. It has always bothered me that our tenth child never quite looked like the rest of our children. Now I want to assure you that these 75 years have been the most wonderful experience I could have ever hoped for, and your answer cannot take that all that away. But, I must know, did he have a different father?"
The wife drops her head, unable to look her husband in the eye, she paused for a moment and then confessed. "Yes, Yes he did."
The old man is very shaken, the reality of what his wife was admitting hit him harder than he had expected.
With a tear in his eye he asks; "Who? Who was he? Who was the father?"
Again the old woman drops her head, saying nothing at first as she tried to muster the courage to tell the truth to her husband. Then, finally, she says, "You."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the Archives
I am wading through email and found this one from Barrel
Thanks to Bruddah ....
in War, Good Will toward Men - American Thinker
Date: December 25, 2022 at 8:33:22 AM MST
It was 21 degrees here at Wacahoota Station this Christmas morning, but we were inside enjoying the warmth. December 1944 in Belgium was historically cold and those soldiers had no inside to get warm.
This story gives life to "Peace on Earth towards men of good will."
Merry Christmas from Wacahoota Station 🚂
[Lots of interesting history at the many links in the story]
December 25, 2022
Even in War, Good Will toward Men
By J.B. Shurk
With so much darkness around us today, it is easy to lose hope and faith. To be sure, those who wish us ill take pleasure from our pain. However, it is often when we are nearly broken that God lifts us up and provides us peace. This time of year is filled with those moments. Call them Christmas miracles or answered prayers, but they are real and worth remembering.
One such story that has always stuck with me is that of Fritz Vincken, who was twelve years old and living with his mother, Elisabeth, in a small hunting cabin in the Ardennes Forest during the worst fighting of the Battle of the Bulge. His father had hidden them in the secluded mountain hut across the Belgian border after the family's bakery and home were destroyed during allied bombing in Aachen, Germany. While Fritz's dad baked bread for German soldiers at the front line, Fritz and his mother had little food, except for what they could forage.
On a freezing Christmas Eve night, as they struggled to ignore distant gunfire and prepared a meager meal made from a scrawny rooster and some potatoes, there was a loud knock on the door. Fritz's heart leapt, believing that it was his father finally returning. Instead, it was three Americans from the 121st Infantry, 8th Division — all suffering from frostbite and one seriously injured. "My mother knew the penalty for harboring the enemy," Fritz recalled, "but when she looked into the young Americans' eyes and saw that one was badly hurt, she opened the door and let them in." They added some potatoes to the stew for their tired, hungry guests and attended to the American's gunshot wound the best they could, and because the soldiers spoke no German and the Vinckens spoke no English, they relied on hand signals and broken French for communication.
Then came more pounding from outside. When Elisabeth cautiously opened the hut's door, she found four freezing Wehrmacht soldiers looking for shelter. "I was almost paralyzed with fear," Fritz recounted, "for though I was a child, I knew that harsh law of war: Anyone giving aid and comfort to the enemy would be shot." Had any other person opened the door on that frigid Christmas Eve night in 1944, the killing fields of the Ardennes would almost certainly have claimed more victims. Instead, Elisabeth took control of the situation, wishing the young Germans a "Fröhliche Weihnachten" and inviting them in for food and rest upon two conditions: (1) that they leave their weapons outside and (2) respect her Christmas guests. "She reminded them that it was Christmas Eve and told them sternly there would be no shooting around here." While Fritz "stood and stared in disbelief," the Wehrmacht soldiers complied. She then ran back to the Americans; who had grown nervous, spoke gently in a language they could not understand; and grabbed their weapons, too.
At first the tiny cabin was uncomfortably tense. Then one of the Germans, who had been a medical student, offered to assist the wounded American, noticeably weak from blood loss. The Americans pulled out some coffee grounds and cigarettes from a tattered pack, and one of the other Germans offered some scraps of bread. Fritz added what few ingredients they had to the stew, and his "mother read from the Bible and declared that there would be at least one night of peace in this war."
"Komm, Herr Jesus," she prayed, "and be our guest." "There were tears in her eyes," Fritz remembered, "and as I looked around the table, I saw that the battle-weary soldiers were filled with emotion." After dinner the seven soldiers, who had been bitter enemies just hours before, fell into a deep sleep, side by side. When they woke the next morning, they exchanged Christmas greetings and set to work building a makeshift stretcher from tree branches for the wounded American. The Germans advised the Americans to avoid a town that had been taken over by Nazi forces and gave them a map and compass that would get them back to their friends. Elisabeth returned their weapons and prayed, "May God bless and watch over you." Then the soldiers shook hands and went their separate ways.
For Fritz, his mother had been nothing short of a hero. "The inner strength of a single woman, who, by her wits and intuition, prevented potential bloodshed, taught me the practical meaning of the words: 'Good Will Toward Mankind.'"
Fritz and his parents survived the war, and because the young boy saw those Americans in his shack as "liberators," he eventually immigrated to the United States, became an American citizen, and opened up a German bakery of his own in Honolulu, Hawaii. After telling his story to his new countrymen for years, he eventually submitted details of the miraculous Christmas Eve during the Battle of the Bulge to Readers Digest, and a much larger audience learned of the rare peace shared for a few hours amid the cold, bloody landscape of the Ardennes. In retelling Fritz's experience during a trip to Germany in 1985, President Reagan urged others to do the same, "because none of us can ever hear too much about building peace and reconciliation."
Amazingly, after Unsolved Mysteries produced an episode in the mid-'90s seeking more details about the little known tale, Fritz eventually reunited with two of the American soldiers before they all passed away. They, too, had always told others of their miraculous Christmas Eve in the middle of battle and wondered what had happened to the boy alone with his mother in the woods. Sergeant Ralph Blank told Fritz, "Your mother saved my life," and with that comfort, the young boy turned old man said, "Now I can die in peace. My mother's courage won't be forgotten, and it shows what good will will do."
His mother, Elisabeth, often said over the years until her own passing that "God was at our table" during that freezing night in the forest. And Fritz said that the event so altered his understanding of life that he never stopped thinking of "those seven young soldiers, who met as enemies and parted as friends, right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge."
Whenever I think of Fritz's story, I am struck by a remarkable truth: it is always the smallest of acts that end up creating ripples large enough to produce meaningful change. At any point on that Christmas Eve in '44 during some of the worst atrocities of the war, any one of those seven soldiers could have acted belligerently out of exhaustion, pain, or haste. A mother and her young son speaking unfamiliar words to foreign soldiers could have inadvertently provoked tragedy. A trio of Wehrmacht soldiers, irate at the sight of their enemies taking refuge far from home, could have chosen the same violence and bloodshed that soaked the earth beyond the cabin's door. Instead, an unarmed woman brought God into her house and invited those who might have done her harm to share the blessings of Jesus's birth. Through her resolve and faith, she secured peace. That heroic act not only convinced combatant soldiers to lay down their weapons, but also inspired her son for the rest of his life. He then told of his mother's courage to countless others who visited his bakery over the next half-century of his life, who, in turn, retold the story and its lesson to countless more. Even the president of the United States in the middle of the Cold War seized upon its importance and shared it with millions of strangers in a quest to transform former enemies into friends.
Faith and small acts of courage do change the world. That is what Christmas reminds us all.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the archives
10 Common Things With Uncommon Names that you probably did not know unless you remembered them from reading them from here a long time ago. skip
Published on December 29, 2023
Human language gives us the wonderful ability to name stuff. Calling things by their name allows us to communicate with each other and get our daily tasks done, that's why the lexicon is so important when learning a language.
However, there are some things we see and use every day that often escape our attention. Do you know what to call the little fleshy portion between your nose and your upper lip? And what about those plastic tips at the ends of your shoelaces? Believe it or not, all these things have a name.
Today we're going to tell you about 10 common things with uncommon names .
1
Vibrissae
Whether you're a dog person or a cat person, get ready to be charmed by this term. Vibrissae, the lesser-known name for what we dub as whiskers , grace the faces of nearly all mammals.
But these vibrissae aren't just cute; they play crucial roles in an animal's life, serving as tools for locomotion and exploration. Essentially, they're super-sensors that allow your furry friend to perceive and navigate its surroundings.
There are already too many cats named "Whiskers," so if you want to be truly original, here you have a name for your next pet.
2
Philtrum
We humans have integrated the function performed by whiskers into our brains, specifically the somatosensory cortex.
Now, imagine if you did have whiskers; do you know the name of that part of your face where they would be? When you make a duck face for a selfie , you're not only pouting your lips, you're also moving the philtrum, that space between your nose and upper lip.
The philtrum is different in each person; it is longer in some people and shorter in others. Additionally, the length of the philtrum is significantly increased with age.
Embrace the distinctive charm of your philtrum. After all, it's one of those remarkable details that makes you uniquely you!
NOTE: It is also a very sensitive area for a strike with a ridge hand or a knuckle if you are in trouble...skip
3
Aglets
Mastering the art of tying shoelaces is a childhood milestone that becomes an everyday task as the years go by.
While the act of tying may seem simple, the intricate dance of threading laces through the tiny holes in your new sneakers is a bit more complex. Well, this activity would be a lot more difficult without the aglets, those plastic or metal tips at the end of the laces.
4
Lemniscate
Lemniscate is the technical name for what we know as the infinity symbol . We bet that many people are discovering the true name of their tattoo with this word.
The brilliance of the infinity symbol lies in its accuracy, as it allows you to transit its curve endlessly . It's a visual representation of exploration without limits, capturing the essence of boundless possibilities and perpetual journeys along its attractive form.
5
Punt
If you are one of those who enjoy a good glass of wine , you'll find this information interesting.
Wine bottles usually have this kind of indent at the base, which is known as a punt in the world of winemakers. While skeptics may argue that the purpose of the punt is to create the illusion of more liquid in the bottle, the truth is that a deeper punt usually indicates a higher-quality wine . So next time you go to the supermarket, you know which part of the bottle to check! It might provide a valuable clue!
6
Crapulence
This word may be related to the previous one. Are you familiar with that sick feeling after drinking or eating too much ? If you reached the punt of the bottle yesterday, chances are you're experiencing a touch of crapulence today, which is that unpleasant feeling or discomfort.
Consider it as your body's way of sending you a crystal-clear message: maybe a bit less next time!
7
Petrichor
Forget about unpleasant sensations. Now, we move on to the world of pure joy!
Rain is a divisive topic; some people love it, others hate it. Yet, there's a universal delight that most of us enjoy: the smell that comes from the wet soil after a rainy day . Besides smelling it, you can also name it! That scent is called petrichor, and it's produced by bacteria.
8
Griffonage
This word is borrowed from French and is rightly defined as " careless handwriting ."
Sometimes, reading a doctor's prescription feels like cracking a secret code. But here's the intriguing part: If you show a doctor a prescription written by a colleague, they will probably decipher it perfectly. Perhaps there's a mysterious class on griffonage at medical school.
9
Zarf
Your daily coffee ritual, that symphony of flavor and warmth, wouldn't be complete without this humble hero: the zarf. If you're a coffee lover, you know what we're talking about. That seemingly simple piece of paper or cardboard isn't just an accessory; it's your trusty zarf. It has a very important function: to keep you from burning your hands , ensuring each sip is a blissful, burn-free delight.
10
Tintinnabulation
This funny word represents very well what it stands for: the ringing of bells . The term has its roots in the Latin verb "tintinnare," an onomatopoeic word. Much like "click," "clap," "whisper," and "tinkle," "tintinnare" is an imitation of the sound it represents . Onomatopoeias bring words to life, giving them the power to evoke sensations, emotions, images, and sounds in the minds of those who listen.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History
December 30
1776 – After American success at Trenton on Christmas, General George Washington returned to Trenton, near Assunpink Creek. The victory had changed much of the General's fortunes but he still had a problem. Many of his troops were free to leave at the end of the year. Washington decided to make a personal appeal to his men.
He offered a bounty to any man who would stay another 6 months. After this first appeal, none stepped forward. But one soldier remembered what Washington said next: "My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than could be reasonably expected, but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably never can do under any other circumstance." Men began to step forward. Not everyone stayed, but many did. Only a few stepped out at first, then others. Finally only those to injured fight had not stepped out and new men also joined.
1862 – The U.S.S. Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Just nine months earlier, the ship had been part of a revolution in naval warfare when the ironclad dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, in one of the most famous naval battles in history–the first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement. After the famous duel, the Monitor provided gun support on the James River for George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. By December 1862, it was clear the Monitor was no longer needed in Virginia, so she was sent to Beaufort, North Carolina, to join a fleet being assembled for an attack on Charleston. The Monitor served well in the sheltered waters of Chesapeake Bay, but the heavy, low-slung ship was a poor craft for the open sea. The U.S.S. Rhode Island towed the ironclad around the rough waters of Cape Hatteras. Since December is a treacherous time for any ship off North Carolina, the decision to move the Monitor seems highly questionable. As the Monitor pitched and swayed in the rough seas, the caulking around the gun turret loosened and water began to leak into the hull. More leaks developed as the journey continued. High seas tossed the craft, causing the ship's flat armor bottom to slap the water. Each roll opened more seams, and by nightfall on December 30, the Monitor was in dire straits. At 8:00 p.m., the Monitor's commander, J.P. Bankhead, signaled the Rhode Island that he wished to abandon ship. The wooden side-wheeler pulled as close as safety allowed to the stricken ironclad, and two lifeboats were lowered to retrieve the crew. Many of the sailors were rescued, but some men were terrified to venture onto the deck in such rough seas. The ironclad's pumps stopped working and the ship sank before 16 crew members could be rescued. Although the Monitor's service was brief, it signaled a new era in naval combat. The Virginia's arrival off Hampton Road terrified the U.S. Navy, but the Monitor leveled the playing field. Both sides had ironclads, and the advantage would go to the side that could build more of them. Northern industry would win that battle for the Union.
1944 – The US 8th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) launches attacks northward, against the German 5th Panzer Army, from a line between Bastogne and St. Hubert with Houffalize as the objective. Meanwhile, elements of German 5th Panzer Army launch another unsuccessful attempt at cutting the American corridor into Bastogne and capture the town.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HOWARD, ROBERT L.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 30 December 1968. Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 11 July 1939, Opelika, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Howard (then Sfc .), distinguished himself while serving as platoon sergeant of an American-Vietnamese platoon which was on a mission to rescue a missing American soldier in enemy controlled territory in the Republic of Vietnam. The platoon had left its helicopter landing zone and was moving out on its mission when it was attacked by an estimated 2-company force. During the initial engagement, 1st Lt. Howard was wounded and his weapon destroyed by a grenade explosion. 1st Lt. Howard saw his platoon leader had been wounded seriously and was exposed to fire. Although unable to walk, and weaponless, 1st Lt. Howard unhesitatingly crawled through a hail of fire to retrieve his wounded leader. As 1st Lt. Howard was administering first aid and removing the officer's equipment, an enemy bullet struck 1 of the ammunition pouches on the lieutenant's belt, detonating several magazines of ammunition. 1st Lt. Howard momentarily sought cover and then realizing that he must rejoin the platoon, which had been disorganized by the enemy attack, he again began dragging the seriously wounded officer toward the platoon area. Through his outstanding example of indomitable courage and bravery, 1st Lt. Howard was able to rally the platoon into an organized defense force. With complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Howard crawled from position to position, administering first aid to the wounded, giving encouragement to the defenders and directing their fire on the encircling enemy. For 3 1/2 hours 1st Lt. Howard's small force and supporting aircraft successfully repulsed enemy attacks and finally were in sufficient control to permit the landing of rescue helicopters. 1st Lt. Howard personally supervised the loading of his men and did not leave the bullet-swept landing zone until all were aboard safely. 1st Lt. Howard's gallantry in action, his complete devotion to the welfare of his men at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 30, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
30 December
1914: The Signal Corps accepted the first Burgess-Dunne inherently stable armored airplane (No. 36). (24)
1918: Lt T. C. Rodman, piloting an H-16 flying boat at Pensacola, scored the Navy's first win in the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race, an annual competition set up by Glenn H. Curtiss in 1915 to encourage seaplane development. (24)
1945: Republic Aviation revealed its four-engine XF-12 Rainbow. This flying photo laboratory could carry five crewmen at 425 miles per hour. The Air Technical Service Command later cancelled its order for six aircraft. (24)
1950: William F. Ivans, Jr., set a world altitude record for gliders by reaching 42,100 feet.
1952: KOREAN WAR/Project SPOTLIGHT. After an RB-26 located five locomotives in one marshaling yard, two B-26 light bombers destroyed four and damaged the fifth. To 31 December, the 19th Bombardment Group bombed the Choak-tong ore processing plant near the Yalu. Aided by a full moon and a signaling aircraft, enemy interceptors downed one B-29 and damaged two others so badly that they were forced to land at Suwon AB. (28)
1959: First fleet ballistic missile submarine, the nuclear-powered USS George Washington, commissioned at Groton, Conn. It was launched on 9 June 1959. (16) (24)
1964: The USAF accepted the last of 732 KC-135 aircraft produced at Boeing in Seattle, Wash.
1972: Operation LINEBACKER II. President Nixon halted the bombing of North Vietnam north of the 20th parallel. Peace talks resumed in Paris, France, on 8 January 1973. (16) (17)
1981: Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger ordered the Air Force to deploy 40 M-X (Peacekeeper) missiles in existing Minuteman silos by 1986 and to study other basing modes. (6)
1994: The Air Force's fifth B-2 (#8-0331), the Spirit of South Carolina, joined the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman, Mo. (15)
1997: Crews from five Air National Guard C-130s airdropped 50,000 pounds of hay to cattle stranded by blizzards in southeastern New Mexico. The 137th Airlift Wing from Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the 136th Airlift Wing from Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas, and the 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne Municipal Airport/Air Guard Station, Wyoming, provided the aircraft. (22) (32)
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm0Qm_OG5ZyC6oXGSSjSfHY1NCGTBQBWvXfcA5oM7jyudw%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.