To All,
Good Thursday morning February 6. Cloudy most of the day with temps from 50 to 63.
Tomorrow is a Bubba Breakfast Friday here in San Diego..
Warm Regards,
Skip
Make it a GREAT Day
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Thanks to Fingers
"Throw a nickle on the grass...!" Kenn "KC" Crandall took his last cat shot and flew west on Tuesday, 28 Jan. Funeral details to follow when finalized. Meanwhile the family will monitor Kenn's email if anyone wants to a pass along condolences and remembrances to the family now. The email is ckcrandalljr@centurylink.net
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Thanks to John
This will get you in the mood for Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFEByhDcfD0
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 86 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
February 6
1862—During the Civil War, naval forces under flag officer A. H. Foote capture strategic Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, breaching the Confederate line and opening the flood gates for the flow of Union power deep into the South.
1922—The world powers of the United States, Great Britain, Japan, France and Italy, sign the Washington Naval Treaty providing for limitation of naval armament.
1944—Lt. j.g. C.I. Purnell, in his PB4Y-1 "Liberator" aircraft, sinks German submarine U-177 west of Ascension Island, in the South Atlantic.
1945—U.S. Navy submarine USS Pampanito (SS 383) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks merchant tanker Engen Maru about 200 miles northeast of Singapore. Also on this date, USS Spadefish (SS 411) sinks Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship Shohei Maru off Port Arthur, Korea.
1973—In accordance with the agreement at the Paris Peace Talks, Navy Task Force 78 begins Operation End Sweep, the mine clearance of North Vietnamese waters of mines laid in 1972.
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This day in World History
February 6
1626 Huguenot rebels and the French sign the Peace of La Rochelle.
1778 France recognizes the United States and signs a treaty of aid in Paris.
1788 Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the Constitution.
1862 The Battle of Fort Henry, Tenn., begins the Mississippi Valley campaign.
1891 The Dalton Gang commits its first crime, a train robbery in Alila, Calif.
1899 The Spanish-American War ends.
1900 President McKinley appoints W.H. Taft commissioner to report on the Philippines.
1904 Japan's foreign minister severs all ties with Russia, citing delaying tactics in negotiations over Manchuria.
1916 Germany admits full liability for Lusitania incident and recognizes the United State's right to claim indemnity.
1922 The Washington Disarmament Conference comes to an end with signature of final treaty forbidding fortification of the Aleutian Islands for 14 years.
1926 Mussolini warns Germany to stop agitation in Tyrol.
1929 Germany accepts Kellogg-Briand pact.
1933 Adolf Hitler's Third Reich begins press censorship.
1936 Adolf Hitler opens the Fourth Winter Olympics.
1941 The RAF clears the way as British take Benghazi, trapping thousands of Italians.
1944 Kwajalein Island in the Central Pacific falls to U.S. Army troops.
1945 MacArthur reports the fall of Manila, and the liberation of 5,000 prisoners.
1952 King George VI dies; Elizabeth becomes queen
1963 The United States reports that all Soviet offensive arms are out of Cuba.
1964 Cuba blocks the water supply to Guantanamo Naval Base in rebuke of the United State's seizure of four Cuban fishing boats.
1964 Paris and London agree to build a rail tunnel under the English Channel.
1965 Seven U.S. GIs are killed in a Viet Cong raid on a base in Pleiku.
1968 Charles de Gaulle opens the 19th Winter Olympics in France.
1975 President Gerald Ford asks Congress for $497 million in aid to Cambodia.
1977 Queen Elizabeth marks her Silver Jubilee.
1982 Civil rights workers begin a march from Carrolton to Montgomery, Alabama.
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Thanks to the Bear and Dan Heller
Rollingthunderremembered.com .
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
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 "Thursday 6 February
February 6: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1586
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/ )
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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A COUPLE FROM 1440
Good morning. It's Thursday, Feb. 6, and we're covering the ongoing shake-up of the federal government, an advance in spinal injury technology, and much more.
Need To Know
Federal Buyout Deadline
Nearly 2 million federal workers have until tonight to either return to the office or accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration. At least 20,000 federal employees have already accepted the package, which provides eight months of salary through Sept. 30. The figure is below the White House's target of 5% to 10% acceptance—though it may rise by the end of the day—and critics have raised questions about its feasibility.
The offer is part of President Donald Trump's plans to reshape the government and slash federal spending. Spearheading the effort is the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump formally established with the broad task of auditing various agency systems. Recent efforts have led to the curtailment of the US Agency for International Development and an examination of Medicare and Medicaid systems.
DOGE staff have also been given "read-only" access to more than $6T of payments made annually by the federal government to purportedly review the system's efficiency, though Musk's tweets suggest DOGE may be rejecting certain payments.
Separately, the White House yesterday clarified Trump's prior proposal for the Gaza Strip, saying he meant Palestinians would be only temporarily relocated to allow for reconstruction.
Degenerated Muscles Restored
A trio of patients suffering from spinal muscular atrophy saw significant improvements in their muscle function while receiving electrical stimulation in their lower spines, according to research released yesterday. The process is the first neurotechnology to reverse the decay of nerve circuitry and revive cell function in patients with a neurodegenerative disease.
Spinal muscular atrophy is a rare, inherited disease that gradually kills off spinal nerve cells responsible for muscle movement (how it works). As the so-called motor neurons die, the muscles they control wither, causing significant mobility issues. There is currently no cure, though treatments exist to slow the disease's progression.
In the trial, two spinal cord stimulation electrodes implanted in three individuals with the disease's milder form (Types 3 or 4) were stimulated for four hours at a time over 29 days. During the test period, each patient saw gains in leg strength, walking distance, and more, though upon removal, the implant's benefits faded. Larger clinical trials are expected, as well as applications to other neurodegenerative diseases.
Duterte Impeached
Vice President Sara Duterte of the Philippines was impeached yesterday by the House of Representatives, where 215 of 306 legislators voted against her just weeks before midterm elections. The decision follows allegations that Duterte misused public funds and plotted to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and the lower house speaker.
Duterte and her father—former President Rodrigo Duterte—have been publicly feuding with Marcos for the past few months. Duterte and her supporters believe the impeachment is an effort to prevent her from running for president in 2028. The vice president will face a trial in the Senate, likely after Congress reconvenes in June. If found guilty, she will be removed from office and could face criminal charges in court.
Approval ratings for both Duterte and Marcos have dipped in recent months, with critics finding the spectacle distracting from pressing issues in the country, such as poverty and unemployment.
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
Jan. 31, 1968: A helicopter crew down near Hue, South Vietnam, CWO2 Frederick Ferguson quickly organizes an impromptu rescue force of three Bell UH-1 "Huey" gunships and his "slick' UH-1H. At Hue, the helicopters come under intense fire. Flying so low that the North Vietnamese are actually shooting down at him, Ferguson lands in an area with only a couple of feet clearance for his rotor blades. Four wounded Americans and a South Vietnamese soldier are loaded. Retracing his inbound flight, Ferguson finally lands at Hue Phu Bai, his helicopter so damaged it had to be airlifted out. Ferguson is awarded the Medal of Honor.
Feb. 1, 2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed on reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board. Columbia launched Jan. 16, 2003, for mission STS-107. During launch, Columbia's 28th mission, a piece of the spray-applied polyurethane foam insulation broke off from the Space Shuttle external tank and struck the reinforced carbon–carbon leading edge of the orbiter's left wing.
Feb. 2, 1974: The YF-16 made its 'official' first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., with General Dynamics test pilot Phil Oestricher in the cockpit. The aircraft flew for 90 minutes at 30,000 feet and at a speed of 460 mph.
Feb. 3, 1943: Robert Chilton, a North American Aviation test pilot, made the first flight of the first production P-51A Mustang. The aircraft was one of 1,200 the U.S. Army Air Corps had ordered on June 23, 1942. Following the introduction of the Merlin-powered P-51B, the number of P-51As ordered was reduced to 310.
Feb. 4, 1969: The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, tail number 62-0001, made its final flight. The aircraft, with NASA test pilot Fitz Fulton and Air Force Lt. Col. Emil Sturmthal, were the crew for the flight from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. Upon arrival at Wright-Patt, Fulton closed out the plane's log book and handed it over to the curator of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The Mach 3+ prototype strategic bomber and high-speed, high-altitude research airplane had completed 83 flights for a total of 160 hours, 16 minutes of flight time.
Feb. 5, 1962: A Sikorsky HSS-2 Sea King became the world's fastest helicopter by establishing a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world speed record for helicopters of 339 kilometers per hour (210.645 miles per hour) over a 19 kilometer (11.8 mile) course between Milford and New Haven, Connecticut. The pilots were Lieutenant Robert Wiley Crafton, United States Navy and Captain Louis K. Keck, United States Marine Corps. Both pilots were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the American Helicopter Society's Frederick L. Feinberg Award. Having served the United States Navy for 45 years, the Sea King is still in service world-wide, most notably as the VH-3D "Marine One" presidential helicopter.
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Thanks to Robert
Good !!
Political Humor
This may be designated as humor...but there really is too much truth in it for that alone.
We hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
~ Aesop, Greek slave & fable author.
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
~ Plato, ancient Greek Philosopher
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. ~ Nikita Khrushchev, Russian Soviet politician.
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it. ~ Quoted in 'Clarence Darrow for the Defense' by Irving Stone.
Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy more tunnels. ~ John Quinton, American actor/writer
Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each, from the other.
~ Oscar Ameringer, "the Mark Twain of American Socialism."
I offered my opponents a deal: "if they stop telling lies about me, I will stop telling the truth about them". ~ Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952.
A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country. ~ Texas Guinan. 19th-century American businessman.
I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. ~ Charles de Gaulle, French general & politician.
Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.
~ Doug Larson (English middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games.
I am reminded of a joke: What happens if a politician drowns in a river?
Answer: That is Pollution. What happens if all of them drown? . . . That may be the Solution!
I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two are lawyers and three or more are the government.
~ John Adams (1735 - 1826)
suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of the Government. But then I repeated myself.
~ Mark Twain (1835- 1910)
I don't make jokes. I just watch the Government and report the facts!
~ Will Rogers (1879- 1935)
I contend that for a nation to try and tax itself into prosperity, is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
~ Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
A Government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always depend on Paul support !
~ Will Rogers (1879- 1935)
The problem we face today is; the people that work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.
~ George Bernard Shaw (1856- 1950)
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Thanks to YP, Dr.Rich and John Trotti.
As long as we're at it:
YP
"You're not completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example".
Thanks to Thanks to John H. ...
ARAPROSDOKIANS... (Winston Churchill loved them) are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous.
1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on my list.
3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. (use this all the time w. liberal friends!!)
5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. They begin the evening news with 'Good Evening,' then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
10. Buses stop in bus stations. Trains stop in train stations. On my desk is a work station.
11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
12. In filling out an application, where it says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'
13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
17. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
18. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
19. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
20. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
21. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
22. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
23. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
24. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
25. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
26. Where there's a will, there are relatives.
Finally:
I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one now.
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Thanks to History Facts
Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa lived up to its name right from the start, as it began to tilt early on in the construction process. The foundations were laid on August 9, 1173, but work came to a halt as builders reached the fourth floor in 1178. This was in part because the iconic landmark began leaning slightly atop the muddy soil — which was too soft to begin with and settled unevenly under the tower's weight — and in part due to an ongoing war between Pisa and nearby city-states. When construction recommenced in 1272, the tower was tipped at a roughly 0.2-degree angle, though the soft ground had compacted enough that work could continue. In order to compensate for the lean, new floors were built with one side taller than the other, thus giving the tower a unique curve, though the structure continued to slowly tilt even further.
Construction of the tower's bell chamber began in 1360, by which time the tower was tilting at a 1.6-degree angle. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was officially completed in 1372, though it took several centuries for its seven giant bells to be installed. Centuries later those bells were stilled, as experts feared that their repeated movement was contributing to the tower's increasing tilt. By 1990, the tower leaned 5.5 degrees to the side, necessitating the installation of counterweights. While the Leaning Tower of Pisa was originally designed to stand nearly 197 feet tall, it now only reaches a height of 186 feet at its highest point, and 183 feet at its lowest.
Approximate number of steps in the Leaning Tower of Pisa
251
Year the University of Pisa was established
1343
Annual visitors to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
5 million
Jovian moons discovered by Pisa native Galileo Galilei
4
DID YOU KNOW?
There are two leaning towers in Bologna, Italy.
Though they lack the same worldwide recognition as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there are two famous leaning towers in the Italian city of Bologna, too: Asinelli and Garisenda. These local landmarks were constructed between 1109 and 1119, and it's rumored that they may have been built as part of a competition between local families to showcase their status. The Asinelli Tower stands 318 feet tall, contains 498 steps, and leans a modest 1.3 degrees to the side. Its sister tower, Garisenda, on the other hand, is at risk of collapse, as recent warnings suggest the 154-foot-tall structure could topple at any moment. Garisenda was actually lowered by 20% of its total height back in the 14th century, but still developed a 4-degree lean that puts its integrity in question. Bolognan officials are working to stabilize the popular landmark, which was famously referred to in Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy.
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Thanks to Micro
Here's a guy that hasn't yet figured out his own opinion…. (pardon the language):
https://x.com/isaiahlcarter/status/1887290743032561803?s=42
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Thanks to Shadow on the article that we had in the List yesterday
Loss of Medal of Honor Recipient Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare
One of the Wildcats we restored was flown by O'Hare on Lexington. It originally went to the Marine Corps at El Toro until it was discovered it was flown by O'Hare. They moved it to Chicago, repainted it and has been on display at O'Hare International Airport in the main lobby. We replaced it with an FM-2 Wildcat. It's now back at El Toro having been at Miramar.
Shadow
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This Day in U S Military History February 6
1778 – During the American War for Independence, representatives from the United States and France sign the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce recognized the United States as an independent nation and encouraged trade between France and the America, while the Treaty of Alliance provided for a military alliance against Great Britain, stipulating that the absolute independence of the United States be recognized as a condition for peace and that France will be permitted to conquer the British West Indies. With the treaties, the first entered into by the U.S. government, the Bourbon monarchy of France formalized its commitment to assist the American colonies in their struggle against France's old rival, Great Britain. The eagerness of the French to help the United States was motivated both by an appreciation of the American revolutionaries' democratic ideals and by bitterness at having lost most of their American empire to the British at the conclusion of the French and Indian Wars in 1763. In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee to a diplomatic commission to secure a formal alliance with France. Covert French aid began filtering into the colonies soon after the outbreak of hostilities in 1775, but it was not until the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 that the French became convinced that the Americans were worth backing in a formal treaty. On February 6, 1778, the treaties of Amity and Commerce and Alliance were signed, and in May 1778 the Continental Congress ratified them. One month later, war between Britain and France formally began when a British squadron fired on two French ships. During the American Revolution, French naval fleets proved critical in the defeat of the British, which culminated in the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781. It was the first alliance treaty for the fledgling U.S. government and the last until the 1949 NATO pact.
1838 – Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrated his telegraph, in Morristown, N.J.
1899 – The Spanish-American War ends. After a protracted struggle between imperialists and anti-imperialists, the Senate ratifies the Treaty of Paris , 57 to 27. The argument for ratification is lead by Henry Cabot Lodge who contends that it will enhance national prestige, prevent foreign annexation of the formerly Spanish possessions of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam, and constitute economic, strategic and "civilizing" advantages. The case against ratification is that it is contrary to US tradition to acquire territory outside the continental area; that people of alien races will not be easily assimilated into the American way of life; that the treaty is against the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine and will weaken the American belief in self-government. Anti-imperialists also contend that "the Constitution follows the flag," but imperialists argue that the people of these new acquisitions, even while being nationals, are not automatically endowed with the privileges of US citizenship. This sets the stage for a series of Supreme Court cases known collectively as the Insular Cases that have never fully settled the issues.
1968 – Two reduced Marine battalions, the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines with two companies, and 2d Battalion, 5th Marines with three, recaptured Hue's hospital, jail, and provincial headquarters. It would take three more weeks of intense house to house fighting, and nearly a thousand Marines killed and wounded, before the imperial city was secured.
1973 – In accordance with the agreement at the Paris Peace Talks, Navy Task Force 78 begins Operation End Sweep, the mine clearance of North Vietnamese waters of mines laid in 1972.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CADWALLADER, ABEL G.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 1st Maryland Infantry. Place and date: At Hatchers Run and Dabneys Mills, Va., 6 February 1865. Entered service at:——. Birth: Baltimore Md. Date of issue: 5 January 1897. Citation: Gallantly planted the colors on the enemy's works in advance of the arrival of his regiment.
CALDWELL, DANIEL
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Hatchers Run, Va., 6 February 1865. Entered service at:——. Born: 1 June 1842, Marble Hill, Montgomery County, Pa. Date of issue: 25 February 1865. Citation: In a mounted charge, dashed into center of the enemy's line and captured the colors of the 33rd North Carolina Infantry.
COEY, JAMES
Rank and organization: Major, 147th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Hatchers Run, Va., 6 February 1865. Entered service at: ——. Born: 12 February 1841, New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 12 May 1892. Citation: Seized the regimental colors at a critical moment and by a prompt advance on the enemy caused the entire brigade to follow him; and, after being himself severely wounded, he caused himself to be lifted into the saddle and a second time rallied the line in an attempt to check the enemy.
DAY, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Hatchers Run, Va., 6 February 1865. Entered service at: Lycoming County, Pa. Birth: Otsego County, N.Y. Date of issue: 20 July 1897. Citation: Seized the colors of another regiment of the brigade, the regiment having been thrown into confusion and the color bearer killed, and bore said colors throughout the remainder of the engagement.
DELANEY, JOHN C.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Danby's mills, Va., 6 February 1860. Entered service at: Honesdale, Pa. Birth: 22 April 1848, Ireland. Date of issue: 29 August 1894. Citation: Sprang between the lines and brought out a wounded comrade about to be burned in the brush.
JACOBSON, DOUGLAS THOMAS
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 3d Battalion, 23d Marines, 4th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 February 1945. Entered service at: New York. Born: 25 November 1925, Rochester, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 3d Battalion, 23d Marines, 4th Marine Division, in combat against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Island, 26 February 1945. Promptly destroying a stubborn 20mm. antiaircraft gun and its crew after assuming the duties of a bazooka man who had been killed, Pfc. Jacobson waged a relentless battle as his unit fought desperately toward the summit of Hill 382 in an effort to penetrate the heart of Japanese cross-island defense. Employing his weapon with ready accuracy when his platoon was halted by overwhelming enemy fire on 26 February, he first destroyed 2 hostile machinegun positions, then attacked a large blockhouse, completely neutralizing the fortification before dispatching the 5-man crew of a second pillbox and exploding the installation with a terrific demolitions blast. Moving steadily forward, he wiped out an earth-covered rifle emplacement and, confronted by a cluster of similar emplacements which constituted the perimeter of enemy defenses in his assigned sector, fearlessly advanced, quickly reduced all 6 positions to a shambles, killed 10 of the enemy, and enabled our forces to occupy the strong point. Determined to widen the breach thus forced, he volunteered his services to an adjacent assault company, neutralized a pillbox holding up its advance, opened fire on a Japanese tank pouring a steady stream of bullets on 1 of our supporting tanks, and smashed the enemy tank's gun turret in a brief but furious action culminating in a single-handed assault against still another blockhouse and the subsequent neutralization of its firepower. By his dauntless skill and valor, Pfc. Jacobson destroyed a total of 16 enemy positions and annihilated approximately 75 Japanese, thereby contributing essentially to the success of his division's operations against this fanatically defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His gallant conduct in the face of tremendous odds enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
KINSMAN, THOMAS JAMES
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. place and date: Near Vinh Long, Republic of Vietnam, 6 February 1968. Entered service at: Seattle, Wash. Born: 4 March 1945, Renton, Wash. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty Sp4c. Kinsman (then Pfc.) distinguished himself in action in the afternoon while serving as a rifleman with Company B, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission. As his company was proceeding up a narrow canal in armored troops carriers, it came under sudden and intense rocket, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a well entrenched Viet Cong force. The company immediately beached and began assaulting the enemy bunker complex. Hampered by exceedingly dense undergrowth which limited visibility to 10 meters, a group of 8 men became cut off from the main body of the company. As they were moving through heavy enemy fire to effect a link-up, an enemy soldier in a concealed position hurled a grenade into their midst. Sp4c. Kinsman immediately alerted his comrades of the danger, then unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade and blocked the explosion with his body. As a result of his courageous action, he received severe head and chest wounds. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his personal safety and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, Sp4c. Kinsman averted loss of life and injury to the other 7 men of his element. Sp4c. Kinsman's extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 6, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
6 February
1908: The Board of Ordnance and Fortification considered 41 bids for the Army's first airplane. It recommended accepting bids from James F. Scott of Chicago, Ill., Augustus M. Herring of Ohio, and the Wright Brothers of Ohio. (12) (24)
1939: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. Through 14 February, Maj Caleb V. Haynes flew the XB-15 in a flight to Santiago, Chile, from Langley Field, Va., in 29 hours 53 minutes with 3,250 pounds of medical supplies for earthquake victims. (21) 1940: The North American AT-6 Harvard/Texan first flew. (5)
1948: The Army successfully used electronic guidance on a V-2 rocket for the first time in a 70-mile ascent at White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. (4) (24)
1950: The Department of Defense announced test-firing of the Navy's "Mighty Mouse" rocket with 2.75 inch folding fins. The missile, developed by the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake, Calif., was the first successful air-to-air rocket. (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. B-26 crews first used new MPQ-2 radar equipment, which improved target definition, for increased accuracy on night bombing raids. To clear a medical patient backlog at Chungju, 315 AD C-47s airlifted 343 patients to Pusan. Eight C-54s airlifted a 40-ton, 310-foot treadway bridge in 279 pieces from Tachikawa AB, Japan, to Taegu. Six C-119s dropped 32 booby-trapped boxes, designed to blow up when opened, on an enemy troop concentration at Kwangdong-ni. The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron performed its first night photographic mission. (28)
1959: KEY EVENT. The USAF successfully launched its first Titan I Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Cape Canaveral, Fla. (6)
1963: The first all-USAF crew from the 655th Aerospace Test Wing launched a Titan II missile from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The missile flew 5,871 miles down the Atlantic Missile Range. (6)
1965: Four graduate students from the University of California's Nutritional Science School completed a 60-day test of a space flight diet for the National Air and Space Administration. (5) Lt Col Ralph I. Leslie and his crew of the Air Force Flight Test Center C-141 Joint Test Force returned to Edwards AFB, Calif., after a 5,200-mile non-stop, round-trip flight to Honolulu, Hawaii. (3)
1967: AIR FORCE CROSS. A2C Duane Hackney, the most decorated airman in Vietnam, received an Air Force Cross for rescuing a downed pilot near Mu Gia pass, N. Vietnam. (18)
1973: Operation END SWEEP. Through 27 July, the U. S. Navy conducted mine sweeping operations to clear anchorages around Haiphong Harbor, N. Vietnam. In July, 374th Tactical Airlift Wing C-130s supported that U. S. Navy operation by airlifting trucks and equipment from Cubi Point, Philippines, to Cat Bi Airfield in Haiphong. (17)
1979: The Strategic Air Command accepted the Minuteman sites at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., following an integrated improvement program for the ground systems. (6)
1991: Operation DESERT STORM. Capt Robert Swain, 706th Tactical Fighter Squadron, scored the first A-10 air-to-air kill by shooting down an Iraqi helicopter. (16) (26)
1992: Four C-130 Hercules transports from the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing moved food and supplies from US bases in Germany to Lithuania after its centralized economy collapsed in 1991. (16)
2007: Air Force officials announced the successful launch and delivery of the second Interim Polar System. This second of three planned satellites gave the Air Force the ability to provide 24- hour Extra High Frequency communications coverage of the northern polar region to give U. S. forces there seamless communications with CONUS-based combatant commanders and separate force elements located above the Arctic Circle. (AFNEWS, "Interim Polar System Reaches Full Operational Capability," 6 Feb 2007.)
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This is an article that Kit wrote
Kit
In the 1990s I was a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers. An editor for Aviation Lifestyles Magazine (no longer in print) assigned me to write an article about a WWII encounter between a B-17 and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in which the German pilot spared the crew of the severely damaged B-17. I interviewed both men and kept in contact. This is that story. Both men passed in 2018.
CHIVALRY IN THE SKY
By Kit Lavell
Charlie Brown's last conscious memory was of being inverted. His crippled B-17-F bomber then spiraled or spun from approximately five miles high to less than 500 feet. What happened next may well be one of the most incredible and well-documented cases of chivalry in the history of aerial warfare. Yet it took fifty years for the story to come together!
On 20 December 1943 21-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Charles L. Brown took off on his first combat mission as Pilot/Commander of a four-engine "Flying Fortress" bomber named "Ye Old Pub." As part of the 8th Bomber Command's 60-plane raid on the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory in Bremen Germany, Brown's aircraft was severely damaged by flak on the bomb run. With the Plexiglas nose blown off and two damaged engines, the B-17 fell out of formation. Like a pack of wolves, 15 Luftwaffe fighters pounced on the straggler.
With only two guns operating (an icy -60 degrees C wind and flak damaged the other 11 guns), the B-17 crew fought valiantly, shooting down one and possibly a second German fighter during the 13-minute engagement. The number three engine was hit, and oxygen, hydraulic and electrical systems were damaged. Flak, machine gun bullets, and cannon shells blew away most of the controls. The tail gunner was killed and all but one of the crew in back became incapacitated by wounds or severe cold.
Lieutenant Brown figured the only way to survive was to go on the offensive. Each time a wave of Focke-Wulf 190 or Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters attacked, Charlie turned into them, in part to disrupt their aim, but also to give his two-remaining forward-firing guns a chance to shoot. With a bullet fragment in his shoulder, and suffering oxygen starvation, Charlie struggled to retain consciousness. After reversing a steep turn, the B-17 flipped inverted, and Charlie's last view was of the ground as he looked "up."
When he regained consciousness, the dazed pilot recovered control just above the treetops and began a slow climb with only one engine producing full power. No doubt thinking the Flying Fortress was in a death spiral, the enemy fighters went home. Or so Charlie thought, until he looked out the right cockpit window. On his wing, barely three feet away, Charlie spotted a Bf-109. The enemy pilot waved, then signaled the B-17 commander to land in Germany. Charlie shook his head in refusal and looked away.
The B-17 headed out over the North Sea with the German fighter on its wing. When Charlie turned toward England, the Luftwaffe pilot saluted, rolled his aircraft, and departed.
The wounded crewmen could never survive a bailout, so the remaining crewmembers elected to stay with the crippled aircraft as Charlie tried to get them back to England. Miraculously, the B-17 arrived over the coast of England at 250 feet, and made an emergency landing at Seething, a B-24 base Charlie spotted at the last minute.
For almost fifty years Charlie and his surviving crew had assumed that the Bf-109 pilot had been one of the fighter pilots who had attacked them and was out of ammunition when he pulled up alongside. They were wrong.
Oberleutnant L. Franz Stigler gazed skyward as his Bf-109 was being refueled. The Luftwaffe pilot couldn't believe his good fortune. A crippled B-17 just flew over his base! Stigler had already downed two B-17s that day and needed one more for his Knight's Cross, automatically awarded to a pilot who shot down three Allied four-engine bombers in one day.
Stigler cut short the refueling and scrambled to get airborne.
After he caught up to the B-17 Stigler positioned himself behind the bomber to shoot it down. When the tail gunner did not raise his guns, Stigler moved closer. He could not believe what he saw.
"The B-17 was like a sieve and there was blood everywhere," Franz Stigler recalled. "I could see the crew were having a terrible time dealing with their wounded and struggling to stay in the air. I was amazed that the aircraft could fly. I saw wounded men on board, rather than just the airplane, which was our normal target. It was one thing to shoot an airplane, but in this case, I saw the men. I just couldn't do it. I thought to myself, 'How could I shoot something like that? I cannot kill these half-dead people. It would be like shooting at a parachute.'"
Most Luftwaffe pilots feared -- more than anything else -- the devastating field of fire a Fortress crew could spew out at attacking fighters. Some would not press a dangerous attack. German High Command knew it needed to stop the B-17s from bombing strategic sites. Franz Stigler's decision to let the crew of "Ye Old Pub" live could have resulted in a Court-Martial had his superiors found out. Stigler's punishment for sparing this B-17 therefore might have been execution, despite the fact that he was a much-decorated ace, and did not need to prove himself to anyone.
During his 487 combat missions, with 28 confirmed victories and 30-plus probables, Franz Stigler was shot down seventeen times, four by enemy fighters, four by ground fire and nine times by bomber crews. He bailed out six times, rode his aircraft down eleven times, and was wounded four times. One could say he feared nothing.
In 1986 Charlie Brown began a search for the anonymous German pilot. With the help of Gen. Adolf Galland, Luftwaffe General of Fighters in WW II, and others, Charlie placed a letter in Jagerblatt, a newsletter for current and former Luftwaffe pilots. Former Oberleutnant L. Franz Stigler sent Charlie a letter from his home in British Columbia, Canada, to which he had emigrated in 1953.
"There were other responses," Charlie explained, "and so to verify the genuine one, I had prepared a list of questions that only a person there could answer. Stigler was the only one." The full, incredible story then became complete.
In September 1990, the two former adversaries met at an Air Force reunion as friends, along with two of Charlie's crew. Since then, the two pilots have become close friends and today, are in constant contact.
On 23 December 1993, the 50th anniversary of the chivalry in the sky encounter, the elite Federation des Combattant Allies En Europe presented the prestigious L'Etoile de la Paix (Order of the Star of Peace) to Franz Stigler for his rare and compassionate act of valor.
Although a unit commander at the base where the B-17 landed spoke of recommending him for the Medal of Honor, Brown was not decorated for his heroism over Germany, which was never reported to his commanders.
Charlie Brown, who lives in Miami, Florida, considers himself to be one of the luckiest pilots in the history of air combat.
-30-
Notes to my editor:
If you don't get the artwork from the new aviation artist on time, I recommend you use the R. Harper print. If you do, here is a caption:
"THE ULTIMATE HONOR" was painted by Robert L. Harper, who on 20 December 1943 helped remove casualties from this B-17. Harper at the time was an air intelligence officer in England.
BTW, decades later, Charlie was awarded the Air Force Cross, and all crewmembers were award Silver Stars, most posthumously.
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