To All,
Good Monday morning February 17. I filled three Green cans yesterday and have most of the leaves cornered now except for the one tree that still has a few thousand that have not dropped. The weather is going to clear up today and tomorrow and then the temps are going to climb into the 70s. Enjoy your holiday today if you can.
Warm Regards,
skip
Have a great weekend
Warm Regards,
Skip
Make it a GREAT Day
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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/
1864
While at anchor off Charleston, S.C., the Steam Sloop of War USS Housatonic is attacked by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley using a spar torpedo. USS Housatonic is recorded as the first warship to be sunk by a submarine.
1942
The first Construction Battalion (Seabees) arrives in the Pacific during World War II at Bora Bora, Society Islands.
1944
USS Nicholas (DD 449) sinks the Japanese submarine I-11 in the Marshall Islands.
1944
During Operation Hailstone, aircraft from the nine aircraft carriers of Task Force 58 attack the Japanese fleet at Truk. During the 2-day strike, 33 Japanese vessels are destroyed and nine more damaged.
1945
While wounded and gravely weakened, Medal of Honor Recipient Lt Rufus G. Herring takes the helm of the Landing Craft Infantry Gunboat (LCI(G)-449), which was heavily hit by Japanese counter-fire, rallies his men, and keeps the ship in action protecting UDT swimmers.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
THIS DAY IN WORLD HISTORY
February 17
1454 At a grand feast, Philip the Good of Burgundy takes the "vow of the pheasant," by which he swears to fight the Turks.
1598 Boris Godunov, the boyar of Tarar origin, is elected czar in succession to his brother-in-law Fydor.
1720 Spain signs the Treaty of the Hague with the Quadruple Alliance ending a war that was begun in 1718.
1801 The House of Representatives breaks an electoral college tie and chooses Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr.
1864 The Confederate submarine Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
1865 The South Carolina capital city, Columbia, is destroyed by fire as Major General William Tecumseh Sherman marches through.
1909 Apache chief Geronimo dies of pneumonia at age 80, while still in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1919 Germany signs an armistice giving up territory in Poland.
1925 The first issue of Harold Ross' magazine, The New Yorker, hits the stands, selling for 15 cents a copy.
1933 The League of Nations censures Japan in a worldwide broadcast.
1935 Thirty-one prisoners escape an Oklahoma prison after murdering a guard.
1938 The first color television is demonstrated at the Dominion Theatre in London.
1944 U.S forces land on Eniwetok atoll in the South Pacific.
1945 Gen. MacArthur's troops land on Corregidor in the Philippines.
1951 Packard introduces its "250" Chassis Convertible.
1955 Britain announces its ability to make hydrogen bombs.
1959 The United States launches its first weather station in space, Vanguard II.
1960 Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested in the Alabama bus boycott.
1963 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visits the Berlin Wall.
1969 Russia and Peru sign their first trade accord.
1973 President Richard Nixon names Patrick Gray director of the FBI.
1975 Art by Cezanne, Gauguin, Renoir, and van Gogh, valued at $5 million, is stolen from the Municipal Museum in Milan.
1979 China begins a "pedagogical" war against Vietnam. It will last until March.
1985 Murray Haydon becomes the third person to receive an artificial heart.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Rollingthunderremembered.com .
February16
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 "Sunday 16 February
February 16: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=999
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
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Al…Just like clock work. every Monday Morning
Monday Morning Humor--Presidents' Day
When Thomas Jefferson became President, there was no pomp and ceremony involved. Jefferson just rode up to the Capitol on his horse, was sworn in, and he read his Inauguration speech to the people assembled. Then he got on his horse and rode to the White House. Jefferson was such a poor public speaker, the only speeches he gave during his Presidency were his two Inauguration speeches.
Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) was quiet, and talked very little. Someone at a dinner party, said to him "I bet some money that I can get you to say more than 2 words." Coolidge replied "You lose."
Abraham Lincoln in his youth, was very good at wrestling, and a strong rail-splitter (chopping logs with an ax). Once a news editor accused him of being "two-faced" (a hypocrite, or waffling on the issues) and he replied "If I had another face, do you think I would still wear this ugly one?"
In 1966, President Johnson was told that President Charles de Gaulle had pulled France out of NATO. de Gaulle immediately issued a statement to the effect that all US troops must be evacuated from French soil. Johnson, ever the sarcastic trickster, quickly pounced, and suggested to Secretary of State Dean Rusk that during an upcoming meeting, he should ask de Gaulle about the Americans buried in France.
Rusk balked and responded that no, this meeting was the wrong place to ask that question. President Johnson then sent Rusk a no questions asked reply: "Ask him about the cemeteries, Dean!" That made it a Presidential Order, and Rusk had no choice but to do as instructed. So, at the end of their meeting, Rusk asked de Gaulle if his order to remove all US troops from French soil also included the more than 60,000 American soldiers buried in France from World War I and World War II. de Gaulle was so embarrassed that he got up and left the room. He never did answer the question.
Andrew Jackson. The guy was a hard-fighting, hard-drinking bigot with a hair trigger temper and possibly the most terrifying President to ever take the White House. What were you gonna do, stop him? I'd like to see you try.
He carried a hickory cane around that he liked to beat people with. Why? Because he was a goddamned psychopath! He often fought duels with people, often jerks who insulted his wife. Once he fought a guy who was a better shot than him. Rather than try to quick-draw, Jackson took the bullet to the chest, and due to the rules of dueling, the other guy had to stand there while a bleeding Jackson took his time getting his aim just perfect. Jackson shot the other man dead, and carried that bullet for by he rest of his life. He had a lot of bullets lodged in him, one of which he carved out of his shoulder with a knife when he got bored during a cabinet meeting. Self-surgery was nothing new to Jackson; he cut himself nightly to bleed out "humors".
The man wrecked the economy and evicted every Native American east of the Mississippi mostly to settle old personal vendettas.
One guy tried to assassinate Jackson. He pulled out his flintlock and pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to fire. So he pulled out another and that too failed to fire. By now, Jackson realized what was going on and jumped on the would-be assassin, to deliver a savage beating with his fists and cane. He probably would've killed the lad, had Jackson's bodyguards not pulled the President off the poor schmuck. Afterwards, the two flintlock pistols were found to be in good working order. I can only assume that the bullets, like everyone else, was just scared of Jackson.
When asked if he had any regrets about his life, this was his response: "[That] I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun." John C. Calhoun was his Vice President, whom Jackson had threatened to decapitate previously. So, in a life full of fighting and killing people, his last regrets were that he did not kill quite enough people.
I don't know why people are naming presidents like Pierce and Buchanan as "forgettable". I would say both of those guys are pretty well remembered, if only because they were absolutely terrible presidents.
One man who seems to land near the top of many lists of the most forgettable presidents is Martin Van Buren, our 8th president, in office from 1837 to 1841. Van Buren is forgettable because he was so thoroughly average — not a great president, or even an especially good president, but nowhere near the train wreck that guys like Pierce and Buchanan were.
The thing Van Buren is probably most notable for is that he was the first, and to date, only, U.S. president for whom English was a second language. Both of his parents were of Dutch descent, and Van Buren (whose first name was Anglicized from Maarten) grew up speaking Dutch at home. He was also the first president born after the American Revolution, in 1782, and the first president from New York state, as well as one of the founders of the Democratic party. However, as a vocal opponent of slavery, he became disillusioned with the Democrats later in life, and voiced his support for Republican Abraham Lincoln in 1861, the year before his death.
Given all of this, he probably should be better remembered than he is, but because he was such a mediocre president in most regards, and held office so long ago, he's just been mostly forgotten.
So, Martin Van Buren wasn't a very good president. He wasn't a very bad president. He was just a very forgettable president.
President Reagan was speaking at an outdoor event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Some college age girls were sitting on their boyfriend's shoulders and suddenly pulled their tops off exposing their breasts.
Without missing a beat President Reagan said, "well that confirms we're in the Dairy State."
Gerald Ford was widely portrayed as a klutz in the media because he tripped on a set of air stairs while deboarding Air Force One. This myth was largely perpetuated by several Saturday Night Live skits featuring Chevy Chase as the bumbling president.
The truth is that Mr. Ford was an All American football player from the University of Michigan. In the Navy in WWII he not only served as Assistant Navigator aboard USS Monterey but also as the ship's Athletic Officer.
William Howard Taft, not the most well known President, was far more interesting and diverse than modern historians give him credit for. He was responsible for some outstanding achievements, with quite a few "firsts" in Presidential history.
• First and foremost, let's put to rest the one fact about Taft that most of us have heard. Even though Taft was 6′2″ and weighed over 340 lbs, with a BMI of 42.3, at no time did he ever get stuck in a bathtub.
• That 340 lbs insured that Taft was the heaviest President ever, even now.
• In a similar vein, Taft holds the record for the largest weight loss by a President. In a very modern (for today) diet, Taft lost over 60 lbs in a 6 month period.
• Taft was the 27th President, and the 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the only man to hold both offices.
• He was the last President to have facial hair (Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow doesn't count).
• At Yale University, Taft was a member of the notorious Skull & Bones Society, which his father co-founded in 1832.
• His nickname at Yale was "Big Lub," and he was fairly successful member of the Yale Wrestling team.
• Taft's father, Alphonso Taft, served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under Ulysses S. Grant.
• He was the 1st President to be buried in Arlington Cemetery.
• He was the 1st President to have a funeral broadcast over the radio.
• He was the 1st President to have a Presidential automobile.
• He was the 1st President to occupy the Oval Office.
• He was the 1st President to throw a ceremonial pitch at a baseball game.
• Legend states that he created the 7th inning stretch by standing and stretching at a game.
• He was the 1st President to play golf as a hobby.
• Few people know that Taft busted more trusts in his 4 years than Teddy Roosevelt did in his 8 years.
• His lifelong dream was not to be President, but to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Another Coolidge anecdote is that at a state fair, Mrs. Coolidge and her party came across an exhibit of chickens. The man who owned the chickens informed Mrs. Coolidge, "That rooster can perform his services six or seven times a day," to which Mrs. Coolidge replied, "See to it that the President is given that information!" When Coolidge came to the same exhibit sometime later, the owner told him, "Mrs. Coolidge wanted me to tell you that that rooster can perform his services six or seven times a day." Coolidge thought for a moment and then asked, "Same chicken every time?" to which the owner said, "No, Mr. President, different chickens." Coolidge then said, "See to it that Mrs. Coolidge is given that information!"
Have a great week,
Al
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to YP… I have a couple accidents from Pri Fly both landing and taking off…skip
I've seen two separate mid airs:
First was from my perch on Vulture's Row on Independence, watching a recovery. A division of Blue Hawk Scoots were just aft of the boat over the wake and #2 was crossing over and collided with the section leader
HUGE EXPLOSION! One Scoot with nothing remaining behind the wing line came spinning out of the mess, and, miraculously, two chutes cleared the cloud.
The ship's helo had to go dump fuel to pick up the very chunky, very wet USAF Exchange pilot, who was wearing a Jarboon platoon's worth of survival gear. We expected at least a couple of inches ro be planed off both sides, but he was OK. The Plane Guard picked up the other chap.
I saw #2 midair from the cockpit of a DC-9 approaching ATL. A dirty black cloud appeared out in front of us. WTF? ATC comm got strange. Turns out that two Scoots from Dobbins doing ACM had collided. Sadly, (at least) one was a mort,
I witnessed a RA-5C crash from up close. I had trapped and taxied and shut down port side just forward of the Angle. I was standing on the ladder putting the pins in my ejection seat when this TREMENDOUS ROAR went by me. I looked up and saw an RA-5C cocked up and in burners roaring crash into the water with a tremendous splash.
The Viggie, flown by the Squadron Skipper, had pulled a wire partially out and it broke, scything the flight deck. Even though the aircraft had decelerated, the Skipper tried to take it around.
When the splash subsided some, all I saw was airplane pieces and a floating flight helmet. Evidently, the B/N ejected, but way too late. Neither of the crew was recovered.
Probably, every tactical Naval/USMC aviator, particularly the lifers, all have such stories.
Part of the package.
YP
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
YP is and I have seen more than my share
Many years ago on a beautiful Friday morning at NKX The blue angels came to town and were doing a show. In those days it was for the base folks only and Turkey Tucker and I walked out to the end of the F-14 line to watch. Turkey was just about done with the F-15 Rag and only needed CQ as I remember. He had come from the Blue Angels where he flew the F-4 and the A-4 and had developed the solo routine.
As we watched one of the solos came left to right and started doing a series of roles at very low altitude.I was watching his nose position at each role and after the third one his nose was slightly below the horizon and I turned to Jerry and said something and Jerry said "He' Is dead" and the aircraft bellied into the ground. What followed was a fight between the Operational Navy and the Training command navy and Jerry ended up back in the Blues on Monday as the lead solo for another full season. Jerry had been flying F-4 when the team had the midair and had developed all the moves for the solo in the A-4 and knew exactly how they should be done. By the way there are a couple of pictures of Jerry running doing his routine of the dirty role on take off around are Holy Chit!!!!
Skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
On Feb 17, 2025, at 07:01, Todd Zecchin <tazecchin138@gmail.com> wrote:
I witnessed the CAF A-20 crash years ago. Pilot was in his 70's if I recall correctly and had a coronary.
On Mon, Feb 17, 2025 at 4:45 AM Crow 6b <crow6b@gmail.com> wrote:
This weekend in Texas- video included; pilot severely injured.
Rick
Accident Douglas A-20G Havoc N747HS, Sunday 16 February 2025
From the archives
Thanks to Mugs
Tucker Carlson: The Moscow Subway Station
WORTH YOUR TIME.....THIS IS A 3 MINUTE TC VIDEO OF A MOSCOW SUBWAY STATION. THERE WAS A DAY WHEN "AMERICAN" WAS THE WORLD STANDARD. YOU'LL SEE THAT OTHER NATIONS....LIKE RUSSIA .... HAVE PASSED US SITTING STILL. THINK OF THE FECES/NEEDLE FILLED SIDEWALKS OF SAN FRANCISCO OR THE TENT CITIES OF MAJOR METROPOLITAN CENTERS. WE'RE BECOMING A THIRD WORLD NATION WITH NO STANDARDS AND MOST DON'T EVEN SEE IT. SO SAD!
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Interesting Facts
. The world's largest underground city housed more than 20,000 people.
WORLD HISTORY
DERINKUYU CAVE CITY
Building an 18-level underground city may sound like the project of an advanced future society, but the world's largest underground metropolis was actually constructed around 1200 BCE. The ancient subterranean city of Elengubu, now called Derinkuyu, lies in the semi-arid region of Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey. Tourists can meander tunnels and walk among subterranean rooms, stables, schools, wineries, and even a chapel — all underground. At its peak, during Islamic raids on the Byzantine Empire in the seventh century, Derinkuyu housed up to 20,000 people.
While the origin of the site remains a mystery, experts theorize that the Hittites, a superpower of the Bronze Age, likely built the first few levels while under attack from the Phrygians, who expanded the project when they moved into Central Anatolia after the Hittites' collapse. Although the Phrygians were skilled architects, the surrounding landscape also aided in this ambitious construction effort. Due to the area's semi-arid nature, Cappadocia's soil is easily malleable and its rock easily moldable. Three volcanoes — Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, and Mount Melendiz — formed the region millions of years ago, and the pyroclastic material found in the area could be carved with simple tools and little effort. Today, for 60 Turkish lira (about $2), visitors can once again descend into this subterranean world and experience life underground.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
A couple years ago when I totaled my 1996 Impala SS I was in the show room and there was one of these tricked out beasts there with a starting price of $88,000. It was big and black and impressive and out of my price range by a mile or two. I think the tires came up to my chest and figured I would need three men and a small boy to change one. 720 HP was probably not going to get the gas mileage was looking for either…Sigh!!!
Thanks to Mike
Marine vet credits Raptor for saving his life in crash — and Ford
Bravo Zulu Ford!
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/marine-vet-credits-raptor-saving-121131729.html
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the archives
Working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier at sea
. Like many of you out there I spent many years on the flight deck of a number of aircraft carriers and saw many small and large accidents. The deck handlers were quite a group and they paid the price of a second of inattention. The F-8 Crusader was a dangerous one on the deck and I almost swallowed my plane captain one day on the USS Hancock. He was giving me my control checks and was in front of the nose and as I saw him start moving from my left to my right I heard something rattle down the intake under my seat and immediately shut off the engine as other flight deck folks started running toward my aircraft. He had been sucked into the intake and managed to get a hand on each side of the intake and held himself out for the fraction of time it took me to shut the engine down. What I heard was his helmet and gear being sucked off him and clatter down the intake. He was ok skip
Thanks to Billy … Including F-35 ops ... via Dr. Rich
One of most hazardous jobs on the planet - the carrier deck hands! — — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N4TUN_WijI
Want a lesson on the hand signals? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As7zQPkkv8c
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Some humor from the archives
Thanks to Barrel
Alaska Airlines commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZf0bNDWH4s
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History….17 February
1900 – In response to an ambush that has killed two Philippine based Marines the day before, the gunboat USS Manileno was present and willing to help but broken down, so Captain Draper, the local commander, prevailed upon the master of a native steamer to tow the gunboat with himself and a force of 107 men aboard to the village of Moron a little after midnight on the morning of 17 February. Surprising the defenders, he took the town without much resistance, destroyed a store of ammunition, and burned the blockhouse. On the afternoon of the same day he ordered the inhabitants of Benictican and Baton to move into Olongapo, where the Marines were based, within three days or be declared outlaws. All obeyed his order except six families, who, according to his information, moved to another town.
1909 – Apache chief Geronimo dies of pneumonia at age 80, while still in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The slaughter of Geronimo's family when he was a young man turned him from a peaceful Indian into a bold warrior. Originally Goyathlay ("One Who Yawns") joined a fierce band of Apaches known as Chiricahuas and with them took part in raids in northern Mexico and across the border into U.S. territory which are now known as the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Geronimo was the last Apache fighting force. He became the most famous Apache of all for standing against the U.S. government and for holding out the longest. He was a great Apache medicine man, a great spiritual leader. Geronimo was highly sought by Apache chiefs for his wisdom. He is said to have had magical powers. He could see into the future and walk without creating footprints. He could even prevent dawn from rising to protect his people. In 1876, Federal authorities captured and forced Geronimo and his band onto a U.S. reservation at San Carlos, Arizona. It was described as "Hell's Forty Acres." He soon escaped and fled to Mexico to resume the life that he loved. Geronimo roamed Arizona and New Mexico and was persued relentlessly by more than five-thousand U.S. troops. Exhausted and hopelessly out numbered, Geronimo surrendered in 1886. His band consisted of a handful of warriors, women, and children. Geronimo, along with a few hundred of his fellow Apaches, were shipped by box-car to Florida for imprisonment. Geronimo was relocated to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and, as a prisoner of war, unable to return to his much loved homeland, died of pneumonia. He is buried in the Apache cemetery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1944 – Operation Catchpole is launched as American troops devastate the Japanese defenders of Eniwetok and take control of the atoll in the northwestern part of the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Central Pacific Campaign was formulated during the August 1943 Quebec Conference. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed on, among other things, a new blueprint for fighting in the Pacific: an island-hopping strategy; the establishment of bases from which to launch B-29s for a final assault on Japan; and a new Southeast Asia command for British Adm. Louis Mountbatten. The success of the island-hopping strategy brought Guadalcanal and New Guinea under Allied control. Though those areas were important, the Allies also still needed to capture the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the Gilbert Islands, which had comprised an inner defensive perimeter for the Japanese. Each was a group of atolls, with between 20 to 50 islets, islands, and coral reefs surrounding a lagoon. The Allies planned an amphibious landing on the islands–all the more difficult because of this unusual terrain. On February 17, a combined U.S. Marine and Army force under Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner made its move against Eniwetok. Air strikes, artillery and naval gunfire, and battleship fire 1,500 yards from the beach gave cover to the troops moving ashore and did serious damage to the Japanese defenses. Six days after the American landing, the atoll was secured. The loss for the Japanese was significant: only 64 of the 2,677 defenders who met the Marine and Army force survived the fighting. The Americans lost only 195. The position on Eniwetok gave U.S. forces a base of operations to finally capture the entirety of the Marianas. Eniwetok was also useful to the United States after the war–in 1952 it became the testing ground for the first hydrogen bomb.
1944 – American forces attack the Japanese base at Truk and nearby shipping. Three groups of Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) and one group of Task Forces 50 (Admiral Spruance) engage. The operation is under the command of Spruance. In total 9 carriers and 6 battleships as well as cruisers, destroyers and submarines are involved.
1968 – American officials in Saigon report an all-time high weekly rate of U.S. casualties–543 killed in action and 2,547 wounded in the previous seven days. These losses were a result of the heavy fighting during the communist Tet Offensive.1972 – President Nixon departed on his historic 10-day trip to China.
1974 – Private First Class Robert K. Preston, US Army, a helicopter pilot who had washed out of training, crept across the tarmac at Fort Meade, Maryland, and boarded a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter. The aircraft was unarmed and, as was usual, was kept fueled on the flight line. With the practiced hand of his training, he quickly went through the start up sequence. Without clearance, he pushed in the power, pulled up on the controls and took off into the night. For a time, he orbited the base at night, enjoying the view and hovering over base housing. Finally, bored with this, he set out for a new destination — the White House. When PFC Preston arrived in Washington, he took a flight down the Anacostia River, turned north at the Capitol Street Bridge and then flew directly to the White House. It was about 1:00 am. At first the Secret Service was somewhat miffed. He buzzed the White House itself and then hovered overhead for six long minutes. At the time, policy was that they would not fire on a helicopter or other aerial intruder if it might endanger innocent bystanders, and so they waited. Finally, he flew down the South Lawn and landed about 100 yards toward the south fence. The Washington Monument towered in the background and he remained there on the ground for a minute. Two Maryland Police helicopters that had flown down from around Baltimore hovered nearby. Suddenly, PFC Preston took back off into the night skies and the police gave close pursuit. An extended tail chase ensued at low level. In fact, it turned out that PFC Preston was indeed quite an expert pilot after all, as he managed to not only outmaneuver the two helicopters at every turn but even managed to drive one down in the process. The second helicopter broke off but stayed nearby after what officials called, "a modern day dogfight". PFC Preston returned to the White House once more. It was nearly 2:00 am and he had led the officials on a prolonged chase — certainly, his fuel was running low. This time he flew up to the Washington Monument, hovering at seven feet of altitude along the base for a bit before flying back straight north onto the White House's South Lawn. There too he hovered just a few feet over the grass and it seemed to officials that this time he might be preparing to make a dash to crash into the building. The second Maryland Police helicopter set down quickly between him and the White House as Secret Service agents moved toward the helicopter. Then, without warning, they opened fire with handguns and shotguns hoping to cripple the helicopter. They also fired and hit PFC Preston with a shotgun blast, injuring slightly. He landed the damaged helicopter at once — though it seemed also that the damage from the gunfire had knocked the aircraft out of the sky, leaving the Secret Service to conclude that it had downed the helicopter. Once on the ground, the Secret Service and Maryland Police rushed in. PFC Preston jumped clear and fought them hand to hand, though he was badly outnumbered. It wasn't long before he was subdued, however. Handcuffed, he was taken into the White House for questioning before being transferred to Walter Reed hospital for treatment for his light injuries — mainly shotgun pellets. The following day, when being escorted into a police car, he was smiling. When asked why he had flown back to the White House a second time, he said that he knew it was wrong to fly over the White House so he had flown back "to turn himself in". The Secret Service ordered psychological testing. Ultimately, all civil charges were dropped and he was left to the military court system. In the end, PFC Preston had proven two things — first, he was a pretty darn good helicopter pilot after all; and second, that he was certainly not up to the moral and ethical standards of the US Army. He was sentenced to a year in prison.
1988 – Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins, an American officer, and veteran of Vietnam, serving with a United Nations truce monitoring group, was kidnapped in southern Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorists. He was later slain by his captors. His remains were recovered and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1999, the Navy named an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer for him.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HAMMERBERG, OWEN FRANCIS PATRICK
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 31 May 1920, Daggett, Mich. Accredited to: Michigan. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a diver engaged in rescue operations at West Loch, Pearl Harbor, 17 February 1945. Aware of the danger when 2 fellow divers were hopelessly trapped in a cave-in of steel wreckage while tunneling with jet nozzles under an LST sunk in 40 feet of water and 20 feet of mud. Hammerberg unhesitatingly went overboard in a valiant attempt to effect their rescue despite the certain hazard of additional cave-ins and the risk of fouling his lifeline on jagged pieces of steel imbedded in the shifting mud. Washing a passage through the original excavation, he reached the first of the trapped men, freed him from the wreckage and, working desperately in pitch-black darkness, finally effected his release from fouled lines, thereby enabling him to reach the surface. Wearied but undaunted after several hours of arduous labor, Hammerberg resolved to continue his struggle to wash through the oozing submarine, subterranean mud in a determined effort to save the second diver. Venturing still farther under the buried hulk, he held tenaciously to his purpose, reaching a place immediately above the other man just as another cave-in occurred and a heavy piece of steel pinned him crosswise over his shipmate in a position which protected the man beneath from further injury while placing the full brunt of terrific pressure on himself. Although he succumbed in agony 18 hours after he had gone to the aid of his fellow divers, Hammerberg, by his cool judgment, unfaltering professional skill and consistent disregard of all personal danger in the face of tremendous odds, had contributed effectively to the saving of his 2 comrades. His heroic spirit of self-sacrifice throughout enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
HERRING, RUFUS G.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Naval Reserve, LCI (G) 449. Place and date: Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945. Entered service at: North Carolina. Born: 11 June 1921, Roseboro, N.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of LCI (G) 449 operating as a unit of LCI (G) Group 8, during the preinvasion attack on Iwo Jima on 17 February 1945. Boldly closing the strongly fortified shores under the devastating fire of Japanese coastal defense guns, Lt. (then Lt. (j.g.)) Herring directed shattering barrages of 40mm. and 20mm. gunfire against hostile beaches until struck down by the enemy's savage counterfire which blasted the 449's heavy guns and whipped her decks into sheets of flame. Regaining consciousness despite profuse bleeding he was again critically wounded when a Japanese mortar crashed the conning station, instantly killing or fatally wounding most of the officers and leaving the ship wallowing without navigational control. Upon recovering the second time, Lt. Herring resolutely climbed down to the pilothouse and, fighting against his rapidly waning strength, took over the helm, established communication with the engineroom, and carried on valiantly until relief could be obtained. When no longer able to stand, he propped himself against empty shell cases and rallied his men to the aid of the wounded; he maintained position in the firing line with his 20mm. guns in action in the face of sustained enemy fire, and conned his crippled ship to safety. His unwavering fortitude, aggressive perseverance, and indomitable spirit against terrific odds reflect the highest credit upon Lt. Herring and uphold the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
JOHNSTON, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 180th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Padiglione, Italy, 1719 February 1944. Entered service at: Colchester, Conn. Birth: Trenton, N.J. G.O. No.: 73, 6 September 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On 17 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, he observed and fired upon an attacking force of approximately 80 Germans, causing at least 25 casualties and forcing withdrawal of the remainder. All that day he manned his gun without relief, subject to mortar, artillery, and sniper fire. Two Germans individually worked so close to his position that his machinegun was ineffective, whereupon he killed 1 with his pistol, the second with a rifle taken from another soldier. When a rifleman protecting his gun position was killed by a sniper, he immediately moved the body and relocated the machinegun in that spot in order to obtain a better field of fire. He volunteered to cover the platoon's withdrawal and was the last man to leave that night. In his new position he maintained an all-night vigil, the next day causing 7 German casualties. On the afternoon of the 18th, the organization on the left flank having been forced to withdraw, he again covered the withdrawal of his own organization. Shortly thereafter, he was seriously wounded over the heart, and a passing soldier saw him trying to crawl up the embankment. The soldier aided him to resume his position behind the machinegun which was soon heard in action for about 10 minutes. Though reported killed, Pfc. Johnston was seen returning to the American lines on the morning of 19 February slowly and painfully working his way back from his overrun position through enemy lines. He gave valuable information of new enemy dispositions. His heroic determination to destroy the enemy and his disregard of his own safety aided immeasurably in halting a strong enemy attack, caused an enormous amount of enemy casualties, and so inspired his fellow soldiers that they fought for and held a vitally important position against greatly superior forces.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 17 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
17 February
1911: In a Navy first, Glenn H. Curtiss flew a Curtiss seaplane from North Island to land alongside the armored cruiser, the USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), in the harbor at San Diego, Calif. The ship then hoisted the aircraft aboard by a launch crane. Later Curtiss took off from the water and flew back to North Island. (24)
1912: The Army published its first pilot physical exam requirements. (4) SECOND CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. Robert G. Fowler flew the second cross county trip in a Wright biplane, flying 2,520 miles from Los Angeles to Pasadena, Yuma, Tucson, Douglas, El Paso, Sweetwater, Fort Worth, Houston, Orange, New Iberia, New Orleans, Biloxi, Flomstom, Evergreen, Troy, Bainbridge, Quitman, and Pablo Beach. (9)
1913: The Army tested Lawrence Sperry's Gyrostabilizer, or automatic pilot, for the first time. (21)
1938: Through 27 February, Lt Col Robert D. Olds completed a round-trip goodwill flight with six B-17s between Langley Field, Va., and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The trip to Buenos Aires took 33 hours 30 minutes, while the return flight took 33 hours 35 minutes for the longest nonstop flight in Air Corps history to date. (24)
1944: The USS Enterprise launched 12 TBF-1Cs to attack Truk, in the first night bombing attack in carrier aviation history. (24)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force flew 695 sorties, cratering rail tracks in over 50 locations, damaging a train and 15 rail cars near Huichon, strafing a convoy of trucks near Sinanju, and destroying supply buildings and dumps between Kumsong and Sibyon-ni. (28)
1956: Lockheed's first production F-104 Starfighter made its first flight at Edwards AFB, Calif. (12)
1958: From a DB-47, a 445th Bombardment Squadron crew from Pinecastle AFB, Fla., launched the prototype Rascal missile over the Atlantic Missile Range for the first time. (The DB-47 was a drone director.) (6)
1959: The US Navy launched its Vanguard II weather-reporting satellite into an earth orbit. (16) A one-third scale Minuteman missile fired for the first time at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
1959: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Associate Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Cambridge, Mass., recommends that the Air Force should take an active and positive approach to investigation of all UFO sightings, use scientific means to determine what caused the sightings, and keep the public informed of existing policy concerning the phenomena.
1965: The last operational KB-50 retired from the Tactical Air Command to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB. (5) The largest balloon ever constructed by the Air Force, 450 feet in height, completed a 26-hour flight with a 450-pound payload of instruments to a record 142,000 feet. At that height, the balloon's dimensions were 270 feet high and 330 feet in diameter. (5)
1972: Air Force One, a VC-137 aircraft assigned to the 89th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB, Md., carried President Nixon on his historic trip to China to meet Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai. (2)
1978: The 64th Flying Training Wing, Reese AFB, Tex., became the first Air Training Command command pilot training base with a fully operational instrument flight simulator program. That capability allowed training for both the T-37 and T-38. (16)
1999: Lockheed's first C-130J transport arrived at Keesler AFB, Miss., for assignment with the 403d Wing. (21) With the expiration of US treaty rights in the Canal Zone, the Air National Guard held closing ceremonies for Operation Coronet Oak at Howard AFB, Panama. The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve had conducted the Coronet Oak (originally Operation Volant Oak) C-130 airlift operation in Panama since October 1977. Operations transferred to Puerto Rico. (32) Air National Guard KC-135s began air refueling support for fighter movements to Europe and air cargo missions to position people and supplies for a possible war with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the latter's actions in Kosovo. (32)
2007: The 45th Space Wing supported the launch of a Delta II booster from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., carrying five National Air and Space Administration 'THEMIS" probes to study auroral substorms, an avalanche of solar wind powered magnetic energy that intensifies the northern and southern lights. This was the largest number of National Air and Space Administration scientific satellites launched on a single booster. THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions in Substorms. (AFNEWS, "Air Force Supports NASA Mission to Study Auroras," 18 Feb 2007.)
.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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/CACTjsm2Qoct%3D0Aj0Z8qxS%2BLRxLs-qMu%3DcAzZixF1h0049Yze9Q%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.