The List 7197
Good Tuesday morning June 3. The weather guessers did it again it rained last night and there was not much of a warning. Today is overcast and a cool 57 and only getting to 72. Maybe some clearing around 1 this afternoon for a bit. Friday is supposed to be nice for a Bubba Breakfast.
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Make it a GREAT Day
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 91 H-Grams . .
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.
On This Day in Naval and Marine Corps History
June 4
1934
USS Ranger (CV 4), the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up as a carrier, is commissioned at Norfolk, Va. During World War II, she participates in Operation Torch and Operation Leader.
1942
The Battle of Midway begins. During that morning, after sending planes to attack the U.S. base at Midway, the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga and Soryu are fatally damaged by dive bombers from USS Enterprise (CV 6) and USS Yorktown (CV 5). Later in the day, USS Yorktown is abandoned after bomb and torpedo hits by planes from Hiryu. The latter is, in turn, knocked out by U.S. carrier planes. Compelled by their losses to abandon their plans to capture Midway, the Japanese retire westward. The battle is a decisive win for the U.S, bringing an end to Japanese naval superiority in the Pacific.
1942
As the Battle of Midway continues, US dive-bomber pilots spot the whole Japanese carrier strike force below. The Japanese combat air patrol that should have been above the carriers to protect them were at sea level destroying the American torpedo-bombers. The SBD Dauntless dive bombers attack from 15,000 feet just at the moment when the decks of the carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu are loaded with planes, fuel and ordnance. They were quickly enveloped in flames and destroyed.
'for those of you that have never heard this before From Barrett
At the Midway 50th in DC I was sitting on the aisle after the program where The Sole Survivor (who wasn't) told a couple hundred Midway vets and historians that he was The Sole Survivor (which he wasn't.) VT-8 TBF pilot Bert Ernest saw me, grinned and said "C'mere. I'd like you to meet my radioman." Feisty little guy stuck out his hand and said "Hi, I'm Harry Ferrier, THE THIRD SOLE SURVIVOR OF TORPEDO EIGHT."
1943 TBF aircraft from USS Bogue (CVE 9) attack German submarine U 603 in the Atlantic. Though U 603 is not sunk, its forced to submerge, sparing a nearby LCI convoy from attack. USS Bronstein (DE 189) finally sinks U 603 in the North Atlantic on March 1, 1944.
1944 The hunter-killer group comprised of five destroyer escorts and USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) captures German submarine, (U 505). This marks the first time a U.S. Navy vessel captures an enemy vessel since the early 19th century. The feat earns Lt. Albert L. David, who led the team to board the sub, the Medal of Honor.
1944 USS Flier (SS 250) sinks Japanese troopship Hakusan Maru about 375 miles southwest of Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands. Also on this date USS Golet (SS 361) sinks Japanese guardboat No.10 Shinko Maru east of Japan.
2011 USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) is commissioned at the Port of Mobile, Ala. The destroyer, the 60th in her Arleigh Burke-class, departs soon after to her homeport at Naval Station San Diego.
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This day in World History June 4
1615 The fortress at Osaka, Japan, falls to Shogun Leyasu after a six-month siege.
1647 Parliamentary forces capture King Charles I and hold him prisoner.
1717 The Freemasons are founded in London.
1792 Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for Britain.
1794 British troops capture Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1805 Tripoli is forced to conclude peace with the United States after a conflict over tribute.
1859 The French army, under Napoleon III, takes Magenta from the Austrian army.
1864 Confederates under General Joseph Johnston retreat to the mountains in Georgia.
1911 Gold is discovered in Alaska's Indian Creek.
1918 French and American troops halt Germany's offensive at Chateau-Thierry, France.
1919 The U.S. Senate passes the Women's Suffrage bill.
1940 The British complete the evacuation of 300,000 troops at Dunkirk.
1943 In Argentina, Juan Peron takes part in the military coup that overthrows Ramon S. Castillo.
1944The U-505 becomes the first enemy submarine captured by the U.S. Navy.
1944 Allied troops liberate Rome.
1946 Juan Peron is installed as Argentina's president.
1953 North Korea accepts the United Nations proposals in all major respects.
1960 The Taiwan island of Quemoy is hit by 500 artillery shells fired from the coast of Communist China.
1972 Black activist Angela Davis is found not guilty of murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.
1989 Chinese troops storm through Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing, killing and arresting thousands of pro-democracy protesters. The brutal Chinese government assault on the protesters shocked the West and brought denunciations and sanctions from the United States.
In May 1989, nearly a million Chinese, mostly young students, crowded into central Beijing to protest for greater democracy and call for the resignations of Chinese Communist Party leaders deemed too repressive. For nearly three weeks, the protesters kept up daily vigils, and marched and chanted. Western reporters captured much of the drama for television and newspaper audiences in the United States and Europe.
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Rollingthunderremembered.com .
June 4
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).
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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
For Wednesday June 4
June 4: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1798
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Thanks to History Facts
World War I helped popularize the modern bra.
F or nearly 400 years, women in Western Europe and North America were expected to wear corsets beneath their clothing — restrictive, binding bustiers that cinched at the waist and opened toward the chest to accentuate the natural curves of the body. This all changed around the First World War, when a shortage of metal, the dominant material in corsets, led to a redistribution of resources as well as a cultural shift. Steel went toward planes and tanks and other military equipment, and American women went to work in factories to contribute to the war effort. Hard labor, however, could not be performed in a corset — indeed almost nothing could be performed in a corset, barring sitting and standing. These women needed something breathable, loose, and functional.
Enter Caresse Crosby, a young debutant who, in lieu of wearing a corset, opted to sew together two handkerchiefs ahead of a social ball, debuting the first "modern bra" on the dance floor. She patented the first-ever "backless brassiere," which she later sold to the Warner Brothers Corset Company. From there, the modern bra took off in a variety of styles and functionalities. In the postwar era, the bandeau bra — a cylindrical, cupless garment not unlike a modern bralette — was popular under slim-fitting 1920s dresses. Soon after, the cupped bra took shape with its infamous pointed cups and letter-based sizing. The variable styles allowed women the chance to express themselves and move their bodies freely, though the relief of taking off a bra at the end of the day is universal and timeless.
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Another from Carlo
A Pet Parent's Most Comforting Poem: Who Really Wrote It?
If you've grieved the death of a pet, there's a good chance someone shared this heartwarming poem with you. Written more than 60 years ago, over a dozen people have claimed authorship. The real author, who had no idea it had become a worldwide sensation, has just been identified.
by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker Jun 3, 2023
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
• The author of the wonderful poem about a pet's passing, the Rainbow Bridge, has remained a mystery until very recently
• Though many have claimed it as their own, the real author is 82-year-old Edna Clyne-Rekhy, who wrote the poem at age 19 in 1959, at the passing of her beloved dog, Major
• Clyne-Rekhy was stunned to learn earlier this year that her poem has been spreading anonymously across the world for decades
• One reason the Rainbow Bridge has endured is that it offers grieving pet owners hope that they will be reunited with their beloved animals in the afterlife
If you're like most people who've lost a beloved pet, you're familiar with the poem "The Rainbow Bridge." You may have been given a copy by your veterinarian or the service that handled your furry family member's remains. You might also have seen it reprinted in a condolence card, or on social media.
The Rainbow Bridge poem is unique in that it triggers anticipatory grief while our pets are still with us yet offers comfort when we ultimately lose them.
The Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, your pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and strength, those who were hurt are made better and strong again, like we remember them before they go to heaven. They are happy and content except for one small thing — they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are shining, his body shakes. Suddenly he begins to run from the herd, rushing over the grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cuddle in a happy hug never to be apart again.
You and your pet are in tears. Your hands again cuddle his head and you look again into his trusting eyes, so long gone from life, but never absent from your heart, and then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together.
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Thanks to Barrett
AS I RECALL FROM A TAILHOOK BRIEFING:
Pax River found that predictions of the Super Hornet at high AoA (don't recall specs) did not match reality. How to find the optimum fix without a bunch of number-crunching and wind tunnel time?
An extremely bright and practical guy fetched himself to the local hardware store and bought a variety of sand paper with varying grit, presumably in large quantities.
Glued the various candidates to the duty airframe—and found what worked best. Gave that info to the aerodynamicists (or somebody) who translated the data into a New & Improved airframe configuration.
At least that's how I remember it.
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Thanks to Boris
Remember Midway
"An aircraft carrier is a noble thing. It lacks almost everything that seems to denote nobility, yet deep nobility is there. A carrier has no poise. It has no grace. It is top-heavy and lop-sided. It has the lines of a cow. It doesn't cut through the water like a cruiser, knifing romantically along… It just plows… Yet a carrier is a ferocious thing, and out of its heritage of action has grown nobility. I believe that every Navy in the world has it as its No. 1 priority the destruction of enemy carriers. That's a precarious honor, but it's a proud one." Ernie Pyle, 1945
1942 – The Year of the Aircraft Carrier; Part 7 – Midway Trilogy (3 of 3)
http://rememberedsky.com/?p=2072
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From the archives
Remember that this battle for Okinawa has been going on since 1 April and still has a way to go to get to the 82 days until it completes and at great cost to both sides Skip.
Another outstanding H-GRAM from Admiral Cox and the Naval History and Heritage Command
H-GRAM 48 THE NAVAL BATTLE OF OKINAWA
Be sure to click on all the highlighted text to get more information on each subject…skip
Contents
Kamikaze Attacks on U.S. Flagships off Okinawa
The Naval Battle of Okinawa (Continued), 11 May–5 June 1945
75th Anniversary of World War II
This H-gram covers the naval battle of Okinawa from late May to early June 1945, including the kamikaze hits on flagships Bunker Hill (CV-17, Vice Admiral Marc "Pete" Mitscher), New Mexico (BB-40, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance) and Enterprise (CV-6, Vice Admiral Mitscher). All of these ships survived, although the hits on Bunker Hill caused the most casualties in a single ship from a kamikaze attack, with 396 crewmen killed. The mass kamikaze attacks Kikusui No. 6, 7, and 8, and Typhoon Viper are also discussed.
Kamikaze Attacks on U.S. Flagships off Okinawa
As the ground campaign at Okinawa dragged on in a bloody slog against fierce Japanese resistance, Japanese kamikaze aircraft continued to hit U.S. ships around the island in a series of mass attacks of more than 100 aircraft, interspersed with smaller raids that could occur at any hour, creating immense strain on crews that had to react almost instantly to the threat. The great majority of Japanese kamikazes were shot down by U.S. fighters and antiaircraft fire, but planes flown by pilots who intended to die proved very difficult to stop, and invariably some got through even the best defenses.
On 11 May, two kamikazes in quick succession hit the carrier Bunker Hill, Vice Admiral Mitscher's Task Force 58 flagship, at a critical time, when the flight deck was packed with planes that were armed, fueled, manned, and about to launch. The result was a conflagration of unspeakable horror as 396 Americans died or went missing in the flames and suffocating toxic smoke, the largest loss of life aboard a single ship due to a kamikaze attack. Even when it seemed all hope was lost, Bunker Hill's gunners kept shooting, and her damage control teams never quit. They saved the ship, although she would never be operational as an aircraft carrier again. (Mitscher's chief of staff, Commodore Arleigh A. Burke, was awarded a Silver Star for extricating men from a burning compartment.)
On 13 May, a kamikaze hit Admiral Spruance's Fifth Fleet flagship, the old battleship New Mexico, the second time his flagship had been hit. For a time, Spruance was missing after the plane hit; he was finally found manning a firehose with other Sailors. Despite taking heavy casualties (54 dead Navy and Marine Corps personnel, mostly gunners), the battleships were built to take punishment, and New Mexico stayed in the line as the flagship until Spruance's turnover with Admiral William F. Halsey on 27 May. Spruance was awarded a Navy Cross.
No sooner had Vice Admiral Mitscher transferred his TF 58 flag to Enterprise than she, too, fell victim to a kamikaze attack. On 14 May, 26 Japanese planes attacked. Only one made it through the gauntlet to put Enterprise and her 20 battle stars (the record) out of action for the rest of the war. As the "night carrier," Enterprise had all planes de-armed and de-fueled, gasoline lines drained, and bomb magazines buttoned up, so her damage was far less severe than that of Bunker Hill. Enterprise would be the last carrier to be hit by a kamikaze. For more on the kamikaze attacks on the three flagships (and to see what actor Paul Newman had to do with it), see attachment H-048-1.
The Naval Battle of Okinawa (Continued), 11 May–5 June 1945
Between Kikusui No. 6 on 10–11 May and Kikusui No. 9 on 3–7 June, there was a steady toll of U.S. warships (mostly destroyers) sunk, damaged beyond repair, or put out of action for the rest of the war by kamikaze attacks. Some of these ships put up valiant resistance, shooting down multiple kamikazes before they could complete their attacks. Some U.S. ships faced one or two kamikazes that just kept on coming no matter how many times they were hit. In most cases the crews saved their ships when they should have sunk, even though many of those ships would never fight again. Crews on other ships simply never had a chance. In every case, a common theme was uncommon valor: Numerous Navy Crosses were awarded to commanding officers who continued to fight even as their ships burned. Navy Crosses went to junior officers, too, such as Ensign Leo D. Fay on Douglas H. Fox (DD-779), who despite mortal wounds led a decimated damage control team in saving the ship from a magazine explosion. Another was Lieutenant Edgar B. Wicklander, USNR, commanding officer of LCS(L)-356, who boldly brought his ship alongside a burning destroyer that had just suffered a magazine explosion and saved the lives of numerous stunned and wounded Sailors.
The most tragic events were the loss of destroyers Longshaw (DD-559) and Drexler (DD-741). Longshaw ran aground and was hit in a forward magazine by shore battery fire, which obliterated the entire ship forward of the bridge, killing 86 crewmen, including the commanding officer. Drexler, a new Allen M. Sumner–class destroyer, was hit by a kamikaze, which caused an explosion so powerful that she went down in less than a minute, taking 164 crewmen to the bottom with her. Damaged Bates (APD-47) was heroically towed into an anchorage area, only then to capsize and sink. LSM-135 was sunk while in the act of rescuing survivors. LST-808 became yet another ship lost to a kamikaze.
During this period, several ships were damaged beyond repair, including four destroyers: Thatcher (DD-514), Butler (DD-636), Forrest (DD-461), and Shubrick (DD-639); destroyer escort O'Neill (DE-188); and the three fast transports Chase (APD-54), Bates, and Roper (APD-20), which had been the first U.S. ship to sink a German U-boat, in 1942. They all would have sunk but for the heroic actions of their crews and some luck.
Other ships were badly damaged, and repairs were not completed until after the war ended: four destroyers, including Braine (DD-630), which survived despite high casualties (67 dead and 103 wounded); a fast destroyer transport; an assault transport; and an LCS (landing craft, support). Other ships were knocked out of action for more than 30 days, but made it back into the war before it was over.
The Japanese continued their dismal track record with Kaiten-equipped submarines, as an Avenger off escort carrier Anzio (CVE-57) caught I-361 on the surface and sank her (and five Kaiten manned torpedoes) with a Fido acoustic homing torpedo.
Finally, several days after Admiral Halsey relieved Admiral Spruance and Fifth Fleet became Third Fleet again, Typhoon Viper hit. All four carriers in Task Group 38.1 suffered significant damage, particularly fleet carriers Wasp (CV-18) and Bennington (CV-20), which had their forward flight decks bashed in. The new heavy cruiser Pittsburgh (CA-72) survived, having had 104-feet of her bow torn off; fortunately, her skipper had just called the crew to battle stations, so the forward berthing compartments were empty and no one was killed. Although Typhoon Viper caused far less damage and far lower personnel losses than Typhoon Cobra had claimed in December 1944, the court of inquiry was scathing in its conclusions of "lessons not learned" from Cobra.
For more on the naval battle of Okinawa, see attachment H-048-2. And if you are getting tired of reading about kamikazes, imagine what the crews thought as they kept getting hit. There were still three more weeks to go in what seemed like an interminable battle, and they would be costly weeks, too.
For more on the background history of the invasion of Okinawa, please see H-Gram 044. See also H-Gram 045 and 046 for coverage of the earlier stages of the Naval Battle of Okinawa (March–May 1945).
Sources for this H-gram include the Naval History and Heritage Command Dictionary of American Fighting Ships (DANFS) for U.S. ships and "Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy" (http://combined fleet.com) for Japanese ships. Additional sources: History of United States. Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. XIV: Victory in the Pacific, by Samuel Eliot Morison (Little, Brown and Co., 1960); Kamikaze: To Die for the Emperor, by Peter C. Smith (Pen and Sword Aviation, 2014); The Twilight Warriors, by Robert Gandt (Broadway Books, 2010); Kamikaze Attacks of World War II: A Complete History of Japanese Suicide Strikes on American Ships by Aircraft and Other Means, by Robin L. Reilly (McFarland, 2010); Desperate Sunset: Japan's Kamikazes Against Allied Ships, 1944–45, by Mike Yeo (Osprey, 2019); "Anti-Suicide Action Summary, August 1945," COMINCH Document P-0011, 31 August 1945; The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific 1944–1945, by James D. Hornfisher (Bantam Books, 2016); Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II, by John Prados (Random House, 1995); U.S. Navy Codebreakers, Linguists, and Intelligence Officers Against Japan, 1910-1941, by Steve E. Maffeo (Roman and Littlefield, 2016); Information at Sea: Shipboard Command and Control in the U.S. Navy from Mobile Bay to Okinawa, by Timothy S. Wolters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013); Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947, by D. M. Giangreco (Naval Institute Press, 2009). "Who Sank Destroyer Drexler," by Bill Gordon, http://kamikaze images.net, 2006). Award citations are from "Military Times Hall of Honor" (http://valor.militarytimes.com).
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Thanks to Micro
Starting just a couple of months ago, there is now a daily newsletter from the Naval Academy Alumni Association, including events on this date in naval history. Most days Naval Academy alumni lost were in aircraft, either combat or accidents. I thought you might be interested in this one for today:
1942 - LCDR John Waldron '24, USN was killed in action when his torpedo bomber was shot down during the Battle of Midway. He was commanding officer of Torpedo Squadron (VT) 8, flying from USS Hornet (CV 8). His entire squadron was destroyed in the raid; fifteen aircraft were shot down and only one of thirty pilots and crew survived. John was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. USS Waldron (DD 699) was commissioned barely two years after his death; other namesakes include an outlying field at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Camp Waldron in Idaho, and the John C. Waldron bridge in South Dakota. Fourteen other alumni were killed in action on this date, though only one (LT Raymond Moore '37, USN) was a member of VT-8.
Micro
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For a while a couple years ago there was a show on TV that followed a team that caught these snakes at night and got paid. There were a couple of times where one of the guys almost got taken by the python and got rescued by his partner. One of the things I noticed was a flashlight they were using could really light the place up. It was yellow and I looked it up in the Dewalt catalog and bought one and it really does light up the night. Since I have lot of Dewalt tools I have a lot of the batteries and that works out just fine. There is something chilling about shining the light out toward the chicken cage at night and a set of unblinking eyes are looking back at you.;
Thanks to the Smithsonian
Florida Bobcat Kills 13-Foot Python for the First Time on Record. It's a Sign of Nature 'Fighting Back' Against the Invasive Snakes
Burmese pythons are wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem, but some native animals have been known to prey on the enormous reptiles
Large snake curled around a tree
Burmese pythons are decimating animal populations in South Florida. NPS / R. Cammauf
Burmese pythons in Florida have been known to swallow large animals, like deer and alligators. Now, however, wildlife biologists have discovered evidence that suggests at least one Everglades creature is fighting back against the invasive snakes.
Scientists were following a male snake named Loki that had been affixed with a radio tracker, reports Gulf Coast News' Ryan Arbogast. During the breeding season, "scout" snakes like Loki help lead biologists to large female snakes, which they can then humanely euthanize. Female Burmese pythons can lay as many as 100 eggs each spring.
So, as they followed the signal coming from Loki's tracker, they expected to find the 13-foot-long snake canoodling with a fertile female. But when they arrived at Loki's location near the city of Naples, they were shocked to discover his decapitated body instead.
Someone—or something—had chewed off Loki's head and neck, then buried it under some nearby pine needles. They suspected either a Florida panther or a bobcat had killed the 52-pound behemoth, but they weren't sure. So, they called in David Shindle, a wild cat expert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, reports Live Science's Skyler Ware.
Biologists found part of Loki's remains cached under some pine needles. Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Shindle set up a trail camera near Loki's body to see if the killer would return to finish its meal. Sure enough, the next day, the camera recorded an adult bobcat slinking back to the site.
The incident marks the first time a bobcat has been documented killing and eating a python in Florida, reports Chad Gillis for the Fort Myers News-Press.
The snake's head and neck had been separated from its body. Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons first arrived in America in the 1990s and early 2000s as part of the exotic pet trade. But as the snakes grew and grew, some pet owners felt they could no longer keep them—and released the creatures into the wild. Others simply escaped.
With few natural predators, the snakes have multiplied in the Everglades. They've decimated local animal populations, gobbling up many of the region's rabbits, foxes, opossums and raccoons.
Scientists are still trying to understand the dynamics between invasive Burmese pythons and native predator species in the Everglades. Pythons have been known to eat bobcats—biologists have found the cats' claws inside the snakes while conducting necropsies. But the new discovery suggests the big cats are more than capable of handling the large snakes, and they probably see the reptiles as potential meals.
A trail camera captured a bobcat returning to the python kill site. Conservancy of Southwest Florida
"A 25-pound cat killed and cached a 52-pound python? That's a win for the home team," says Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist with the nonprofit Conservancy of Southwest Florida who found Loki's remains, to Gulf Coast News. "We all tend to like animals that punch above their weight class. Here was a native animal pushing back against an invasive apex predator."
In this particular case, biologists suspect the bobcat probably took advantage of a cold snap that had immobilized Loki. Cold-blooded creatures like snakes tend to become sluggish when temperatures drop. And since Loki was out prowling around for females, he was located far from his burrow, which could have warmed him.
Similarly, researchers recently discovered the remains of another male scout snake they suspect was killed by a black bear during a period of chilly weather, per Live Science. Alligators, other snakes and some birds of prey have also been known to eat Burmese pythons, especially when the snakes are young and small.
And, in June 2021, a trail camera captured a bobcat raiding a python nest and eating the eggs.
"There's a bit of a pattern emerging that—and you'd expect as much—over time, the ecosystem is rebalancing itself. It's fighting back," Bartoszek tells Live Science. "These native predators are recognizing Burmese pythons as a new food source and are able to take advantage of some of their vulnerabilities."
Wildlife biologists in Florida use male "scout" snakes affixed with radio trackers to lead them to large females during the breeding season. Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Meanwhile, wildlife biologists in Florida are continuing their fight against the invasive snakes, which are decimating native species. Since November 2024, Bartoszek's team alone has culled 6,500 pounds worth of Burmese pythons from the wilderness, per the Fort Myers News-Press.
Members of the public are encouraged to help, too. This year's annual Florida Python Challenge, for example, will take place over ten days in July. During that time, hunters are invited to kill and remove as many Burmese pythons as possible from South Florida.
Researchers have discovered bobcat claws inside pythons while conducting necropsies. Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Year-round, hunters on private land are allowed to humanely euthanize the snakes without a permit, so long as they have the landowner's permission. They also have blanket permission to humanely kill Burmese pythons on specific public lands managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Anyone who sees a Burmese python is encouraged to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's exotic species hotline.
"We need an army of observers," Bartoszek tells the Fort Myers News-Press.
Florida Biologists Capture Record-Breaking 215-Pound Python
July 5, 2022
Florida Teen Wins $10,000 for Hunting Invasive Pythons
November 2, 2022
Record-Breaking 17-Foot-Long Burmese Python Found in Florida
April 10, 2019
Could Invasive Burmese Pythons Soon Be on the Menu in Florida?
December 30, 2020
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This Day in American Military History
4 June
1876 – A mere 83 hours after leaving New York City, the Transcontinental Express train arrives in San Francisco. That any human being could travel across the entire nation in less than four days was inconceivable to previous generations of Americans. During the early 19th century, when Thomas Jefferson first dreamed of an American nation stretching from "sea to shining sea," it took the president 10 days to travel the 225 miles from Monticello to Philadelphia via carriage. Even with frequent changing of horses, the 100-mile journey from New York to Philadelphia demanded two days hard travel in a light stagecoach. At such speeds, the coasts of the continent-wide American nation were months apart. How could such a vast country ever hope to remain united? As early as 1802, Jefferson had some glimmer of an answer. "The introduction of so powerful an agent as steam," he predicted, "[to a carriage on wheels] will make a great change in the situation of man." Though Jefferson never saw a train in his lifetime, he had glimpsed the future with the idea. Within half a century, America would have more railroads than any other nation in the world. By 1869, the first transcontinental line linking the coasts was completed. Suddenly, a journey that had previously taken months using horses could be made in less than a week. Five days after the transcontinental railroad was completed, daily passenger service over the rails began. The speed and comfort offered by rail travel was so astonishing that many Americans could scarcely believe it, and popular magazines wrote glowing accounts of the amazing journey. For the wealthy, a trip on the transcontinental railroad was a luxurious experience. First-class passengers rode in beautifully appointed cars with plush velvet seats that converted into snug sleeping berths. The finer amenities included steam heat, fresh linen daily, and gracious porters who catered to their every whim. For an extra $4 a day, the wealthy traveler could opt to take the weekly Pacific Hotel Express, which offered first-class dining on board. As one happy passenger wrote, "The rarest and richest of all my journeying through life is this three-thousand miles by rail." The trip was a good deal less speedy and comfortable for passengers unwilling or unable to pay the premium fares. Whereas most of the first-class passengers traveled the transcontinental line for business or pleasure, the third-class occupants were often emigrants hoping to make a new start in the West. A third-class ticket could be purchased for only $40–less than half the price of the first-class fare. At this low rate, the traveler received no luxuries. Their cars, fitted with rows of narrow wooden benches, were congested, noisy, and uncomfortable. The railroad often attached the coach cars to freight cars that were constantly shunted aside to make way for the express trains. Consequently, the third-class traveler's journey west might take 10 or more days. Even under these trying conditions, few travelers complained. Even 10 days spent sitting on a hard bench seat was preferable to six months walking alongside a Conestoga wagon on the Oregon Trail. Railroad promotions, however, naturally focused on the speedy express trains. The arrival of the Transcontinental Express train in San Francisco on this day in 1876 was widely celebrated in the newspapers and magazines of the day. With this new express service, a businessman could leave New York City on Monday morning, spend 83 hours in relaxing comfort, and arrive refreshed and ready for work in San Francisco by Thursday evening. The powerful agent of steam had effectively shrunk a vast nation to a manageable size.
1896 – At approximately 1:30 a.m., Henry Ford test-drove his Quadricycle, the first automobile he ever designed or drove. Ford was working at the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit at the time that he began building the Quadricycle. He had reportedly seen an article on the gasoline engine in American Machinist while in the company of friend and fellow engineer, Charles King. In King's recollection Ford claimed, "I want to build one of these." Ford employed the help of his friends in the Detroit engineering community to build an internal combustion engine on his kitchen table. It's important to note to what extent Ford was a visionary and an organizer. He was an engineer, of course, but he didn't by any means accomplish his engineering feats alone. Men like King, along with a whole slew of other engineers, volunteered their time to Ford's projects. King provided Ford with a whole crew of workers who worked in the makeshift machine shop Ford had constructed in his garage behind his Bagley Avenue residence in Detroit. Ford even convinced his neighbor, Felix Julian, to donate his half of the shed to the cause. King was building his own vehicle at the time, and actually preempted Ford in testing the horseless carriage in March of 1896. Ford followed King's carriage's test run on his bicycle. Ford did make one major innovation in building his first vehicle: he decided not to attach an engine to an existing carriage, but rather to construct a four-wheel body based on the principles of bicycle manufacturing. Ford completed his "Quadricycle" early in the morning on this day in 1896. He couldn't wait to test the invention. Only one of his associates, Jim Bishop, was present at the time of the vehicle's completion. In all of his enthusiasm in getting the car together, Ford failed to consider that his contraption was wider than the doors of the shed in which he built it. He and Bishop set upon the door and adjacent walls with axes in order to hack an entrance sufficient for the Quadricycle. The 500-pound, two-cylinder vehicle came to life in the alley behind Ford's house. Ford drove it down Bagley Avenue to Grand River Avenue, to Washington Boulevard, when the Quadricycle stopped. Bishop and Ford pushed the automobile to the Edison plant, where they replaced a nut and spring that had come loose. The next month, Henry drove his vehicle to his father's farm to show it off. His father apparently walked around it cautiously. Later he expressed his doubts to one of his neighbors: "John and William (Henry's brothers) are all right, but Henry worries me. He doesn't seem to settle down, and I don't know what's going to become of him." Maybe he'll become the most powerful citizen in the country!
1939 – During what became known as the "Voyage of the Damned," the SS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast. Also denied permission to dock in Cuba, the ship eventually returned to Europe. The passengers were divided among England, France, Belgium and Holland and a number of the refugees later died in Nazi concentration camps. By 2003 efforts to track their fates identified 935 out of the 937 passengers. Some 260 ended in Nazi killing centers.
1942 – Japanese Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, commander of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor, launches a raid on Midway Island with almost the entirety of the Japanese navy. As part of a strategy to widen its sphere of influence and conquest, the Japanese set their sights on an island group in the central Pacific, Midway, as well as the Aleutians, off the coast of Alaska. They were also hoping to draw the badly wounded U.S. navy into a battle, determined to finish it off. The American naval forces were depleted: The damaged carrier Yorktown had to be repaired in a mere three days, to be used along with the Enterprise and Hornet, all that was left in the way of aircraft carriers after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of June 4, Admiral Nagumo launched his first strike with 108 aircraft, and did significant damage to U.S. installations at Midway. The Americans struck back time and again at Japanese ships, but accomplished little real damage, losing 65 of their own aircraft in their initial attempts. But Nagumo underestimated the tenacity of both Admiral Chester Nimitz and Admiral Raymond Spruance, commanders of the American forces. He also miscalculated tactically by ordering a second wave of bombers to finish off what he thought was only a remnant of American resistance (the U.S. forces had been able to conceal their position because of reconnaissance that anticipated the Midway strike) before his first wave had sufficient opportunity to rearm. A fifth major engagement by 55 U.S. dive-bombers took full advantage of Nagumo's confused strategy, and sunk three of the four Japanese carriers, all cluttered with aircraft and fuel trying to launch another attack against what they now realized-too late–was a much larger American naval force than expected. A fourth Japanese carrier, the Hiryu was crippled, but not before its aircraft finished off the noble American Yorktown. The attack on Midway was an unmitigated disaster for the Japanese, resulting in the loss of 322 aircraft and 3,500 men. They were forced to withdraw from the area before attempting even a landing on the island they sought to conquer.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*DAVID, ALBERT LEROY
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, U.S. Navy. Born: 18 July 1902, Maryville, Mo. Accredited to: Missouri. Other Navy award: Navy Cross with gold star. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the U.S.S. Pillsbury during the capture of an enemy German submarine off French West Africa, 4 June 1944. Taking a vigorous part in the skillfully coordinated attack on the German U-505 which climaxed a prolonged search by the Task Group, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) David boldly led a party from the Pillsbury in boarding the hostile submarine as it circled erratically at 5 or 6 knots on the surface. Fully aware that the U-boat might momentarily sink or be blown up by exploding demolition and scuttling charges, he braved the added danger of enemy gunfire to plunge through the conning tower hatch and, with his small party, exerted every effort to keep the ship afloat and to ass1st the succeeding and more fully equipped salvage parties in making the U-505 seaworthy for the long tow across the Atlantic to a U.S. port. By his valiant service during the first successful boarding and capture of an enemy man-o-war on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815, Lt. David contributed materially to the effectiveness of our Battle of the Atlantic and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
*BARKER, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Private First Class (then Pvt.), U.S. Army, Company K, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sokkogae, Korea, 4 June 1953. Entered service at: Pickens County, S.C. Born: 12 April 1935, Pickens County, S.C. G.O. No.: 37, 7 June 1955. Citation: Pfc. Barker, a member of Company K, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While participating in a combat patrol engaged in screening an approach to "Pork-Chop Outpost," Pfc. Barker and his companions surprised and engaged an enemy group digging emplacements on the slope. Totally unprepared, the hostile troops sought cover. After ordering Pfc. Barker and a comrade to lay down a base of fire, the patrol leader maneuvered the remainder of the platoon to a vantage point on higher ground. Pfc. Barker moved to an open area firing his rifle and hurling grenades on the hostile positions. As enemy action increased in volume and intensity, mortar bursts fell on friendly positions, ammunition was in critical supply, and the platoon was ordered to withdraw into a perimeter defense preparatory to moving back to the outpost. Voluntarily electing to cover the retrograde movement, he gallantly maintained a defense and was last seen in close hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Pfc. Barker's unflinching courage, consummate devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice enabled the patrol to complete the mission and effect an orderly withdrawal to friendly lines, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the military service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 4, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1907: Corporal Edward Ward, the first NCO in the Army's new balloon organization, detailed to learn balloon manufacturing. The unit later became the Signal Corps' Aeronautical Division. (24)
1920: Congress created a new rating of "Airplane Pilot" and authorized flying pay of 50 percent above base pay. (12)
1927: Clarence D. Chamberlin and Charles A. Levine made the first nonstop flight from New York to Germany in a Bellanca 15-Wright 200 in 43 hours 49 minutes 33 seconds. They set a 3,910- mile FAI straight-line distance record by landing at Eisleben. (9) (24)
1930: Lt Apollo Soucek (USN) flew a Wright Apache to a 43,166-foot FAI altitude record at NAS Anacostia DC. (9) (24)
1931: Stunt pilot William G. Swan flew his first flight in a rocket-powered glider at Atlantic City, N.J. He climbed 100 feet and flew 1,000 feet before making a perfect landing. The glider, with 10 rockets able to produce 50 pounds of thrust each, only used one rocket for the flight. (7)
1952: KOREAN WAR. An H-19 helicopter of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron picked up a downed British pilot, encountering automatic weapons fire during the rescue. (28)
1953: REFLEX OPERATIONS. The USAF began "reflexing" B-47 wings to England on 90-day rotational training and alert duty in Europe. From 4-6 June, SAC deployed 45 B-47s in equal flights of 15 bombers from the 306 BMW at MacDill AFB to RAF Fairford, UK. On 6 June, a B-47 set a new record of 5 hours 22 minutes for the 3,120-mile flight to RAF Fairford to break the former record of 6 April 1953. (1)
Note from Skip My family was at MacDill AFB in 1957 and we lived on base pretty close to the runway and real close to the taxi way. There were large sirens on poles everywhere and one night they all came on. Pilots and their families lived above us. Before the sirens had stopped you could hear folks running around above us and then running down the stairs and out to the cars. Very shortly you could hear the first jets being started and soon they were taxiing by the house. B-47s nose to tail swinging on to the runway and blasting off one after another and it lasted for a long time. Their wives told us later they would be gone a couple months.
1954: Maj Arthur Murray flew the Bell X-1A to an unofficial record of 91,000 feet. (3) (9) (24)
1958: At Cape Canaveral, a Thor missile completed its first launch from a prototype tactical-type launcher. (6) 1959: Max Conrad set a world nonstop distance record, flying a Piper Comanche 7,683 miles from Casablanca, Africa, to Los Angeles. (24)
1963: An Atlas-E, launched from Vandenberg AFB, flew on a 4,000-mile flight down the Pacific Missile Range. Jacquelin Auriol flew a jet at 1,266 MPH to capture the 100-kilometer record from Jacquelin Cochran.
1966: Arthur Godfrey, Richard Merrill, Fred Austin, and Karl Keller flew a Jet Commander 23,333 miles around the world at a FAI record pace. They flew from New York and back in 86 hours 9 minutes at an average of 271.31 MPH. (9)
1968: Lockheed rolled out the VX-4B Hummingbird II VTOL aircraft at its plant in Marietta. (16)
1969: The Thunderbirds held their first demonstration using the F-4 Phantom. (16) (26)
1970: Flying the NF-104 modified with a rocket engine, Gen Alton D. Slay reached 104,000 feet in altitude to become the first general officer to surpass 100,000 feet. (3)
1983: At Hill AFB, F-105 Thunderchiefs made a final flyby to signal the inactivation of the last AFRES F-105 squadron. (16)
1991: Col Clarence "Dick" Anderegg and his backseater, Maj Hugh Riley, flew PACAF's last F-4 mission. They flew from Clark AB, Philippines, to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where the Phantom would be mothballed. The flight ended over a quarter of century of service for the F-4 with PACAF. (17)
1992: Operation PROVIDE HOPE. A C-141 from Charleston AFB flew the first mission in this operation since the activation of AMC to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Between June 1992 and May
1993, AMC flew 109 missions, including 25 by commercial aircraft, to deliver 2,438 tons of cargo for the operation. (18)
1996: Lyle Schaefer, Lockheed-Martin's chief test pilot, flew the advanced-technology C-130J Hercules on its first test flight. The 6-hour 14-minute sortie launched from Dobbins ARB, Marietta. (AFNEWS, 2 Jul 96)
1997: The Air Force reached a milestone recently in advanced missile propulsion with the successful ground testing of the Variable Flow Ducted Rocket at Atlantic Research Corp., Gainesville, Va. A solid-fuel, ducted rocket engine, the VFDR increased the capabilities of conventional rockets by burning fuel-rich rocket-exhaust gases with air, thereby doubling or tripling the total energy produced by the engine (AFNEWS, 30 June).
1999: In a proposal to the NGB, the Virginia ANG suggested moving the 192 FW from Richmond IAP to Langley AFB to form a new Virginia ANG associate unit to fly the new F-22 "Raptor" along with the 1 FW when it received the aircraft. (32)
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