TheList 7198

The List 7198

Good Thursday morning June 5.  The weather guessers did it yet again it rained last night and there was no warning. Today is overcast and a cool 62 and only getting to 74. Maybe some clearing around 10 for a bit. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same for the Bubba Breakfast tomorrow.

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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 5

1794 The first officers of the U.S. Navy under the new United States Constitution are appointed: John Barry, Samuel Nicholson, Silas Talbot, Joshua Barney, Richard Dale, and Thomas Truxtun. They are also asked to supervise the construction of new ships.

 

1917 USS Jupiter (AC 3), which transports the First Naval Aeronautical Detachment, arrives at Pauillac, France prior to World War I. The men are commanded by Lt. Kenneth Whiting. Offloading is completed by June 10. USS Jupiter (AC 1) is later converted into the Navys first aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV 1).

 

1944 USS Puffer (SS 268) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Sulu Sea and sinks underway replenishment vessel Ashizuri and oiler Takasaki while also damaging tanker No.2 Hishi Maru, north-east of Borneo. Also on this date, USS Shark (SS 314) sinks Japanese transport Tamahime Maru and army transport Takaoka Maru west of the Mariana Islands.

 

1945 A typhoon hits while Task Group 38.1 and Task Group 30.8 are off the coast of Okinawa. Task Group 38.1 passes through the eye of the storm at 7 a.m. that morning. Hurricane force winds of 70 knots (80.5 miles per hour), with gusts up to 100 knots (115 per hour) damage almost every ship in the task groups.

 

2013 USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) is launched in Mobile, Ala. The Joint High Speed Vessel is a non-combatant transport operated by Military Sealift Command.

 

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Thanks to Crane Dog . there will be a memorial on August 11 @ 12;30 for Chip Meyers at the Miramar National Cemetery. More details will become available and we will pass them on.   skip

 

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This day in World History

June 5

1099    Members of the First Crusade witness an eclipse of the moon and interpret it as a sign they will recapture Jerusalem.

1568    Ferdinand, the Duke of Alba, crushes the Calvinist insurrection in Ghent.

1595    Henry IV's army defeats the Spanish at the Battle of Fontaine-Francaise.

1637    American settlers in New England massacre a Pequot Indian village.

1783    Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier make the first public balloon flight.

1794    The U.S. Congress prohibits citizens from serving in any foreign armed forces.

1827    Athens falls to Ottoman forces.

1851    Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes the first installment of Uncle Tom's Cabin in The National Era.

1856    U.S. Army troops in the Four creeks region of California, head back to quarters, officially ending the Tule River War. Fighting, however, will continue for a few more years.

1863    The Confederate raider CSS Alabama captures the Talisman in the Mid-Atlantic.

1872    The Republican National Convention, the first major political party convention to include blacks, commences.

1880    Wild woman of the west Myra Maybelle Shirley marries Sam Starr even though records show she was already married to Bruce Younger.

1900    British troops under Lord Roberts seize Pretoria from the Boers.

1940    The German army begins its offensive in Southern France.

1944    The first B-29 bombing raid strikes the Japanese rail line in Bangkok, Thailand.

1947    Secretary of State George C. Marshall outlines "The Marshall Plan," a program intended to assist European nations, including former enemies, to rebuild their economies.

1956    Premier Nikita Khrushchev denounces Josef Stalin to the Soviet Communist Party Congress.

1967    The Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan begins.

1968    Sirhan Sirhan shoots Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy after Kennedy's victory in the pivotal California primary election.

1973    Doris A. Davis becomes the first African-American woman to govern a city in a major metropolitan area when she is elected mayor of Compton, California.

2004    Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan dies at age 93. Reagan was the 40th president of the United States.

 

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Rollingthunderremembered.com .

June 5

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

From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 5 June          When he came home and after getting his legs in shape he became the CO of VFP-63 while I was there. It was an entertaining time….Skip.

 

For Thursday June 5

June 5:  https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1177

 

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Thanks to History Facts

One of the most famous military engagements in history, the 1815 Battle of Waterloo brought a decisive end to Napoleon Bonaparte's quest for power. It also sparked a common phrase, "to meet your Waterloo," which signifies the moment an unfortunate soul realizes their dream is over. Yet the locale for which the skirmish is named, now a town in central Belgium, saw no sign of the bloodshed that broke out that fateful June day. The fighting primarily took place some 3 miles south, between the villages of Braine-l'Alleud and Plancenoit, where the combined forces led by Britain's Duke of Wellington and Prussia's Gebhard von Blücher drove the remains of Napoleon's army from the area.

Although the significance of the battle became apparent when Napoleon abdicated a few days later, it took some time for a consensus name to emerge in the aftermath. The defeated French called it the "Battle of Mont Saint-Jean," after the Braine-l'Alleud hill that had seen the day's fiercest clashes. The Prussians favored "Battle of La Belle Alliance," for the nearby farmhouse where Blücher and Wellington allegedly met to celebrate their triumph. But the ultimate namesake turned out to be the picturesque town that had hosted the duke the night before the fighting, and from where he sent the report of his crowning achievement the following day. It's true that history is written by the victors, and in this case, the name "Waterloo" may have contributed to the battle's enduring legacy. After all, "meeting your Braine-l'Alleud" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

 

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Thanks to Interesting Facts

Astronauts grow taller in space.

 

The human body has evolved over millions of years within the confines of gravity. Our heart, lungs, muscles, and even our DNA have all developed under the influence of the force that's constantly keeping our feet on the ground. But what happens if gravity suddenly disappears? Ever since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin first flew into space in 1961, space agencies have been studying how microgravity and zero gravity affect the human body. Over the years, they've discovered that blood pressure increases, muscles atrophy, heart muscles are strained, and bone density decreases. But maybe the strangest of these biological changes is that astronauts grow about 3% taller because their spines, free from the constant pressure of gravity, slowly relax and lengthen. (After returning to Earth for a few months, astronauts shrink down to their original size.)

NASA is still learning more about the effects of space on the human body, helped in part by its yearlong Twins Study from 2015 to 2016. In the study, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days onboard the International Space Station while his identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, who's also an astronaut, remained on Earth. NASA saw not only the expected changes, but also that Scott's telomeres — caps at the end of DNA strands that help protect them — had lengthened during his stay, the opposite effect of what scientists predicted. Scott also lost some cognitive ability once he returned to Earth, perhaps as a result of his readjustment to gravity after a year in space.

 

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Luck and Guts: The Heroes of Midway

If not for men like Wade McClusky, the Battle of Midway could have been another Japanese victory.

by GEOFFREY NORMAN

At 10am on Jun. 4, 1942, Wade McClusky was leading a group of 32 dive-bombers with orders to attack the Imperial Japanese Navy's aircraft carriers. The fleet, however, was not where it was expected to be.

On Jun. 4, 1942, US Navy dive-bomber pilot Wade McClusky changed the course of the Battle of Midway, proving himself to be one of America's greatest pilots and combat leaders.

At 10am that morning, McClusky was leading a group of 32 dive-bombers with orders to attack the Imperial Japanese Navy's aircraft carriers. The fleet, however, was not where it was expected to be. With his air group's fuel running low, McClusky spotted instead the Japanese destroyer Arashi bearing northeast. Suspecting that the Arashi must be following the main fleet, he made the calculated decision to follow her — in opposition to his orders.

As told by David Rigby in his book Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway, McClusky did not break radio silence to ask for guidance when he learned that the interception coordinates he had been given were out of date, which was just as well because Adm Spruance and his staff on the Enterprise were as yet unaware of the change of course made by Adm Nagumo's carrier striking force — a course change that had taken the Japanese fleet away from the interception point in a northeasterly direction. By the time Jim Gray, occupying McClusky's old billet as the commander of Fighting Six, very belatedly radioed in a contact report at approximately 10.00am after circling above the Japanese fleet for almost an hour, McClusky was on the verge of finding the enemy on his own anyway. Also, Gray's contact report seems to have included only that he was leaving the vicinity of the enemy fleet due to fuel shortage. Gray apparently did not report the coordinates of Nagumo's location. McClusky continued on to the southwest for 15 minutes beyond the anticipated interception point because there was a slim chance that the Japanese approach track toward Midway was further west than he had anticipated or that Nagurno may have turned west.

 

The story of Wade McClusky, the US Navy dive-bomber pilot who changed the course of the Battle of Midway

Wade McClusky

What followed was one of the most important decisions made by any American military commander in all of World War 2. Wade McClusky now displayed that sixth sense: the intuition shared by all great military commanders of having a gut feeling, even when the enemy was not in sight, as to what the enemy was actually doing — a gut feeling that in this case turned out to be dead on in terms of accuracy. A logical assumption would have been that the Japanese were making better than expected speed, and thus had gotten past McClusky and were now off to the south. McClusky was sure that this was not the case, which was a counterintuitive but quite accurate assessment. He sensed the truth: that persistent American air attacks from Midway-based aircraft and carrier-based torpedo planes, as well as a Japanese cruiser floatplane's sighting of one of the American task forces, had forced Nagumo to undertake course changes. The initial changes were evasive actions to avoid bombs and torpedoes dropped by attacking American aircraft. These maneuvers slowed Nagumo's southeasterly progress. Then, at 9.17am, Nagumo turned 90 degrees to port, on to a northeasterly heading, in order to close with the American surface ships so that he could launch a strike against them with his own dive-bombers and torpedo planes. McClusky did not know all of these details yet, but he was certain that something had delayed the Japanese and that the carriers of Kido Butai were north of him.

 

McClusky himself never thought it was intuition or guesswork that guided him during the battle. After the war, he always bristled if he read an account of the Battle of Midway that claimed that he had made a lucky guess in turning north. Wade told his family that there was no guesswork involved. According to Phil McClusky, on the relatively rare occasions when his father spoke about the battle, Wade always said that if the Japanese carriers had gotten past the interception point and had thus been to the south, off to McClusky's left, that "he would have heard about it." He was apparently referring to the fact that he knew that Midway-based Catalina PBY flying boats were out on patrol and that they would have reported any large body of ships nearing the atoll.

 

However his intuition paid off— the Arashi led the bombers straight to the Japanese carriers Kaga and Akagi, which they swiftly destroyed. At the same time, a squadron from the Yorktown arrived, bombing a further carrier, the Soryu. Within minutes, three of the Imperial Japanese Navy's major carriers were destroyed, leaving it severely weakened.

 

At 10am on Jun. 4, 1942, after six months of war, the U.S. was losing the war in the Pacific. Half an hour later, at 10.30am, they were winning.

 

The story of Wade McClusky, the US Navy dive-bomber pilot who changed the course of the Battle of Midway

 

Do not forget Dusty Kleist he got two direct hits that day also.

Wrote a great book  Don't call me a hero

When I read his book I learned that USS Enterprise on its way back to Pearl Harbor and learning about the attack had put up a bunch of fighters as a screen and many of them encountered Zero fighters for the first time and many of them were lost.

 

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A couple notes from Barrett.

If anyone has some info     send it to me and I will forward it to him

sleonard001@san.rr.com

 

G'day Skip:

MINOR point ref. Midway.

Since the war, conventional wisdom held that the SBDs rolled in while the Japanese were fueling-arming planes on deck.  The bible is Parshall and Tully's "Shattered Sword" based on IJN primary sources.  SOP usually was to arm Kates/Vals/etc on hangar decks to keep cycling the flight decks.  Some SBD pilots noted planes on deck but those were Zeros slated to reinforce the CAP.

Dick Best's historic hit on the flagship Akagi went into the sweet spot: smashed thru the flight deck and exploded on a fully loaded torpedo plane below.

 

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Thanks to American Facts

Ombibulous Times: Talking The Talk Of Prohibition

 

Back in the 1920s, when alcohol was outlawed but far from out of reach, people got creative, not just with cocktails, but with their lingo too. From secret bars to shady drinks and sly lawmen, the Prohibition era brewed up a whole dictionary of clever slang. Some of these phrases are still with us today, while others sound like something out of an old gangster flick. Let's raise a (legal) glass and dive into the wild vocabulary of the dry years!

 

Giggle water

Sounds fun, doesn't it? "Giggle water" was slang for champagne, but later came to mean any kind of alcoholic drink that made you feel good.

 

The term popped up around 1910 and hung around well into the '20s. Lighthearted and cheeky, it captured the mood of a tipsy good time. It was all laughs until the next morning.

 

 

Blind pig

A "blind pig" was code for an underground bar, or speakeasy, where patrons paid to see an "exotic animal" and conveniently received a cocktail with the show. This ruse was an early attempt to skirt the law. The term dates back to the 1800s and had a cousin in crime: the "blind tiger." No matter the name, nobody was there to admire animals, they came for the booze.

 

Juice joint

At first glance, this might sound like a fruit stand. But during the 1920s, a "juice joint" was slang for a speakeasy, especially the more modest ones. However modest, they were all in: music, dancing, and definitely drinks, legal or not.

 

The name originally referred to soda stands, but it didn't take long before it meant something much stronger. If you were thirsty in the dry years, this was a must-stop.

 

 

Jake walk

Here's a sobering one. "Jake" was shorthand for Jamaican ginger extract, a legal tonic with high alcohol content. But manufacturers altered it to walk along the thin line of regulations, and the results were tragic. Drinkers developed a distinct limp from nerve damage, called the "Jake walk" or "Jake leg." Thousands were affected, especially in the South. It became both a medical crisis and a dark symbol of the risks people took to sneak a drink.

 

Ombibulous

Writer H.L. Mencken had a way with words… And a taste for booze. In 1920, he dubbed himself "ombibulous," meaning he happily drank anything alcoholic, no matter what. He was also known for calling bootleggers "booticians," always with a wink. A strong critic of Prohibition, Mencken turned his drinking habits into witty declarations.

 

Needle beer

You know the drill: Desperate times, desperate measures. Some barkeeps took regular beer, injected it with alcohol via a syringe through the cork, and served it up as the real deal. This DIY hack became known as "needle beer." It was risky and often poorly mixed, but in an era where options were slim, creativity was all people had. Probably not the safest pint you ever drank, however.

 

Brick of wine

Yes, really! You could buy a block of grape concentrate, add water, and wait. Voilà, wine! These "bricks" came with an ironic warning not to store them in a cool, dark place (wink, wink) or they might "accidentally" ferment. For wine lovers who craved a glass during the dry years, this was a sly workaround. Just add water, patience, and a sense of humor, of course!

 

 

Bathtub gin

Not a flavor, a method. "Bathtub gin" referred to homemade hooch often mixed in, you guessed it, a bathtub. Tall bottles didn't fit under sink taps, you needed a larger space. We said before, and we'll say it again: How creative could they get?

 

The quality varied wildly, and safety wasn't exactly guaranteed. However, it became the generic term for all sorts of homebrewed booze.

 

Teetotaler

This word originated before the Prohibition but got plenty of use during it. A "teetotaler" is someone who avoids alcohol entirely. The term comes from the emphatic "T" in "total abstinence." It gained popularity thanks to temperance movements in the 1800s, long before the ban was official. While others were sneaking into blind pigs, teetotalers were proudly saying, "Thanks, but no thanks."

 

Dry

If you were "dry," you were all in on Prohibition. Drys supported the ban, and dry counties banned alcohol completely. Agents who enforced the law were often called "dry agents". The term became a political and cultural identifier. You were either dry or...

 

 

Wet

...you were wet. A "wet" person supported legal alcohol sales, plain and simple. Wet cities and counties allowed booze to flow, and many Americans never bought into the dry movement. The wet/dry divide wasn't just about drinks; it actually represented a larger culture clash. And as we know now, the wets eventually won.

 

 

Whale

Not a sea creature, but someone who could drink like a fish. A "whale" was a heavy drinker, often the life of the party and the last one standing. Whether at a juice joint or speakeasy, whales had reputations to uphold. The term lives on today in gambling circles, too. Back then, it was all about your booze tolerance.

 

 

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Thanks to Brett  Some bits from the Early Bird

 

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

  Top 5 

 

Trump names nominees to take over Middle East, Africa commands

 

(The Associated Press) President Donald Trump is nominating Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to take over as the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Wednesday. If he is confirmed, it would mark just the second time that a Navy admiral has held the job.

 

Trump's pick for VA watchdog role promises independence, impartiality

 

(Military Times) President Donald Trump's pick to serve as the top watchdog for Veterans Affairs on Wednesday defended her ability to be an unbiased investigator of the administration, despite her past political role with the department.

 

USS Harry S. Truman returns to US after months of battling Houthis

 

(Military Times) The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, the flagship of the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, returned this past weekend to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, after an eventful 251-day deployment that saw the vessel fire over 1.1. million pounds of ordnance and deliver the largest carrier-launched airstrike in history.

 

Army to lead nuclear microreactor development to power bases

 

(Military Times) Some Army installations could be powered by nuclear microreactors under an executive order recently issued by President Donald Trump.

 

Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops

 

(Task & Purpose) A former Army Special Forces officer who was in charge of a team involved in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan was nominated as the Pentagon's head of special operations.

 

Modernize the Army's iconic Black Hawk helicopter to meet tomorrow's needs today.

 

(Lockheed Martin) Tomorrow's Black Hawk will give ground commanders eyes and ears in contested environments. Autonomy and drone integration expand operating areas and share intel in real time, helping the Army adapt to changing threats and mission needs.  

 

  Overseas Operations 

 

US troop presence in Syria will be reduced to a single base, envoy says

 

(Stars & Stripes) The number of U.S. bases in Syria will be pared from eight to one, the American ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria said this week in an interview with a Turkish TV station.

 

  Ukraine 

 

Confirmed losses of Russian aircraft mount after Ukrainian drone assault

 

(The War Zone) New satellite imagery and an official video have revealed more about the scale of destruction and damage inflicted on Russian airfields in Ukraine's unprecedented drone attacks last weekend. Today, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which carried out the drone attacks, published previously unreleased drone footage showing the raid underway. At the same time the SBU video was released, Ukraine also announced more details of the drone attacks, which were carried out under Operation Spiderweb.

Ukraine 'well prepared' for Russian response to drone stunt: Pistorius

 

(Defense News) Ukrainian forces are "well prepared" for a Russian response to Sunday's drone attacks against long-range bombers parked on air bases across Russia, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

 

Trump says Putin told him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields

 

(The Associated Press) U.S. President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin told him "very strongly" in a phone call Wednesday that he will respond to Ukraine's weekend drone attack on Russian airfields as the deadlock over the war drags on.

 

Ukrainian Commander's exclusive insights on brutal drone warfare on the frontline

 

(The War Zone) Last October, the First Corps Azov Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard saw the need to increase the number of drones it had and people to operate them. So it created the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the Ukrainian National Guard's Unmanned Systems Battalion. It now has several hundred troops and tens of thousands of drones ranging from first-person view (FPV) variants to heavy 'bomber' types.

 

Ukraine seeks air defense systems as Western backers meet without the Pentagon chief

 

(The Associated Press) Ukraine's president on Wednesday urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production.

 

North Korea's Kim vows unconditional support for Russia in meeting with Shoigu

 

(Reuters) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Russia's Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, state media KCNA reported. Read More

 

'The intern in charge': Meet the 22-year-old picked to lead terrorism prevention

 

(Pro Publica) When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas. "Onward and upward!" he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space.

GOP plan provides $453B for VA programs, benefits next year

 

(Military Times) House Republicans unveiled plans Wednesday for a $453 billion Department of Veterans Affairs budget next fiscal year, with a dramatic increase in mandatory health care and benefits funding but only a 3% boost in discretionary veteran program spending.

 

 

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Thanks to Brett

The Left Is Alienating Its Minority Base

Victor Davis Hanson | June 04, 2025

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Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior contributor for The Daily Signal, is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and host of "The Victor Davis Hanson Show." His website, The Blade of Perseus, features columns, lectures, and exclusive content for subscribers. Contact him at authorvdh@gmail.com.

Editor's note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today's video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos.

Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I'd like to talk about a more sensitive topic today, and that's this new appearance or this growing—I would call it—reverse racism or racism among some left-wing elite black leaders, politicians, celebrities. I'll give you a few examples.

Not long ago Susan Rice, the former top official in the Obama administration, was removed from the Defense Policy Board. That's a group of grandees that advise the Defense Department. They're political appointments. And traditionally, when a new president comes in, they get rid of most of the prior Defense Policy Board because they feel they're partisans.

And in the case of Susan Rice, she was appointed in a late appointment by then-President Joe Biden, who pretty much wiped out all of the Trump appointments. So, her dismissal by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was not unusual.

And yet, she fired back at him and said he was dumb as a rock and ultra-MAGA. But what was interesting, she said, "white male, cisgender." In other words, she attacked his race. And she said her administration would've fired him for the Signal chat scandal. But of course, she was the one that came out on Sunday talk shows and lied five times about the disaster in Benghazi, among other things later in her career. But why inject race into it?

At almost the same period, we had a number of Afrikaners—I should say a very small number, about 60 people—asked for refugee status, felt they had been endangered by black-on-white violence, which is demonstrable and beyond controversy in South Africa. And President Donald Trump allowed them to come in as refugees. And of course, during the prior administration, thousands of people came in as refugees. But because, apparently, they were white, this caused a storm of criticism.

The Episcopalian Church said they would no longer help with refugees because this was racist. Don Lemon went on a profanity-ridden rant about how this is horrible that these white people were coming in, this is disgusting, you shouldn't be able to do that.

Not too long ago, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, talked about how the party might have to nominate "white boys." Using that "boy," that's sort of a deprecatory term that has racial implications. Remember Joe Biden called two of his aides who are African American "boy." That's a very prejudicial term to use. And yet, she was using it in the reverse fashion for so-called whites.

And at the same time she was doing this, another tape surfaced from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., where she said white men were the most likely terrorists and killers in America. That's demonstrably untrue.

So, what am I getting at? I'm getting at the elite—the elite in politics and celebrities—are using this idea of white, white, white, white in a prejudicial manner. It's very ironic because it's exactly what we were evolving away from in pursuit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "content of our character, not color of our skin." And apparently, they believe because they're African Americans or they're left-wing that it's OK to stigmatize somebody by their race. But of course, it's not.

And here's my point about this entire discussion. Lately, the Rasmussen polls—who have been very accurate, they were in the 2024 election and they are now—they surveyed the first 100 days of the Trump administration. And they found that—contrary to most of what, candidly, are left-wing polls—that Donald Trump had a positive appraisal by most people.

But here's my point. Sixty-two percent of those who were surveyed that were Hispanic expressed approval. African Americans were about 39%. And Hispanics were higher than whites.

So, what am I getting at? You have two centrifugal forces at a time when African Americans and Hispanics are considering economics, cost of living, real issues, and they consider them more important than their superficial appearance.

You have a panicky elite on the Left, who, let's be candid, they have been the primary beneficiaries of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diversity, equity, and inclusion did not help the inner city. It didn't stop the crime rate. It didn't increase the per capita income. It did help a professional class.

But my point is this, while the professional class is obsessed with race and chasing white racist unicorns, the majority of the Hispanic community and a near majority of the black community have moved beyond the elite.

This is gonna have political repercussions in the future because the Democratic Party, the more they pound this tired, weary racial mantra, the more their constituents—they think they're appealing to—are moving on.

 

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This Day in American Military History

June 5

1637 – The English and their Mohegan allies slaughtered as many as 600 Pequot Indians [in the area of Connecticut]. The survivors were parceled out to other tribes. Those given to the Mohegans eventually became the Mashantucket Pequots. American settlers in New England massacred a Pequot Indian village.

1794 – First officers of the U.S. Navy under the Constitution are appointed. The first 6 captains appointed to superintend the construction of new ships were John Barry, Samuel Nicholson, Silas Talbot, Joshua Barney, Richard Dale, and Thomas Truxtun.

1848 – Army officer John C. Fremont submitted his "Geographical Memoir" to the US Senate where the SF Bay entrance was called Chrysopylae (Golden Gate). He had in mind the Chrysoceras (Golden Horn) of Constantinople, and suggested that the SF Bay would be advantageous for commerce.

1943 – The L.A. Zoot Suit Riot continues with attacks on all "pachuco"-looking males. A group of musicians leaving the Aztec Recording Company on Third and Main Streets are attacked. Attorney Manuel Ruíz and other Mexican American professionals meet with city officials. Carey McWilliams calls California Attorney General Robert Kenny to encourage Governor Earl Warren to appoint an investigatory commission.

1944 – Allied airborne troops embark for Normandy just before midnight. The convoys carrying the Allied Expeditionary Force are nearing France.

1944 – The BBC broadcasts a second message, intended for the French Resistance, warning of the imminent invasion. Again, the significance of the message is noted by German authorities but the 7th Army in Normandy is not alerted.

1944 – Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a note to be issued in case the D-Day invasion turned out to be a failure: "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops." The note was [apparently misdated] dated July 5.

1944 – More than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries placed at the Normandy assault area, while 3,000 Allied ships cross the English Channel in preparation for the invasion of Normandy-D-Day. The day of the invasion of occupied France had been postponed repeatedly since May, mostly because of bad weather and the enormous tactical obstacles involved. Finally, despite less than ideal weather conditions-or perhaps because of them-General Eisenhower decided on June 5 to set the next day as D-Day, the launch of the largest amphibious operation in history. Ike knew that the Germans would be expecting postponements beyond the sixth, precisely because weather conditions were still poor. Among those Germans confident that an Allied invasion could not be pulled off on the sixth was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was still debating tactics with Field Marshal Karl Rundstedt. Runstedt was convinced that the Allies would come in at the narrowest point of the Channel, between Calais and Dieppe; Rommel, following Hitler's intuition, believed it would be Normandy. Rommel's greatest fear was that German air inferiority would prevent an adequate defense on the ground; it was his plan to meet the Allies on the coast-before the Allies had a chance to come ashore. Rommel began constructing underwater obstacles and minefields, and set off for Germany to demand from Hitler personally more panzer divisions in the area. Bad weather and an order to conserve fuel grounded much of the German air force on June 5; consequently, its reconnaissance flights were spotty. That night, more than 1,000 British bombers unleashed a massive assault on German gun batteries on the coast. At the same time, an Allied armada headed for the Normandy beaches in Operation Neptune, an attempt to capture the port at Cherbourg. But that was not all. In order to deceive the Germans, phony operations were run; dummy parachutists and radar-jamming devices were dropped into strategically key areas so as to make German radar screens believe there was an Allied convoy already on the move. One dummy parachute drop succeeded in drawing an entire German infantry regiment away from its position just six miles from the actual Normandy landing beaches. All this effort was to scatter the German defenses and make way for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

1945 – On Okinawa, Japanese forces on the Oroku peninsula strongly resist the US 6th Marine Division which nonetheless captures most of the airfield. In the south the forces of the US 24th Corps near the last Japanese defensive line, running from Yuza in the west to Guschichan on the east coast and based on the three hills, Yaeju, Yuza and Mezado. At sea, a sudden typhoon damages 4 battleships, 8 aircraft carriers, 7 cruisers, 14 destroyers, 2 tankers, and an ammunition transport ship, of the US 3rd Fleet. A Japanese Kamikaze attack cripples the battleship USS Mississippi and the heavy cruiser USS Louisville.

1945 – On Luzon, the US 37th Division (US 1st Corps) occupy Aritao and advance northward from the town.

1989 – Chinese soldiers slaughtered pro-democracy students at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. In one of the most remembered images of China's crushed pro-democracy movement, a lone man stood defiantly in front of a line of tanks in Beijing until friends pulled him out of the way. In 2001 "The Tiananmen Papers," a book based on classified documents smuggled out of China, was published. Zhang Liang was the pseudonym of the compiler.

2004 – Ronald Reagan (b.1911), US president (1981-1989), died in California after a long twilight struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

AVERY, WILLIAM B.

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 1st New York Marine Artillery. Place and date: At Tranters Creek, N.C., 5 June 1862. Entered service at: Providence, R.I. Born: 10 September 1840, Providence, R.I. Date of issue: 2 September 1893. Citation: Handled his battery with greatest coolness amidst the hottest fire.

BEATTY, ALEXANDER M.

Rank and organization: Captain, Company F, 3d Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Cold Harbor, Va., 5 June 1864. Entered service at: Vermont. Born: 29 July 1828, Ryegate, Vt. Date of issue: 25 April 1894. Citation: Removed, under a hot fire, a wounded member of his command to a place of safety.

EVANS, THOMAS

Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Piedmont, Va., 5 June 1864. Entered service at: Cambria County, Pa. Birth: Wales. Date of issue: 26 November 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of 45th Virginia (C.S.A.).

HUNTERSON, JOHN C.

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 3d Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: On the Peninsula, Va., 5 June 1862. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 2 August 1897. Citation: While under fire, between the lines of the 2 armies, voluntarily gave up his own horse to an engineer officer whom he was accompanying on a reconnaissance and whose horse had been killed, thus enabling the officer to escape with valuable papers in his possession.

SNEDDEN, JAMES

Rank and organization: Musician, Company E, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Piedmont, Va., 5 June 1864. Entered service at: Johnstown, Pa. Birth: Scotland. Dates of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Left his place in the rear, took the rifle of a disabled soldier, and fought through the remainder of the action.

STAHEL, JULIUS

Rank and organization: Major General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Piedmont, Va., 5 June 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 5 November 1825, Hungary. Date of issue: 4 November 1893. Citation: Led his division into action until he was severely wounded.

*FLEMING, RICHARD E.

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 2 November 1917, St. Paul, Minn. Appointed from: Minnesota. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty as Flight Officer, Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241, during action against enemy Japanese forces in the battle of Midway on 4 and 5 June 1942. When his Squadron Commander was shot down during the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Capt. Fleming led the remainder of the division with such fearless determination that he dived his own plane to the perilously low altitude of 400 feet before releasing his bomb. Although his craft was riddled by 179 hits in the blistering hail of fire that burst upon him from Japanese fighter guns and antiaircraft batteries, he pulled out with only 2 minor wounds inflicted upon himself. On the night of 4 June, when the squadron commander lost his way and became separated from the others, Capt. Fleming brought his own plane in for a safe landing at its base despite hazardous weather conditions and total darkness. The following day, after less than 4 hours' sleep, he led the second division of his squadron in a coordinated glide-bombing and dive-bombing assault upon a Japanese battleship. Undeterred by a fateful approach glide, during which his ship was struck and set afire, he grimly pressed home his attack to an altitude of 500 feet, released his bomb to score a near miss on the stern of his target, then crashed to the sea in flames. His dauntless perseverance and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

*HARR, HARRY R.

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company D, 124th Infantry, 31st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Maglamin, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, 5 June 1945. Entered service at: East Freedom, Pa. Birth: Pine Croft, Pa. G.O. No.: 28, 28 March 1946. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity. In a fierce counterattack, the Japanese closed in on his machinegun emplacement, hurling hand grenades, 1 of which exploded under the gun, putting it out of action and wounding 2 of the crew. While the remaining gunners were desperately attempting to repair their weapon another grenade landed squarely in the emplacement. Quickly realizing he could not safely throw the unexploded missile from the crowded position, Cpl. Harr unhesitatingly covered it with his body to smother the blast. His supremely courageous act, which cost him his life, saved 4 of his comrades and enabled them to continue their mission.

*VANCE, LEON R., Jr (Air Mission)

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Corps, 489th Bomber Group. Place and date: Over Wimereaux. France, 5 June 1944. Entered service at. Garden City, N.Y. Born: 11 August 1916, Enid, Okla . G.O. No. . 1, 4 January 1 945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 5 June 1944, when he led a Heavy Bombardment Group, in an attack against defended enemy coastal positions in the vicinity of Wimereaux, France. Approaching the target, his aircraft was hit repeatedly by antiaircraft fire which seriously crippled the ship, killed the pilot, and wounded several members of the crew, including Lt. Col. Vance, whose right foot was practically severed. In spite of his injury, and with 3 engines lost to the flak, he led his formation over the target, bombing it successfully. After applying a tourniquet to his leg with the aid of the radar operator, Lt. Col. Vance, realizing that the ship was approaching a stall altitude with the 1 remaining engine failing, struggled to a semi-upright position beside the copilot and took over control of the ship. Cutting the power and feathering the last engine he put the aircraft in glide sufficiently steep to maintain his airspeed. Gradually losing altitude, he at last reached the English coast, whereupon he ordered all members of the crew to bail out as he knew they would all safely make land. But he received a message over the interphone system which led him to believe 1 of the crewmembers was unable to jump due to injuries; so he made the decision to ditch the ship in the channel, thereby giving this man a chance for life. To add further to the danger of ditching the ship in his crippled condition, there was a 500-pound bomb hung up in the bomb bay. Unable to climb into the seat vacated by the copilot, since his foot, hanging on to his leg by a few tendons, had become lodged behind the copilot's seat, he nevertheless made a successful ditching while lying on the floor using only aileron and elevators for control and the side window of the cockpit for visual reference. On coming to rest in the water the aircraft commenced to sink rapidly with Lt. Col. Vance pinned in the cockpit by the upper turret which had crashed in during the landing. As it was settling beneath the waves an explosion occurred which threw Lt. Col. Vance clear of the wreckage. After clinging to a piece of floating wreckage until he could muster enough strength to inflate his life vest he began searching for the crewmember whom he believed to be aboard. Failing to find anyone he began swimming and was found approximately 50 minutes later by an Air-Sea Rescue craft. By his extraordinary flying skill and gallant leadership, despite his grave injury, Lt. Col. Vance led his formation to a successful bombing of the assigned target and returned the crew to a point where they could bail out with safety. His gallant and valorous decision to ditch the aircraft in order to give the crewmember he believed to be aboard a chance for life exemplifies the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.

WILSON, BENJAMIN F.

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant (then M/Sgt.), U.S. Army Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Hwach'on-Myon, Korea, 5 June 1951. Entered service at: Vashon, Wash. Birth: Vashon, Wash. G.O. No.: 69, 23 September 1954. Citation: 1st Lt. Wilson distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Company I was committed to attack and secure commanding terrain stubbornly defended by a numerically superior hostile force emplaced in well-fortified positions. When the spearheading element was pinned down by withering hostile fire, he dashed forward and, firing his rifle and throwing grenades, neutralized the position denying the advance and killed 4 enemy soldiers manning submachineguns. After the assault platoon moved up, occupied the position, and a base of fire was established, he led a bayonet attack which reduced the objective and killed approximately 27 hostile soldiers. While friendly forces were consolidating the newly won gain, the enemy launched a counterattack and 1st Lt. Wilson, realizing the imminent threat of being overrun, made a determined lone-man charge, killing 7 and wounding 2 of the enemy, and routing the remainder in disorder. After the position was organized, he led an assault carrying to approximately 15 yards of the final objective, when enemy fire halted the advance. He ordered the platoon to withdraw and, although painfully wounded in this action, remained to provide covering fire. During an ensuing counterattack, the commanding officer and 1st Platoon leader became casualties. Unhesitatingly, 1st Lt. Wilson charged the enemy ranks and fought valiantly, killing 3 enemy soldiers with his rifle before it was wrested from his hands, and annihilating 4 others with his entrenching tool. His courageous delaying action enabled his comrades to reorganize and effect an orderly withdrawal. While directing evacuation of the wounded, he suffered a second wound, but elected to remain on the position until assured that all of the men had reached safety. 1st Lt. Wilson's sustained valor and intrepid actions reflect utmost credit upon himself and uphold the honored traditions of the military service.

CAVAIANI, JON R.

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Vietnam Training Advisory Group, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 4 and 5 June 1971. Entered service at: Fresno, Calif. Born: 2 August 1943, Royston, England. Citation: S/Sgt. Cavaiani distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action in the Republic of Vietnam on 4 and 5 June 1971 while serving as a platoon leader to a security platoon providing security for an isolated radio relay site located within enemy-held territory. On the morning of 4 June 1971, the entire camp came under an intense barrage of enemy small arms, automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from a superior size enemy force. S/Sgt. Cavaiani acted with complete disregard for his personal safety as he repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire in order to move about the camp's perimeter directing the platoon's fire and rallying the platoon in a desperate fight for survival. S/Sgt. Cavaiani also returned heavy suppressive fire upon the assaulting enemy force during this period with a variety of weapons. When the entire platoon was to be evacuated, S/Sgt. Cavaiani unhesitatingly volunteered to remain on the ground and direct the helicopters into the landing zone. S/Sgt. Cavaiani was able to direct the first 3 helicopters in evacuating a major portion of the platoon. Due to intense increase in enemy fire, S/Sgt. Cavaiani was forced to remain at the camp overnight where he calmly directed the remaining platoon members in strengthening their defenses. On the morning of S June, a heavy ground fog restricted visibility. The superior size enemy force launched a major ground attack in an attempt to completely annihilate the remaining small force. The enemy force advanced in 2 ranks, first firing a heavy volume of small arms automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire while the second rank continuously threw a steady barrage of hand grenades at the beleaguered force. S/Sgt. Cavaiani returned a heavy barrage of small arms and hand grenade fire on the assaulting enemy force but was unable to slow them down. He ordered the remaining platoon members to attempt to escape while he provided them with cover fire. With 1 last courageous exertion, S/Sgt. Cavaiani recovered a machine gun, stood up, completely exposing himself to the heavy enemy fire directed at him, and began firing the machine gun in a sweeping motion along the 2 ranks of advancing enemy soldiers. Through S/Sgt. Cavaiani's valiant efforts with complete disregard for his safety, the majority of the remaining platoon members were able to escape. While inflicting severe losses on the advancing enemy force, S/Sgt. Cavaiani was wounded numerous times. S/Sgt. Cavaiani's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 5,  FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

5 June

1909: John Berry and Paul McCullough won the first National Balloon Race. They flew 377.9 miles from Indianapolis, Ind., to Fort Payne, Ala., in 25 hours 35 minutes. (24)

1917: In World War I, the First Aeronautic Detachment, the first US military unit sent to Europe, reached Pauillac, France. Lt Kenneth Whiting (USN) commanded the unit with its 7 officers and 122 enlisted men. (5) (18)

1920: The FY1921 Appropriations Bill limited the Air Service to operations from land bases. (24)

1944: Operation OVERLORD. Through 6 June, the IX Troop Carrier Command used 1,400 C-47s, C-53s, and gliders carrying artillery weapons, to drop 13,000 Allied paratroopers on Normandy, France. (18) (21) MEDAL OF HONOR. While leading a B-24 group against enemy coastal positions close to Wimereaux, France, Lt Col Leon R. Vance's bomber sustained repeated hits from antiaircraft fire. These hits perilously crippled the bomber, killed the pilot, and wounded other crewmen, including Vance. Despite an injury and three lost engines, Vance still led the formation over the target and bombed it successfully. Returning to England, he gradually lost altitude. As Vance neared the English Coast, he ordered the crew to bail out. One man, however, was badly injured; so Vance ditched his B-24 in the channel. After landing on water, the plane started to sink with Vance pinned inside. An explosion occurred and threw Vance clear of the wreckage. After resting, he started to search for the other crewman. A search and rescue craft found Vance 50 minutes later. Sadly, while still recuperating from his wounds, Vance boarded a C-54 returning to the states. His aircraft went down somewhere in the North Atlantic with all souls on board lost. For his heroism in the B-24, Vance received the Medal of Honor. (4) Twentieth Air Force launched the first B-29 combat mission from India against the Bangkok railroad yards. (21)

1946: The US AAF changed the ADC mission for ANG units to training only rather than a high state of operational readiness. (32)

1948: The YB-49 Flying Wing (No.2) crashed northwest of Muroc AFB. Capt Glenn Edwards, the copilot, died in the crash; a year-and-a-half later the base became Edwards AFB.

1950: Republic's F-84F made its first test flight at Edwards AFB.

1970: SECAF Robert C. Seamans, Jr., announced that North American Rockwell and General Electric would build the B-1's airframe and engines, respectively. (1) (12)

1976: In a missile verification test, a Grumman A-6 launched a General Dynamics Tomahawk GLCM at the White Sands Missile Range for its first fully guided flight that lasted for 61 minutes over 446 nautical miles.

1981: The KC-10 completed qualification testing at Edwards AFB. (3)

1987: The USAF picked the Boeing 747-200 to become the next Air Force One.

On 5 June 1998, Falcon Air Force Base was renamed Schriever Air Force Base in honor of General Bernard "Bernie" Schriever.  The father of the United States' missile and military space programs, General Schriever, as head of Air Force Systems Command, oversaw the development of the Atlas, Thor, Titan, and Minuteman missiles as well as multiple satellite and launch systems. Schriever earned his wings in 1933 and flew B-17s during WWII.

 

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Thanks to Robert

Medal of Honor Recipient Ralph Puckett    A great story

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A RANGER

Written by Ret. Col Keith Nightingale

Last month, President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to Ralph Puckett. Ranger Puckett, as a Lieutenant, commanded the 8th Army Ranger Company during the initial surge to the Yalu River in 1950. It was just sixty miles south of the Chinese border on a frozen windswept hill that Puckett exemplified how ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

The land was forbidding by itself. Bare frozen dirt and rocks and the occasional shrub marked the tortuous hills and valleys of the region. The road leading north was barely a trace and was dominated by a sharp rise that if held by either side, would control all progress-a requirement of the 8th Army which was racing to the Yalu.

The land here was very broken and disconnected as if a giant had scattered the terrain in a disconnected puzzle. Hills were important as they controlled the narrow valleys, the only way major units could progress. Hence, Ranger Puckett and his 50+ men were tasked with taking and holding a piece of ground indicated as Hill 205, its height in meters.

The Korean Ranger companies were hastily created in the summer of 1950 as the US scrambled to develop competent forces to withstand the North Korean onslaught into the South. Puckett, who had tried in vain to fight in WWII, was chosen to command the forming 8th Army Ranger Company as much out of desperation as design.

He knew that Rangers had to be fit and Grunt competent. Most importantly, they had to have a mental toughness and a will to excel under the most difficult circumstances. He insured they were through his training regimen and the conditions of combat. The nature of the war did not permit much in the way of training time, instead battle was the test and conditioning.

This was especially true for the Rangers as their demonstrated qualities, comparatively speaking, exceeded that of the other elements. Hence, they were often asked to do tasks well beyond the Ft. Benning formula for units of such size. Such was the requirement on a very cold November day.

Hill 205 dominated the only road in the area and its control was vital. By now, the advancing forces were aware of the engagement of the Chinese en masse. But, they did not know exactly where they were or what they would do. In a habit for Rangers, Puckett and his men would soon find out.

In this part of the world, the Siberian winds blow strong and hard dropping the temperature to well below zero and insuring the dirt and rocks were frozen in repose. Digging a foxhole was a Herculean task. Just managing the cold was equally taxing.

 

Puckett's Ranger Company

Puckett's men were loaded on some tanks and driven to their drop off point, a small valley in front of the hill. The road traced to the north and marked the route Puckett's men had to take. Puckett spread out his men and began the advance.

Very quickly, they came under fire from a hidden machine gun. Unable to identify the location and seeing his men stopped on exposed ground, Puckett arose and ran across the open ground, seeking fire. Still unexposed, the weapon continued to chatter and stop any advance. Puckett rose and ran a second time and then a third. Each time he drew fire and on his third rush, the gun was exposed and quickly silenced.

Now advancing up the hill, the Rangers discovered it unoccupied, but with prepared defensive positions. Clearly, the Chinese would soon attack and wrest the hill. Puckett distributed his thin force, made them dig deeper and set out the few trip flares they had. Most importantly, he established all around artillery grids and planned to use it as his primary defense.

Now they waited for what they knew was the inevitable counter-attack by massively greater forces. Night quickly descended, a bitterly cold and bone chilling night making both alertness and basic functioning a challenge. Very quickly, the Chinese rewarded them.

It began with the shrill sounds of a bugle and an answering drum beat. The Chinese advanced in tight ranks more than five abreast with successive lines to their rear. Puckett called in his artillery which quickly decimated the attackers forcing a retreat.

The second assault began with a mortar barrage impacting with great precision along the defensive line. Rangers began to fall. Puckett himself was lightly wounded. Bullets searched the thin line further reducing the position. Again, artillery saved the position in combination with Ranger small arms. At these distances, accuracy was not an issue. Most any weapon fired would impact the masses attempting advance. Fuze VT and Fuze Time shrouded the Rangers in a splintering steel shield.

By 0200, Puckett's line was considerably reduced in effective strength and all knew that a third attack was building. Puckett had gone from position to position under heavy fire, redistributing people and ammo and more importantly, keeping up their confidence. Rangers would not fail so long as Puckett had a voice. In his several transits, he experienced several more wounds, but knew he had to subordinate their effect to his task.

This pattern of assault, retreat under artillery and re-attack was repeated twice more. Artillery combined with Ranger small arms created windrows of bodies along the hill. Puckett insured each position was functioning and provided constant physical presence-a priceless quality under stressful circumstances. Ammo was becoming scarce and it was clear that bayonets would ultimately decide issue.

Very quickly, the sixth assault began. Puckett's call for artillery was denied as other elements were equally under siege and required the limited availability. Puckett knew the position could not be held absent artillery and began to plan for an extraction to prevent annihilation. Methodically and with mindless casualties, the Chinese began the systematic infiltration into the Ranger lines turning the battle into a series of individual actions rather than an organizational confrontation.

Puckett was suddenly rendered physically incapable when a pair of light mortar rounds impacted on his position. He lay in his hole, draped across the parapet and ordered his men to make an organized withdrawal off the hill, which they began to do.

The Rangers, discipline still intact despite significant casualties, began to sidle down the hill bringing their wounded and dead continuously firing into the dense advancing masses. Puckett remained in his foxhole, awaiting what he knew would be the end. He could already see the Chinese bayoneting other Rangers.

At this point, two Rangers understood that their commander was left behind. Within them, they understood that Rangers leave no one behind. They would not this time. Pfc. Billy G. Walls and Pfc. David L. Pollack, acting with intuitive instinct, quickly changed direction and scrambled to Puckett's position.

They found him helpless but coherent. He told them to abandon him to save themselves, something they would not allow to happen. Walls grabbed him, draping the limp Puckett over his back and began to quickly half run, half slide down the frozen scree below. Exhausted at the base of the hill, Walls dropped Puckett. He and Pollack each took an arm and dragged him on his back across the bullet swept plain.

Quickly, several tanks emerged up the road in response to Puckett's final call for help. The Rangers quickly coalesced around them and returned to the main defensive line………with Ranger Lt Ralph Puckett, grievously wounded, but immensely proud of his men.

His wounds were of such severity he was evacuated to Japan. His war was over but not his spirit, attitude or selfless dedication to the men that he served. Ralph Puckett represents the distilled essence of what we are all about as a Nation and what it means to be a Ranger. Puckett truly Lead The Way.

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