Good Sunday morning August 3
Overcast and foggy early this morning. It was supposed to clear by 0800 but is not even close yet. But it is supposed to get to 87 today.
Have a great day
skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 92 H-Grams
August 3
1804 Commodore Edward Preble's Mediterranean Squadron launches the first of a series of bombardments on the harbor of Tripoli. Designed to destroy the defending batteries and sink enemy ships, the bombardments are part of the blockade that Preble established in 1803.
1861 Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles calls for designers to submit plans for ironclad warships to the Navy Department. The design, by inventor John Ericsson, is chosen for USS Monitor, a revolutionary armored ship, carrying her guns in a rotating turret.
1942 Mildred H. McAfee takes the oath of office to become the first female line officer. She is commissioned a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve and simultaneously undertakes the duties of being the first director of the newly-established WAVES ("Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service").
1943 PBM aircraft (VP 205) sinks German submarine (U 572), north of Dutch Giuiana. Also on this date, USS Buck (DD 420) sinks Italian submarine, Argento, off Tunisia.
1950 Marine Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Fourteen (VMF 214) operating from USS Sicily (CVE 118) attacks Chinju with rockets and incendiary bombs, in the first Marine Corps aviation mission against North Korea.
1958 USS Nautilus (SSN 571) becomes the first submarine to cross the "top" of the world during Operation Sunshine when the boat passes under an arctic ice cap at the North Pole. "For the world, our country, and the Navy - the North Pole," declared the boat's commanding officer, Cmdr. William R. Anderson. The mission had been personally authorized by President Eisenhower as a response to the USSR's Sputnik program.
2017 Richard V. Spencer is sworn in as the 76th secretary of the Navy. Spencer, a Connecticut native, graduated from Rollins College in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Upon graduation he joined the United States Marine Corps and served as an H-46 pilot until 1981.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Today in World History: August 3
1347 Six burghers of the surrounded French city of Calais surrender to Edward III of England in hopes of relieving the siege.
1492 Christopher Columbus leaves Spain on his voyage to the new world.
1546 French printer Etienne Dolet, accused of heresy, blasphemy and sedition, is hanged and burned at the stake for printing reformist literature.
1553 Mary Tudor, the new Queen of England, enters London.
1610 Henry Hudson of England discovers a great bay on the east coast of Canada and names it for himself.
1692 French forces under Marshal Luxembourg defeat the English at the Battle of Steenkerque in the Netherlands.
1805 Muhammad Ali becomes the new ruler of Egypt. I had to look it up
Search Results
Featured snippet from the web
The process of Muhammad Ali's seizure of power was a long three way civil war between the Ottoman Turks, Egyptian Mamluks, and Albanian mercenaries. It lasted from 1803 to 1807 with the Albanian Muhammad Ali Pasha taking control of Egypt in 1805, when the Ottoman Sultan acknowledged his position.
1807 The trial of Aaron Burr begins. He is accused of plotting the secession of New England.
1864 Federal gunboats attack but do not capture Fort Gains, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama.
1882 Congress passes the Immigration Act, banning Chinese immigration for ten years.
1908 Allan Allensworth files the site plan for the first African-American town, Allensworth, California.
1911 Airplanes are used for the first time in a military capacity when Italian planes reconnoiter Turkish lines near Tripoli.
1914 Germany declares war on France.
1916 Sir Roger Casement is hanged for treason in England.
1945 Chinese troops under American General Joseph Stilwell take the town of Myitkyina from the Japanese.
1958 The first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, passes under the North Pole.
1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson announces plans to send 45,000 more troops to Vietnam.
1972 Former Beatle Paul McCartney announces formation of his new group, Wings.
1975 The Louisiana Superdome is dedicated.
1977 Radio Shack unveils TRS-80 personal computer, which with Apple and Commodore would form the "1977 Trinity." Its price and Radio Shack's established retail outlets made it a bestseller for several years.
1990 The US commits naval forces to the Persian Gulf region in the wake of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
2004 Statue of Liberty's pedestal reopens to visitors after being closed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
.
.NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Rollingthunderremembered.com .
August 3
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).
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 3 August
3-Aug: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1278
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
By: Kipp Hanley
.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.
.Thanks to 1440
Background
Disney is short for The Walt Disney Company, a century-old entertainment brand responsible for some of the most iconic and influential movies in the world. Disney is also known for its amusement parks and for being the parent company of popular brands like Pixar, Marvel, and ESPN.
Building an Empire
Walt Disney started as an animator at the Kansas City Film Ad Company before forming his own Laugh-O-Gram Studio, a small operation that produced animated newsreels for movie theaters in Kansas City, Missouri. Disney's Laugh-O-Gram grew popular, leading the young animator and his team to produce more ambitious work, including a Jazz Age adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood" and the technically innovative "Alice's Wonderland."
Disney's longer films were impressive, but poor business decisions led Laugh-O-Gram to file for bankruptcy. In 1923, Disney moved to Hollywood with his brother, Roy, and formed the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which would eventually become The Walt Disney Company.
After seeing "The Jazz Singer," the first film to include synchronized sound, Walt Disney began working to replicate the effect in an animated short, leading to 1928's "Steamboat Willie," the first public film to feature the character Mickey Mouse. The film's success helped fund Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," a massive production that went 400% over budget.
"Snow White" was the first major Hollywood animated feature film, the highest-grossing movie of 1938, and the recipient of an honorary Academy Award. Walt Disney would go on to win 26 Oscars—the most by any person.
High and Low Culture
Following "Snow White," Walt Disney was determined to prove he was capable of more serious work and began working with Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, on setting classical music to Disney's animation. "Fantasia" was released in 1940 and was a commercial flop, losing around $15M in today's dollars and nearly bankrupting the company. Decades later, the film's ambition and imagery would inspire filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Andy Warhol.
Staring down insolvency and growing labor disputes, Disney began producing training videos for the Navy and propaganda films for US involvement in World War II, including the shorts "Der Fuehrer's Face," "The Spirit of '43," and "Donald Gets Drafted." The effort provided a much-needed cash injection, allowing Disney to continue producing films.
The Art of the Spectacle
In 1954, "Disneyland" debuted on ABC, featuring short cartoons and segments from Disney films. The show further established Disney as a household name and, more importantly, primed families across the country for the opening of the Disneyland amusement park. The park's first day was broadcast live on "Disneyland" and covered like a news event, with radio pioneer Art Linkletter and future US President Ronald Reagan acting as correspondents.
Walt Disney died in 1966. While the company continued expanding its commercial enterprises after his death, including opening Florida's Disney World in 1971, its creative output floundered in the '70s and '80s as the company focused on more adult-oriented content.
That changed with 1989's "The Little Mermaid," which brought theatrical storytelling and animation back to the Disney universe, kicking off what fans would later call the Disney Renaissance.
The two most significant films from that period are among the most decorated in the Disney catalog: 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," which was the first animated feature nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, and 1995's "Toy Story," Disney's first collaboration with Pixar and the first fully computer-animated feature film, changing the course of cinema history.
The Disney Universe
In the 1990s, Disney acquired the television networks ABC and ESPN. In the 2000s and 2010s, it began acquiring other creative brands, including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox and started its own streaming app, Disney+, which offers content from all the brands under its umbrella.
Some critics have argued that the company's turn toward recycling preexisting intellectual property—in the form of sequels, reboots, and offshoots—is a tactical mistake. That remains to be seen. In fact, Disney was the highest grossing global studio in 2024, bringing in over $5B.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to American Facts
Let's face it, America has always loved a good mystery, right? Whether it's whispers about aliens or oddball internet chatter, conspiracy theories have a way of capturing our imagination. Some make us chuckle, some make us scratch our heads, and a few might make us wonder, "What if?" So pour yourself a cup of coffee, and let's take a lighthearted tour through some of the most talked-about conspiracies.
.
The moon landing: staged in Arizona?
Back in 1969, Americans watched Neil Armstrong take one small step for man on TV. But not long after, rumors started floating around that it was all filmed on a Hollywood-style set somewhere in the desert. Books and even a movie helped the idea spread. Still, with hundreds of pounds of moon rocks and decades of scientific study to back it up, it seems pretty clear the only thing fake was the rumor itself.
.
The dead internet theory: bots gone wild
According to this theory, you might be talking to a wall online. The idea here is that most of the internet isn't run by people at all, but by bots, that is, automated programs pretending to be humans. They supposedly post, reply, and argue, all to keep clicks coming. Even if bots are increasingly popular on some sites and apps, it's evident that this is nothing but a crazy conspiracy theory!
.
Subliminal advertising: blink and you'll miss it
Remember when people thought ads were sneaking messages into your brain? Some authors were convinced that companies were hiding secret images in movies and commercials to mess with our minds. This theory went into popular headlines in the '70s, but most of those claims didn't hold up under scrutiny. Marketing and advertising do know some tricks around our minds, but your sudden craving for popcorn probably has more to do with the smell than secret mind control.
.
Paul is (not) dead
Back in the swinging '60s, a bizarre rumor started going around in our country: Paul McCartney had supposedly died and been replaced by a lookalike. Fans claimed to find hidden clues in Beatles albums, like barefoot walks and cryptic lyrics. The theory crossed all borders and spread worldwide, but don't worry, Paul was (and still is) very much alive, touring, and giving interviews.
.
Roswell crash course in confusion
Something definitely fell near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, remember that? The question is, what was it? The government first hinted at flying saucers, then changed the story to a weather balloon. That was all it took for conspiracy theories involving aliens to bloom. However, years later, it turned out it was a Cold War-era military balloon from a classified program. No aliens, just some top-secret tech.
.
Chemtrails: clouds of confusion
Those streaks behind planes? They're called contrails, and they're mostly made of water vapor. But some believe they're really "chemtrails" (chemical agents sprayed into the sky). Theories range from weather control to population mind games. Scientists have tested the air and found nothing unusual, but some folks still keep looking up and wondering. What do you think?
.
COVID and 5G: a confusing combo
When the pandemic hit, it came with more than just a virus. Nobody knew anything about this new world, so conspiracy theories flew in, too. One unusual theory linked COVID-19 to 5G, suggesting that vaccines contained tracking chips. Researchers and doctors around the world quickly debunked it all, but it goes to show how fear and confusion can breed some pretty wild ideas.
.
Birds aren't real... or are they?
This one takes the cake. A satirical movement claims birds are actually government surveillance drones. What started as a joke by a college student quickly went viral, billboards and all. While some people mistook it for a real theory, it's really a commentary on how misinformation spreads.
Flat Earth: going against the grain
Despite centuries of science and space photos, some people still believe the Earth is flat. They point to the horizon, question gravity, and come up with creative explanations for eclipses and orbits. It's a belief often driven by mistrust or ideology, but the round Earth, seen from space, keeps on spinning just the same.
.
Denver Airport: baggage and bunkers
Denver's airport has some… interesting decor. Murals of chaos, red-eyed horses, and creepy gargoyles have sparked rumors that it's hiding secret bunkers for the Illuminati. While the truth is less exciting (just over-budget construction and bold public art), the place does have a weird vibe that fuels the fun of imagining a secret space beneath the baggage claim. If only!
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
..I read the book in High School around 1959. My english teacher was tired of all the fighter pilot books I was reading including God is My co-pilot and threatened me including writing WAR WAR WAR in RED OVER THE TOP OF THE FRONT PAGE. so I did this one. His answer to this was that he picked the next one and it was boring and completely forgettable unlike the ones from Robert L. Scott and I read all of his….skip
Thanks to History Facts
Nautilus submarine travels under North Pole
On August 3, 1958, the U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled 1,830 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It then steamed on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe.
The USS Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy's nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering the world's first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the Nautilus' keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21, 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power on the morning of January 17, 1955.
Nuclear Submarine Tech
Nuclear submarines are priceless military jewels, owned and operated by only a handful of countries. Find out what it takes to operate one of these prized vessels.
Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots.
In its early years of service, the USS Nautilus broke numerous submarine travel records and on July 23, 1958, departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on "Operation Northwest Passage"—the first crossing of the North Pole by submarine. There were 116 men aboard for this historic voyage, including Commander William R. Anderson, 111 officers and crew, and four civilian scientists. The Nautilus steamed north through the Bering Strait and did not surface until it reached Point Barrow, Alaska, in the Beaufort Sea, though it did send its periscope up once off the Diomedes Islands, between Alaska and Siberia, to check for radar bearings. On August 1, the submarine left the north coast of Alaska and dove under the Arctic ice cap.
The submarine traveled at a depth of about 500 feet, and the ice cap above varied in thickness from 10 to 50 feet, with the midnight sun of the Arctic shining in varying degrees through the blue ice. At 11:15 p.m. EDT on August 3, 1958, Commander Anderson announced to his crew: "For the world, our country, and the Navy—the North Pole." The Nautilus passed under the geographic North Pole without pausing. The submarine next surfaced in the Greenland Sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland on August 5. Two days later, it ended its historic journey at Iceland. For the command during the historic journey, President Dwight D. Eisenhower decorated Anderson with the Legion of Merit.
After a career spanning 25 years and almost 500,000 miles steamed, the Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the world's first nuclear submarine went on exhibit in 1986 as the Historic Ship Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.
.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
. From the Coast Guard's Birthday to a U-2 First by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
08/03/2010
This Week in American Military History:
Aug. 1, 1943: Operation Tidal Wave -- also known as the Raid on Ploesti --
commences: 177 U.S. Army Air Forces B-24 Liberators flying 1,000-plus miles from their bases in Libya, attack the heavily defended Ploesti oil fields in Rumania.
The raid is flown against waves of counterattacking enemy planes, heavy antiaircraft fire, and at treetop level above the target area. Many of the
B-24 crews are forced to fly through thick black smoke over targets just-attacked by their comrades ahead of them, and they are caught in the bursts and shock waves of delayed-action bombs.
Damage will be heavy on the oilfields said "to be supplying 60 percent of Germany's crude oil requirements," according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. But USAAF casualties will also be high: "Of 177 planes and
1,726 men who took off on the mission, 54 planes and 532 men failed to return."
Five Medals of Honor will be awarded for the daring raid. Recipients
include: Col. Leon W. Johnson, Col. John R. Kane, Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker (posthumous), Maj. John L. Jerstad (posthumous), and 2nd Lt. Lloyd H.
Hughes (posthumous).
Aug. 1, 1955: The famous U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft (yes, the same type of aircraft piloted by CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers when he was shot down over the Soviet Union by a surface-to-air missile in 1960) makes its first-ever flight above Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada.
Aug. 3, 1958: USS Nautilus -- the world's first nuclear-powered submarine and the U.S. Navy's sixth so-named vessel -- becomes the first "ship" to cross the North Pole. The submarine's simple transmission is, "Nautilus 90 North."
Aug. 4, 1790: Congress approves Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's proposal to "build ten cutters to protect the new nation's revenue,"
establishing the Revenue Cutter Service – first of the predecessor services of the modern Coast Guard. Thus today will become the officially recognized birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Aug. 5, 1864: One of the great makers of Naval tradition, Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, commanding a strike force of 14 wooden warships and a handful of ironclads, attacks and decisively defeats Confederate Naval forces under Adm. Franklin Buchanan and the Confederate forts defending Mobile Bay, Alabama. It is during this action that Farragut purportedly utters the command, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!," or the more likely command, "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain [Percival] Drayton, go ahead! [Lt. Commander James] Jouett, full speed!"
Aug. 6, 1945: A single American B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, flying from the island of Tinian drops the first-ever atomic bomb used in war on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
At 8:15 a.m., the bomb, codenamed Little Boy, detonates nearly 2,000 feet above the city center instantly killing between 80,000 and 140,000 people, and seriously wounding another 100,000. According to Hiroshima & Nagasaki Remembered, "The blast wave shattered windows for a distance of ten miles and was felt as far away as 37 miles. Hiroshima had disappeared under a thick, churning foam of flames and smoke. The co-pilot, Captain Robert Lewis, commented, 'My God, what have we done?'"
In three days, Nagasaki will suffer the same fate.
Japan's ability to wage war is finished.
In time, the bombings will be decried as cruel and excessive in terms of the lives lost; as if to suggest all war is not both cruel and excessive to the vanquished. Indeed, nuclear weapons are horrible. What is incalculable, however, is the number of American lives saved by decisively ending the war with the bombs before having to invade the Japanese mainland.
Aug. 7, 1942: Exactly eight months to the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, elements of the soon-to-be-famous 1st Marine Division – under the command of Maj. Gen. Alexander Archer "Sunny Jim" Vandegrift (a future Marine Corps commandant) – begin landing on Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon islands, launching America's first large-scale ground offensive of World War II.
Simultaneous landings take place on the nearby islets of Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo, and Florida Island. The landings are the first decisive ground actions aimed at eating away at the Japanese who have extended their lines deep into the Western Pacific and threaten Australia.
Vandegrift is destined to receive the Medal of Honor, and he will become the first Marine officer on active duty to attain four-star rank.
Aug. 7, 1964: Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which "approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."
The Vietnam War is officially on.
Aug. 7, 1782: Gen. George Washington creates two badges of distinction for enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers: The first is a chevron signifying three years of service (two chevrons for six years) "with bravery, fidelity, and good conduct." The second is a medal – the Badge of Military Merit – for "any singularly meritorious action."
According to The U.S. Army Center of Military History, the badge was the "'figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding.' This device was affixed to the uniform coat above the left breast and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge and to have his name and regiment inscribed in a Book of Merit. The badge specifically honored the lower ranks, where decorations were unknown in contemporary European Armies."
Though the standards for recipients have changed, the medal exists today as the Purple Heart, and is awarded to "any member of an Armed Force who, while serving with the U.S. Armed Services after 5 April 1917, has been wounded or killed, or who has died or may hereafter die after being wounded."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Military History
1958: Nautilus submarine travels under North Pole
On August 3, 1958, the U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled nearly 1,000 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It then steamed on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe.
The USS Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy's nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering the world's first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the Nautilus' keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21, 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power on the morning of January 17, 1955.
Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots.
In its early years of service, the USS Nautilus broke numerous submarine travel records and on July 23, 1958, departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on "Operation Northwest Passage"—the first crossing of the North Pole by submarine. There were 116 men aboard for this historic voyage, including Commander William R. Anderson, 111 officers and crew, and four civilian scientists. The Nautilus steamed north through the Bering Strait and did not surface until it reached Point Barrow, Alaska, in the Beaufort Sea, though it did send its periscope up once off the Diomedes Islands, between Alaska and Siberia, to check for radar bearings. On August 1, the submarine left the north coast of Alaska and dove under the Arctic ice cap.
The submarine traveled at a depth of about 500 feet, and the ice cap above varied in thickness from 10 to 50 feet, with the midnight sun of the Arctic shining in varying degrees through the blue ice. At 11:15 p.m. EDT on August 3, 1958, Commander Anderson announced to his crew: "For the world, our country, and the Navy—the North Pole." The Nautilus passed under the geographic North Pole without pausing. The submarine next surfaced in the Greenland Sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland on August 5. Two days later, it ended its historic journey at Iceland. For the command during the historic journey, President Dwight D. Eisenhower decorated Anderson with the Legion of Merit.
After a career spanning 25 years and almost 500,000 miles steamed, the Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to History Facts
The first official presidential aircraft was nicknamed the "Sacred Cow."
U.S. HISTORY
Today, the airplane carrying the U.S. president is known as Air Force One, but the original presidential aircraft had a slightly more colorful name: the Sacred Cow. The plane was specially designed for Franklin D. Roosevelt to meet the president's increased needs for international travel during World War II. Though it was officially named the Flying White House, the White House press corps began calling the aircraft the "Sacred Cow," a name inspired by the heavy security that was dedicated to keeping the plane and its VIP passengers safe. The Sacred Cow featured a conference room, windows made of bulletproof glass, and an elevator so that Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair, could easily board and deplane. For added convenience, the elevator even lifted the President directly into a private office on the plane. Although the aircraft had been customized for his personal use, Roosevelt ended up flying on the Sacred Cow just one time, when he used it in 1945 to fly to the Yalta Conference, a wartime meeting in Crimea during which Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin discussed the final stages of World War II and the future of the postwar world.
Roosevelt's successor, President Harry Truman, continued to use the Sacred Cow from 1945 to 1947, at which point the aircraft was reassigned for other functions before being officially retired in 1961. Notably, Truman was flying on the Sacred Cow when he signed the National Security Act of 1947, which established the Air Force as an official, independent department of the U.S. military — the Sacred Cow has even been called the "birthplace of the Air Force." The call sign "Air Force One" was first used to identify the presidential airplane in 1953, and the term became the official designation in 1962.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Mike
How long can someone serve in the military?
Let me introduce U.S.M.C. Colonel Howard Lovingood (ret).
During the middle of the Korean War weighing 120 lbs. he enlisted in the Marines in 1952, at the age of 16. His drill instructor found out he was underage in boot camp and threatened to shoot him. This is a story he loves to tell.
He fought in Korea, having served under Chesty Puller.
He fought in Vietnam.
After attaining the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, he was given I&I orders to Washington D.C. For most Marines, that would be considered a prestigious assignment.
As legend goes, the good Gunnery Sergeant was there for three weeks when he said, "This is stupid. My unit needs me."
He then went UA - Unauthorized Absence - and took MAC flights back to Vietnam. (At that time, no one was going to question a GySgt. claiming to have lost his orders going to Vietnam.)
He transitioned to another unit in Vietnam when his rotated back to the U.S.
Months went by before the I&I staff in D.C. discovered where he was.
By that time, he was a Master Sergeant.
With nearly 20 years in service at the age of 35, and a legitimate war hero, the Marine Corps command sentenced him to the worst punishment they could imagine. They promoted him to Second Lieutenant.
He was now in his mid-40's with butter on his collars.
He returned to Vietnam as an officer.
He fought to keep Staff Sergeant Carlos Hathcock in the Marines after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis then made sure White Feather made Gunnery Sergeant.
He continued to serve through the 80's and then the 90's.
In early 1997, he had the watch pound on his hatch at 0430 and yell at the top of his lungs, "Wake up, Sir! There's a war to be fought!" (And woe be to the Lance Corporal who failed to follow those simple instructions.)
He gave up collecting his social security so that he could remain on active duty. (At the time - and might still be the case today - one could not collect social security and active duty pay at the same time.)
In 1997, after 45 years of service, Colonel Howard Lovingood retired.
He continued his service to country long after retirement and received 2 Legion of Merit awards for his contribution to the community.
He served longer than twice the time of most lifers.
How long can someone serve in the military, "it depends."
If you are an absolute bad ass, then at least 45 years.
Col. Lovingood now spends his time living in N. Carolina.
His unit still needs him.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to YP ... AND Dr. Rich
Hey, Chet!
From a desert kid who grew up thinking seafood was Miz Paul's fishsticks or those horrible salmon croquettes with bones in them at school cafeterias, only fresh seafood was what we meat fished out of lakes or Pecos Wilderness trout streams; this accounts for the below!
I am very familiar with the Seattle area—used to spend two weeks with friends on Bainbridge Island in August, eating all the seafood and blackberries I could find! We actually have our names on tiles in Pike Place Market. I am addicted to Squaw Candy and crustaceans, and our last visit was in FIG season, and we bought two crates on different days and ATE THEM ALL!
For my 70th birthday, Tunita axed me what I wanted to do: Answer was as above, go to Seattle! Favorite ristorante was Ray's Boat House on Shilshoe Bay. Occasionally, they would have pink scollops, which were cause for organisms!
I've been to the Boeing Museum at the field, and I spent a great afternoon during my birthday trip to the museum up north (name escapes me), the building was actually closed, but I got in, hooked up with a really knowledgeable docent, and their aircraft were all outside, lined up for a photo event., so we got up close and examined each plane and discussed them in detail. One of the jap planes still had bullet holes in it! A chap on the field was building Me-262 replicas, both single and two seaters, but he was closed that day.
One one trip, my local friend on Bainbridge rented a fast boat, and several of us friends motored up and saw all the carriers and other craft lined up, awaiting their fate of being turned into razor blades. There were five carriers; between the Naval Aviators amongst us, we all had traps on at least a couple of them. Lots of ghosts…...
Me Da and I would go silver salmon fishing outside Ketchikan, AK, in September, RTB would overnight in SEA, store some 500# of flash frozen salmon, ling cod, and hallibut in the airport overnight freezer; then catch the first Delta flight to DFW and quickly store them in a commercial cold locker. We had great seafood for a long time. Unfortunately, the locker went out of bidness, so that stopped that.
Timing is everything—never been there for SEAFAIR, but my youngest son has and loved it!
Enjoy!
YP
On Aug 1, 2024, at 1:29 PM, Chet Blum wrote:
Hi Jack ... my Boeing work building is on the south end of Lake Washington ( see the map below, just to left of the I-405 highway symbol, East side of the Renton airport ) ... and this week is the SEAFAIR events in the Greater Seattle area ... which means the Blue Angels are doing their practice runs over the Lake Washington area ... for their Show Time Performances on Saturday & Sunday ... so in the background ... is the delightful NOISE of the F-18 Blue Angels being driven around by them "Young Bucks" ... Sounds Good …
PS - of course today's Blue Angels ... could have all Female Jet Jockeys crews ... driving them ... cheers … Chet
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History…….August 3
1492 – From the Spanish port of Palos, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sets sail in command of three ships–the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina–on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. On October 12, the expedition sighted land, probably Watling Island in the Bahamas, and went ashore the same day, claiming it for Spain. Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and in December the expedition landed on Hispaniola, which Columbus thought might be Japan. He established a small colony there with 39 of his men. The explorer returned to Spain with gold, spices, and "Indian" captives in March 1493 and was received with the highest honors by the Spanish court. He was the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland in the 10th century. During his lifetime, Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the New World, discovering various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainland, but never accomplished his original goal–a western ocean route to the great cities of Asia. Columbus died in Spain in 1506 without realizing the great scope of what he did achieve: He had discovered for Europe the New World, whose riches over the next century would help make Spain the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth.
1958 – U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled nearly 1,000 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It then steamed on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe. The USS Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy's nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering the world's first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the Nautilus' keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21, 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power on the morning of January 17, 1955. Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots. In its early years of service, the USS Nautilus broke numerous submarine travel records and on July 23, 1958, departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on "Operation Northwest Passage"–the first crossing of the North Pole by submarine. There were 116 men aboard for this historic voyage, including Commander William R. Anderson, 111 officers and crew, and four civilian scientists. The Nautilus steamed north through the Bering Strait and did not surface until it reached Point Barrow, Alaska, in the Beaufort Sea, though it did send its periscope up once off the Diomedes Islands, between Alaska and Siberia, to check for radar bearings. On August 1, the submarine left the north coast of Alaska and dove under the Arctic ice cap. The submarine traveled at a depth of about 500 feet, and the ice cap above varied in thickness from 10 to 50 feet, with the midnight sun of the Arctic shining in varying degrees through the blue ice. At 11:15 p.m. EDT on August 3, 1958, Commander Anderson announced to his crew: "For the world, our country, and the Navy–the North Pole." The Nautilus passed under the geographic North Pole without pausing. The submarine next surfaced in the Greenland Sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland on August 5. Two days later, it ended its historic journey at Iceland. For the command during the historic journey, President Dwight D. Eisenhower decorated Anderson with the Legion of Merit. After a career spanning 25 years and almost 500,000 miles steamed, the Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the world's first nuclear submarine went on exhibit in 1986 as the Historic Ship Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.
1999 – Arbitrators ruled the government had to pay the heirs of Dallas dressmaker Abraham Zapruder $16 million for his movie film that captured the assassination of President Kennedy.
2005 – The Battle of Haditha continues. Two days after the deaths of six Marine snipers in Haditha, Marine forces launched Operation Quick Strike to disrupt insurgent presence in the Haditha area. Around 1000 Marines from the Regimental Combat Team 2 (RCT-2) and Iraqi soldiers started "Operation Quick Strike", which included efforts to find the insurgents responsible, however the primary intent was to interdict and disrupt militants' presence in the Haditha, Haqliniyah, and Barwanah areas. The operation began when Marines and Iraqi soldiers moved into Haqliniyah, about seven kilometers southwest of Haditha. 40 insurgents were killed, including four in a Super Cobra helicopter attack. On the second day of the operation, a Marine amphibious assault vehicle, which was transporting Marines to the initial assault, hit a huge roadside bomb. The vehicle was completely destroyed and 15 out of the 16 people that were inside it were killed, with only one Marine surviving. The lone surviving Marine was a young man from Mississippi. Among the killed was also an Iraqi civilian interpreter.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
LAWTON, HENRY W.
Rank and organization: Captain, Company A, 30th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Atlanta, Ga., 3 August 1864. Entered service at: Ft. Wayne, Allen County, Ind. Birth: Ohio. Date of issue: 22 May 1893. Citation: Led a charge of skirmishers against the enemy's rifle pits and stubbornly and successfully resisted 2 determined attacks of the enemy to retake the works.
*WITEK, FRANK PETER
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: December 1921, Derby, Conn. Accredited to: Illinois. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, during the Battle of Finegayen at Guam, Marianas, on 3 August 1944. When his rifle platoon was halted by heavy surprise fire from well-camouflaged enemy positions, Pfc. Witek daringly remained standing to fire a full magazine from his automatic at point-blank range into a depression housing Japanese troops, killing 8 of the enemy and enabling the greater part of his platoon to take cover. During his platoon's withdrawal for consolidation of lines, he remained to safeguard a severely wounded comrade, courageously returning the enemy's fire until the arrival of stretcher bearers, and then covering the evacuation by sustained fire as he moved backward toward his own lines. With his platoon again pinned down by a hostile machinegun, Pfc. Witek, on his own initiative, moved forward boldly to the reinforcing tanks and infantry, alternately throwing handgrenades and firing as he advanced to within 5 to 10 yards of the enemy position, and destroying the hostile machinegun emplacement and an additional 8 Japanese before he himself was struck down by an enemy rifleman. His valiant and inspiring action effectively reduced the enemy's firepower, thereby enabling his platoon to attain its objective, and reflects the highest credit upon Pfc. Witek and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 3 August, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
3 August
1904: Capt Thomas S. Baldwin made the first circuit flight in an airship equipped with a Curtiss motor at Oakland. This was the first successful powered airship flight in the US. (21)
1938: Through 12 August, Maj Vincent J. Meloy led three B-17s of the 2 BG at Langley Field on a goodwill mission to Bogota, Colombia. (21)
1942: The US began work on its top secret Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb. (4)
1944: The Far East Air Forces (FEAF), predecessor of PACAF, was officially activated at Brisbane, Australia. Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney was the first FEAF Commander.
1950: KOREAN WAR. Lt Gen George E. Stratemeyer, FEAF Commander, ordered Fifth Air Force to destroy key transportation facilities between the 37th and 38th parallels in Korea in FEAF Interdiction Campaign No. 1. (17) Marine fighters began operations over Korea. (16) (24) SA-16 amphibious rescue aircraft began flying sorties along the Korean coast to retrieve U.S. pilots forced down during operations. (28) . In this first Jet War, units assigned to the Fifth Air Force established an unprecedented 14.5 to 1 victory ratio. By the time the truce was signed in 1953, Fifth Air Force had flown over 625,000 missions, downing 953 North Korean and Chinese aircraft.
1954: The Navy's YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, a hydro-skifighter and the world's fastest water-based plane, exceeded the speed of sound in a test flight at San Diego. (24)
1956: The first missile wing in the USAF and USAFE, the 42924st Tactical Missile Wing, established.
1963: Sam Miller and Louis Fodor completed a round-the-world flight from New York and return in 46 hours 28 minutes to set a FAI record. (9)
1965: The first firing of a Lance battlefield missile from its self-propelled launchers took place at White Sands Missile Range.
1969: Members of the Alaskan Air Command helped put out Alaska's worst forest fire of the year.
1972: The F-15 Eagle fighter completed its first supersonic flight. It reached Mach 1.5 during a 45- minute test flight at Edwards AFB.
1973: The USAF accepted its first F-5E for flight testing at Edwards AFB. (3)
1981: USAF air traffic controllers manned civilian airport facilities in the US to replace striking air controllers. The USAF's assistance allowed civilian air operations to continue service despite the widespread strike. (26)
1982: The YA-10B flew its first test flight at Edwards AFB in the night attack evaluation program. The two-seat model allowed a safety observer to fly behind the pilot. (3)
1987: Martin Marietta rolled out its first converted Titan II space launch vehicle in a ceremony at its Denver facilities. NASA powered up the Space Shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center to check out modifications made since the 1986 Challenger accident, marking a major milestone in the shuttle's return to flight.
1994: A B-52 launched a research satellite using a Pegasus rocket. (16) (26)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm3e6eM9B4-LzySKExaUynZvkZUrwZ4cNKPou1WwQ_cfqg%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.