The List 7272
To All,
.Good Tuesday morning August 19….clear and 62 this morning heating up to 85 by 2.
Looking forward to Tailhook on Thursday. Hope to see many of you there. I will be at the
F-8 Ready Room much of the time.
Regards
skip
.HAGD
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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
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
Aug. 19
1812 The frigate USS Constitution captures the frigate HMS Guerriere, off Halifax, Nova Scotia after an intense battle.
1818 Capt. James Biddle, as commanding officer of USS Ontario, takes possession of Oregon Territory for United States.
1936 Lt. B. L. Braun, pilot, completes test bombing against the submarine USS R-8 (SS 85) off the Virginia capes, sinking the old submarine and proving the value of properly armed aircraft in antisubmarine warfare.
1943 USS Finback (SS 230) sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser (No.109) off the eastern Celebes.
1981 Two F-14 Tomcats of VF-41 shoot down two Libyan (Su 22) Sukhoi aircraft over international waters. Flying off USS Nimitz (CVA(N) 68), the Tomcats are on a reconnaissance mission for a missile-firing exercise being conducted by U.S. ships from two carrier battle groups when they are fired on by the Libyan planes.
2000 USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the first ship named for Marine Private First Class Oscar P. Austin, who earned the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his "indomitable courage, inspiring initiative and selfless devotion to duty" after he twice threw himself between a North Vietnamese weapon and a wounded comrade on Feb. 23, 1969.
2017 A team of civilian researchers led by entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen announces they found the wreck of World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35), which was lost July 30, 1945, in 18,000 feet of water. About 800 of the ship's 1,196 Sailors and Marines survived the sinking, but after four to five days in the water - suffering exposure, dehydration, drowning, and shark attacks - only 316 survived.
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Today in World History August 19
1493 Maximilian succeeds his father Frederick III as Holy Roman Emperor.
1587 Sigismund III is chosen to be the king of Poland.
1692 Five women are hanged in Salem, Massachusetts after being convicted of the crime of witchcraft. Fourteen more people are executed that year and 150 others are imprisoned.
1772 Gustavus III of Sweden eliminates the rule of parties and establishes an absolute monarchy.
1779 Americans under Major Henry Lee take the British garrison at Paulus Hook, New Jersey.
1812 The USS Constitution earns the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the battle off Nova Scotia that saw her defeat the HMS Guerriere.
1914 The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) lands in France.
1934 38 million Germans vote to make Adolf Hitler the official successor to President von Hindenburg.
1936 Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca is shot by Franco's troops after being forced to dig his own grave.
1942 A raid on Dieppe, France by British and Canadian commandos is repulsed by the German Army.
1944 In an effort to prevent a communist uprising in Paris, Charles De Gaulle begins attacking German forces all around the city.
1950 Edith Sampson becomes the first African-American representative to the United Nations.
1957 The first balloon flight to exceed 100,000 feet takes off from Crosby, Minnesota.
1965 US forces destroy a Viet Cong stronghold near Van Tuong, in South Vietnam.
1974 US Ambassador to Cyrus Rodger P. Davies assassinated by a sniper of Greek Cypriot paramilitary group EOKA-B during a demonstration outside the embassy in Nicosia.
1976 Gerald R Ford, who had become President of the United States after Richard Nixon resigned, wins Republican Party's presidential nomination at Kansas City convention.
1987 Hungerford Massacre in the UK; armed with semi-automatic rifles and a handgun Michael Ryan kills 16 people before committing suicide. In response, Parliament passed the Firearms (Amendment) Act of 1988 banning ownership of certain classes of firearms.
1988 Cease fire begins in 8-year war between Iran and Iraq.
1991 Communist hard-liners place President Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest in an attempted coup that failed two days later.
2002 A Russian Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.
2003 Shmuel Hanavi bus bombing: suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem kills 23 Israelis, some of them children, and wounds 130. Islamist militant group Hamas claims responsibility for the attack.
2004 Google Inc. stock begins selling on the Nasdaq Stock Market, with an initial price of $85; the stock ended the day at $100.34 with more than 22 million shares traded.
2005 Toronto Supercell: A series of thunderstorms spawn several tornadoes and cause flash floods in Southern Ontario. Losses exceed $500 million Canadian dollars, the highest ever in the province.
2010 Operation Iraqi Freedom ends; the last US combat brigade, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, leaves the country. Six brigades remain to train Iraqi troops.
1909 First race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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Rollingthunderremembered.com .
August 19
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
As more than half-a-million young Americans departed the scene of the historic 1969 Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, N.Y. to resume their protests of the Vietnam war in their respective hometowns in America, nearly 250 caskets containing the remains of the brave young men who had perished on the battlefields of Southeast Asia during the week of Woodstock were arriving home from the war. Alas, the war had more than three years and twenty thousand American KIAs to go. Remember?
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 19.August .
19-Aug: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2981
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
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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
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Skip, a short tribute to Limerick Laureate Jack Woodul for THE LIST.
Thanks to Newell
ODE TO LISTS
A toast to Jack's limerick slickery,
And his hose-clamp medical gimmickery.
A cervical save,
Upon which to rave.
'Twas a word salad of clever trickery!
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. Thanks to History Facts
"SOS" doesn't actually stand for anything.
After more than a century of use as a maritime distress signal, "SOS" has become shorthand for just about any emergency. You may have heard that it stands for "save our ship" or "save our souls," but that's actually a backronym, or an acronym made up after the fact. The letters in "SOS" didn't initially stand for anything; they were originally chosen because they form a sequence of Morse code that can be transmitted more quickly than others.
Morse code (named for Samuel Morse) is a way of transmitting phrases with light flashes or electrical pulses; each letter and numeral has its own sequence of between one and five short bursts (known as "dots" or "dits") and long bursts ("dashes" or "dahs"). In 1901, inventor Guglielmo Marconi created a radio transmitter that could send Morse code signals across the Atlantic, allowing ships to communicate with other vessels and land-based stations. British operators were already using "CQ," or "seeking you," as a signal to alert all stations, so Marconi's wireless company recommended "CQD," or "seeking you, distress," as an emergency signal. Meanwhile, the United States usually used "NC," the Germans used "SOE," and Italians used "SSSDDD." But the problem with all of these is they required brief pauses between the letters.
Delegates at the 1906 International Radiotelegraph Conference suggested a simpler, more standardized distress call. The letters "S" and "O" — three dots and three dashes, respectively — are extremely simple and easy to understand without any spaces, so "SOS" could be transmitted on a quick, continuous loop. Most countries officially adopted the code in 1908 and, even though the U.S. was not among them, an American ship was the first to use the signal when its propeller snapped. "CQD" remained popular with the British even after other countries had adopted "SOS," and when the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, it signaled for help with both "SOS" and "CQD." By that time, the backronym had already taken hold. During the British government inquiry on the Titanic disaster, Attorney General Rufus Isaacs was under the impression that "SOS" stood for "save our souls."
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. https://www.newsmax.com/politics/david-allvin-retire-air-force/2025/08/19/id/1223059
Pentagon Confirms Air Force Chief Allvin Will Step Down Early
By Sandy Fitzgerald | Tuesday, 19 August 2025 09:08 AM EDT
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin will retire in early November after serving just two years of a four-year term, marking the latest early departure of a senior military officer under President Donald Trump.
The Air Force disclosed the retirement in a statement through the Pentagon, noting that Allvin would continue in his role until the Senate confirms a successor to ensure a smooth transition, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink praised Allvin's leadership, stating, "The Air Force is fortunate to have leaders like Gen. Dave Allvin." No successor was immediately named.
One potential successor is Gen. Thomas Bussiere, who Trump nominated in July to become vice chief of staff of the Air Force, reports The Washington Post.
Bussiere has led Air Force Global Strike Command since 2022, overseeing the service's nuclear weapons arsenal from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
He has been closely involved in major operations, including "Operation Midnight Hammer," the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, and is viewed favorably by senior political appointees at the Pentagon.
Behind the scenes, however, sources said Allvin's retirement was not voluntary. A person familiar with the matter told the Post that Allvin was informed last week he would be asked to retire because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted to take the service in another direction.
As part of the arrangement, Allvin was permitted to announce the decision himself, but it "was certainly not his choice," the source said.
Hegseth's office did not respond to requests for comment, and an Air Force spokesperson declined to comment.
Allvin's departure is part of a broader reshaping of military leadership since Trump's return to the White House.
In recent months, the president has fired or pushed out the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of naval operations, the commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Air Force's vice chief of staff, among others.
Another person familiar with internal discussions told the Post that the Trump administration had long been frustrated with Allvin, particularly with his handling of preparations for potential security crises involving China. The same official expressed surprise that his removal did not come sooner.
In a statement released Monday, Allvin expressed gratitude to Trump, Hegseth, and Meink for "the opportunity to serve as the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff."
He added, "More than anything, I'm proud to have been part of the team of Airmen who live out our core values of integrity, service, and excellence every day as we prepare to defend this great nation."
Meink, confirmed as Air Force secretary in May, said Allvin's service had been pivotal during a period of transition.
"During his tenure, the Air Force has undertaken transformational initiatives that will enable airmen to answer their nation's call for decades to come," he said. "Gen. Allvin has been instrumental in my onboarding as the department's 27th Secretary, and I'm forever grateful for his partnership as well as his decades of exemplary service to our nation."
Allvin previously served as the Air Force's vice chief of staff for three years and appeared alongside Trump at the White House in March for the unveiling of the Air Force's newest fighter jet, the F-47. His retirement ceremony with full honors is expected later this fall.
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. Geopolitical Futures
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: What Ukraine Will Accept, US-India Talks Canceled
Backed by several European leaders, Ukrainian officials will visit the White House on Monday.
By Geopolitical Futures
Aug 18, 2025
Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared to freeze the current front line in the war with Russia but rejects demands that he withdraw Ukrainian forces from Donetsk and Luhansk. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly raised that condition during his Aug. 15 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. Zelenskyy plans to discuss the issue with Trump at the White House on Aug. 18. Afterward, Trump will meet with leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also scheduled to attend.
Canceled. India canceled a planned Aug. 25-29 visit by a U.S. trade delegation amid the countries' dispute over tariffs and market access. The meeting would have been the sixth round of talks on a trade deal, considered significant after Washington said it would impose an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods in response to India's continued purchases of Russian oil. Washington is pressing for access to Indian agricultural and dairy markets but New Delhi is refusing, citing farmer protections and cultural concerns.
Israeli protests. In Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned nationwide demonstrations demanding a comprehensive ceasefire with Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages. Smotrich described the protests as aiding Hamas, while Ben-Gvir said they undermine government efforts and delay hostage returns. Protesters blocked roads and burned tires, particularly in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the chief of staff of Israel's military said Israeli forces would soon begin the next phase of operations to destroy Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also affirmed that military operations will continue until Hamas is defeated.
Olive branch. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung directed ministries to implement inter-Korean agreements. He pledged not to pursue reunification with North Korea by absorption and said his administration will respect the North's system. He also called for gradual steps to restore the 2018 military pact aimed at reducing border tensions. Meanwhile, South Korea and the United States began their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, running through Aug. 28. About half of the approximately 40 planned field exercises will be delayed until September in an effort to ease tensions with North Korea.
Reformists speak. Iran's Reformist Front, a group of 30 reformist parties supporting President Masoud Pezeshkian, proposed temporarily halting uranium enrichment and accepting International Atomic Energy Agency supervision in exchange for sanctions relief. The group cited risks of renewed U.N. sanctions and a worsening economic crisis. It also called for national reconciliation, free elections and ending international isolation. Proposals include amnesty for political prisoners, lifting house arrest of opposition leaders, depoliticizing the military and revising foreign policy. Separately, Pezeshkian began a two-day visit to Armenia, after which he will visit Belarus.
Mission accomplished. U.S.-led coalition forces will withdraw from their headquarters in Baghdad and Ain al-Asad air base in September, according to Hussein Alawi, the Iraqi prime minister's adviser. Per an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, troops will relocate to Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. An Iraqi government source said U.S. military instructors will remain in the country.
Russian immigration. Russia's federal border service said recent migration laws requiring biometric data, tracking information and a registry of controlled persons have had little effect on arrivals. In the first half of 2025, 5.48 million people entered Russia from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, only 2 percent fewer than a year earlier. About 767,000 Chinese citizens entered, 67,000 more than in the first half of 2024.
Running low. Local Russian outlets reported shortages of AI-95 gasoline in several regions. Supplies have nearly vanished from Crimea and Trans-Baikal. Experts blamed supply disruptions and seasonal demand and said that if conditions persist, other regions may face shortages.
Power deals. Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed $243 million in electricity contracts, including construction of two transmission lines, expansion of the Arghandeh substation and a new substation in Nangarhar. The work, scheduled for completion within 18 months, is expected to allow Afghanistan to import up to 1,000 megawatts annually. Currently, only about 40 percent of Afghans have access to electricity.
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Thanks to Brett
. Geopolitical Futures
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: What to Make of the Alaska Summit
By George Friedman
Aug 18, 2025
The media have portrayed the summit in Alaska, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met to discuss a resolution of the war in Ukraine, as a victory for Putin and a loss for Trump. It's not an unreasonable observation: Trump claimed that if reelected, he would end the war in a day, and after a phone call with Putin earlier in the year, Trump said an agreement was nearly at hand. Putin then continued the hostilities. Trump wanted a ceasefire and then an agreement. Putin wanted the war to continue to shore up his position in future negotiations despite U.S. threats of even harsher economic consequences. It may have been that Putin lied to Trump about a ceasefire, or that Trump misstated the nature of the phone conversation.
These are interesting but unimportant questions. Personalizing geopolitics is natural but misleading. If there is any personal dimension to geopolitics, it is defined by the short-term moves leaders make to protect themselves. Whatever Trump or Putin said, there is a fundamental geopolitical logic guiding their positions. It's important, then, to focus not on who humiliated whom but on the geopolitical reality.
And the reality is this: The United States has little at stake in the war. Whether or not it continues is immaterial to Washington, and there is no strategic consequence if Russia conquers all of Ukraine – something it has not even come close to doing. The fate of Ukraine does not change the balance of power in Europe; the Russian military's performance in the war makes a Russian invasion of Europe hard to imagine, and opening another war in, say, the Baltics would risk a massive change in European defense policy, which would ultimately benefit the United States. And the U.S. is, meanwhile, under no direct threat of a Russian attack.
Russia, on the other hand, has a great deal at stake in Ukraine – as does Putin, who may be worried about his own future. Russia has paid a significant price in blood and treasure but has very little to show for it. In fact, its performance in Ukraine has hurt Russia not just economically but also geopolitically. The South Caucasus, for example, has long been within Moscow's sphere of influence but is now moving closer toward the U.S., as evidenced by the ceasefire signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This is much more geopolitically vital to Russia than Ukraine is.
This is why the Alaska summit must be depersonalized. Ignore the allegations that Putin "tricked" Trump, and you are left with the fact that Russia is fighting a war it is unable to win and apparently unwilling to leave, while the U.S. is trying to facilitate a ceasefire it has no stake in. It's true that Washington has provided weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, but a defeat of Ukraine does not fundamentally threaten the U.S. itself or Europe. If Russia cannot defeat Ukraine, it will not defeat NATO. And if we concede that Putin did, in fact, "embarrass" Trump, that's no consolation for Russian citizens whose economic conditions will likely decline if the U.S. makes good on its economic threats. Trump will be president for a little more than three more years. Can we say the same of Putin?
The problem with the media is that historically they have been obsessed with personalities, not with nations. Trump may have been embarrassed, but the U.S. is fine, geopolitically speaking. Russia, on the other hand, is bleeding, with no end in sight. It may have scored a great victory in Alaska, but it is still losing the war. Russia's position reminds me of the U.S. position in the Vietnam War. The U.S. could not win, but it could not leave until it became too untenable to stay.
To be sure, Trump's actions may affect the credibility of the United States. But credibility depends on the predictability of action. Over the past 80 years, U.S. actions abided by logic and alliance systems inherent to the Cold War era. There is a weakness in predictability and an advantage in unpredictability when possible. Perhaps unpredictability can be better expressed as room to maneuver. Freedom of action is preferable to predictable action in the long run. That is not an argument on what sort of leaders we should have. As for Putin and Trump, I'm far more interested in Putin's future than in Trump's.
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This Day in U S Military History…….19 August
1919 – "The Marines' Hymn" was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
1940 – First flight of the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
1942 – A major raid by mainly Canadian Forces (2nd Canadian Division, under General Roberts), with a British commando component (Nos. 3 & 4 commandos under Lord Lovat) and 50 American Rangers, is staged on the French coast, at Dieppe. Its function is to test German coastal defenses and gather intelligence. The raid goes badly and there is much controversy about it, including the cancellation and remounting of the raid, the inaccurate intelligence concerning German defensive positions and the lack of bomber support for the raid. In all there are 3600 casualties on the Allied side. 106 aircraft, one destroyer, 30 tanks and 33 landing craft are also lost. German casualties are light, 600 men and 50 tanks.
1942 – 19 US Marines died during a commando raid on Makin atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The raid was 2,000 miles behind enemy lines and 9 Marines were left behind. The 1943 movie, "Gung Ho," was based on the raid and starred Randolph Scott as Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, leader of the raid. In 2001 the bodies of 13 Marines, who died on Makin, were reburied at Arlington National Cemetery.
1943 – Italians have approached the Allies about negotiating a surrender. General Bedell Smith, General Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, and General Strong, his chief of intelligence areeive to continue talks with approaches to the British ambassador, Sir Samuel Hoare. The leading Italian representative is General Castellano.
1944 – Elements of the US 3rd Army reach the Seine River at Mantes Grassicourt. There is heavy fighting between Falaise and Argentan.
1944 – Liberation of Paris – Paris, France rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops.
1945 – Japanese representatives of the government arrive in Manila to conclude the surrender of the remaining Japanese troops and receive instructions on the plans for the occupation of Japan and the signing of the surrender documents. Meanwhile, General MacArthur ordered a halt to all amphibious landing operations.
1981 – 2 US Navy F-14 jet fighters shot down 2 Soviet-built Libyan SU-22 over the Gulf of Sidra.
2010 – The last US combat brigades departed Iraq in the early morning. Convoys of US troops had been moving out of Iraq to Kuwait for several days, and NBC News broadcast live from Iraq as the last convoy crossed the border. While all combat brigades left the country, an additional 50,000 personnel (including Advise and Assist Brigades) remained in the country to provide support for the Iraqi military.
2014 – In what may be considered the first attack of the Islamic State on the United States, IS releases a video that shows the apparent beheading of American journalist James Foley, and threatens the life of another American journalist if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq. Foley had disappeared form northwest Syria on 22 November 2012 while working for the US-based online news outlet GlobalPost. The other journalist, still in captivity, is Steven Sotloff, kidnapped form the Syria-Turkey border region in 2013. Sotloff is a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BROWN, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Schuylkill County, Pa. Date of issue: 1 December 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of 47th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).
CAYER, OVILA
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 14th U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Canada. Date of issue: 15 February 1867. Citation: Commanded the regiment, all the officers being disabled.
HOTTENSTINE, SOLOMON J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Lehigh County, Pa. Date of issue: 2 February 1865. Citation: Captured flag belonging to a North Carolina regiment, and through a ruse led them into the arms of Federal troops.
MARTIN, SYLVESTER H.
Rank and organization. Lieutenant, Company K, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Chester County, Pa. Date of issue: 5 April 1894. Citation: Gallantly made a most dangerous reconnaissance, discovering the position of the enemy and enabling the division to repulse an attack made in strong force.
TAYLOR, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Co. H, and 2d Lt. Co. M, 1st Maryland Inf. Place and date: At Front Royal, Va., 23 May 1862. At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Washington, D.C. Date of issue: 2 August 1897. Citation: When a sergeant, at Front Royal, Va., he was painfully wounded while obeying an order to burn a bridge, but, persevering in the attempt, he burned the bridge and prevented its use by the enemy. Later, at Weldon Railroad, Va., then a lieutenant, he voluntarily took the place of a disabled officer and undertook a hazardous reconnaissance beyond the lines of the army; was taken prisoner in the attempt.
WOODS, BRENT
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: New Mexico, 19 August 1881. Entered service at: Louisville, Ky. Birth: Pulaski County, Ky. Date of issue: 12 July 1894. Citation: Saved the lives of his comrades and citizens of the detachment.
*NAKAE, MASATO Another Nise from the 442 Private Masato Nakae distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19 August 1944, near Pisa, Italy. When his submachine gun was damaged by a shell fragment during a fierce attack by a superior enemy force, Private Nakae quickly picked up his wounded comrade's M-1 rifle and fired rifle grenades at the steadily advancing enemy. As the hostile force continued to close in on his position, Private Nakae threw six grenades and forced them to withdraw. During a concentrated enemy mortar barrage that preceded the next assault by the enemy force, a mortar shell fragment seriously wounded Private Nakae. Despite his injury, he refused to surrender his position and continued firing at the advancing enemy. By inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy force, he finally succeeded in breaking up the attack and caused the enemy to withdraw. Private Nakae's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
*FRATELLENICO, FRANK R.
Rank and organization Corporal, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 19 August 1970. Entered service at: Albany, N.Y. Born: 14 July 1951, Sharon, Conn. Citation: Cpl. Fratellenico distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman with Company B. Cpl. Fratellenico's squad was pinned down by intensive fire from 2 well-fortified enemy bunkers. At great personal risk Cpl. Fratellenico maneuvered forward and, using hand grenades, neutralized the first bunker which was occupied by a number of enemy soldiers. While attacking the second bunker, enemy fire struck Cpl. Fratellenico, causing him to fall to the ground and drop a grenade which he was preparing to throw. Alert to the imminent danger to his comrades, Cpl. Fratellenico retrieved the grenade and fell upon it an instant before it exploded. His heroic actions prevented death or serious injury to 4 of his comrades nearby and inspired his unit which subsequently overran the enemy position. Cpl. Fratellenico's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
PLESS, STEPHEN W.
Rank and organization: Major (then Capt.), U.S. Marine Corps, VMD-6, Mag-36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Near Quang Nai, Republic of Vietnam, 19 August 1967. Entered service at: Atlanta, Ga. Born: 6 September 1939, Newman, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a helicopter gunship pilot attached to Marine Observation Squadron 6 in action against enemy forces. During an escort mission Maj. Pless monitored an emergency call that 4 American soldiers stranded on a nearby beach were being overwhelmed by a large Viet Cong force. Maj. Pless flew to the scene and found 30 to 50 enemy soldiers in the open. Some of the enemy were bayoneting and beating the downed Americans. Maj. Pless displayed exceptional airmanship as he launched a devastating attack against the enemy force, killing or wounding many of the enemy and driving the remainder back into a treeline. His rocket and machinegun attacks were made at such low levels that the aircraft flew through debris created by explosions from its rockets. Seeing 1 of the wounded soldiers gesture for assistance, he maneuvered his helicopter into a position between the wounded men and the enemy, providing a shield which permitted his crew to retrieve the wounded. During the rescue the enemy directed intense fire at the helicopter and rushed the aircraft again and again, closing to within a few feet before being beaten back. When the wounded men were aboard, Maj. Pless maneuvered the helicopter out to sea. Before it became safely airborne, the overloaded aircraft settled 4 times into the water. Displaying superb airmanship, he finally got the helicopter aloft. Major Pless' extraordinary heroism coupled with his outstanding flying skill prevented the annihilation of the tiny force. His courageous actions reflect great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 19 August, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
19 August
1910: Through 28 August, Glenn H. Curtiss gave the first real flying exhibition at Sheepshead Bay Track, Brooklyn. (24)
1928: Arthur Goebel and Harry Tucker used a Lockheed Vega monoplane to fly Los Angeles to Curtiss Field, Long Island. They set a new cross-country record of 18 hours 58 minutes. (9) (24)
1938: The first transcontinental nonstop flight by a B-18 bomber traveled from Hamilton Field to Mitchel Field in 15 hours 18 minutes. (24)
1940: North American B-25 Mitchell bomber first flew. (12)
1942: 2Lt Sam F. Junkin became the first active duty American pilot to shoot down a German fighter over Europe while giving air support to a commando raid on Dieppe, France. (4)
1950: KOREAN WAR. Aided by air strikes, U.S. troops drove N. Korean forces near the Yongsan bridgehead back across the Naktong River to end the Battle of the Naktong Bulge. Sixty-three B-29s attacked the industrial and port area of Chongjin in NE Korea, while nine B-29s from the 19 BG dropped 54 tons of 1,000-pound bombs on the west railway bridge at Seoul. Moreover, 37 USN dive bombers from two carriers followed up the USAF attack. Afterwards, aerial reconnaissance revealed the collapse of two spans. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces aircraft dropped general warning leaflets over Pyongyang concerning the next night's attacks. (28)
1957: Project MAN HIGH II. Through 20 August Maj David G. Simons set a FAI altitude record of
101,516 feet for manned balloon flight. He ascended at Crosby, Minn., and landed at Elm Lake, S.Dak., after being airborne for 32 hours. (9)
1959: Discoverer VI, a USAF satellite, launched into a polar orbit from the Pacific Missile Range. Its instrument capsule was not recovered. (24)
1960: MACKAY TROPHY. Capt Harold E. Mitchell piloted a Fairchild C-119 to make the first aerial retrieval of an orbited capsule. Discoverer XIV, which launched on 18 August, ejected the capsule. For this aerial recovery, the 6593d Test Squadron (Special) received the Mackay Trophy. (See 11 August 1960) (16) (24) (26)
1964: A Thor-Delta rocket carried the Hughes SYNCOM III communications satellite into space. After several weeks of minor maneuvering, the satellite achieved a near-perfect stationary position above the equator and International Date Line. That achievement made SYNCOM III the world's first geostationary satellite. (16) (26)
1970: At Minot AFB, the first Minuteman III ICBMs went on alert with the 741 SMS. (6) 1972: Through 20 August, MAC HH-3 Jolly Green Giant and HH-43 Huskie helicopters rescued 748 Koreans from flood waters in the Osan area after 18 inches of rain fell in less than 30 hours. (16) (26)
1974: Through 20 August, 3 C–141s carried 600 tents and 15,000 blankets into Bangladesh after severe floods. (18)
1976: Operation PAUL BUNYAN. Through 21 August, following the murder of 2 American Army officers in the Demilitarized Zone by North Koreans, MAC used 11 C-141 missions to airlift 212 F-4 air and ground crewmembers and 132 tons of their equipment from Kadena AB to Kunsan AB. Later, 3 C-5 and 13 C-141 missions airlifted an F-111 force of 348 people and 299 tons of cargo from Idaho to Taegu AB. With KC-135 refuelings, the C-5s flew their missions nonstop. Two more C-141 missions moved 38 passengers and 26 tons of ammunition from Eglin AFB to Osan AB. (18)
1984: TYPHOON KELL. Through 20 August, two C-141s from Twenty-Second Air Force evacuated 382 US military and civilian personnel from Johnson Island to avoid the typhoon. (16) (26)
Somewhere in my storage is a small key ring with a very small piece of material in cased in clear plastic. It is a piece of the outer skin of what was caught that day. This was at Vandenberg AFB…..skip
FAMOUS FLIGHTS: First mid-air recovery of an object returning from Earth orbit
Capt. Harold Mitchell piloted a Fairchild C-119 to make the first aerial retrieval of an orbited capsule. A Thor Agena A with Discoverer 14 launched on 18 August and ejected the Corona Mission 9009 film capsule the next day. The capsule contained the first reconnaissance photos from space. For this aerial recovery, the 6593d Test Squadron (Special) received the Mackay Trophy.
The Corona program was managed by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force. The first 13 missions failed to return any usable imagery. Unsuccessful launches, orbits not achieved, camera malfunctions, spacecraft errors, and missed recoveries plagued the program.
The first CORONA images were grainy and of limited utility, but quality–and intelligence value–improved rapidly. Within a few months, CIA photo interpreters had dispelled both the missile gap and the bomber gap. They found that Soviets were, in fact, significantly behind the US in development of a workable ICBM and that the Soviets were building up a strategic bomber force but were devoting most of their resources to missile production. In just a few weeks, CORONA photography had eliminated the Soviet intelligence dilemma that had haunted the US for a decade. (CIA Image)
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