The List 7274
To All,
.Good Thursday morning August 21-….clear and 68 this morning heating up to 94 by 1 with a heat advisory for the rest of the week.
Looks like the low 90s through Monday.
Leaving for Taihook in a couple of hours. Returning Sunday afternoon
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
Aug. 21
1858 The brig, USS Dolphin, captures the slave ship, Echo, with 300 Africans on board off the north coast of Cuba. She is taken to Charleston, S.C., and those saved from slavery are later sent back to Africa.
1883 The installation of the first electric lighting on board a U.S. Navy ship is completed on board USS Trenton.
1918 During World War I, while piloting a Navy seaplane near Pola, Ensign Charles H. Hammann lands on the Adriatic Sea to rescue Ensign George H. Ludlow, whose aircraft is shot down by Austro-Hungarian forces. Though Hammann's plane is not designed for two persons, and despite the risk of enemy attack, he successfully completes the rescue and returns to the base at Porto Corsini, Italy. For Hamman's actions on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor. USS Hammann (DD 412) and USS Hammann (DE 131) are named in his honor.
1965 Gemini V is launched. Astronauts are Gordon Cooper, Jr., USAF, (Command Pilot) and Lt. Cmdr. Charles Conrad Jr., USN, (Pilot). They complete 120 orbits in almost eight days at an altitude of 349.8 km. Recovery is by helicopter from USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39).
1980 USS Truxtun (CGN 35) rescues 42 Vietnamese refugees and USS Merrill (DD 976) rescues 62 Vietnamese refugees, over 200 miles southeast of Saigon.
1993 USS Tempest (PC 2) is commissioned at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va. The third Navy ship to be named Tempest, the Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship.
2017 The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) is involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Ten Sailors lose their lives and the ship suffers significant damage to the hull resulting in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms.
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This day in World History August 21
1129... The warrior Yoritomo is made Shogun without equal in Japan.
1525... Estevao Gomes returns to Portugal after failing to find a clear waterway to Asia.
1794... France surrenders the island of Corsica to the British.
1808... Napoleon Bonaparte's General Junot is defeated by Wellington at the first Battle of the Peninsular War at Vimeiro, Portugal.
1831... Nat Turner leads a slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia that kills close to 60 whites.
1858... The first of a series of debates begins between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Douglas goes on to win the Senate seat in November, but Lincoln gains national visibility for the first time.
1863... Confederate raiders under William Quantrill strike Lawrence, Kansas, leaving 150 civilians dead.
1864... Confederate General A.P. Hill attacks Union troops south of Petersburg, Va., at the Weldon railroad. His attack is repulsed, resulting in heavy Confederate casualties.
1915... Italy declares war on Turkey.
1942... U.S. Marines turn back the first major Japanese ground attack on Guadalcanal in the Battle of Tenaru. See more below
1944... The Dumbarton Oaks conference, which lays the foundation for the establishment of the United Nations, is held in Washington, D.C.
1945... President Harry S. Truman cancels all contracts under the Lend-Lease Act.
1959... Hawaii is admitted into the Union.
1963... The South Vietnamese Army arrests over 100 Buddhist monks in Saigon.
1968... Soviet forces invade Czechoslovakia because of the country's experiments with a more liberal government.
1972... US orbiting astronomy observatory Copernicus launched.
1976... Mary Langdon in Battle, East Sussex, becomes Britain's first firewoman.
1976... Operation Paul Bunyan: after North Korean guards killed two American officers sent to trim a poplar tree along the DMZ on Aug. 18, US and ROK soldiers with heavy support chopped down the tree.
1986... In Cameroon 2,000 die from poison gas from a volcanic eruption.
1988... Ceasefire in the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq.
1989... Voyager 2 begins a flyby of planet Neptune.
1991... Communist hardliners' coup is crushed in USSR after just 2 days; Latvia declares independence from USSR.
1994... Ernesto Zedillo wins Mexico's presidential election.
1996... The new Globe theater opens in England.
2000... Tiger Woods wins golf's PGA Championship, the first golfer to win 3 majors in a calendar year since Ben Hogan in 1953.
2001... NATO decides to send a peacekeeping force to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
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Rollingthunderremembered.com .
August 21
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
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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 21.August .
21-Aug: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1310
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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. Thanks to Shadow
Guys,
Black can confirm… Glenn was the real deal! John Verdi who served with him in Korea Loved the guy. Real Leader and warrior. Verdi was a squadron check pilot and led Glenn on his first few missions in Korea. In fact, he gave Glenn his nickname in the squadron "Old Magnet Ass"! He had warned Glenn he was flying too slow on his runs… "This ain't WW II, these guys can shoot if they have enough time… Pick up your speed". A few days later Glenn took some substantial hits, and was lucky to make it back. After that, he picked up his speed and had a new nickname!
Verdi highly regarded Glenn and they corresponded up until the end, when Verdi went missing. He also opined that the Marine Corps did him (Glenn) dirty in the end, out of pure jealousy. They denied "John" a Command... after he went back to the corps after being an astronaut with NASA. Black can also attest… if Verdi said someone was a leader and warrior… you could take it to the bank; in his time and in his prime… the man was a stud!
Shadow
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Thanks to History Facts
4 Secrets of the CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency has its fingers in many pies, from counterterrorism to offensive cyber operations and covert paramilitary actions. The mere mention of the CIA brings with it a certain mystique, conjuring up images of secret agents, globe-trotting spies, and clandestine activities. It's no surprise, then, that the agency has featured heavily in numerous Hollywood movies, from Spy Game and Zero Dark Thirty to The Bourne Identity and Bridge of Spies.
The CIA was formed in 1947 by President Harry Truman, partly as a replacement for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which was disbanded after World War II. As a civilian intelligence service and part of the U.S. Intelligence Community, it is officially tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world. Unlike the FBI, the CIA has no law enforcement function — it's also not allowed to collect information regarding "U.S. Persons," although the agency's actions have often proven controversial in that regard. Unsurprisingly, the CIA has kept — and uncovered — many secrets over the decades. Here are some of the most fascinating secrets from the agency's history, from innovative spy techniques to daring covert missions.
The CIA Had Plenty of Secret Gadgets
The CIA created a range of secret gadgets that could have been straight out of a James Bond movie. The extensive list of low- and high-tech trickery includes hollow silver dollars for holding messages or film; miniature compasses hidden in cufflinks; pigeon-mounted mini cameras; a listening device designed to look like tiger excrement; and a robot fish called Charlie that secretly collected water samples. Perhaps most impressive of all was the "insectothopter," a tiny robotic dragonfly that could eavesdrop on otherwise inaudible conversations.
The CIA Used the Skyhook Before Bond and Batman
In 1962, the CIA launched a mission — code-named Project COLDFEET — to investigate an abandoned Soviet research station on a floating ice island in the Arctic. Getting there was easy enough: Two Navy pilots secretly parachuted down onto the ice and began their search for information. The tricky part was how to recover the pilots and the information they had retrieved, as it was impossible to land an aircraft on the ice. So, the CIA decided to use its new Fulton surface-to-air recovery system, colloquially known as the Skyhook. The agents on the ground deployed a helium balloon that lifted a 500-foot line into the air. A slow-moving B-17 plane, with the Skyhook device attached to its nose, then flew overhead and snagged the line with the agents attached to the end of it, sweeping them into the air, at which point they were winched aboard the aircraft. Sound familiar? You might have seen the Skyhook used later by James Bond in 1965's Thunderball and Batman in 2008's The Dark Knight.
More from History Facts
What's the Difference Between a President and a Prime Minister?
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT AND WINSTON CHURCHILL
Governments have played a crucial role in human history for thousands of years. Their structure has evolved significantly over time, and while modern political systems vary, many countries now are led by either a president or a prime minister. Though the core roles of these high-ranking officials are fundamentally similar, there are several distinctions between the two positions, including the types of governments they represent, how they are elected, how long they keep their title, and their specific powers.
Head of State vs. Head of Government
A president is almost always the head of state as well as the head of government — not only do they participate in policymaking, but they also may oversee the military and represent the nation diplomatically. A prime minister, meanwhile, is typically the head of government, and while they're often the most recognizable figurehead of a country, a separate individual serves as the head of state. In a parliamentary system, the prime minister works closely with the legislative body, Parliament, and must maintain its confidence to stay in power. In constitutional monarchies, such as Canada, the U.K., and Japan, the PM leads Parliament while the head of state may be a king, queen, or emperor. Other countries have both a president and a prime minister. For instance, in parliamentary republics such as Finland and India, a president serves as the head of state and a prime minister governs. A semi-presidential system, such as in France, also has both a president and a prime minister, but the president typically holds significant power. In countries where the president is also the head of government, such as the U.S., the role includes several executive duties: enacting and enforcing the laws created by Congress, negotiating treaties, appointing Cabinet members and judges, and deploying military forces. A prime minister, meanwhile, also leads their country's government, overseeing the federal agenda, directing policy development and decisions, and choosing Cabinet members who will carry out the work. Even though a PM is not an official head of state, they often undertake diplomatic functions as a prominent representative of the country.
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. Thanks to Dictionary Scoop
ALL MYTHS HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE, RIGHT?
You Won't Believe These 10 Myths Originated In Real People
Published on August 20, 2024
While most myths are based on fiction, some are based on real-life individuals. Greek, Egyptian, and medieval figures that once were thought to be inventions have turned out to be real people thanks to archaeological findings. So, scroll down and learn more about 10 larger-than-life characters that actually existed.
1
Prince Paris of Troy
Paris, the handsome Trojan prince from The Iliad who abducted Helen, was in fact a real person. The city of Troy was located on the west coast of Anatolia (modern Turkey), and it might have been known as Wilusa, during the Bronze Age.
A surviving treaty from this period was signed between a man named Alaksandu (which sounds very similar to Prince Paris's second name, Alexander) probably from Wilusa/Troy, and Muwatalli II of the Hittites. Also, other historical documents hint that Alaksandu lived in and ruled Troy/Wilusa.
2
King Priam of Troy
Since we are talking about Troy, Paris wasn't the only Trojan who might've been real; his father, King Priam, might have been a legitimate Trojan ruler. In the Late Bronze Age, the Hittites ran into some trouble with an individual named Piyaramadu, who was a rebel who took over Troy/Wilusa.
3
Croesus
The phrase "rich as Croesus" is used to describe a semi-legendary monarch who was extremely wealthy. But Croesus was a real sixth-century BC ruler of Lydia (in Anatolia), who was both rich and martial, conquering many Greek towns that were located in what is now Turkey.
4
Cincinnatus
The Roman general Cincinnatus was a military man who only reluctantly assumed power when the Romans faced a dangerous rival group called the Aequi. They called Cincinnatus to defend them who, at the time, was busy working on his tiny farm outside the city.
After defeating the enemy in just one day, Cincinnatus remained in power long enough to ensure Rome was safe. As soon as the crisis ended, he went home and started farming again. The humility and courageous character of this general inspired George Washington.
5
Semiramis
According to an ancient legend, the Assyrian queen Semiramis was the daughter of a goddess. She invented the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and became a prominent ruler in her own right.
This might seem a bit far-fetched but "Semiramis" was the Greek name for a real ancient Assyrian queen, Sammu-ramat, who lived in the 9th BC. This queen was the wife of King Shamshi-Adad V and the mother of King Adad-Nirari III, but also maintained a lot of power in her own right.
6
Imhotep
Imhotep was a real-life person, who served as the Egyptian pharaoh Djoser's architect, healer, and minister. He served as the pharaoh's right hand and even helped design his famous step pyramid. His popularity was such that, eventually, he was deified and worshiped as a real god.
7
King Arthur
Maybe he was not the legendary king who ripped a sword out of a stone or had a powerful magician at his side, but Arthur was a genuine historical figure leading the Roman-British against the invading Anglo-Saxons during the late 5th and early 6th centuries.
His involvement at the Battle of Badon, in particular, is supportable but also exemplifies the problematic nature of the historical narrative, recording he slew 960 men in battle, quite an impossible number.
8
The "Beast", from the "Beauty and the Beast"
The incredible story of "Beauty and the Beast" might have been based on a real person, Petrus Gonsalvus, a young boy from the 16th century. Petrus suffered a severe case of hypertrichosis, a condition that causes a person to grow hair all over their body, often referred to as "werewolf syndrome."
Gonsalvus was 10 years old when he was sent to the King of France to operate as a court jester. Eventually, King Henry's wife, Catherine de Medici, found Gonsalvus a wife. Though it took some getting used to, the beauty fell in love with the "beast." They remained married for 40 years and had seven kids together, four of which also had hypertrichosis.
9
Amazons
According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were a race of legendary female warriors. This was disputed until modern archaeological discoveries gave new life to the claims. Believed to be descendants of Ares, the God of War, and Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony, these women supposedly dedicated their lives to the perfection of martial prowess.
Recent archaeological findings have uncovered numerous burial sites of female Sarmatian warriors. With as many as twenty percent of all warrior tombs in the ancient territory containing women, this discovery has provided new impetus to believe in the Amazons as real historical individuals.
10
Dracula
One of the most supernatural characters in our list is based on a real-life individual. Count Dracula, the literary villain created by Bram Stoker was, at least partially, based on Vlad III, also known as Vlad Dracula, a Romanian prince who employed some gruesome tactics to defend his territory of Wallachia, a region south of Transylvania.
During his lifetime, Vlad was known for his enjoyment of torture and killing, reportedly impaling tens of thousands of enemies on stakes and then feasting among his victims.
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From the archives
. Thanks to Barrett ...
Fascinating!
Who'd a thunk?
Why US planes Only had 1 Roundel
Wonder if there's documentation on the asymmetric view presented to Enemy Aircraft.
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. Thanks to Mike
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
Winston Churchill
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. Thanks to Interesting Facts
Tater Tots were invented to reduce waste.
If Tater Tots are your favorite fast-food side, you have the ingenuity of two brothers — Golden and Francis Nephi Grigg — to thank. However, when the pair invented the crispy potato composites in the 1950s, they didn't set out to change snack food history. Instead, their potato creation came from a quest to reduce the amount of food waste produced at their frozen foods plant.
Before becoming successful spud salesmen, Golden and Francis sold frozen corn. Around 1949, they decided to diversify into other fruits and vegetables, and converted a factory in Ontario, Oregon (on the border with Idaho), into a potato-processing plant they were later able to purchase. In 1952, the Griggs launched the Ore-Ida brand, which became popular for its frozen french fries. The crispy potato spears were a hit among home cooks at a time when prepared meals and frozen foods were becoming more widely available thanks to postwar technology.
The downside to booming french fry sales, however, was the waste left behind. Initially, the Griggs sold vegetable byproducts to farmers as livestock feed, but they soon looked for a way to nourish humans instead. They began experimenting with chopping up the potato scraps, mixing them with flour and spices, then shaping the result into a rectangle with the help of a simple, homemade plywood mold. The first Tater Tots — named, by one account, after an employee won a contest by suggesting "tater" for potato and "tot" for small — debuted in 1956. At first, shoppers seemed skeptical of the inexpensive scrap-based snack, but after prices were raised slightly to suggest an air of sophistication, Tater Tots quickly found a permanent home in frozen food aisles, where they continue to reign today.
"Tater Tot" is a trademarked name.
Tater Tot producer Ore-Ida's name is a nod to Oregon and Idaho two potato-growing states.
Numbers Don't Lie
Acres of U.S. farmland used for potato growing in 2020
1 million
Rough percentage of the annual U.S. potato crop used for french fries, tots, chips, and other processed foods
60
Purchase price of Ore-Ida paid by Heinz in 1965 (about $286 million today)
$30 million
Year the first Tater Tot Festival was held in Ontario, Oregon (the birthplace of tots)
2021
Acres of U.S. farmland used for potato growing in 2020
1 million
Rough percentage of the annual U.S. potato crop used for french fries, tots, chips, and other processed foods
60
Miners traded gold for potatoes during the Klondike gold rush.
Between 1848 and 1855, an estimated 300,000 people made their way to California, hoping to strike it rich by mining the supposedly plentiful gold just beneath the Earth's surface. Unfortunately, many miners at the time faced a common foe: malnutrition. Food costs were often inflated in remote mining towns, and nutritious fresh food was generally hard to come by, meaning many miners had limited diets of shelf-stable goods like bread, salt pork, and beans. For gold hunters who trekked farther north to Alaska for the Klondike gold rush, which kicked off in 1896, that often meant an increasing risk of scurvy — a vitamin C deficiency that can cause fatigue and tooth loss, among other effects. Scurvy could be remedied with potatoes, a vegetable that Klondike miners could more easily source than many other fresh produce items. However, shortages and unscrupulous peddlers increased the price of potatoes, forcing many prospectors to trade their hard-won gold for spuds in an effort to ward off the effects of the illness.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES Watch the second one also
Thanks to John
https://youtu.be/hiKvrdguRPA?si=U-IFRhSVvAEux7uZ
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. Thanks to Boysie ..and Dr.Rich
In case you ever wondered??
JUST PLAIN NEAT INFORMATION
Glass takes one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
When a person dies hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
If you stop getting thirsty , you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals. (note from Sandy - perhaps because zero wasn't considered a number in Roman times. That happened in middle ages)
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
The song Auld Lang Syne is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent. Drinking a glass of water before you eat may help digestion and curb appetite.
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450F.
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
In ancient Greece , tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
Warner Communications paid 28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday, which was written in 1935!
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
A comet's tail always points away from the sun.
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.
Strawberries and cashews are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.
The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy.
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.
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This Day in U S Military History
1778 – The Siege of Pondicherry was the first military action on the Indian subcontinent following the declaration of war between Great Britain and France in the American War of Independence. A British force besieged the French-controlled port of Puducherry in August 1778, which capitulated after ten weeks of siege. Following the American victory at Saratoga in October 1777, France decided to enter the American War of Independence as an ally to the United States. Word first reached the French Indian colony of Pondicherry in July 1778 that France and Britain had recalled their ambassadors, a sign that war was imminent. The British colonies had already received orders to seize the French possessions in India and begun military preparations. The siege would last almost 2 months. Between 6 and 13 October the British siege operations continued, but heavy rains hampered them. The British succeeded in draining the northern ditch, which the French unsuccessfully attempted again to flood. On 14 October the walls of the two bastions the British had targeted lay in ruins, and preparations began for an assault. Bellecombe was also running out of ammunition. After holding a war council on 15 October, he sent a truce flag to Munro the next day. He signed the terms of capitulation on 18 October.
1883 – The first installation of electric lights in a US Navy warship took place during the summer of 1883. Earlier that spring, seven electric power companies were asked by the Bureau of Navigation to submit bids for installing lights in USS Trenton, then currently berthed at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Only one, the Edison Company for Isolated Lighting, submitted a bid of $5,500 to install one L dynamo & one Armington-Sims engine complete to supply light via insulated wiring to 104 16-candle power lamps, 130 10-candle power lamps, and 4 32-candle power lamps. The ensuing contract also included 238 key sockets, 6 extra brushes, 1 automatic regulator and 1 dynamo foundation. Lieutenant.Commander. R. B. Bradford, executive officer of the ship, oversaw the installation of this equipment in Trenton between 7 June and 21 August 1883. Owing to the need to maintain the engine and dynamo, the system was only run at night.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, Japanese Colonel Ichiki's force of 1000 men attack the American positions across the Tenaru River. The American strength and defenses are unexpected and the Japanese force is destroyed. The Marines continue to receive shipments of supplies and some reinforcements.
1945 – Haroutune (Harry) Krikor Daghlian, Jr. (May 4, 1921 – September 15, 1945), an Armenian American physicist with the Manhattan Project, accidentally irradiated himself during a critical mass experiment at the remote Omega Site facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, resulting in his death 25 days later. Daghlian was irradiated as a result of a criticality accident that occurred when he accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a 6.2 kg delta phase plutonium bomb core. This core, available at the close of World War II and later nicknamed the "Demon core", also resulted in the death of Louis Slotin in a similar accident, and was used in the Able detonation, during the Crossroads series of nuclear weapon testing.
1965 – It is revealed by MACV headquarters (Headquarters Military Assistance Command Vietnam) in Saigon that U.S. pilots have received approval to destroy any Soviet-made missiles they see while raiding North Vietnam. This was a major change from previous orders that restricted them to bombing only previously approved targets.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HAMMANN, CHARLES HAZELTINE
Rank and organization: Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve Fleet. Born: 16 March 1892, Baltimore, Md. Appointed from: Maryland. Citation: For extraordinary heroism as a pilot of a seaplane on 21 August 1918, when with 3 other planes Ens. Hammann took part in a patrol and attacked a superior force of enemy land planes. In the course of the engagement which followed the plane of Ens. George M. Ludlow was shot down and fell in the water 5 miles off Pola. Ens. Hammann immediately dived down and landed on the water close alongside the disabled machine, where he took Ludlow on board. Although his machine was not designed for the double load to which it was subjected, and although there was danger of attack by Austrian planes, he made his way to Porto Corsini.
SMITH, JOHN LUCIAN
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Fighter Squadron 223, Place and date: In the Solomon Islands area, August-September 1942. Entered service at: Oklahoma. Born: 26 December 1914, Lexington, Okla. Other Navy award: Legion of Merit. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and heroic achievement in aerial combat above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 223 during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area, August-September 1942. Repeatedly risking his life in aggressive and daring attacks, Maj. Smith led his squadron against a determined force, greatly superior in numbers, personally shooting down 16 Japanese planes between 21 August and 15 September 1942. In spite of the limited combat experience of many of the pilots of this squadron, they achieved the notable record of a total of 83 enemy aircraft destroyed in this period, mainly attributable to the thorough training under Maj. Smith and to his intrepid and inspiring leadership. His bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit, and the valiant and zealous fortitude of the men of his command not only rendered the enemy's attacks ineffective and costly to Japan, but contributed to the security of our advance base. His loyal and courageous devotion to duty sustains and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
*YOUNG, MARVIN R.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, (Mechanized), 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ben Cui, Republic of Vietnam, 21 August 1968. Entered service at: Odessa, Tex. Born: 11 May 1947, Alpine, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Young distinguished himself at the cost of his life while serving as a squad leader with Company C. While conducting a reconnaissance mission in the vicinity of Ben Cui, Company C was suddenly engaged by an estimated regimental-size force of the North Vietnamese Army. During the initial volley of fire the point element of the 1st Platoon was pinned down, sustaining several casualties, and the acting platoon leader was killed. S/Sgt. Young unhesitatingly assumed command of the platoon and immediately began to organize and deploy his men into a defensive position in order to repel the attacking force. As a human wave attack advanced on S/Sgt. Young's platoon, he moved from position to position, encouraging and directing fire on the hostile insurgents while exposing himself to the hail of enemy bullets. After receiving orders to withdraw to a better defensive position, he remained behind to provide covering fire for the withdrawal. Observing that a small element of the point squad was unable to extract itself from its position, and completely disregarding his personal safety, S/Sgt. Young began moving toward their position, firing as he maneuvered. When halfway to their position he sustained a critical head injury, yet he continued his mission and ordered the element to withdraw. Remaining with the squad as it fought its way to the rear, he was twice seriously wounded in the arm and leg. Although his leg was badly shattered, S/Sgt. Young refused assistance that would have slowed the retreat of his comrades, and he ordered them to continue their withdrawal while he provided protective covering fire. With indomitable courage and heroic self-sacrifice, he continued his self-assigned mission until the enemy force engulfed his position. By his gallantry at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service, S/Sgt. Young has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for August 21, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
21 August
1918: For saving a downed US Navy pilot near an Austrian naval base at Pola, Ensign Charles H. Hammann became the first naval aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. (24)
1923: First airways lighting occurred when 18- and 36-inch electric arc beacons were used to light 42 landing fields on a route between Chicago and Cheyenne. They were visible for 50 miles. (24)
1943: First Los Angeles to New York airfreight service started. (24)
1944: The F8F Bearcat first flew. 1948: In his final report as CSAF, Gen Carl Spaatz disclosed the development of a supersonic guided atomic missile with a 5,000-mile range. (24)
1953: A Boeing P2B-1S (B-29 Superfortress) dropped the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket at 34,000 feet above Edwards AFB. From that altitude, Lt Col Marion E. Carl (USMC) flew the aircraft to 83,235 feet to set a world record. (20) (24)
1956: Flying an F8U-1 Crusader over California's Mojave Desert, Cmdr Robert W. Winslow (USN) set a speed record for US combat planes of 1,015.428 MPH. (24)
1957: Lt Cmdr James M. Pruitt flew his twin-jet A3D Skywarrior from Hawaii to California to set a FAI record of 4 hours 12 minutes for the 2,438-mile eastward transpacific flight. (9)
1961: A test pilot exceeded Mach 1 in the new Douglas DC-8 jet airliner during an experimental flight. (24) Construction on first Minuteman I (Model B) operational facilities began at Ellsworth AFB. (6)
1965: GEMINI V. Through 29 August, Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. and Charles Conrad, Jr. (USN) set eight records in the Gemini V mission: (1) longest flight--190 hours 55 minutes; (2) national man-hours in space--641 hours and 24 minutes; (3) longest multimanned flight--190 hours 55 minutes; (4) most orbits for manned flight--120; (5) most manned flights--9; (6) first man with a second flight--Cooper; (7) most flight time--Cooper; and (8) longest space flight-- Cooper and Conrad. The capsule splashed down 600 miles east of Jacksonville after a 3,309,506-mile flight. (9)
1967: With a special coating of heat resisting material and protective white paint, Maj William J. Knight flew the X-15 at 3,409 MPH (Mach 6.5) above Edwards AFB. It was the X-15's first flight with an ablative coating. (3)
1968: An Air Force UH-1F helicopter evacuated 260 people and 52,000 pounds of personal belongings and food during a 4-day period to aid flood victims in northeastern Nicaragua. (16) (26)
1970: An A-7D Corsair completed its first aerial refueling over Death Valley, Calif. A KC-97L tanker from the Illinois ANG provided the fuel. (3)
1972: Fourth and last Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO), named Copernicus, launched to observe interstellar gases, young hot stars, and X-ray stars and other phenomena. It was our costliest and heaviest unmanned satellite (4,900 pounds) to date.
1987: At Seattle, a Boeing 767 modified for the Strategic Defense Initiative Airborne Optical Adjunct mission, first flew. It carried a special infrared sensor built by the Hughes Aircraft Company.
1990: Operation DESERT SHIELD. In the first two weeks of the operation, the Air Force deployed six fighter wings to the area, while SAC increased refueling and reconnaissance flights over the region. (20)
1998: Maj. Michael J. Brill, a full-time air reserve technician with the 419 FW, 466 FS, at Hill AFB, became the first Air Force pilot to amass more than 4,000 total flying hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. According to Lockheed-Martin officials, more than 3,000 pilots have topped the 1,000- hour mark in an F-16; more than 400 pilots have surpassed 2,000 hours; and 21 have more than 3,000 hours. (AFNEWS, 26 Aug 98)
2002: The first Lockheed-Martin Atlas V lifted off from Cape Canaveral to inaugurate a new type of launch missile. Under the USAF's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program, the system used a standard booster and added supplemental boosters to handle various payloads. (21) An AFFTC F-22 launched a radar-guided AIM-120 missile over the Pacific Test Range while flying at Mach 1.2. This event was the first supersonic launch of an air-to-air missile for the new fighter. (3)
2003: The Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB received a Czech L-39 Albatross for a six-month trial of its flight capabilities. Warsaw Pact countries used the L-39 as a trainer and light-attack jet, and the USAF studied it as a partial replacement for its retired T-39 fleet. (3)
2007: The A-10C Thunderbolt II achieved its Initial Operational Capability at Moody AFB, Ga. The A-10C received modifications to install the "hands-on-throttle and stick," a situational awareness data link, and an ability to drop Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers. (AFNEWS, "A-10 Thunderbolt II Gets Technological Thumbs Up," 27 Aug 2007.)
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