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Good Friday Morning November 21, 2025 . Well the rain came yesterday and last night and is returning soon this morning and throughout the day .It is also cold and only getting to 61 at mid day. The dogs did not want to go out earlier. Classes were pretty full last night even with the rain. Testing starts on 1 December. The chickens had their new heater on last night.
.Regards and have a great day. Get that last minute shopping for Thanksgiving done while the supply of Turkeys is still there.
|Regards
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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 93 H-Grams.
November 21
1861—During the Civil War, the screw steamer New London, along with screw steamer R.R. Cuyler and crew members of the screw steamer Massachusetts, capture the Confederate schooner Olive with a cargo of lumber in Mississippi Sound.
1918—U.S. battleships witness the surrender of German High Seas fleet at Rosyth, Firth of Forth, Scotland to U.S. and British fleets.
1942—USS Cincinnati (CL 6) and USS Somers (DD 381) uncover the Norwegian ship SS Skjilbred as being the German blockade runner Anneliese Essberger after setting explosions and boarding the ship. Survivors are taken on board USS Milwaukee (CL 5).
1943—USS Nautilus (SS 168) lands U.S. Marine Corps Reconnaissance Company on Abemama, Gilberts while USS Trigger (SS 237) sinks Japanese freighter Eizan Maru in the Yellow Sea.
1944—USS Sealion (SS 315) sinks the Japanese battleship Kongo and destroyer Urakaze north-northwest of Formosa.
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Today in World History
November 21
1620 Leaders of the Mayflower expedition frame the "Mayflower Compact," designed to bolster unity among the settlers.
1783 Jean de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes make the first free-flight ascent in a balloon to over 500 feet in Paris.
1789 North Carolina ratifies the Constitution, becoming the 12th state to do it.
1855 Franklin Colman, a pro-slavery Missourian, guns down Charles Dow, a Free Stater from Ohio, near Lawrence, Kansas.
1864 From Georgia, Confederate General John B. Hood launches the Franklin-Nashville Campaign into Tennessee.
1904 Motorized omnibuses replace horse-drawn cars in Paris.
1906 In San Juan, President Theodore Roosevelt pledges citizenship for Puerto Rican people.
1907 Cunard liner Mauritania sets a new speed record for steamship travel, 624 nautical miles in a one day run.
1911 Suffragettes storm Parliament in London. All are arrested and all choose prison terms.
1917 German ace Rudolf von Eschwege is killed over Macedonia when he attacks a booby-trapped observation balloon packed with explosives.
1918 The last German troops leave Alsace-Lorraine, France.
1927 Police turn machine guns on striking Colorado mine workers, killing five and wounding 20.
1934 A New York court rules Gloria Vanderbilt unfit for custody of her daughter.
1934 Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes premieres at New York's Alvin Theatre.
1949 The United Nations grants Libya its independence by 1952.
1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the air quality act, allotting $428 million for the fight against pollution.
1970 U.S. planes conduct widespread bombing raids in North Vietnam.
1985 US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard arrested for spying and passing classified information to Israel; he received a life sentence on Nov. 1, 1987.
1986 The Justice Department begins an inquiry into the National Security Council into what will become known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
1995 The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio; the agreement, formally ratified in Paris on Dec. 14, ends the three-and-a-half year war between Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2006 Anti-Syrian Lebanese Minister and MP Pierre Gemayel assassinated in Beirut.
1970 U.S. force raids Son Tay prison camp »
1980
November 21
Millions tune in to find out who shot J.R.
On November 21, 1980, 350 million people around the world tune in to television's popular primetime drama "Dallas" to find out who shot J.R. Ewing, the character fans loved to hate. J.R. had been shot on the season-ending episode the previous March 21, which now stands as one of television's most famous cliffhangers. The plot twist inspired widespread media coverage and left America wondering "Who shot J.R.?" for the next eight months. The November 21 episode solved the mystery, identifying Kristin Shepard, J.R.'s wife's sister and his former mistress, as the culprit.
The CBS television network debuted the first five-episode pilot season of "Dallas" in 1978; it went on to run for another 12 full-length seasons. The first show of its kind, "Dallas" was dubbed a "primetime soap opera" for its serial plots and dramatic tales of moral excess. The show revolved around the relations of two Texas oil families: the wealthy, successful Ewing family and the perpetually down-on-their-luck Barnes family. The families' patriarchs, Jock Ewing and Digger Barnes, were former partners locked in a years-long feud over oil fields Barnes claimed had been stolen by Ewing. Ewing's youngest son Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Barnes' daughter Pam (Victoria Principal) had married, linking the battling clans even more closely. The character of J.R. Ewing, Bobby's oldest brother and a greedy, conniving, womanizing scoundrel, was played by Larry Hagman.
As J.R. had many enemies, audiences were hard-pressed to guess who was responsible for his attempted murder. That summer, the question "Who Shot J.R.?" entered the national lexicon, becoming a popular t-shirt slogan, and heightening anticipation of the soap's third season, which was to air in the fall. After a much-talked-about contract dispute with Hagman was finally settled, the season was delayed because of a Screen Actors Guild strike, much to the dismay of "Dallas" fans. When it finally aired, the episode revealing J.R.'s shooter became one of television's most watched shows, with an audience of 83 million people in the U.S. alone—a full 76 percent of all U.S. televisions on that night were tuned in—and helped put "Dallas" into greater worldwide circulation. It also popularized the use of the cliffhanger by television writers.
The shooting of J.R. wasn't "Dallas'" only notorious plot twist. In September 1986, fans learned that the entire previous season, in which main character Bobby Ewing had died, was merely a dream of Pam's. The show's writers had killed the Bobby character off because Duffy had decided to leave the show. When he agreed to return, they featured him stepping out of the shower on the season-ending cliffhanger, and then were forced the next season to explain his sudden reappearance.
The last premiere episode of "Dallas" aired on May 3, 1991. A spin-off, "Knots Landing," aired from December 27, 1979 until May 13, 1993. "Dallas" remains in syndication around the world.
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Thanks to the Bear. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …
. rollingthunderremembered.com .
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..November 21
November 21: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2662
The one on the 21st is very interesting.;….You have to read it
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.
https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
By: Kipp Hanley
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Thanks to Brett
By: Geopolitical Futures
What is going on in the world
Ukraine proposal. The United States is working with Russia to develop a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, Axios reported. The 28-point plan focuses on peace in Ukraine, security guarantees for Ukraine and the European Union, and U.S. relations with Moscow and Kyiv. According to Axios, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed the proposal with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev during Dmitriev's visit to Miami in late October. Relatedly, U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll is in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials. He will reportedly hold talks with Russian representatives at a later date.
Defense deal. The United States has given the green light for Saudi Arabia to purchase an unspecified number of F-35 fighter jets and nearly 300 Abrams tanks, the White House announced following a meeting in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The move marks a shift in U.S. policy that previously saw the sale of the aircraft to Middle Eastern countries as a threat to Israel's qualitative military edge. MBS also announced that he would increase his country's pledge to invest $600 billion in the U.S. to $1 trillion.
More details. Two Ukrainian citizens commissioned by Russian intelligence are suspected of carrying out an explosion on a Polish railway line over the weekend, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced. Tusk said the country would raise its terrorist threat level on some rail lines at the request of the head of Poland's Internal Security Agency and the minister of the interior. Poland will also close the Russian consulate in the port city of Gdansk on the Baltic Sea.
Defense boost. The U.K. announced plans to build a series of ammunition factories to boost its wartime readiness. At least 13 potential sites are being considered, and construction is expected to begin early next year. The facilities will produce components needed to bolster weapons production, including propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics.
Provocation? Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov expressed "deep concern" about attempts to stir up anti-Chinese sentiment in Kyrgyzstan. He said political forces are using this issue to weaken or derail the country's economic growth and undermine its international standing ahead of parliamentary elections set for later this month. In an interview, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said speculation over tensions between Kyrgyz citizens and Chinese workers living in Kyrgyzstan was a mere "provocation."
Putin outreach. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Moscow. According to the Kremlin, Putin highlighted Moscow's desire to enhance trade cooperation with Beijing and implement a number of joint projects in energy, industry, space and agriculture. Separately, he also met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Chinese funding. Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced an upcoming visit to Zambia, the first for a Chinese premier in 28 years. Li is expected to finalize a $1.4 billion agreement with the Zambian president to upgrade the Tazara railway line linking Zambian mines to Tanzania's Dar es Salaam port, from which goods can be exported to China. Zambia currently owes China approximately $5.7 billion in loans connected to the Belt and Road Initiative.
West Bank unrest. One person was killed and three others injured in a "ramming and stabbing" attack at the Gush Etzion junction in the occupied West Bank. Two assailants were killed at the scene. Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas praised the attackers.
Another boycott. China has announced that it will ban all imports of Japanese seafood amid a dispute over comments made by the new Japanese prime minister about Taiwan. This comes just weeks after Beijing lifted a 2023 ban on Japanese seafood over concerns about treated radioactive water from Japan's defunct Fukushima nuclear plant being released into the sea.
Military education. NATO commanders are holding a training course in Azerbaijan focused on operational planning and management. The event is aimed at expanding military cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO members.
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From the archives thanks to Dr.Rich
Victor Belenko who brought us a Mig 25 and what we learned was invaluable
We've known Viktor for many years … can't remember who introduced us, but I know we introduced him to many of y'all … He would come stay (in the cabin above) with us for a few days, maybe go flying, maybe a brief physical to "Check my bad blood….", and always to recount some of his amazing stories … Early on he was in a CIA witness protection-like isolation, so frequently we had no notice he was coming … he'd show up and we'd be in for a great few days!!
One story that hardly anyone has heard involves the 1930 cabin you see in the photo of Viktor with Mia and Murphy, our labs. I had to go to work that day, and Viktor came down to the house and told Sue that the toilet would not flush. She gave him a "plumber's helper", and, a little later, he came back and said "no luck" … So she sent him down to Wilson to the hardware to rent a "snake", figuring that the blockage was somewhere 'downstream' … A little later she called me and said Viktor had removed the toilet, put it in the back of his truck, and was last seen heading down Fish Creek Rd. He came back w. a brand new toilet, matching the one he'd removed .. and still "No luck" …
Well, first, a toilet has to be vented to outside air to allow it to flush, and when folks build cabins in snow country they don't want the vent to get plugged w. snow … so … they attach the vent to the drain pipe from a sink nearby .. with a valve that lets them turn off the vent when not being used … like when we didn't have visitors for awhile!! We all got a good laugh .. and we were able to return the toilet.
Viktor had some amazing stories of his early life in America, when he couldn't speak or understand english … some of which are told below .. many of which are not suitable for mixed company … esp. ones from when he was visiting our fighter squadrons and teaching our pilots how to fight the Russians … a few good tricks were pulled on unsuspecting Viktor.
Some tears of sadness, and remembrance of great patriotism … and humor, at the Sugdens today …
Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a Jet Fighter, Dies at 76
Among the highest-profile figures to flee the Soviet Union, he brought with him a secret weapon and firsthand experience behind the Iron Curtain.
When the Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected to the United States in 1976, he brought his plane with him. George Bush, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, called the incident an "intelligence bonanza."Credit...via Paul Schmidt
On a clear late summer day in 1976, a plane popped up on the radar just off the coast of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It had been flying a mere 100 feet off the water, low enough to avoid detection. Now, suddenly, it climbed up to 20,000 feet. Clearly, the pilot wanted to be seen.
The aircraft flew toward the southwestern port city of Hakodate. It circled the airport twice, then prepared to land. The plane, identifiable now as a Soviet fighter jet, nearly collided with a 727 airliner as it touched down. It plowed past the end of the tarmac, blew out its front wheel and came to a stop not far from a busy highway.
As ground crews rushed toward it, the plane's canopy opened. A sturdy blond man emerged with a gun and fired two shots in the air to warn onlookers away. When the authorities arrived, he climbed down to meet them.
His name was Lt. Viktor Belenko. He was there to defect, he said, along with his jet, a supersonic interceptor called a MiG-25. The plane had stoked fear among Western militaries for years. Now, thanks to Lieutenant Belenko, they had a pristine specimen to examine. George Bush, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, called the incident an "intelligence bonanza."
Lieutenant Belenko, who went on to settle in the United States, died on Sept. 24 at a senior living center near Rosebud, a small town in Southern Illinois. He was 76. His son Paul Schmidt said his death, which was not widely reported at the time, came after a brief illness.
Viktor Belenko was the flower of Communist youth. Born into proletarian poverty, he had worked himself up through the career and party ranks to become a member of the country's elite Air Defense Forces, a separate branch from the Soviet Air Force that was charged with defending the motherland from attack.
But along the way he became disillusioned with the Soviet system. He had been promised material rewards for his hard work; instead, despite his elite status, he felt he was being treated like an expendable cog in a creaking war machine.
He kept his doubts to himself — so much so that in the early 1970s he received the choicest of assignments: to train on the MiG-25, one of the Soviets' newest weapons.
Through the 1950s and '60s, the United States and the Soviet Union had fought a high-altitude arms race, building bigger, faster bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The United States had the upper hand, given the expanse of territory the Soviets had to defend.
Then, in the early 1970s, American intelligence agencies and their allies detected a new aircraft in the Soviet arsenal: an enormous fighter, capable of flying miles above the earth, several times faster than sound.
An aerial view of Lieutenant Belenko's MiG-25 shortly after he landed it at Hakodate Airport. The plane had stoked fear among Western militaries for years. Credit...The Asahi Shimbun, via Getty Images
The plane, which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization called the MiG-25 "Foxbat," had something else: wide wings, suggesting that it was also highly maneuverable. This was the weapon the West had long feared, believing it was capable of taking down supersonic bombers and reconnaissance jets that had, until then, flown through Soviet airspace with impunity.
Now Lieutenant Belenko was going to give them one as a gift.
He had plotted his escape for months, waiting until he and his squadron went on an unarmed training mission over the Sea of Japan, putting him close to freedom and rendering his colleagues unable to stop him.
After he landed, Japanese officials handed Lieutenant Belenko and his plane to the Americans. The plane was dissected and analyzed before being returned, in pieces, to the Soviets, a few weeks later. Lieutenant Belenko received asylum, then flew to the United States to be interviewed.
After Lieutenant Belenko, center, was delivered to American authorities, he received asylum and then flew to the United States to be interviewed. Credit...The Asahi Shimbun, via Getty Images
The MiG-25 turned out to be a paper eagle. Its giant wingspan was not for maneuverability but simply to lift the plane and its 15 tons of fuel off the ground. It couldn't even do its job: Though it flew fast, it was no match for the American aircraft it was meant to take down.
Of great value, though, was what Lieutenant Belenko told the Americans about conditions and morale within the Soviet armed forces.
American officials had long believed that Soviet military personnel were chiseled supermen. Lieutenant Belenko revealed that they were often half-starved and beaten down, forced into cramped living spaces and subject to sadistic punishment at the tiniest infraction.
During a visit to a U.S. aircraft carrier, he was astonished that sailors were allowed unlimited amounts of food, at no cost. He once bought a can of cat food at a grocery store, not knowing it was for pets; when someone pointed out his error, he shrugged and said it still tasted better than the food sold for human consumption in the Soviet Union.
And he was astounded to learn about the inadequacies of his aircraft's inner workings, which, despite his elite status, he had never been allowed to see.
"If my regiment could see five minutes of what I saw today," he told a companion, "there would be a revolution."
Viktor Ivanovich Belenko was born on Feb. 15, 1947, in Nalchik, a Russian city in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.
His father worked in a factory, his mother on a farm. Even by Soviet standards, they had very little money. But Viktor applied himself to his studies and to his Communist Party activities, becoming a member of the Young Pioneers, a youth group that trained future party members.
He had little idea about life in America, except that it had to be better than what he encountered in the Soviet Union.
"I have been longing for freedom in the United States," the Japanese police quoted him saying. "Life in the Soviet Union has not changed from that existing in the days of Czarist Russia, where there had been no freedom."
Congress passed an act in 1980 to give Mr. Belenko citizenship. Eager to escape attention, he took the surname Schmidt and moved around often, mostly living in small towns across the Midwest. He worked as a consultant to aerospace companies and government agencies. His marriage to Coral Garaas ended in divorce. Along with his son Paul Schmidt, Mr. Belenko is survived by another son, Tom Schmidt, and four grandchildren. Though some reports said he had left a wife and child behind in the Soviet Union, Mr. Belenko told his son that this was untrue and the result of Soviet propaganda.
After the Cold War ended, he began to make occasional appearances at air shows and returned to calling himself Viktor Belenko. But he never sought to capitalize on his moment of international fame.
"He lived the most private life," his son Paul said. "He flew under the radar, literally and figuratively."
Clay Risen is an obituaries reporter for The Times. Previously, he was a senior editor on the Politics desk and a deputy op-ed editor on the Opinion desk. He is the author, most recently, of "American Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Original Spirit." More about Clay Risen
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/world/europe/viktor-belenko-dead.html
MORE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Belenko
I hope all the photos and link come through …
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Thanks to Nice News
Self-Described "Optimist" Dick Van Dyke Publishes New Book Ahead of 100th Birthday
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award-winning actor Dick Van Dyke got his big break in the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie — and 65 years later, he has no plans to retire. "I don't want to. I mean, it's my hobby. It's my life. I love it," he told Today. Van Dyke will achieve centenarian status Dec. 13, and to commemorate the occasion, he released a book this week called 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life.
The actor partially credits his positive outlook for his successful 75-year career, during which he also starred in the movie version of Bye Bye Birdie, as well as other iconic films like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But he attributes much of his longevity to "keeping moving" with his wife, Arlene Silver, who he dances with as often as possible. "She keeps me young because we sing and we dance, and she just keeps me a teenager," he said.
While Van Dyke has achieved countless accolades throughout his life, he hopes his legacy will primarily reflect his character, not his resume. "I care about the survival of what I've shared with the world, humor, compassion, a zest for living, a love of music," he writes in the book. "For as long as children are proudly belting out their new word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, or singing and skipping along to 'Chim Chim Cher-ee,' the most important part of me will always be alive."
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This Day in U S Military History
November 21
1860 – The notorious hired killer Tom Horn is born on this day in 1860, in Memphis, Missouri. "Killing is my specialty," Horn reportedly once said. "I look at it as a business proposition, and I think I have a corner on the market." Horn was raised on a farm, and like many young farm boys, Horn loved to roam the woods with his dog and rifle, hunting for game and practicing his marksmanship. He was an unusually skilled rifleman, an ability that may have later encouraged him to gravitate towards a career as a professional killer. That his father was a violent man, who severely beat his son, might also explain how Horn came to be such a remorseless killer. However, the young Horn did not immediately begin his adult life as a professional murderer. Fleeing his home in Memphis after a particularly savage beating from his father, the 14-year-old boy first worked as a teamster in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he demonstrated a quick intelligence and learned Spanish. Horn's packing and language skills later won him a job with the U.S. Army, where he served as an interpreter with the Apache Indians, learned to be a skilled scout and tracker, and tracked the cunning movements of the famous Apache warrior Geronimo. Ironically, Horn's career as a hired gunman began legitimately when he signed up with the well-known Chicago-based Pinkerton Detective Agency, which supplied agents to serve as armed guards and private police forces. Though Pinkerton detectives generally stopped short of carrying out actual murders, they were sometimes called on to fight gun battles with everyone from striking miners to train robbers. Horn's four-year stint with the Pinkertons doubtlessly impressed his next employer, the giant Wyoming ranching operation, Swan Land and Cattle Company. Swan and other big ranches funded Horn's reign of terror in Wyoming, where he assassinated many supposed rustlers and other troublemakers. To take only one example, a Wyoming homesteader named William Lewis had stubbornly claimed his right to farm on what had previously been open range for cattle. He openly bragged about stealing and eating the cattle he found there. The big ranchers warned Lewis to leave the territory, but he refused to back down. In August 1895, he was shot to death with three bullets fired from a distance of at least 300 yards. Few doubted that the sharpshooting Horn killed Lewis. Horn's reign of terror ended in 1903, when he was hanged for killing a 14-year-old boy.
1943 – On Tarawa Atoll, more American troops (of the 2nd Marine Divison) land on Betio Island. There are heavy casualties initially. However, by noon some progress is being made in successfully landing more troops. Other American units land on Bairiki Island. On Makin Atoll, elements of the US 27th Infantry Division begin to advance on Butaritari Island.
1944 – On Leyte, the US 32nd Division, advancing from the north coast, is held in the Ormoc Valley by Japanese forces. US 7th Division begins attacks north from Baybay toward Ormoc.
1944 – Northeast of Formosa, the US submarine Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongo and a destroyer.
1944 – US 1st and 9th Armies meet firm resistance from German forces west of the Roer River. The US 3rd Army continues the siege of Metz while other elements gain ground near Saarebourg. Metz has never been taken by siege.
1945- The last residents of the US Japanese-American internment left their camps.
1950 – The 17th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division reached the Yalu River near its source at Hyesanjin, "Ghost City of Broken Bridges." This was the northernmost progress achieved by any U.S. unit operating in the east under X Corps.
1970 – A combined Air Force and Army team of 40 Americans–led by Army Colonel "Bull" Simons–conducts a raid on the Son Tay prison camp, 23 miles west of Hanoi, in an attempt to free between 70 and 100 Americans suspected of being held there. Planning for the mission–code-named Operation Ivory Coast–began in June 1970. The plan called for Army Rangers to be flown to Son Tay by helicopter and crash-land inside the compound. The plan was for Rangers to pour out of the helicopter and neutralize any opposition while Rangers in other helicopters, landing outside the walls, would break in and complete the rescue operation. At 11:30 p.m. on November 20, the raiding force departed Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. As the force approached the camp, U.S. Air Force and Navy warplanes struck North Vietnamese troop installations and antiaircraft sites in the area. Part of the force initially landed at the wrong compound, but otherwise the mission came off without a hitch. Unfortunately, the Rangers could not locate any prisoners in the huts. After a sharp firefight with the North Vietnamese troops in the area, the order was given to withdraw–27 minutes after the raid began, the force was in the air headed back to Thailand. The raid was accomplished in a superb manner and all Americans returned safely, but it was learned later that the prisoners had been moved elsewhere in July. Despite that disappointment, the raid was a tactical success and sent a message to the North Vietnamese that the United States was capable of inserting a combat force undetected only miles from their capital. Stunned by the raid, high Hanoi officials ordered all U.S. POWs moved to several central prison complexes. This was actually a welcome change-the move afforded the prisoners more contact with each other and boosted their morale.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HAWKINS, WILLIAM DEAN
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 19 .April 1914, Fort Scott, Kans. Appointed from: El Paso, Tex. Citation: For valorous and gallant conduct above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of a Scout Sniper Platoon attached to the Assault Regiment in action against Japanese-held Tarawa in the Gilbert Island, 20 and 21 November 1943. The first to disembark from the jeep lighter, 1st Lt. Hawkins unhesitatingly moved forward under heavy enemy fire at the end of the Betio Pier, neutralizing emplacements in coverage of troops assaulting the main beach positions. Fearlessly leading his men on to join the forces fighting desperately to gain a beachhead, he repeatedly risked his life throughout the day and night to direct and lead attacks on pillboxes and installations with grenades and demolitions. At dawn on the following day, 1st Lt. Hawkins resumed the dangerous mission of clearing the limited beachhead of Japanese resistance, personally initiating an assault on a hostile position fortified by S enemy machineguns, and, crawling forward in the face of withering fire, boldly fired pointblank into the loopholes and completed the destruction with grenades. Refusing to withdraw after being seriously wounded in the chest during this skirmish, 1st Lt. Hawkins steadfastly carried the fight to the enemy, destroying 3 more pillboxes before he was caught in a burst of Japanese shellfire and mortally wounded. His relentless fighting spirit in the face of formidable opposition and his exceptionally daring tactics served as an inspiration to his comrades during the most crucial phase of the battle and reflect the highest credit upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*MINICK, JOHN W.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 121st Infantry, 8th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Hurtgen, Germany, 21 November 1944. Entered service at: Carlisle, Pa. Birth: Wall, Pa. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict with the enemy on 21 November 1944, near Hurtgen, Germany. S/Sgt. Minick's battalion was halted in its advance by extensive minefields, exposing troops to heavy concentrations of enemy artillery and mortar fire. Further delay in the advance would result in numerous casualties and a movement through the minefield was essential. Voluntarily, S/Sgt. Minick led 4 men through hazardous barbed wire and debris, finally making his way through the minefield for a distance of 300 yards. When an enemy machinegun opened fire, he signaled his men to take covered positions, edged his way alone toward the flank of the weapon and opened fire, killing 2 members of the guncrew and capturing 3 others. Moving forward again, he encountered and engaged single-handedly an entire company killing 20 Germans and capturing 20, and enabling his platoon to capture the remainder of the hostile group. Again moving ahead and spearheading his battalion's advance, he again encountered machinegun fire. Crawling forward toward the weapon, he reached a point from which he knocked the weapon out of action. Still another minefield had to be crossed. Undeterred, S/Sgt. Minick advanced forward alone through constant enemy fire and while thus moving, detonated a mine and was instantly killed.
CARPENTER, WILLIAM KYLE
Rank and Organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines. Place and Date: November 21, 2010, Marjah District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Entered Service At: Columbia, SC. Born: 17 October, 1989, Flowood, MS. Departed: No. Entered Service At: Columbia, SC. G.O. Number: . Date of Issue: 06/19/2014. Accredited To: South Carolina. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an Automatic Rifleman with Company F, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division (Forward), 1 Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on 21 November 2010. Lance Corporal Carpenter was a member of a platoon-sized coalition force, comprised of two reinforced Marine squads partnered with an Afghan National Army squad. The platoon had established Patrol Base Dakota two days earlier in a small village in the Marjah District in order to disrupt enemy activity and provide security for the local Afghan population. Lance Corporal Carpenter and a fellow Marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Carpenter moved toward the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow Marine from the deadly blast. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him, but saving the life of his fellow Marine. By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Lance Corporal Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 21, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
21 November
1917: The Navy's R-9 robot bomber, a flying bomb, demonstrated to Army, Navy, and civilian aviation experts at Amityville, N.Y.
1957: The DoD announced that the first ICBM base would be built at Francis E. Warren AFB. (6)
1961: The USAF launched Midas IV, a heat-sensing satellite designed to detect missile launchings, from Point Arguello into a 2,100-mile circular orbit. As a part of the controversial Project West Force, the satellite ejected a package of several million copper wires to form a reflecting belt in space to aid radio communications. These wires failed to disperse as planned. USAF crewmembers fired their first Titan when the 6555th Aerospace Test Wing launched a test missile on a 5,000-mile flight from Cape Canaveral. (16) (24)
1962: Operation LONG SKIP. After an initial airlift effort from 2-14 November, USAFE dispatched C-130s to India to assist MATS in this operation. LONG SKIP continued through August 1963. The airlifters carried 20,000 passengers and troops, along with 25,000 tons of supplies and equipment to the area. The timely response led the Chinese to withdraw. (2)
1969: A Thor-Delta rocket pushed a Skynet communications satellite for the UK into orbit. The Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Organization developed the satellite for the British government. (16)
1970: SON TAY RAID. A special USAF and Army task force volunteers tried to rescue American servicemen from the Son Tay prisoner-of-war camp 20 miles west of Hanoi. Brig Gen Leroy J. Manor commanded the operation, while Col Arthur D. Simons (Army) led the search-and rescue team. Unfortunately, the prisoners had been moved elsewhere. (2) (21)
1980: As a fire swept through the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, the 20 SOS, 302 SOS, and Det 1 of the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing flew their helicopters to rescue 310 people. The fire killed 84 people and injured another 679. (26)
1994: Air Force and NATO aircraft bombed Serb targets to retaliate for a Serbian attack on Bihac. The raid was the largest NATO operation to date. (16) (26) Project SAPPHIRE. Through 23 November, three C-5s from the 436 AW carried nuclear technicians, equipment, and 1,300 pounds of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan to Dover AFB to protect the nuclear material from terrorists, smugglers, and unfriendly governments. The US convoyed the material to Oak Ridge, Tenn., for conversion into commercial nuclear fuel. (16) (18)
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Thanks to Shadow…another trip down memory lane
BEACON HILL II AND PRARIE III
After re-boarding the Iwo Jima… we sailed again for the PI. We weren't going to be there long… but it was long enough to have the worst and last drunk of my life… We also changed ships… going from the Iwo to the USS Princeton.
When we arrived in Subic… the first night we had no liberty… but it was "Poor Richard" night at the Club… Mixed drinks were a dime and beer was a nickel.
I've come to the conclusion over the years… that for over a decade… the military
actually seemed to encourage alcoholism… No other way to explain the happy hours and ridiculous prices. I know one year at El Toro, after I became an aviator… we lost as many pilots to drunken driving… as we did in aircraft accidents.
This night in particular, when we hit the Club… For some un-Godly reason… I reached into my Geneva Convention Card holder… and pulled out a hundred dollar bill that I kept there for emergencies… and threw it on the bar… And with the grandest showboating I could muster… I yelled out, "I want a thousand Stingers… for all my friends"!
There was a mad rush to the bar… and I had a lot of friends in the club that night. Every time someone would get a drink… they'd buy me one in return… to my ever-lasting pain… I tried to drink them all… Big Mistake!
By the time the night was over… I was so "Toxson Stinko"… I couldn't even walk. I
tried to climb the hill back to my room and kept falling down. After a while, some Shore Patrol guys came along… Put me in a jeep and took me to my room. It was the only time in my life… that when I laid down… the whole room started spinning like a whirly gig at a county fair.
I thought I was going to fly off the bed from the centrifugal force… I grabbed the edges of the bed… like you would in one of those spinning cups at the fair… Then… I got sick! Oh God, did I get sick! I puked and puked and puked…. Then I passed out… mercifully.
The next morning… when I woke up… I couldn't see. I was still drunk… but alarmed
that the world was black. I started yelling for help. Two Filipino workers came in and
took me to the showers… They were talking in Tagalog… but I could make out stink… and a couple of other words.
They put my head under the shower and started running hot water on my face… slowly, so slowly… light started to reach my eyes. The reason I couldn't see… was that when I got sick… I was lying flat on my back… When I puked, it came straight back on my face.
The combination of the alcohol… the pizza I had eaten and the nuts… produced the first version of "super glue"… it coagulated in my eye sockets… and welded my eyes shut! I was still too drunk to realize that… until the hot water started melting it away.
It was two weeks before I felt any where near decent, again. It was also the last time I got "Toxon Stinko"… Never again.
I don't remember much of the PI after that… it was kind of a blur… except for Pat
DeSarno and I renting a T-34 from the Navy Flying Club… and going for a joy ride
around the islands. It was beautiful.
When we went aboard the Princeton… We realized how good we'd had it on the Iwo. The Princeton was a WW II era carrier… and was damn near as bad as the old ship we went to Okinawa on. No air conditioning in the troop berthing… and generally a rust bucket. Seemed like they always purged the boilers when we were up on deck… covering us in soot.
In the brief we were told this would be the end of the SLF. Once we got ashore… We
would not come back to the ship. Everything would be off-loaded and permanently
transferred to the beach.
We would land three companies north and east and west of Gio Linh. H&S and one line company would land at Gio Linh itself… and establish the battalion CP. We would also send a small detachment to Con Thien… which by now was a Special Forces outpost.
After the brief, the XO came up to me and said he was going to Con Thien… then he
asked me… if I wanted to go along. He went on to explain that the Special Forces was there… and you know those guys live well… "How 'bout it"? The XO and I got along real well… He was a good guy…. Even though he tried to get me killed at Duc Pho through his naivety. I said, "Count me in". I think the deference he showed me was because I was past my rotation date… Technically, I shouldn't even be on the cruise.
The next morning I was called to Westerman's office. Blackjack had me sit down. He
said the XO told him I was going to Con Thien with him… Westerman told me to forget it… I wasn't going… said it was too dangerous… that my mom would never forgive him if I got killed this late in the game. I would be back with him… there would be no discussion about it any more. As I left his office, the XO apologized… said he gave it his best shot, but the Colonel was adamant. Westerman and I would be ending our tours together.
That afternoon, I had my last run-in with Donnelly… Don't even remember what it was about… I just remember being pissed at him… again.
I was helping pack up the Comm Section gear when Pat DeSarno pointed out a small
conex box… it had huge white X's painted on it. "See that"? "That's Donnelly's personal shit he got in Hong Kong when he went on R&R and leave". "The bastard has it packed like its official gear… when it's all personal effects". "We've had to cart that shit around since Okinawa". Donnelly had it listed on the manifest… as communications gear.
When we finally started to vertrep off the Princeton… The move went like clockwork… except for one small incident. An H-34 was lifting a conex box as an external load… the container had these large X's on it. As the load was picked up and the helicopter started to go into transitional lift over the water… either one of the pilots or the crew chief (it was the crew chief)… evidently thought they were not climbing fast enough… and they pickled the load… right into the Tonkin Gulf… Now how the fuck you think that happened? Twenty-five bucks went a long way in 1967.
Five minutes later, I heard that Donnelly was looking for me… but I managed to avoid him until we went ashore.
Gio Linh
I rode in to Gio Linh with Westerman on the first helicopter. We landed right outside the Army compound. Inside the compound, the Army had their battery of 175mm "Long Tom"… super cannons. The biggest mothers in the country. These were awesome guns… the barrels appeared to be twice the length of our 155mm self-contained gun.
Right after I got out of the helicopter… I looked around and could not believe the number of craters in the area… Got to hand it to the Doggies… they really prepped the hell out of the area before moving the big guns up.
We went about setting up the CP… everyone was ashore and things seemed to be getting off the ground OK. The XO checked in from Con Thien… said he was going to be living in an air-conditioned conex box… Sorry I wasn't there. He really rubbed it in.
About an hour after we landed… I saw a jeep coming out of the Army compound and drive in our direction. For some reason he drove right up to me… Inside was an Army Major… once again… a typical new uniform and a fleshy look. He got out of the jeep and asked me who was in charge? I told him Colonel Westerman… but he was real busy, could I help him? The Major looked at me and said, "I want to tell him he should move this camp about a thousand meters away from here… You see all these craters… Well we didn't put them here… The gooks have a 152 battery just over the DMZ and this is where the rounds usually hit". I looked at him and said, "Major… Come this way, I'd like to introduce you to Colonel Westerman"!
I went up to Blackjack and said, "Colonel, this is the commander of the 175 battery and he has something to tell you". Westerman seemed irritated… Looked at the major and said, "What do you want"?
The Major went into his speil about the craters… and opined that we should move a
thousand meters to the west. When he had finished, Westerman looked at him
disdainfully… and said, "Major, when I want the opinion of an Army Officer on how to run my battalion… I'll ask for it"! With that, he turned away… end of conversation!
I walked the Major back to his jeep… He looked at me and said, "What an asshole".
Considering the circumstances… I couldn't have agreed more. As I watched him drive away, I once again looked at all the craters… and decided for the first time in almost a year… I was going to dig a fucking hole in the ground!
Little did I know, I was about to endure the longest night of my life…
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