The List 7445
To All.
Good Friday Morning February 13, 2026.
I hope that your Friday the 13th goes without incident.
..It is a clear and cool morning. I just talked to Toni on her cell. She can't talk for long but she did tell me I can't come visit until the doctors are done with a bunch of tests they have to do relating to her heart. So I will do some house cleaning and make sure that the dogs and chickens are doing well.
Thank you again for all for the calls and notes wishing her well
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.Regards .
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.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 94 H-Grams.
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
February 13
1913—The Naval Radio Station, Arlington, VA, begins operations. The station is a pioneer in communications, most notably with ether wave experiments with the Eiffel Tower in France.
1917—Marine Capt. Francis T. Evans performs the first loop with a seaplane in an N-9 float plane at 3,000 feet, then forces it into a spin and successfully recovers. For this contribution to the science of aviation, he is later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
1943—Women Marines were reestablished as Marine Corps Women's Reserve. Col. Ruth Cheney Streeter, the first Director of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve, serves until December 7, 1945.
1945—USS Sennet (SS 408) is damaged by gunfire of Japanese gunboat (No.8 Kotoshiro Maru or No.3 Showa Maru), east of Tanega Shima, but then Sennett sinks No.8 Kotoshiro Maru after it had been shelled by USS Lagarto (SS 371) and USS Haddock (SS 231). Haddock then sinks No.3 Showa Maru, which had already been shelled by Lagarto and Sennett.
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What happened this day in World History
February 13
167 Polycarp, a disciple of St. John and Bishop of Smyrna, is martyred on the west coast of Asia Minor.
1542 Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, is beheaded for adultery.
1689 British Parliament adopts the Bill of Rights.
1692 In the Glen Coe highlands of Scotland, thirty-eight members of the MacDonald clan are murdered by soldiers of the neighboring Campbell clan for not pledging allegiance to William of Orange. Ironically the pledge had been made but not communicated to the clans. The event is remembered as the Massacre of Glencoe.
1862 The four day Battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, begins.
1865 The Confederacy approves the recruitment of slaves as soldiers, as long as the approval of their owners is gained.
1866 Jesse James holds up his first bank.
1914 The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is founded.
1936 First social security checks are put in the mail.
1945 On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the "Florence of the Elbe" to rubble and flames, and killing roughly 25,000 people.
Among the conclusions reached at the February 1945 Yalta Conference of the Allied powers was the resolution that the Allies would engage in concerted strategic bombing raids against German cities known for war-production and manufacturing, in an effort to bring the Nazi war machine to a crashing halt. The tragic irony of the raid on Dresden, a medieval city renowned for its rich artistic and architectural treasures, is that during the war it had never been a site of war-production or major industry.
Both Allies and Germans alike have argued over the real purpose of the firebombing; the ostensible "official" rationale was that Dresden was a major communications center and bombing it would hamper the German ability to convey messages to its army, which was battling Soviet forces at the time. But the extent of the destruction was, for many, disproportionate to the stated strategic goal—many believe that the attack was simply an attempt to punish the Germans and weaken their morale.
More than 3,400 tons of explosives were dropped on the city by 800 American and British aircraft. The firestorm created by the two days of bombing set the city burning for many more days, littering the streets with charred corpses, including many children. Eight square miles of the city was ruined, and the total body count was between 22,700 and 25,000 dead, according to a report published by the city of Dresden in 2010. The hospitals that were left standing could not handle the numbers of injured and burned, and mass burials became necessary.
Among the American POWs who were in Dresden during the raid was novelist Kurt Vonnegut, who conveyed his experience in his classic antiwar novel Slaughterhouse Five.
1949 A mob burns a radio station in Ecuador after the broadcast of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds."
1951 At the Battle of Chipyong-ni, in Korea, U.N. troops contain the Chinese forces' offensive in a two-day battle.
1953 The Pope asks the United States to grant clemency to convicted spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
1968 The United States sends 10,500 more combat troops to Vietnam.
1970 General Motors is reportedly redesigning automobiles to run on unleaded fuel.
1972 Enemy attacks in Vietnam decline for the third day as the United States continues its intensive bombing strategy.
1984 Konstantin Chernenko is selected to succeed Yuri Andropov as Party General Secretary in the Soviet Union.
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Thanks to the Bear and Dan Heller. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …
. rollingthunderremembered.com .
To All
Thanks to the Bear
This is great to watch…skip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQcxP70jNMY
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..February 13 . .
January 13: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2084
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
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Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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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
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
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From the Archives for all you golfers out there
Thanks to Barrel
Golf Words Of Wisdom & Some History
Golf balls are like eggs - they're white, they're sold by the dozen, and a week later you have to buy more.
The pro-shop gets its name from the fact that you must have the income of a professional golfer to buy anything in there.
It's amazing how a golfer who never helps with house or yard work will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.
Did you ever notice that it's a lot easier to get up at 6:00 a.m. to play golf than at 10:00 to mow the yard or go to church.
It takes longer to become good at golf than it does brain surgery. On the other hand, you seldom get to ride around in a cart, drink beer and eat hot dogs while performing brain surgery.
A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.
A good golf partner is one who's slightly worse than you.
The rake is always in the other trap.
If there's a storm rolling in, you'll be having the game of your life.
If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight.
Golf appeals to the child in all of us. This is proven by our frequent inability to count past the number 5.
It's easy to keep your ball in the fairway, if you don't care which fairway.
If profanity had any influence on the flight of a ball, most everyone would play better.
The greatest sound in golf is the, "Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh" of your opponent's club as he hurls it across the fairway.
A recent survey shows that of all jobs, caddies live the longest. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise, and if there's ever a medical emergency, a doctor is always nearby.
The best wood for lowering your score is a pencil.
You may need lessons if you had to regrip your ball retriever.
It's difficult to decide which is more stressful - hitting 3 off the tee or lining up your 4th putt.
With practice and strength training you can easily get more distance off the shank.
The only sure way to get a par is to leave a 4 foot birdie putt 2 inches from the hole.
Nothing straightens out a nasty slice like a sharp dogleg to the right.
Never wash your ball on the tee of a water hole.
No matter how badly you are playing, it's always possible to get worse.
Phillip E. "Skipper" Young, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded Titleist in 1932.
When playing a round of golf with his dentist, Young missed a sure putt that seemed to be caused by the weight of the ball. He then asked his dentist friend to X-ray the ball and the film showed that the rubber core was off-center.
After this initial discovery, Young took X-rays of more golf balls and found that most were poorly constructed with off-center cores and prone to erratic shots. This inspired Young to produce his own line of golf balls, which would become known as Titleist.
1930: Young developed a machine that could uniformly wind rubber string around a rubber core, making a "dead center" golf ball. He named the ball "Titleist," noting it was the "winner" of the quest to create the best for the game.
1935: The golf division of the Acushnet Process Company produced the Titleist golf ball which had consistently been the company's most successful product.
1948: Introduced "Dynamite Thread" to increase the yardage of their balls.
1949: Titleist became the most used ball at the U.S. Open Tournament.
1976: Titleist was purchased by American Brands (now known as Fortune Brands).
1985: Fortune Brands sold off the Acushnet Company's Acushnet Rubber division, which was Acushnet's original business (circa early 1900s).
2002: Titleist reached the $1 billion mark in annual revenues.
On December 8, 2010, Fortune Brands announced that it would soon sell or spin off Titleist and some other brands. It was then announced on May 20, 2011 that a Korean group associated with Fila Korea, Ltd. and Mirae Asset Private Equity would purchase Acushnet for $1.23 billion in cash.
Acushnet employs roughly 3000 people in Massachusetts, making it one of the largest employers in the region. It is headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts alongside its Packing and Distribution Center about three miles south of its original location.
They also have two golf ball manufacturing plants and an R&D Technology Center located in the New Bedford Industrial Park, as well as a Custom Golf Ball plant located in New Bedford.
And all of this due to a missed putt... and a lot of blood sweat and tears, persistence, & dedication to making things happen!
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From the archives
A repeat from a while back
Very interesting story that just became UNCLASS
87 Octane Aviation Gasoline vs 100-130 Octane Aviation Gasoline in WW-II thanks to Doctor Rich and Dutch
Thanks to Duth … who says: Sent to me by Travis Foster--my grade school and high school chum who was separated by two classes from me in preflight at Pensacola (a fact we didn't discover until our 50th high school reunion).
This is a declassified article by the British Society of Chemists (Declassified in 2014)
"It has always puzzled me as to why the German Luftwaffe kept on using 87 Octane Aviation Gasoline while the Americans and British used 100 Octane Gasoline in their Spitfire Fighters and Americans used 130 Octane in our P-51 and other fighters.
This morning I discovered the reason!
It seems that the German and British aircraft both used 87 Octane Gasoline in the first two years of the war. While that was fairly satisfactory in the German Daimler-Benz V-12 engine, It was marginal in the British Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine in British aircraft. It fouled the spark-plugs, caused valves to stick, And made frequent engine repair problems.
Then came lend- lease and American aircraft began to enter British service in great numbers. If British engines hated 87 Octane gasoline, American, General Motors Built, Allison 1710 engines loathed and despised it. Something had to be done!
Along came an American named Tim Palucka, a chemist for Sun Oil in their South East Texas Refinery. Never heard of him? Small wonder, very few people have. He took a French formula for enhancing the octane of Gasoline, and invented the "Cracking Tower" and produced 100 octane aviation Gasoline. This discovery led to great joy among our English Cousins and great distress among the Germans. A Spitfire fueled with 100 Octane gasoline was 34 miles per hour faster at 10,000 feet. The need to replace engines went from every 500 hours of operation to every 1,000 hours. Which reduced the cost of British aircraft by 300 Pounds Sterling. Even more, when used in 4 engine bombers.
The Germans couldn't believe it when Spitfires that couldn't catch them a year ago started shooting their ME-109 E and G models right out of the sky.
Of course, the matter had to be kept secret. If the Germans found out that it was a French Invention, They'd simply copy the original French patents. If any of you have ever wondered what they were doing in that 3 story white brick building in front of the Sun Oil Refinery on Old Highway 90, that was it. They were re-inventing gasoline.
The American Allison engines improved remarkably with 100 Octane gasoline, but did much better when 130 octane gasoline came along in 1944. The 130 Octane also improved the Radial Engine Bombers we produced. The Germans and Japanese never snapped to the fact that we had re-invented gasoline. Neither did our "Friends" the Russians.
100,000 Americans died in the skies over Europe. Lord only knows what that number would have been without "Super-Gasoline". And it all was invented just a few miles west of Beaumont, and we never knew a thing about it."
As for jet fuel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_fuel#JP-5
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. With all the talk about taking back the canal
Thanks to Interesting Facts
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5 Things You Might Not Know About the Panama Canal
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The Panama Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world. Without it, ships sailing from the East Coast to the West Coast in the United States would be forced to make the two-week-long journey around Cape Horn in southern Chile. Extending for about 50 miles, the canal connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and divides North America and South America. But how much do you know about this famous artificial waterway? Here are five interesting facts about the Panama Canal you might not have learned in history class.
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The Idea for the Canal Originated in the 1500s
The Panama Canal celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2014, but many people don't know that plans for this canal had been in motion long before it opened in 1914. When Spanish conquistador and explorer Vasco Núñez Balboa discovered that the Isthmus of Panama was just a tiny sliver of land separating the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in 1513, he began to search for a waterway to bypass it.
When Balboa didn't find one by 1534, Roman Emperor Charles V ordered that his men find a way to build one — but this didn't work out either. In the 1880s, a French company began construction on a canal, but the project failed due to poor planning and bankruptcy. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Isthmian Canal Commission (ICC) to see through the construction, and finally, after 10 more years, the Panama Canal was completed.
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Traveling Through the Canal Isn't Cheap
On average, it takes around eight to 10 hours for a ship to travel through the Panama Canal, as opposed to two weeks if it made the journey around Cape Horn. However, there's a hefty fee for the convenience. Each commercial ship that passes through the canal has to pay a toll based on its weight. The average toll is around $150,000, but some larger ships pay much more — the record is held by a cargo ship called MOL Benefactor from Hong Kong, which paid over $829,400 to pass through.
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… Unless You're a Swimmer
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While ships regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to pass through the Panama Canal (even privately-owned boats have to pay between $800 and $3,200), the lowest toll ever paid was paid by an American man named Richard Halliburton, who swam the entire length of the canal in 1928. Since the toll price is based on weight, he only had to pay 36 cents.
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It Was Almost the "Nicaragua Canal"
American engineers' first choice for connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was to build a canal through Nicaragua instead of the Isthmus of Panama. They had seen the hardships the French had endured trying to build the canal in Panama in the 1800s (including malaria and yellow fever, which led to the deaths of more than 20,000 workers), so they wanted a fresh start in Nicaragua instead.
However, French engineer Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla strongly suggested that they reconsider this placement, as Nicaragua posed a significant seismic risk due to its close proximity to a volcano. Eventually, he was able to convince them to pick up where the French had left off in Panama.
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It's Constantly Expanding
The Panama Canal brings in billions of dollars in revenue per year, some of which is then used for expansion purposes. Many larger ships used to have trouble bypassing the smaller canal, so it has been being expanded fairly steadily over the last few decades. New lock systems have been put into place, allowing more ships to pass through at the same time, as well as larger ships that can carry more cargo. This is no surprise, as the Panama Canal facilitates at least 5% of the world's trade and has to keep up with the times.
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Thanks to Nice News
Eyes on Milano Cortina
When figure skater Maxim Naumov — whose parents died in the Potomac River plane crash last year — finished his season-best performance on Tuesday to a standing ovation, there was no question he was skating for more than points.
"I finished on my knees, and I didn't know if I was going to cry, smile, or laugh, and all I could do was just look up and say, 'Look what we just did.' I said it in English. I said in Russian. And it's true. We did it together," Naumov, 24, told reporters afterward. "I just hope I made everyone proud." When his score was read out, he clutched onto a childhood photo of himself with his parents, both former Olympic figure skaters themselves.
Tune in to the Games at 1 p.m. ET today for coverage of the men's free skate competition, which will include performances from Naumov and "Quad God" Ilia Malinin
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Thanks to 1440
Good morning. It's Friday, Feb. 13, and we're covering Department of Homeland Security funding, North Korea's next leader.
Need To Know
DHS Funding Deadline
Congress faces a midnight deadline to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded, with lawmakers still at odds over immigration enforcement and agency reforms as of this writing.
Democrats are seeking tighter limits and oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, citing recent operations and fatal encounters in Minneapolis. They want stronger accountability measures and new constraints on certain enforcement tactics. Republicans say they are open to some changes but argue that many Democratic proposals would put agents at risk and that Democrats are exploiting the funding deadline to push broader immigration policy shifts. Most of the federal government is funded through September, but DHS has been operating under a short-term patch that expires today. ICE would likely continue operations even during a DHS shutdown. .
Separately, the Trump administration said it is ending its large-scale immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, returning to a smaller presence in the area.
'Endangerment' Ruling Repealed
The Environmental Protection Agency repealed its 2009 finding yesterday that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well-being. The so-called "endangerment" finding formed the basis for the agency's case to regulate emissions from vehicles, the oil and gas industry, and power plants.
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled greenhouse gases are air pollutants and called on the EPA to determine whether they pose a public health threat. In response, the EPA found carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases met the criteria to be considered dangerous to humans under the 1970 Clean Air Act (read the finding).
In yesterday's decision, the Trump administration claimed the Clean Air Act only covers pollution directly causing harm to humans and only where damage is near the site of pollution. Democratic governors said they would challenge the repeal, setting up legal battles expected to reach the Supreme Court.
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North Korea's Next Leader
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, 42, plans to designate his teenage daughter as his successor, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers yesterday.
Kim's daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old, made her public debut at a missile test in November 2022. Speculation about her political future mounted after she joined her parents on a New Year's Day visit to a site with the bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather—North Korea's first and second leaders. South Korea previously said it was unlikely Kim Ju Ae would succeed her father, given North Korea's patriarchal society. She reportedly has an older brother and a younger sibling whose gender is unknown.
Kim is expected to outline policy goals at a party conference this month—the first since 2021. North Korea's economy reportedly grew 3.7% in 2024—its fastest pace in eight years—driven largely by expanded trade with China and arms exports to Russia.
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The Call Is Coming From Inside the House …
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The spam call, that is. Classic horror tropes aside, have you noticed an uptick in calls from unknown numbers lately? You're not alone. Millions of people are contacted by phone scammers every day, and the numbers they choose aren't random—they're scraped from the internet, and they won't end as long as your personal info is available online. .
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is barred from Olympic race after defying International Olympic Committee by wearing a helmet honoring athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago .
> US men's hockey beats Latvia 5-1 in preliminary Olympic game; rival Canada beats Czechia 5-0 . | US snowboarder Chloe Kim falls short of third straight gold in Olympic women's halfpipe, wins silver .
> GoFundMe for family of "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek surpasses $1.3M within 24 hours of his death from colorectal cancer; treatment costs reportedly left his wife and six children in significant financial strain .
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I grew up hearing these B-36 take off and land at Loring AFB in the early 50s What a site and sound…Sometimes on a clear day you could see a speck and then hear the noise of the bird at high altitude….skip
On open house days my buddy and I would get there early and run to the B-36 and start seeing how fast we could travel on the track from the cockpit to the Tail Gunner position. There was a piece you could lay on like what folks use to slide under cars. There was a line that went above you that you could use to propel yourself or your buddy could turn a crank and that was fun. Usually we got kicked out after a while as others wanted to play on it also. The life as an Air Force Brat was fun unless you got caught….skip.
In my archives I have a movie of Jimmy Stewart going through all the checks and flying one.
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Convair B-36J-75-CF (S/N 52-2827, the last production B-36J,.
1959: On 12 February 1959, after 4 years, 5 months, 30 days service, the Air Force returned the bomber to Fort Worth. 52-2827 departed Biggs Air Force Base at 11:00 a.m., under the command of Major Frederick J. Winter. Other pilots were Colonel Gerald M. Robinson, commanding the 95th Wing, and Captain Wilson P. Smith. (Colonel Robinson flew as first pilot during the takeoff, while Major Winter flew the landing.) The bomber's crew were hand-picked, and included two navigators, two flight engineers, an observer, two radio operators, two gunners and a crew chief. Ten newspaper, radio and television reporters were on board as well.
The B-36 touched down at Amon Carter Field at 2:55 p.m. The Peacemaker's log book was closed out with a total of 1,414 hours, 50 minutes, flight time. After a ceremony attended by thousands, the bomber was officially retired. A bugler blew "Taps," and then the Peacemaker was towed away. It was put on display at Amon Carter Field. After decades of neglect, the bomber was placed in the care of the Pima Air and Space Museum at Tucson for restoration and display..
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This Day in U S Military History
February 13
1854 – Admiral Perry anchors off Yokosuka, Japan to receive Emperor's reply to treaty proposal. This agreement, forced on the Tokugawa shogunate by Commodore Perry's menacing "black ships," ended over two centuries of virtual exclusion (the exception being the Dutch) of foreign traders from the coast of Japan. The intrusion of the U.S. in the first place derived from the ill-treatment accorded American whaling crews when shipwrecked off the coast or landing for provisions or repairs. The treaty fully satisfied the U.S. government's concerns in this regard but left to the future the equally important matter of opening the country to foreign trade; concluded in 1858 with the signing of the Harris treaty. Perry's great achievement was widely recognized at the time. Perhaps there is no better praise for this naval veteran of 45 years' service than the collective memorial sent by the American merchants at Canton to the Commodore in Sept. 1854 on his return trip to the U.S.: "You have conquered the obstinate will of man and, by overturning the cherished policy of an empire, have brought an estranged but culturated people into the family of nations. You have done this without violence, and the world has looked on with admiration to see the barriers of prejudice fall before the flag of our country without the firing of a shot."
1923 – Chuck Yeager is born. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager grew up in Myra, on the Mud River in West Virginia. His dirt-poor youth was filled with hillbilly themes that sound romantic today, but probably weren't much fun at the time: making moonshine, eating cornmeal mush three times a day, shooting squirrels for dinner, chasing rats out of the kitchen, going barefoot all summer, butchering hogs, and stealing watermelons. At an early age Chuck could do well at anything requiring manual dexterity or math: ping-pong, shooting, auto mechanics. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps when he graduated from Hamlin High School in 1941, and became an airplane mechanic. He hated flying, after throwing up his first time in the air. But when the chance came to become a "Flying Sergeant," with three stripes and no K.P., he applied, and was accepted. His good cordination, mechanical abilities, and excellent memory enabled him to impress his instructors in flight training. Assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron, of the 357th Fighter Group, he moved up to P-39s with the squadron at Tonopah, Nevada. The 357th FG shipped out for Europe in winter of 1943-44, and began operations in February, 1944, the first P-51 equipped unit in the Eighth Air Force. Yeager shot down his first Messerschmitt on his seventh mission (one of the early Mustang missions over Berlin), and the next day, March 5, three FW-190s caught him and shot him down. He bailed out over occupied France, being careful to delay pulling his ripcord until he had fallen far enough to avoid getting strafed by the German fighters. Ike decided to allow Yeager to return to combat in the summer of 1944, which he did with a vengence, now flying a P-51D nicknamed Gorgeous Glennis, gaudily decorated in the red-and-yellow trim of the 357th. At first, the pickings were slim, as the German fliers seemed to be laying low. He flew in a four plane division with Bud Anderson and Don Bochkay, two other double aces. On September 18, he flew in support of the Market Garden glider drops over Arnhem, but couldn't do much to stop the appalling slaughter of the C-47s. By this time, he had been promoted to Lieutenant, a commissioned officer. Yeager became an 'ace-in-a-day' on October 12, leading a bomber escort over Bremen. As he closed in on one Bf-109, the pilot broke left and collided with his wingman; both bailed out, giving Yeager credit for two victories without firing a shot. In a sharp dogfight, Yeager's vision, flying skills, and gunnery gave him three more quick kills. He flew his last "combat" mission in January, 14 1945. After WW2, Chuck Yeager was assigned to be a test pilot at Muroc Field in California. The Army had developed a small, bullet-shaped aircraft, the Bell X-1, to challenge the sound barrier. A civilian pilot, Slick Goodlin, had taken the Bell X-1 to .7 Mach, when Yeager started to fly it. He pushed the small plane up to .8, .85, and then to .9 Mach. The date of Oct. 14, 1947 was set for the attempt to do Mach 1. Only a slight problem developed. Two nights before, after an evening at Pancho's, Chuck and Glennis went out horseback riding, Chuck was thrown, and broke two ribs on his right side. He couldn't have reported this to the Army doctors; they might have given the flight to someone else. So Yeager taped up his ribs and did his best to keep up appearances. On the day of the flight, it became apparent that, with his injured right side, he wouldn't be able to shut the door of the Bell X-1. In the plane's tiny cockpit; he could only use his (useless) right hand. He confessed his problem to Ridley, the flight engineer. In a stroke of genius, Ridley sawed off a short piece of broomstick handle; using it with his left hand, Yeager was able to get enough leverage to slam the door shut. And that day, Chuck Yeager became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. Through the 1950's and 60's, Yeager continued his successful career as an Air Force officer and test pilot. One of the planes he tested in 1963 was the NF-104, an F-104 with a rocket over the tailpipe, an airplane which theoretically could climb to over 120,000 feet. Yeager made the first three flights of the NF-104. On the fourth, he planned to exceed the magic 100,000 foot level. He cut in the rocket boosters at 60,000 feet and it roared upwards. He gets up to 104,000 feet before trouble set in. The NF-104's nose wouldn't go down. It went into a flat spin and tumbled down uncontrollably. At 21,000 feet, Yeager desperately popped the tail parachute rig, which briefly righted the attitude of the plane. But the nose promptly rose back up and the NF-104 began spinning again. It was hopeless. At 7,000 feet Yeager ejected. He got tangled up with his seat and leftover rocket fuel, which burnt him horribly. He hit the ground in great pain and his face blackened and burned, but standing upright with his chute rolled up and his helmet in his arm when the rescue helicopter arrived. He went to Vietnam as commander of the 405th Fighter Wing in 1966 and flew 127 combat missions, and eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier General. In February 1968, he took command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and in February 1968, led its deployment to Korea during the Pueblo crisis. In July 1969, he became vice commander of the 17th Air Force, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and then, in January 1971, he was assigned as U.S. defense representative to Pakistan. On June 1, 1973, he commenced his final active duty assignment as director of the AF Safety and Inspection Center at Norton Air Force Base, Calif. After a 34-year military career, he retired on March 1, 1975. At the time of his retirement, he had flown more than 10,000 hours in more than 330 different types and models of aircraft. In 1986, Yeager was appointed to the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger accident.
1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson decides to undertake the sustained bombing of North Vietnam that he and his advisers have been contemplating for a year. Earlier in the month, the president had ordered Operation Flaming Dart in response to communist attacks on U.S. installations in South Vietnam. These retaliatory raids did not have the desired effect of causing the North Vietnamese to cease support of Viet Cong forces in South Vietnam, and out of frustration, Johnson turned to a more extensive use of airpower. Called Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing campaign was designed to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. The first Rolling Thunder mission took place on March 2, 1965, when 100 U.S. Air Force and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) planes struck the Xom Bang ammunition dump 100 miles southeast of Hanoi. In July 1966, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities, and in the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi-Haiphong area.Operation Rolling Thunder was closely controlled by the White House and at times targets were personally selected by President Johnson. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. A total of nearly 900 U.S. aircraft were lost during Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson, under increasing domestic political pressure, halted it on October 31, 1968.
1968 – As an emergency measure in response to the 1968 communist Tet Offensive, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara approves the deployment of 10,500 troops to cope with threats of a second offensive. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had argued against dispatching any reinforcements at the time because it would seriously deplete the strategic reserve, immediately sent McNamara a memorandum asking that 46,300 reservists and former servicemen be activated. Not wanting to test public opinion on what would no doubt be a controversial move, Johnson consigned the issue of the reservists to "study." Ultimately, he decided against a large-scale activation of the reserve forces.
2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HORTON, JAMES
Rank and organization: Captain of the Top, U.S. Navy. Born: 1850, Boston, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Constitution, at sea, 13 February 1879, Horton showed courageous conduct in going over the stern during a heavy gale and cutting the fastenings of the ship's rudder chains.
MATTHEWS, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Captain of the Top, U.S. Navy. Born: 1849, Malta. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For courageous conduct in going over the stern of the U.S.S. Constitution at sea, 13 February 1879, during a heavy gale, and cutting the fastenings of the ship's rudder chains.
WILLIAMS, HENRY
Rank and organization: Carpenter's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born 1833 Canada. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884 Citation: For going over the stern of the U.S.S. Constitution, at sea, 13 February 1879, during a heavy gale, and performing important carpenter's work upon her rudder.
*PEREZ, MANUEL, JR.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division. Place and date: Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 February 1945. Entered service at. Chicago, Ill. Born: 3 March 1923 Oklahoma City, Okla. G.O. No.: 124, 27 December 1945. Citation: He was lead scout for Company A, which had destroyed 11 of 12 pillboxes in a strongly fortified sector defending the approach to enemy-held Fort William McKinley on Luzon, Philippine Islands. In the reduction of these pillboxes, he killed 5 Japanese in the open and blasted others in pillboxes with grenades. Realizing the urgent need for taking the last emplacement, which contained 2 twin-mount .50-caliber dual-purpose machineguns, he took a circuitous route to within 20 yards of the position, killing 4 of the enemy in his advance. He threw a grenade into the pillbox, and, as the crew started withdrawing through a tunnel just to the rear of the emplacement, shot and killed 4 before exhausting his clip. He had reloaded and killed 4 more when an escaping Japanese threw his rifle with fixed bayonet at him. In warding off this thrust, his own rifle was knocked to the ground. Seizing the Jap rifle, he continued firing, killing 2 more of the enemy. He rushed the remaining Japanese, killed 3 of them with the butt of the rifle and entered the pillbox, where he bayoneted the 1 surviving hostile soldier. Single-handedly, he killed 18 of the enemy in neutralizing the position that had held up the advance of his entire company. Through his courageous determination and heroic disregard of grave danger, Pfc. Perez made possible the successful advance of his unit toward a valuable objective and provided a lasting inspiration for his comrades.
*CREEK, THOMAS E.
Rank and organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company I, 3d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Near Cam Lo, Republic of Vietnam, 13 February. 1969. Entered service at: Amarillo, Texas. Born 7 April 1950, Joplin, Mo. Citation:: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifleman with Company 1 in action against enemy forces. L/Cpl. Creek's squad was providing security for a convoy moving to resupply the Vandegrift Command Base when an enemy command detonated mine destroyed 1 of the vehicles and halted the convoy near the Cam Lo Resettlement Village. Almost immediately, the marines came under a heavy volume of hostile mortar fire followed by intense small-arms fire from a well-concealed enemy force. As his squad deployed to engage the enemy, L/Cpl. Creek quickly moved to a fighting position and aggressively engaged in the fire fight. Observing a position from which he could more effectively deliver fire against the hostile forces. he completely disregarded his own safety as he fearlessly dashed across the fire-swept terrain and was seriously wounded by enemy fire. At the same time, an enemy grenade was thrown into the gully where he had fallen, landing between him and several companions. Fully realizing the inevitable results of his action, L/Cpl. Creek rolled on the grenade and absorbed the full force of the explosion with his body, thereby saving the lives of 5 of his fellow marines. As a result of his heroic action, his men were inspired to such aggressive action that the enemy was defeated and the convoy was able to continue its vital mission. L/Cpl. Creek's indomitable courage, inspired the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 13, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
13 February
1913: Smithsonian Institute regents appointed an advisory committee to inaugurate the Aerodynamic Laboratory project at Langley Field, Va. (24)
1917: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. Capt Francis T. Evans (U. S. Marine Corps) became the first pilot to successfully loop a seaplane. At 3,500 feet above Pensacola Bay, Fla., he completed the maneuver in a Curtiss N-9. Afterwards, the N-9 stalled, went into a spin, and almost crashed. He avoided certain death by developing a life saving spin-recovery technique. Evans received a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1936 for this achievement. (10) (24)
1921: The first link of the Model Airways System opened with a route from Dayton, Ohio, to Washington, D. C. In June 1922, the Army Air Service began scheduled passenger and cargo flights over the government-sponsored nationwide air system "for the transport of Government officials and express." Before the federal government disbanded the airways in 1926 to foster private enterprise, Model Airways routes extended from Texas to Massachusetts and made possible the transit of 1,200 passengers and 62,000 pounds of cargo. (18)
1942: The North American Mustang I (NA-83), built for the Royal Air Force, first flew. (5)
1943: The Vought F4U Corsair went into action for the first time as Marine Fighter Squadron 124 pilots escorted PB4Ys to the Bougainville area. (24)
13-15 February
1945: Allied bombers begin the attack on targets in Dresden, Germany. Late on the 13th, RAF aircraft carefully marked the target for the attacking bombers who struck just after 1 A.M. on the morning of the 14th. American B-17s continued the bombardment during the day after launching more than 1,300 aircraft to attack marshalling yards and oil depots. Sixteen groups of escort fighters accompany the bombers during these raids that night and the following day.
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 16 February, the 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo) used 100-plus airlifters to drop 420 tons of food and ammunition around-the-clock to the 23d Regimental Combat Team and a French battalion at Chipyong-ni. H-5 helicopters delivered medical supplies to the troops and evacuated more than 40 wounded. Fifth Air Force flew close air support missions that enabled the surrounded troops to hold out until relieved by a friendly armored column. Additionally, the 315th Air Division airlifted 800-plus sick and wounded U.S. troops from forward airstrips at Wonju and other fields to Taegu and Pusan. This airlift used so many C-47s that they were not available for other airlift demands. (21) (28) A Pan American-Grace Airways DC-6 set a 9-hour, 53-minute record for the 2,734-mile flight from Miami to Lima, Peru. (24)
1954: In a P-51, Joe DeBona set a Federation Aeronautique International cross-country speed record by flying 2,467 miles from Los Angeles, Calif., to New York, N. Y., in 4 hours 24 minutes 17 seconds. (9)
1955: McDonnell test pilot C.V. Brown flew the F3H-1N Demon to an unofficial climb record to 10,000 feet in 71 seconds. (5)
1955: The Killian Report from the Technological Capabilities Panel of the Science Advisory Committee, Office of Defense Management, recommended assigning the highest national priority to the ballistic missile program. It also urged the simultaneous development of intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
FROM THE REPORT:
"The National Security Council formally recognize the present Air Force program for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile as a nationally supported effort of highest priority."
James Killian (above) held several technology-related posts. He was Head, Technological Capabilities Panel, Science Advisory Committee, Office of Defense Mobilization; Chairman, President's Board on Foreign Intelligence Activities; and Special Assistant to President Eisenhower for Science and Technology.
1959: The 5th Bombardment Wing at Travis AFB, Calif., received the Strategic Air Command's first B-52G (Tail No. 57-6478), "The Spirit of Solano County." This model had more fuel tanks to increase its nonrefueled range from 6,000 to 10,000 miles. It could also carry two nuclear-armed Hound Dog missiles. (1)
1961: A Bullpup (GAM-83B) is test fired from an F-100 Super Sabre flying at supersonic speed. Earlier, the GAM-79 White Lance missile was merged into Bullpup development, and the result was a missile, which was like the U.S. Navy's ASM-N-7a Bullpup A, with the exception of an improved guidance system. The GAM-83B was a derivative of the GAM-83A with a body section of larger diameter, which could be fitted with a 1-15 kT W-45 nuclear fission warhead
1968: After the Commander United States Forces Vietnam asked for more troops to check the Tet Offensive, the Military Airlift Command airlifted 10,500 troops and equipment of the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N. C., and a regimental landing team of the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to Vietnam. The airlift continued through 17 February. In the meantime, Air Force Reserve military airlift units assigned to the Continental Air Command moved channel traffic in the states to assist the Military Airlift Command. (18)
1974: The first HAVE MILL program launch, using an Athena-H, took place from the Wake Island Launch Complex to test a reentry vehicle in an anti-ballistic missile role. (5)
1981: The U. S. and United Kingdom signed an agreement for Rapier missiles. They would be used for air base air defense in the United Kingdom. (4)
1982: Exercise TEAM SPIRIT 82. Through 26 April, Pacific Air Forces conducted this exercise in Korea. It involved nearly 14,500 people, 177 combat and support aircraft, and over 7,000 sorties. (16)
1987: TYPHOON UMA. Through 15 February, two C-141 Starlifters and two C-130 Hercules aircraft flew 64 tons of tents and plastic sheeting to Vanuatu, New Hebrides following this storm. The aircraft also searched the waters around the islands for survivors of shipwrecks. (16) (26)
1993: Operation PROVIDE REFUGE. Through 9 March, the USAF sent airlift aircraft with tons of food and relief supplies from Hawaii to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, to help 535 Chinese refugees whose ship had broken down in mid-Pacific. (16)
1999: An Air Force Flight Test Center test crew successfully flew a C-130 Autonomous Landing Guidance System technology demonstration flight test. The new system allowed aircraft to land safely on a prepared runway even in zero visibility conditions. (3)
2007: EXERCISE FALCON CONDOR 07. Through 16 February, nearly 150 Airmen participated in a joint military exercise with the Peruvian Air Force. The exercise allowed the U.S. military to build relationships with Peru's military and civilian leaders. It involved the C-130 Hercules, E-3A Sentry, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the B-1 Lancer. Afterwards, the aircraft remained in Peru for two more days to perform in the Falcon Condor air show. (AFNEWS, "Airmen Work Alongside Peruvian Military During Joint Exercise," 13 Feb 2007.)
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