TheList 7464

To All.

Good Wednesday Morning March 4 2026.

.The sun is expected around 10 this morning  and temp to 72 around 2. The  weather is going to be nice for the next week or so. Toni gave me a great present yesterday when a gang of workers showed up and did the back yard. There are still things to do but it is all hauled away and the weeds and leaves are mostly gone. There is still the .weeds by the Bridle path that runs through the bottom part of the yard

.As soon as I get this List launched I will get the dishes put away from the dishwasher, the trashcans out for pick up, chickens fed and let the dogs run.

Looking forward to Lunch tomorrow and Bubba Breakfast on Friday.

Warm Regards,

skip

HAGD

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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)

Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.    Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams. 

1825—The schooner Grampus, commanded by Lt. Francis H. Gregory, captures a pirate sloop off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.

1862—The wooden side-wheel steamship USS Santiago de Cuba, commanded by Cmdr. Daniel B. Ridgely, reports the capture of sloop O.K. off Cedar Keys, FL.

1925—Congress authorizes the restoration of frigate USS Constitution, which had launched in 1797. In July 1931, amid a 21-gun salute, Constitution is recommissioned and sails on a tour of 90 U.S. ports along three coasts.

1945—USS Baya (SS 318) sinks merchant tanker Palembang Maru off Cape Varella, French Indochina, and USS Tilefish (SS 307) and sinks Japanese fishing vessel ShikoMaru.

1963—US Navy C-130 Hercules aircraft complete a 12-day rescue operation of a critically-ill Danish seaman from a Danish freighter off the coast of Antarctic.

1991—Iraq releases 10 Desert Storm prisoners of war (six Americans, three of whom were designated MIA), including Navy Lt. Jeffrey Zaun, Lt. Robert Wetzel, and Lt. Lawrence Slade.

 

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This Day in World History

4 March

1152 Frederick Barbarossa is chosen as emperor and unites the two factions, which emerged in Germany after the death of Henry V.

1461 Henry VI is deposed and the Duke of York is proclaimed King Edward IV.

1634 Samuel Cole opens the first tavern in Boston, Massachusetts.

1766 The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, the cause of bitter and violent opposition in the colonies

1789 The first Congress of the United States meets in New York and declares that the Constitution is in effect.

1791 Vermont is admitted as the 14th state. It is the first addition to the original 13 colonies.

1793 George Washington is inaugurated as President for the second time.

1797 Vice-President John Adams, elected President on December 7, to replace George Washington, is sworn in.

1801 Thomas Jefferson becomes the first President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.

1813 The Russians fighting against Napoleon reach Berlin. The French garrison evacuates the city without a fight.

1861 The Confederate States of America adopt the "Stars and Bars" flag.

1877 The Russian Imperial Ballet stages the first performance of "Swan Lake" in Moscow.

1901 William McKinley is inaugurated president for the second time. Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as vice president.

1904 Russian troops begin to retreat toward the Manchurian border as 100,000 Japanese advance in Korea.

1908 The New York board of education bans the act of whipping students in school.

1912 The French council of war unanimously votes a mandatory three-year military service.

1914 Doctor Fillatre of Paris, France successfully separates Siamese twins.

1921 Warren G. Harding is sworn in as America's 29th President.

1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated to his first term as president in Washington, D.C.

1944 Berlin is bombed by the American forces for the first time.

1952 North Korea accuses the United nations of using germ warfare.

1963 Six people get the death sentence in Paris plotting to kill President Charles de Gaulle.

1970 Fifty-seven people are killed as the French submarine Eurydice sinks in the Mediterranean Sea.

1975 Queen Elizabeth II knights Charlie Chaplin.

1987 President Reagan takes full responsibility for the Iran-Contra affair in a national address.

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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 .

.

 

 Thanks to Micro

From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..March 4 . .

March 4: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2493 

 

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. Thanks to Mugs

Ever wondered how politicians become so rich on a government salary?
Mugs.

From a friend:

 

"I have said for years the top crook in Congress I always heard about (specific capers and relatives she made rich by funneling  insider information)---- which I observed and heard about daily from 1984 to 2009.  I dealt with various Congressional projects (and courts) in a paper pusher capacity --- and all I heard day in and day out --- was how corrupt this lady was................found some of it unbelievable -- but --- everyone swore to the stories...despite my continually asking "how does she get away with this?"    I never got a good answer.  I was in "utter belief" then - Tucker and be so now." [I'm not sure what this means. I guess it's just a typo. Mugs]

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TODAYS ARTICLE

 

Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is regarded as one of the most corrupt politicians in American politics, but a recent guest on Tucker Carlson's podcast revealed that she is even MORE corrupt than anybody knows and it left Tucker in utter disbelief.

The guest was a man named Chris Josephs, who created the "Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker" X account which monitors

Pelosi's stock trades that, with the help of a little insider trading, consistently outperforms the best traders in the world by quite some margin.

Josephs revealed that since 2012 alone, Pelosi's net worth has skyrocketed from $20 million to upwards of $260 million – which is more than a 10x return… for a politician…

 

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. Thanks to Kit

I don't remember who sent this to me.

 

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?    We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.   How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

 

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

 

If:

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

 

Then:

 

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

 

And

 

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

 

But,

 

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

 

And,

 

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T

2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

 

AND,

 

look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G

 

1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

 

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass Kissing that will put you over the top.

 

 

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. Two stories about two legends of the USMC

Thanks to Shadow

Dutch… Skip…

When Hal brought up "Earthquake McGoon"… I couldn't help but be reminded of John Verdi again. In all our careers… all of us have known some folks we consider "larger than life"… like McGoon… Verdi was larger than life to me. I was proud to call John a friend… but he was one of the most demanding, complicated and unique human beings I have ever known… and by far possessed the greatest intellect I have been exposed to. And if that wasn't enough; at times he could be one of the scariest men I have known as  well. John could intimidate like no one I've ever known… he could infuriate the best of friends. He didn't just expect loyalty… he flat ass demanded it. Like any legend… he had his followers and detractors… most of the latter just couldn't meet his standards. As a result, he got a lot of bad legend as well as good. He couldn't have cared less. I think I'm an iconoclast… but I'm a piker compared to John. He was just so "out there"… on a plane most of us couldn't even comprehend… after a while, you learned to just go along… because he was so far ahead of everyone else, you just said "fuck it"… he's always right anyway.

He was born to a Wall Street lawyer and a New York Socialite. John loved his dad and

had a love/hate relationship with his mother. At an early age… his life was complicated. Mom dragged him off to pre-war England where he attended the Dragon's School… while she attended Oxford. He soloed a glider at age nine… taught by the most famous German ex-patriot aviator of the time.

He got a full academic ride to MIT at age 16… and dropped out when one of his

professors plagiarized his work and the Dean refused to fire him… John was infuriated

and joined the Navy. He was accepted into the NAVCAD Program and upon graduation, chose to become a Marine (logical choice, since we Marines were far more tolerant of unique personalities than our brethren in Blue). He was sent to jet transition at Cecil Field and survived a mid-air with a Banshee. John was taking off in his Panther and the Banshee pilot led a flight of three into the break, well below pattern altitude, hitting John in the tail and he rode it in and survived. John loved Grumman Iron Works… said he'd have to be on fire and out of control before he'd punch out from one (ironically, I've often wondered if this was what eventually did him in when we lost him… I'll cover that later).

He went on to Korea and flew with VMF-311… had a 100 plus missions, shared a tent

with Ted Williams and was a stand out even then. He loved to tell the story of the C.O. showing gun camera film from his F-9 while he (John) was strafing a ground target during an AOM… you could tell John was pretty focused and getting' good hits… then from the left side you see a silver P-80 come into the picture, crossing from left to right. John never let up and continued to fire. The C.O. stops the film and says, "Verdi, didn't you see the P-80"?... "Yes Sir", John replied… "Well why didn't you stop shooting"?

"Because he didn't belong there". That was John.

After Korea he was recruited to fly with CAT in support of the French in Indo-China…

and that's where the two legends met. Verdi (as it seems everyone else as well) loved

McGoon… said he was the greatest raconteur, pilot and con man that ever lived. Said he could smell a newsman a mile away and often had the guy buy drinks for everyone while

McGoon told stories… the price of admission… "Take care of my guys and I'll tell you a story or two". Verdi was on Earthquake's wing when he went in.

This is leading up to just one of the Verdi legends.

Before the Viet Minh got enough artillery and AAA around Dien Bien Phu… Verdi and

McGoon actually landed there on a dirt strip by the garrison. They'd be bringing in

supplies and ammunition and carrying wounded and passengers out. One day the garrison commander approached John as he was standing next to his aircraft (C-119 Boxcar) as it was being unloaded. The Colonel had a prisoner problem… They'd captured so many Viet Minh… they didn't have room for them or enough troops to guard them… he wanted John to take out at least 75 prisoners when he flew out.

Ever the logic… John did some quick calculations… they were little bitty Gomers

according to John and he figured the aircraft could handle the weight… but he'd be close to max gross. After a minute or two, he turned to the Colonel and said he'd do it on three conditions. Take off the clam shell rear doors (no big deal, they flew without them all the time)… He wanted two armed guards' with submachine guns… again; no problem…

then he wanted the prisoners "palletized"… 25 chained to a pallet, three pallets in all. The Colonel agreed to John's demands.

The Colonel then made the mistake of asking John, "Why the pallets… just chain them to the bulkheads in the airplane"? He shouldn't have asked!

John then explained why… "Well Colonel, we'll be taking off very close to max gross

weight… and I've got to cross some pretty good sized mountains to get to Hanoi or

Haiphong… if I take a hit coming out of here and lose an engine… I'll never clear those

mountains on one engine… and you can see the wing and engines are above you… when you crash… those "heavies" that live above you, will come crashing down on your head… and you'll be dead… so what I intend to do… if we lose an engine… is to jettison ,the appropriate number… or all of pallets… in order to save my crew"

John Verdi

. Thanks to Shadow

VERDI II

I included some of this in an obit I did on John for Air Classics magazine some years

ago… it was right after John went missing and I didn't quite get it all right in the emotion of the moment… I'll try to do a better job this time. I also need to mention I'm going on what John told me as I was not there for this one… I'm sure some of you in this group know "Little John"… and he can fill in any holes in the story. I also need to do a little more background on the character of this very complicated human being. As brilliant as he was, John had total disdain for those he considered "rotten

intellectuals". He viewed most of them as conniving, deceitful people… bent on

manipulating mankind instead of serving it. He was very much a student of history and believed greatly in its lessons. He learned Latin so he could read the Holy Book in its' unedited form and was as he'd say; "A student of Christianity… if not a practitioner". His politics would be hard to place… like me… more Jeffersonian than Hamiltonian in

approach… yet totally against the leftist in our modern society.

He was… if anything, most at home in the warrior culture… he believed deeply in the

concept of the citizen warrior… and as such he adamantly refused a regular commission each and every time it was offered... spent his whole career as a reserve officer. John was fearless of superiors and was fond of remarking (even in front of senior officers)… "Wars are won by leadership… not Generalship". He was particularly against what he called the "phony careerist" that inhabited the Pentagon… called them "Perfumed Princes". And he really revolted at the concept of the various service academies… calling them cesspools of nepotism and patronage. He once remarked that the nation would be well served if the Naval Academy was bulldozed into the Severn River (don't get mad at me, just explaining John).

He absolutely hated the concept limited engagement. In John's mind, you don't go to war unless you intend to win it… his philosophy was simple… like the fierce North American Plains Indian tribe, the Blackfoot; his attitude was… "Dead enemy, best way to peace". And John hated the enemy… didn't make any sense to him to try to kill someone unless you hated them or what they stood for. And he hated the Communists with a passion. I've tried to let you get a sense of the man… to set the stage for what he did… and what prompted it.

I'm sure a lot of you will remember the incident that was the catalyst for what happened. An unarmed AD-5 (I think it was an EA-1E) had left Subic Bay, enroute to one of the carriers on Yankee Station. Of course this was before GPS and all the other wonderful NAVAIDS we enjoy today… it was a long flight over water and most of it "dead reckoning". In the course of its flight, the old Spad strayed off course and ended up in the territorial waters of Hainan Island, controlled by the Red Chinese. The Chinese launched Migs to intercept the intruder and began to shoot it down.

John was airborne that day and heard the "Mayday" call from the Spad… he also heard

the running commentary of the Spad driver as he screamed for help on Guard Channel. I

wasn't there so I'm repeating what I heard from memory. What incensed John so much

was two things… once the aircraft was forced to ditch, the pilot comes up on his survival

radio begging for someone to help them… that they were now getting strafed in the

water. A CSAR was launched and the Alert Birds were also… but as they converged on

the area… a voice comes up on the radio… call sign "Jehovah"… (CINCPACFLT) and

ordered that no helicopters or aircraft were to penetrate Chinese Territorial waters in

order to facilitate rescue. John was absolutely outraged by what he considered the

abandonment of a fellow warrior… and vowed; somehow… he'd settle the score. Truth be known, he was as outraged at CINCPACFLT as he was at the Chinese.

John had moved up to the Group as the XO about this time… it gave him a lot of time to plot and plan.

We Marines at Da Nang in those days had a night mission that was usually boring and

safe. It was the TPQ mission. Basically it was the aviation equivalent to artillery H & I

fire (harassment and interdiction)… an F-4 would take off from Da Nang loaded with 4 to 6 bombs… hook up with the TPQ site at Dong Ha and they would then be vectored out into the elsewhere area, for a radar controlled bomb drop. I'm assuming on a suspected troop buildup area or some other known or suspected target… the area covered would be the northern most I Corps, the DMZ and west toward Laos. I don't know of anyone flying the mission that reported any secondary explosions… but some did get radio calls of "good hit"… which meant that on occasion, someone on the ground, probably a recon patrol was in the area. Most felt it a waste of time and ordinance, feeling that probably the most damage done was to deny a little sleep to the NVA… but obviously someone higher up believed in the mission. It was this mission that became the foundation of John's plan.

What he did took a lot of planning and of course required co-conspirators… since "Little John" would be in the backseat… he was the first recruit. I've heard that Little John has finally spoken publicly about the mission at a forum in Pensacola (the statute of limitations has run out)… and I'm glad he did.

John and Little John working with others… had the best bird in the squadron loaded up with three drop tanks… wall to wall missiles… and only two 250 lb bombs. Not

overlooking anything… John also ordered new tires all around; it was going to be a

heavyweight take off. John then enlisted the help of an old Chinese gentleman in Da

Nang to draw up a leaflet in Chinese characters, containing an appropriate insult and

challenge. They were a little bigger than a dollar bill and I think the number printed was about a thousand. (I have one framed and on display at the Falcon's Nest at Amelia Island) They were then carefully packed in the speed brake cavities of the F-4. (By the way, this was not the only "leaflet drop" done by John… there were others I can cover later.)

John and Little John then volunteered for a late night TPQ mission.

At zero dark thirty, they took off and to all appearances flew a normal TPQ… the only

reason they had any bombs on board was in case a recon patrol was in the area, they'd at least hear an explosion, giving plausible deniability if their plot was discovered. Immediately upon "bombs away"… John radioed they were taking fire and he was taking evasive action… he then split-essed to the deck (below radar coverage)… and took up a heading for Lang Shuie Air Base on Hainan Island. In their mad dash across the Tonkin Gulf… they had to stay low enough to evade not only the Chinese radar, but our own as well. On arrival, they flew right down the main runway at about 100 feet… pickled the drop tanks and spread the leaflets by popping the speed brakes. John then pulled up, did a tear drop and came back down the runway at a little over Mach I to give a sonic boom wake up call in case they hadn't heard him the first time. This time they continued up to about 26,000 feet and went into an orbit. John knew they were now on our radar… but assumed our guys would think he was a Chinese fighter on a routine mission. How long they stayed on station, I'm not sure… but when it became obvious the Chinese weren't taking the bait… John executed another split-S and flew back across the Gulf undetected.

They popped up south of Dong Ha and flew back to Da Nang and landed as if it

were just a routine mission. I've never had the leaflet interpreted… but John told me they basically said the Chinese were gutless killers for firing on an unarmed aircraft, they were sons of turtles (evidently a mortal insult to a Chinaman)… and if they were real men they'd come up and fight, he'd be waiting for them. Well, they didn't bite.

That night there was a small celebration in "Mudville"… and to my knowledge… no one outside the small group of conspirators ever found out about it until years later…

excepting the Chinese of course. John figured the Chinese would be too embarrassed to file a complaint, considering the insult and unaccepted challenge. I guess he was right. Over the years, as I've related the story to others… I've been amazed at the different reactions… some thought he was a mad man… bent on starting WW III… but others like me… accepted it as John's way of living up to his warrior code. He wanted to win and raged at those who would not protect their own.

In his later years… John endured what I called his "Days of Rage"… a warrior without a war… and a man who saw weakness and compromise all around him. He would write and rant on how this country deserved the government it got… it was going to hell in a hand basket… that citizenship should have to be earned as opposed to being granted upon birth… and I have to say, considering the choices for president these days… I'm inclined to agree with him.

We lost John on Halloween 1991… and like I would have expected… he just disappeared from radar flying a F9F-8T back from California for a civilian owner… no call… no final words. As in life, his death remains a mystery. But then again… that's another story.

 

Shadow

 

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Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 4, and we're covering the first murder conviction of an alleged school shooter's parent, a lab-made backup liver, and much more. .

Don't keep us a secret: Share the email with friends .

And, as always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com.

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US Embassies Close

The US shut embassies in three Gulf countries—Beirut, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia—yesterday amid the ongoing war with Iran. The US State Department encouraged Americans in 14 countries, including nonessential staff in six Gulf embassies, to depart immediately. See the list of countries here.

The update came as President Donald Trump said US munitions were in hefty supply, potentially allowing the war to continue indefinitely, up from his projected timeline of four to five weeks. Israel, meanwhile, sent ground troops into southern Lebanon after Hezbollah launched rockets in response to US and Israeli strikes in Iran. (Hezbollah, an Iranian-allied militia, pledges allegiance to the country's supreme leader; see background on the group here.)

Israel has said it destroyed at least 70 of Hezbollah's weapons storage facilities as of this writing and also claims to have killed the group's intelligence chief, among over 50 people reportedly killed. Separately, the Iranian Red Crescent reported a death count of 787 yesterday from the US and Israeli strikes in Iran.

The conflict sent oil prices up as high as 15% as of this writing. See updates on the conflict here.

 

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Georgia Father Convicted

Colin Gray, the father of a teenager accused of killing four people at a Georgia high school in 2024, was convicted yesterday of 27 counts, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He faces up to 180 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Gray gave his son a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition as a Christmas gift in 2023, ignoring warnings about the teen's mental health and fixation on school shootings and failing to secure the weapon. His son, then 14, allegedly carried the rifle onto a school bus in a book bag before opening fire on Sept. 4, 2024, killing students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, and wounding nine others. His son is awaiting trial.

The news marks the first US conviction of an alleged school shooter's parent for murder. A Michigan couple previously received involuntary manslaughter sentences, while parents in Wisconsin and Texas face related felony charges.

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Injectable 'Satellite' Livers

Engineers have developed an injectable liver cell mixture that can temporarily take over for a failing liver, according to a study published yesterday. The breakthrough could revolutionize long-term liver disease treatment and extend how long patients are able to wait for a donor organ. 

Tests on mice showed how the liver cell mixture forms connections with nearby blood vessels when injected into fat tissue, forming a sort of satellite liver. Over time, blood vessels began to grow around the satellite liver, supplying the injected liver cells with the nutrients they needed to perform basic functions throughout the entire eight-week study. When operating optimally, the human liver plays a role in about 500 essential functions, such as removing bacteria from the bloodstream and metabolizing drugs.

The study comes as hospitals grapple with a shortage of organ donors. Roughly 20% of Americans waiting for a liver transplant die each year; currently, over 10,000 patients are on the waitlist.

 

Unknown Number Calling? It's Not Random

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The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don't pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

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> Christina Applegate, 54, publishes memoir "You With the Sad Eyes," reflecting on acting career and battles with abuse, breast cancer, and multiple sclerosis (More) | Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance amassed nearly 4.2 billion views across platforms within 24 hours, a new global viewership record ..

 

Science & Technology

> Martian microorganisms tucked inside asteroid debris can likely survive interplanetary travel, scientists conclude after testing a comparable Chilean desert bacterium under extreme conditions .

> Macaque monkey species with higher social tolerance have a larger amygdala—a brain structure responsible for social and emotional processing; finding differs from previous studies that primarily link the amygdala to aggressive behaviors (More)

 

> Google to release Chrome web browser update every two weeks starting in September as competition stiffens with AI-powered browsers from OpenAI, Perplexity, and others; updates are currently released every four weeks ..

 

Politics & World Affairs

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> Small plane makes emergency landing in New York's Hudson River after reporting engine issues; pilot and passenger swim through icy water to safety, are hospitalized with minor injuries (More)

 

> Clashes continue between Afghanistan and Pakistan; Pakistan claims death toll surpasses 60 people as of this writing, most of them Afghan soldiers; Afghanistan denies these numbers, and claims they killed four Pakistani soldiers.

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Historybook: Antonio Vivaldi, violinist and composer, born (1678); Jeannette Rankin becomes first female member of US House of Representatives (1917); Frances Perkins becomes secretary of labor, first female member of US Cabinet (1933);  Actor and comedian John Candy dies (1994); Actor Luke Perry dies (2019).

 

 

"Most of man's problems upon this planet, in the long history of the race, have been met and solved either partially or as a whole by experiment based on common sense and carried out with courage."

- Frances Perkins

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This Day in U S Military History

March 4

1944 – The U.S. Eighth Air Force launches the first American bombing raid against the German capital. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) had been conducting night raids against Berlin and other German cities since November 1943, suffering losses at increasingly heavy rates. While the British inflicted significant damage against their targets, the German defenses proved quite effective: The RAF flew 35 major raids between November 1943 and March 1944 and lost 1,047 aircraft, with an even greater number damaged. Having already suffered heavy losses during day raids of various German industrial centers, the Americans had been cautious in pursuing night raids. But in March, with the RAF exhausted, the U.S. Eighth Air Force finally pursued night bombing and made Berlin its primary target. Fourteen U.S. bomber wings took off for Germany from England on the evening of March 4; only one plane reached Berlin (the rest dropped their loads elsewhere; few planes were lost to German defenses). In retrospect, the initial American attack was considered "none too successful" (as recorded in the official history of U.S. Army Air Force). Subsequent attacks in March were more effective.

1945 – On Iwo Jima, the first damaged B -29 uses the landing field.

1993 – Authorities announced the arrest of Mohammad Salameh, a suspect in the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. Salameh was later convicted of playing a key role.

1994 – In New York, four extremists were convicted of the World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured more than a thousand.

2002 – The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and al Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan. For the U.S. side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout al Qaeda forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains. The battle saw three helicopter landings by the U.S. on the mountain top, each greeted by direct assault from al Qaeda forces. Although Takur Ghar was eventually taken, seven U.S. service members were killed and many wounded. In honor of the first casualty of the battle, Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts, the battle is also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

2015 – Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his team of researchers find the Musashi, one of Japan's biggest and most famous battleships which was sunk by American forces in 1944, on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea.

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

RYAN, RICHARD

Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1851, Connecticut. Accredited to: Connecticut. G.O. No.: 207, 23 March 1876. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Hartford, Ryan displayed gallant conduct in jumping overboard at Norfolk, Va., and rescuing from drowning one of the crew of that vessel, 4 March 1876.

WALLACE, GEORGE W.

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 9th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Tinuba, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 4 March 1900. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Birth: Fort Riley, Kans. Date of issue: 25 June 1900. Citation: With another officer and a native Filipino, was shot at from an ambush, the other officer falling severely wounded. 2d Lt. Wallace fired in the direction of the enemy, put them to rout, removed the wounded officer from the path, returned to the town, a mile distant, and summoned assistance from his command.

*McGlLL, TROY A.

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Troop G, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Los Negros Islands, Admiralty Group, 4 March 1944. Entered service at: Ada, Okla. Birth: Knoxville, Tenn. G.O. No.: 74, 11 September 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at Los Negros Island, Admiralty Group, on 4 March 1944. In the early morning hours Sgt. McGill, with a squad of 8 men, occupied a revetment which bore the brunt of a furious attack by approximately 200 drinkcrazed enemy troops. Although covered by crossfire from machineguns on the right and left flank he could receive no support from the remainder of our troops stationed at his rear. All members of the squad were killed or wounded except Sgt. McGill and another man, whom he ordered to return to the next revetment. Courageously resolved to hold his position at all cost, he fired his weapon until it ceased to function. Then, with the enemy only 5 yards away, he charged from his foxhole in the face of certain death and clubbed the enemy with his rifle in handtohand combat until he was killed. At dawn 105 enemy dead were found around his position. Sgt. McGill's intrepid stand was an inspiration to his comrades and a decisive factor in the defeat of a fanatical enemy.

 

GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE

* * * By virtue of an act of Congress approved 4 March 1921, the Medal of Honor, emblem of highest ideals and virtues, is bestowed in the name of the Congress of the United States upon the unknown, unidentified British soldier and French soldier buried, respectively, in Westminster Abbey and Arc de Triomphe.

Whereas: Great Britain and France, two of the Allies of the United States in the World War, have lately done honor to the unknown dead of their armies by placing with fitting ceremony the body of an unknown, unidentified soldier, respectively, in Westminster Abbey and in the Arc de Triomphe; and

Whereas: animated by the same spirit of comradeship in which we of the American forces fought alongside these Allies, we desire to add whatever we can to the imperishable glory won by the deeds of our Allies and commemorated in part by this tribute to their unknown dead: Now, therefore, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States of America be, and he hereby is, authorized to bestow with appropriate ceremonies, military and civil, the Congressional Medal of Honor upon the unknown, unidentified British soldier buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England, and upon the unknown, unidentified French soldier buried in the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France (A.G. 220.523) (War Department General Orders, No. 52, 1 Dec. 1922, Sec. II).

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 4  FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

 

4 March

1915: Congress budgeted $300,000 for Army aviation in FY1916. (24) 1924: After 6 hours of bombing, two Martin Bombers and two DH-4s broke a Platte River ice jam at North Bend, Neb. (8)

1944: FIRST DAYLIGHT-BOMBING RAID ON BERLIN. Eighth Air Force carried out the first daylight attack on Berlin. Bad weather caused the Eighth to recall the bombers after launch; however, 31 B-17s successfully completed the attack. (21)

1949: The Navy's Martin JRM-2 flying boat, Caroline Mars, set a new world passenger load record by carrying 269 people from San Diego to Alameda, Calif. (8) (24)

1954: The Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter first flew at Edwards AFB. (5)

1968: EXERCISE RAMASOON. Through 15 March, six Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) nations participated in this combined command post exercise at Korat Royal Thai AFB. (17)

1972: The 42 BMW at Loring AFB, Maine, received SAC's first operational AGM-69A SRAM for use with its B-52Gs. (1) (6)

1980: The E-4B flew its first mission as SAC's "Looking Glass" aircraft. (12)

1986: Exercise BRIGHT STAR. During this combined U.S. and Egyptian exercise, USAF tankers refueled foreign aircraft for the first time. (21)

1992: Two B-52 Stratofortresses landed in Russia on a friendship mission to demonstrate the end of the Cold War. (16)

1995: The C-17 flew across the Pacific for the first time, landing at Yokota AB. (16)

1997: Exercise Green Flag. The only remaining SR-71 flew from Edwards and performed its first real-time downlink of data while flying at Mach 3.07 at 79,600 feet. (3)

2001: At Newport News, Nancy Reagan christened the USS Ronald Reagan, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. (21)

2002: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During Operation ANACONDA, the USAF experienced its first combat deaths since the 1991 Gulf War. Two airmen died in helicopter assaults near Gardez, Afghanistan. (21) Operation ENDURING FREEDOM/SILVER STAR. A Kentucky ANG pararescue specialist from the 123d Special Tactics Squadron, TSgt Keary Miller, cared for wounded troops and participated in a 15-hour firefight with nearby enemy forces after his Army special operations helicopter crashed on Taku Ghar mountain in eastern Afghanistan. For his heroism, Miller received the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor. (32)

 

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