To All.
Good Friday Morning March 13, 2026.
Nice weather here again today with clear skies and only climbing to 89 for a high today and 80 tomorrow . I hope that your week has been a good one so far and that you all have a great weekend
Our second Friday the 13th in a row.
Be sure to read the toast below by, Capt Jerry Coffee, USN (ret) a Vietnam POW
Toast to Comrades in Arms One More Roll for me
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
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Our prayers go out to YP for a quick recovery. I need some more of his tales daring do and humor for the List. I will search the archives for some good onesx…..skip
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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 March 13
. March 13
1944—Torpedo bomber aircraft from Composite Squadron Ninety-Five (VC 95) based aboard escort carrier Bogue (CVE 9), along with USS Hobson (DD 464) and USS Haverfield (DE 393), Canadian frigate HMCS Prince Rupert and RAF Flying Fortress (No. 220 Squadron) sink German submarine U 575 in the North Atlantic.
1952—During the Korean War, counter-battery engagements by USS Manchester (CL 83), USS James E. Kyes (DD 787), USS McGinty (DE 365) and USS Douglas H. Fox (DD 779) are supported by aircraft from Task Force 77 silence enemy guns at Kalmagak during the Siege of Wonsan.
1963—USS Albany (CG 10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron Four aid five ill crewmembers of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell.
1993—USS Montpelier (SSN 765) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, her homeport. The boat is the 15th in the Los Angeles-Improved class of attack submarines.
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Today in World History March 13
483 St. Felix begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
607 The 12th recorded passage of Halley's Comet occurs.
1519 Hernando Cortez lands in what will become Mexico.
1660 A statute is passed limiting the sale of slaves in the colony of Virginia.
1777 Congress orders its European envoys to appeal to high-ranking foreign officers to send troops to reinforce the American army.
1781 Astronomer William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus, which he names 'Georgium Sidus,' in honor of King George III.
1793 Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin.
1861 Jefferson Davis signs a bill authorizing slaves to be used as soldiers for the Confederacy.
1868 The U.S. Senate begins the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.
1881 Czar Alexander II is assassinated when a bomb is thrown at him near his palace.
1915 The Germans repel a British Expeditionary Force attack at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in France.
1918 Women are scheduled to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York due to a shortage of men.
1935 A three-thousand-year-old archive is found in Jerusalem confirming biblical history.
1940 Finland capitulates conditionally to Soviet terms, but maintains its independence.
1941 Hitler issues an edict calling for an invasion of the Soviet Union.
1942 Julia Flikke of the Nurse Corps becomes the first woman colonel in the U.S. Army.
1943 Japanese forces end their attack on the American troops on Hill 700 in Bougainville.
1951 Israel demands $1.5 billion in German reparations for the cost of caring for war refugees.
1957 The FBI arrests Jimmy Hoffa on bribery charges.
1963 China invites Soviet Premiere Nikita Khrushchev to visit Beijing.
1970 Cambodia orders Hanoi and Viet Cong troops to get out.
1974 The U.S. Senate votes 54-33 to restore the death penalty.
1974 Arab nations decide to end the oil embargo on the United States.
1981 The United States plans to send 15 Green Berets to El Salvador as military advisors.
1985 Upon the death of Konstantin Chernenko, Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the new leader of the Soviet Union.
1991 Exxon pays $1 billion in fines and costs for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill.
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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 .
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Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..March 13 . .
March 13: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2716
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
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/ )
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Thanks to Bubbles
This is a very good update on Diego......
Diego Garcia base access: Getting past the misinformation
Defense News
By Nilanthi Samaranayake
Mar 10, 2026, 08:46 AM
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber takes off on a combat mission at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, April 13, 2025. (U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Anthony Hetlage)
Criticism by both U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer about using the Diego Garcia military base for U.S. military operations against Iran has elevated attention to the often-underexamined topic of U.S. security interests in the bustling Indian Ocean region. Vital container, hydrocarbon and bulk shipping transits this body of water, which connects hotspots like the South China Sea and the Middle East. Unfortunately, many analyses of the topic present an incomplete picture of a critical national security priority — how to guarantee access to Diego Garcia.
Unlike in most oceans, the U.S. does not have territory in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, it relies on the U.K. to provide access to Diego Garcia, a centrally located base for military operations both westward to the Middle East and eastward to the Pacific. Mauritius, a small-state former British colony, has waged a longstanding diplomatic and legal campaign contesting the U.K.'s sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia.
Some analyses have framed the debate in partisan terms, with former Trump adviser John Bolton criticizing the Biden administration's position on the issue as "international law theology overriding legitimate U.S.-U.K. national security interests."
However, this argument neglects to mention the bipartisan reality: Both the first Trump administration and the Biden administration in 2021 backed the U.K.'s sovereignty over the islands, rather than Mauritius' claim, due to the importance of Diego Garcia. Importantly, no allied boots on the ground moved despite Mauritius' successful legal campaign for the islands.
Fast forward to 2024, when the Biden administration announced support for the U.K.'s agreement with Mauritius which permits the use of Diego Garcia, and to 2025 and 2026 when the Trump administration twice endorsed it.
What, then, accounts for the change in the U.S. position? Real-world developments in international law changed the U.K.'s calculus. In a separate case, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea resolved the maritime border dispute between Mauritius and Maldives in 2023, while its 2021 Special Chamber judgment recognized the "legal effect" of a non-binding 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that the U.K. should vacate Chagos.
Simply put, the U.K. could ignore an advisory opinion, but not binding legal judgments. This was clear motivation for former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss who kickstarted discussions with Mauritius in 2022 when it became apparent the winds were changing for the U.K.'s position. Labour Prime Minister Starmer pointed to negative consequences for the U.K. at UN agencies such as electromagnetic spectrum management, while other examples concern overflight rights.
The China card has also been invoked by critics. The assumption that Mauritius could be cajoled by China's influence indicates little understanding of the multidimensional ties between Mauritius and India, which holds deep threat perceptions of China — seen in border crises this decade resulting in fatalities. Not only are Indian officials involved in Mauritius' national security establishment, the Indian Navy also conducts operations in Mauritius' exclusive economic zone. While Mauritius will continue to have economic relations with China, as do most countries, India will ensure that its strategic place for Mauritius remains paramount.
For its part, India is designated as a Major Defense Partner by the United States, and both renewed their 10-year defense framework agreement in October 2025. Furthermore, the U.S. has excellent relations with Mauritius, which had even offered a 99-year lease directly to the U.S. for Diego Garcia.
Certainly, there are legitimate arguments against the Chagos agreement such as its cost and insufficient involvement by displaced Chagossians. There is also criticism that the U.K. should not worry about potential international legal consequences. Is it worth accepting them? If the treaty is not ratified, then such scenarios will be tested and critiques should be evaluated.
Regardless of what happens with the current agreement, Trump reinforced his support of it by stating he'll secure Diego Garcia in the event of threats to the base. As articulated, his statement will have weight beyond his presidency, similar to the Carter Doctrine prohibiting external interference in accessing the Persian Gulf as a vital U.S. interest. However, misunderstanding legal issues and exaggerating Chinese influence in Mauritius obfuscate what is a clear national security priority — maintaining U.S. access to Diego Garcia for the next century.
The Starmer government's information-sharing about the U.K.'s calculus has been poor, while misinformation abounds.
There have been many twists and turns over the years in this dispute, including a recent claim by Maldives to the Chagos, and President Trump's differences with Prime Minister Starmer over Greenland and Iran.
Yet for current transparency and future accountability, what's required is a better understanding of what will follow after finalizing the treaty — compared with inaction on the issue — and how it preserves U.S. national interests in Diego Garcia and more broadly, the dynamic Indian Ocean region.
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. Thanks to Tom H
Understanding Engineers…
Two engineering students were riding bicycles across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get the great bike?
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes, and said, "Take what you want."
The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice: The clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway."
Understanding Engineers 2 This explains much eh!
To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
Understanding Engineers 3
A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers.
The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We've been waiting for fifteen minutes!"
The doctor chimed in, "I don't think I've ever seen such inept golf!"
The priest said, "Here comes the green-keeper. Let's have a word with him."
He said, "Hello George, What's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"
The green-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime!"
The group fell silent for a moment.
The priest said, "That's so sad. I'll say a special prayer for them tonight."
The doctor said, "Good idea. I'll contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything she can do for them."
The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"
Understanding Engineers 4
What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?
Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.
Understanding Engineers 5
The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with a Commerce degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an Arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?
Understanding Engineers 6
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it isn't sufficiently complex yet.
And Finally
Two engineers were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking at its top. A woman walked by and asked what they were doing
"We're supposed to find the height of this flagpole," said Steve, "but we don't have a ladder."
The woman took pliers from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her purse, took a measurement, announced, "21 feet," and walked away.
One engineer shook his head and laughed, "A lot of good that does us. We ask for the height, and she gives us the length!"
Both engineers have since quit their engineering jobs and have been elected to The House Of Representatives.
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. Thanks to Felix ...and Dr.Rich
From a few years back:
Toast to Comrades in Arms
-- Capt Jerry Coffee, USN (ret) a Vietnam POW
One night during a bombing raid on Hanoi, I peeked out of my cell and watched a flight of four F-105s during their bombing run. As they pulled up, it was obvious that lead was badly hit. Trailing smoke, he broke from the formation and I watched the damaged bird until it disappeared from sight. I presumed the worst.
As I lay there in my cell reflecting on the image, I composed a toast to the unfortunate pilot and all the others who had gone before him.
On New Year's Eve 1968, Captain Tom Storey and I were in the Stardust section of Hoa Lo (wa-low) Prison. I whispered the toast under the door to Tom. Tom was enthralled, and despite the risk of punishment, insisted that I repeat it several more times until he had it committed to memory. He then promised me that when the time came, and they were again free men, he would give the toast at the first dining-in he attended. [For you civilians, a
dining-in is a dreary formal stag affair with drinks, dinner, and forced joviality and comradeship where officers get to dress up like the head waiters in "The Merry Widow" -- that's the American version; I've heard that the Brits, who created the damn things, have a rollicking good time.
Tom's first assignment following release in 1973 was to the U.S. Air Force Academy. During that same year the Academy hosted the Annual Conference of General Officers and Those Associated Dining In. ... The jovial clinking of glasses accompanied all the traditional speeches and toasts.
Then it was Tom's turn. Remembering his promise so many years earlier, he proposed Jerry's "One More Roll." When he was finished there was total silence.
"We toast our hearty comrades
Who have fallen from the skies,
And were gently caught by God's own hands
To be with him on high,
To dwell among the soaring clouds
They have known so well before,
From victory roll to tail chase
At heavens very door.
And as we fly among them there,
We're sure to hear their plea:
Take care, my friend,
Watch your six,
And do one more roll for me."
[A toast to all our comrades -- POWs, missing in action, living or dead, whatever their duty., whatever their war, whatever their uniform. Bless them all.]
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A funny from the archives
Thanks to Dr.Rich and YP
Fwd: The Pleaure of Daylight Savings Day
NM Happenings w. YP
First, I am a time Nazi. I got paid money in both the Navy and with Grits Airways for being exactly on time, and I have clocks everywhere, some automatically change, others are a real pain. TUNITA TIME is fashionably late, then a panic departure, which is accurately calculated to drive her husband batchit in reciprocity for being a Nazi. I am done except for a couple of timepieces which require a ladder, which is not good these days.
Other Rancho Rites of (almost) Spring: Sun is shining brightly, but there were snowflakes falling earlier. There is an especially destructive kind of Woodpecker known locally as a Flicker (Mother Flicker?) that has decided that the metal chimnea for my gas fireplace would be a nice place to build a nest, and early mornings settles in it and hammers away at the metal. Very annoying. Short term solution is to turn on the fireplace. Bird is patient and will come back. Permanent solution is for me to sneak outside our garage,and Tunita go out on our deck and YELL AND WAVE HANDS. Bird flies away to my side and I dissolve it with shotgunnery. No luck so far, but shotgun is out and ready.
We were greeted this morning by two tom turkeys, all puffed up and trying to impress a lone hen. Tunita has plants in all our south facing windows, and said turkeys are attracted to them and peck madly at the windows and fertilize our back deck liberally. This happens every year, and ends only when turkey lust is satisfied.
The Air Wing of illegal immigrant ducks left early today out of disgust for emptying my feeder down at the pond, so it is refill day with five 50# bags of cracked corn. I have temporarily won the battle with RATS that enter thru the feed horns and make a mess. Last time, I plugged up the horns, and used my frog gig to spear two of the liddle bastids and offer them up as a sacrifice to the crows. The same bastids made a horrid nest in the engine compartment of my truck, parked outside under the shelter we call the Pagoda. I cleaned it all out and put two cubes of rat poison on top of a flat place. Checked yesterday and the cubes were gone, so I put out two more. I hope they are deaded.
May we live in UNINTERESTING TIMES.
YP
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. Thanks to Quora Digest
. When police officers stop people in a vehicle, why do they touch the taillight or the back of the car as they're walking towards it?
When police officers approach a vehicle during a traffic stop, you might notice them casually touching the taillight or the back of the car. While this may seem like a simple gesture, it's actually a multifaceted tactic embedded in the realm of law enforcement that serves both practical and psychological purposes. This action is often referred to as "touching the vehicle" and is more than just a casual move; it's a strategic maneuver that enhances officer safety, establishes a connection with the vehicle owner, and even helps in documenting the interaction.
First and foremost, the act of touching the vehicle serves as a subtle but effective way of marking the scene. By making physical contact with the car, officers create a tangible link to the stop, which can become critical later on if there are questions about the legitimacy of the stop or if it escalates into a more serious situation. This is rooted in a concept known as "scene control," where the officer establishes their presence and authority while also collecting evidence that can be used in court if necessary. Imagine a courtroom scenario where the officer can refer back to the specific vehicle they interacted with, bolstering their testimony with a physical point of reference.
But there's more to it than mere documentation. The psychological aspect of this gesture can't be overlooked. When an officer touches the car, it can evoke a sense of familiarity and personal engagement, which might ease the tension of the moment for both the officer and the driver. It's a non-verbal cue that conveys the message, "I'm here, and I'm in control." Interestingly, it also serves to deter potential flight or aggression from the driver. By establishing a connection — however minor — the officer is inadvertently letting the driver know that they are being observed and that any hasty movements or actions could be noted.
This simple action can provide crucial information about the driver and the vehicle. For instance, while the officer is touching the taillight, they might be listening for sounds coming from inside the car, observing the behavior of its occupants, or even detecting any scents that might suggest illicit substances. The tactile interaction allows the officer to gather sensory data that could inform their next steps in the encounter. For example, if an officer feels heat emanating from the trunk, it might raise suspicions and prompt further investigation.
Finally, here's something that might surprise you: the practice of touching the vehicle is also a part of training programs for police officers, where they learn about the importance of body language and physical presence in establishing authority and ensuring safety. This technique is taught alongside other methods of de-escalation and communication, highlighting the intricate balance officers must maintain in high-stress situations.
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Here are the pictures of the P-40 at Vandenberg AFB I mentioned previously. A beautiful plane
. Thanks to Carl
. Two links to photo's of the P-40 at VAFB.
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This Day in U S Military History
13 March
1781 – Astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, which he named 'Georgium Sidus,' in honor of George III. He initially though it was a comet. It is the 7th planet from the sun and revolves around the sun every 84.02 years. It is 14.6 time the size of Earth and has five satellites. The planet Uranus is a gas giant like Jupiter and Saturn and is made up of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The third largest planet, Uranus orbits the sun once every 84 earth years and is the only planet to spin perpendicular to its solar orbital plane. In January 1986, the unmanned U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 visited the planet, discovering 10 additional moons to the five already known, and a system of faint rings around the gas giant.
1895 – Award of first submarine building contract to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. In 1895, John Philip Holland received the U.S. Navy contract to build a submarine. The Plunger would have been the first submarine destined for service in the U.S. Navy. However, foreseeing her failure because of an overly optimistic set of requirements, he began building another submarine using his own money and plans. This vessel was later christened USS Holland. This was truly the first successful U.S. submarine in America's Navy. After some acceptance tests in the Potomac River (she wasn't certified for the high seas), she was delivered in 1900 and became a model against which all subsequent submarines were compared. She could attain a speed of 7 knots on the surface with her 45 HP gasoline engine and about 5.5 knots submerged on her batteries. Her hardy crew consisted of one officer and five enlisted men.
1901 – Benjamin Harrison (67), 23rd president of the United States (1889-1893), died in Indianapolis.
1944 – On Bougainville, US forces mount a counterattack, with armor and air support, and recapture most of the ground lost during the last few days.
1944 – On Hauwei Island, the small US forces overrun the Japanese garrison. Artillery units are landed to support planned operations on Manus Island.
1945 – The 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 9th Marine Regiment attacked through "Cushman's Pocket," Iwo Jima. This was the last strong point of enemy resistance on the island.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
KYLE, PATRICK J.
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1855, Ireland. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Citation: For rescuing from drowning a shipmate from the U.S.S. Quinnebaug, at Port Mahon, Minorca, 13 March 1879.
*CRAIN, MORRIS E.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 141st Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: Haguenau, France, 13 March 1945. Entered service at: Paducah, Ky. Birth: Bandana, Ky. G.O. No.: 18, 13 February 1946. Citation: He led his platoon against powerful German forces during the struggle to enlarge the bridgehead across the Moder River. With great daring and aggressiveness he spearheaded the platoon in killing 10 enemy soldiers, capturing 12 more and securing its objective near an important road junction. Although heavy concentrations of artillery, mortar, and self-propelled gunfire raked the area, he moved about among his men during the day, exhorting them to great efforts and encouraging them to stand firm. He carried ammunition and maintained contact with the company command post, exposing himself to deadly enemy fire. At nightfall the enemy barrage became more intense and tanks entered the fray to cover foot troops while they bombarded our positions with grenades and rockets. As buildings were blasted by the Germans, the Americans fell back from house to house. T/Sgt. Crain deployed another platoon which had been sent to his support and then rushed through murderous tank and small-arms fire to the foremost house, which was being defended by 5 of his men. With the enemy attacking from an adjoining room and a tank firing pointblank at the house, he ordered the men to withdraw while he remained in the face of almost certain death to hold the position. Although shells were crashing through the walls and bullets were hitting all around him, he held his ground and with accurate fire from his submachinegun killed 3 Germans. He was killed when the building was destroyed by the enemy. T/Sgt. Crain's outstanding valor and intrepid leadership enabled his platoon to organize a new defense, repel the attack and preserve the hard-won bridgehead.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 13, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
13 March
1911: Capt W. Irving Chambers (USN) joined the Bureau of Navigation to devote his efforts exclusively to naval aeronautics. (24)
1917: The birth of Army air intelligence took place when Chief Signal Officer Brig Gen George O. Squier approved an intelligence subdivision office in the Aeronautical Division. (24)
1958: The USAF Ballistic Missile Committee picked Lowry AFB to become the first Titan I base. (6)
1959: Aviation Cadet E. R. Cook soloed in a TT-1 Pinto and became the first student in naval aviation history to solo a jet without previous experience in propeller aircraft. (24) An Aerobee-Hi rocket launched from White Sands took the first ultraviolet photos of the sun from an altitude of 123 miles. (24)
1977: TAC received its first air refuelable Combat Talon C-130 Hercules. (16)
1993: STORM OF THE CENTURY. Through 14 March, 301 RS helicopters saved 93 people after a major blizzard swept over a third of the US from the Gulf of Mexico to New England. (16) (26)
1994: The first Taurus booster lifted two military satellites into space from Vandenberg AFB. (16) (26)
2007: The first MQ-9 Reaper, a newer, larger and stronger version of the MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, arrived at Creech AFB, Nev. The 42nd Attack Squadron commander, Lt Col Jon Greene, flew the MQ-9 more than 250 miles in two hours to land there. (AFNEWS, "First MQ-9 Reaper Makes Its Home on Nevada Flightline," 14 Mar 2007.) At Little Rock AFB, Ark., General Duncan McNabb, the Air Mobility Command commander, delivered the first combat-ready C-130J Hercules to the 463d Airlift Group. (AFNEWS, "Air Mobility Command, 463d Airlift Group Welcomes First C-130J," 15 Mar 2007.)
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This is a long fun read from Shadow. It has been in the List before
One of my cousins was married to an Air Force pilot who had flown these beasts and later flew C-130 and C-141. During tour as a FAC in Vietnam he was awarded a Silver Star. I stopped to visit He and the family on my way to Pensacola for flight training and sadly he was killed by a drunk Driver just before Christmas a few years later. He had 5 kids.
Subject: The Navy Fighter Pilot and "Old Shakey"
C-124 GLOBEMASTER VS A REAR ADMIRAL
The C-124 was a lumbering transport aircraft first fielded by the Air Force in 1949. Designed to haul outsized cargo, or up to 200 troops, it featured a 77-foot-long cargo bay. Pretty, the Globemaster was not.
It looked like a pregnant schnauzer and was only slightly faster. The four massive Pratt & Whitney 4360 radials on its thick wings looked ridiculously undersized for the job and could only propel the ungainly brute to a cruising speed in the high 200 mph range. In flight, the aircraft's cavernous fuselage and the 4360s combined to produce a less than smooth ride; hence, the Globemaster's nickname 'Old Shakey.'
Rear Admiral Edward L. 'Whitey' Feightner was trained as a fighter pilot, he proved himself during WW II, with nine Japanese kills. By 1959, Feightner's career had also included stints as an Admiral's Aide, a Blue Angel and a test pilot.
Feightner had flown just about every Navy fighter and a remarkable variety of other military land and sea aircraft. Prolonged exposure to the sun and his fair complexion produced frequent sunburns. And having no tan earned him the nickname Whitey.
Typically, the only thing that a Navy fighter pilot and Globemasters had in common was a need to be at a certain destination at a certain time. In the winter of 1959, Cmdr. Feightner was flying the A-4D Skyhawk in Jacksonville, while the Globemaster was a hundred miles north at Charleston AFB, serving Military Transport Service-MATS.
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On the afternoon of February 13, 1959, fighter pilot and Old Shakey met. 1200 Hours: Pinecastle Bombing Range, February 13, 1959
I had orders to fly to the Mediterranean and replace the Air Wing Commander of Carrier Air Group-10 on the Forrestal. Relieving a senior officer in the middle of a cruise wasn't SOP, but the people in Washington wanted this particular commander back at the Pentagon pronto. This meant I got a real hurry up in my orders. In fact, I was out flying an A-4D Skyhawk over a bombing range area, when I got a call from the air station. I was to land immediately.
I jumped out of the jet into a waiting car that sped directly to the BOQ. I threw my clothes into a bag, and in less than 30 minutes, I was on my way to Charleston AFB.
On arrival, I was taken straight to an Air Force C-121, which immediately fired up and taxied out. Just as we got to the runway, the tower called. They stopped our airplane.
Two MPs walked into the cabin and asked whether Commander Feightner was on board. I held up my hand and I was told to follow them. I looked at them and said, "Not so fast. Here are my orders. I'm wanted in the Med right away." They said, We understand that Sir . . but read this. It was an authorization to commandeer anybody . . at anytime . . for an urgent mission.
I got off the airplane. We got into a car, and I was driven to the operations tower, where I found out they had a special mission headed for Europe. The Navy had 10,000 pounds of top-secret gear that needed to go overseas, and it was tucked into a C-124 sitting on the ramp. And I was now commandeered to baby sit this gear.
The C-124 was a huge airplane, even by today's standards. In your mind, just think of expanding cargo bay size of a C-130 five to six times and you'll get an idea of what the C-124 looked like. And its pilots sat twenty-four feet above the tarmac.
This airplane's squadron was just getting a new squadron commander: an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with a new Major as his Operations Officer. This flight was also to be their line checkout before they were qualified to take over the MATS squadron.
The plane was about ready to depart, and I was given a .45 to strap on and was led to a seat bolted to the deck in the rear of this cavernous airplane. A tarpaulin covered the 10,000 pounds of gear, and in this huge space, that just amounted to one little mound. And I was back there all alone.
I didn't even know what it was I was guarding other than 10,000 pounds of top-secret gear. And I was to not allow anybody to take it away from me.
By the time we taxied out to the runway, it was just about dusk, and it was raining. We started the takeoff roll, and I was sitting back there and couldn't see anything. I knew there was a check pilot up front with the Colonel and the Major for the flight.
Sure enough. Like all good check pilots, he chopped power on an engine during takeoff. I heard the power come off, come back on and then come off again, and we lunged to a sudden stop. The crew hadn't really handled this very well. And we were now off the runway with the six-and-a-half-foot tall right mains up to their axles in the mud.
It took about four hours to get the airplane back on the runway. They hosed off all the mud, determined there wasn't any real damage and decided that we'd go ahead. We went back out onto the take-off runway. But this time, the check pilot didn't chop an engine.
We climbed and headed out across the water on a course just past Bermuda, when it was decided that the flight crew had run out of crew time. So, we dropped into Bermuda to stay overnight and let them get the proper rest.
The next morning, we needed to get on the road again soon so the crew wouldn't run out of crew time before we got to the Azores.
It was between breakfast and lunch then, and there wasn't any place open to feed us except the British O' Club. They said that breakfast would be Hungarian Goulash, they were about to serve for lunch that day. I can't stand Hungarian Goulash and talked their cook into making an egg omelet for me
1700 Hours: Bermuda, February 14
I ate my omelet. And everybody had their goulash. We got airborne at about 16:30 in the afternoon and were climbing through 1,500 to 2,000 feet, when there was a loud bang!
In the back, out of a small porthole-type window I could make out that they were shutting down the number-three engine. I was still strapped in, and as I didn't know what was happening, I stayed strapped in! We orbited off Bermuda for probably an hour while they assessed the situation.
They figured out that an exhaust stack had loosened on that starboard inboard engine. They decided that three engines would be fine since we didn't have a heavy load. There had been enough delays already, so we just pushed on. [ Later I discovered that a Navy ship was waiting for this gear we were delivering.]
2030 Hours: 9,000 feet, Mid-Atlantic
We headed off across the pond toward the Azores. About three hours later, the crew chief came and asked me to come up to the cockpit. I was delighted; I was freezing to death in the back. We went forward and climbed a ladder through the tremendous cargo bay up to the flight deck.
That's when I was told we had a real emergency going on. The check pilot, who was an Air Force Captain in the Reserves, had just come down with ptomaine poisoning. He was now strapped into a bunk behind the flight deck, and he didn't look good at all. He was in convulsions, and he was as white as he could be.
The pilot Major also looked like he was bitten by the goulash. But he had his headphones on and was standing next to the Captain, talking on the radio to a doctor somewhere, getting medical advice on what to do about this.
I assumed we would turn around and head back home, but the Colonel said to me, " We're about to run into a weather front, and I would like to get that engine back on-line. The crew chief and I want to go out [ into the wing ] and fix it."
The C-124's wing thickness was so great that you could actually walk [crawl out is more like it] into the wing during flight and perform maintenance on the engines.
He asked if I would fly the airplane for a little while. I was happy to; anything was better than sitting in that cargo bay. So, I jumped into the left seat and took over; everybody else left the cockpit and went elsewhere.
I'm flying along about 9,000 feet, and after about 25 or 30 minutes, not a soul had come back to the cockpit. The airplane was on auto pilot, and I just monitored everything and made sure we stayed on course.
All of a sudden, we ran into the front, and it started to rain, and there was a lot of lightning. Since I'd never been in a C-124 before, the next thing that happened really alarmed me. The instrument panel kept jostling back and forth! Man, this thing was Old Shakey! I thought my eyesight was going bad, but the shaking was just characteristic of the airplane. It had a spring-mounted instrument panel that seemed to move through an inch and a half of travel back and forth in rough weather. You can imagine what it would be like to fly instruments by hand. Then we started to get some fairly hard jolts.
No one returned to the cockpit.
Because I didn't know how much stress the airplane could take, I turned off the autopilot and began to fly the instruments manually. The turbulence was getting more and more severe, and it was raining quite hard.
Just then, the crew chief called me over the intercom: "Skipper - get ready to crank up the number three engine." He went over the engine start checklist with me. I started up the engine.
The oil pressure came up just fine, the temperature looked good, and it idled just like it should. I decided to bring it back up on-line and synchronize the propeller.
Everything was going great except that we were really being thrown around by this storm. I had my hands full, and after an additional 15, or 20 minutes, I thought, "I'm still alone up here. What's going on with those guys?" So, I called the crew chief on the intercom.
But got no answer.
Shortly after, the cockpit door opened up and a slender young guy walked in. He was a Navy Lieutenant-jg. I looked at him completely baffled when he told me, "I'm Lt. Roberts, your navigator."
He saw my quizzical look and told me he had just gone through navigation school and that he was not an aviator; he was a Navy DESTROYER sailor!
I thought, " What else strange can happen?"
Well, he starts to bring me up to date [on the engine problem] saying, "When you started up the engine, the Colonel was in the engine nacelle. He got a terrible dose of carbon monoxide. He's down and gone blind! "
Later, I saw a big plaque on that engine that read: "DO NOT ENTER ENGINE AREA DURING FLIGHT: CARBON MONOXIDE"
Apparently, he and the crew chief had been able to put the blown stack back on and wire it into place. It seemed to be holding satisfactorily, so the Colonel told the crew chief to head out and tell me to start the engine, while he stayed behind to make sure there wouldn't be a fire around the stack when the engine was started.
When it fired up, the Colonel ingested a huge amount of carbon monoxide fumes and he passed out.
They got the Colonel out [of the engine area] and put him in a bunk. On top of everything else, by this time, the pilot Major was now upchucking from the same goulash.
0300 Hours: 9,000 feet, closing on the Azores, February 15
I am all by myself in Old Shakey's cockpit.
After a while, we got fairly close to the Azores. I shifted over to the Base frequency, and the next thing you know, I get a call from there saying, "We're sending a B-17 out to you. And when he picks you out on radar, he will give you a call." "He has an emergency boat on board."
And that got my attention. I didn't know what they knew. But they said, "Keep on coming. You'll break out of the storm 50 miles east of the Azores. The minute you break out, you'll orbit until daylight. And then we'll bring you down." That sounded good to me.
So, I kept on heading that way.
And pretty soon, I broke out of the storm and could see the moon and stars. Soon, I looked down and saw the island ahead. And reported I had them in sight. They "rogered" that, and I started to orbit.
At about 03:30 the tower called me. Apparently, the doctors decided we had to get the Colonel down or he might not make it. I asked, "Do you have a GCA?" They confirmed they did. I replied, " Well turn it on, because I am coming in." They said, "All right; we'll bring you in. But be advised that you'll have a slight crosswind and we've got clouds over the island down to about 800 feet ".
I said, "Fine, we'll just come in on the radar."
We got everything straight and I started talking to the GCA controller when all of a sudden, a voice from the Control Tower asks, "WHO ARE YOU?! "
I replied, " I'm a Navy fighter pilot . . and I'm flying the airplane."
They came back, "Wait one! "
I realized that my casual answer had probably worried them, thinking - how in the world is a Navy fighter pilot going to land that huge thing.
So, after a little pause, I called again and said, "If it's any help to you, I'm also a Navy test pilot. And though I've never been in a C-124 before, I've flown a lot of big airplanes."
That seemed to settle them down. I was again advised of a right crosswind on the base's single runway. I told them it wouldn't be a problem.
As I was getting ready for the approach, I got hold of the aircraft's crew chief and asked him, "How about getting that pilot Major up here with me."
I was on final, down to about 3,000 feet, when the Major trudged into the cockpit. He sat down in the right seat. And I figured, you know, this guy knows his airplane.
So, I told him, " OK, you've got it."
Right away, the Major says, "NOT ME! " " I'm not gonna take this thing! I'm too woozy, and I keep passing out!"
Well, I guess this was my day to do everything. So, I told the Major, " I'm gonna fly instruments all the way down. You let me know when we've made [visual on] the runway.
But then . . YOU TAKE OVER ! "
We kept going downhill, and we broke out about 1,000 feet. And I told him. "O K! IT'S . . ALL . . YOURS! "
He grabbed the wheel. [But I'll tell you, being an old flight instructor, I never REALLY let go of that thing!]
We got over the runway. I saw the wind drifting us. So, I cranked the wheel into it. And I didn't get any opposition from him. So, I'm not sure which one of us landed it, but we did put that airplane on the runway [from our perch 27 feet above the concrete.]
Later, I learned that the Colonel was soon medically discharged from the Air Force. And 'they' also managed to save the check pilot's [career.] On the other hand, [lying back there in the bunk] he had a really bad case of ptomaine poisoning.
The next morning, a new C-124 flight crew came in from somewhere, and we took off and flew to Rabat. When we landed there, the Forrestal had an A-3 Sky Warrior sitting on the tarmac waiting for me. In fact, my predecessor, the outgoing air wing commander was flying the airplane. They threw me on board, and my next stop was landing at sea aboard the carrier. We put the guy I relieved on another airplane. And presto I was an air wing commander.
I got a big letter of thanks from the Air Force. Apparently, the top-secret cargo was some kind of communications gear. To this day, I don't know exactly what it was, but eventually, it did get to where it was going. And so did I.
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